I'll probably do a longer blog post about this later, but my basic reactions after ten hours of sleep (needed them after that all-nighter):
I had been hoping to see the progression of the relationship between Shallan and Jasnah throughout the book, given that the book was focused on Shallan, but Jasnah's "death" really threw a wrench into that. That said, the loss of a protective figure in Jasnah really helped Shallan to grow in interesting directions as a person. Also, I'm not sure if I supposed to, but I called Shallan having been the one to kill her mother as early as her first flashback chapter, so...called it?
Kaladin's trials in this book were pretty compelling; his arc in this book seemed to be about coming to understand that his personal hatreds couldn't be allowed to conflict with the oath he took in TWOK. Watching him drift further and further away from that oath in the latter half of the book was pretty upsetting, and I let out a definite whoop when he finally moved to protect Elhokar despite having good reason to hate him. (Also, the "Elhokar is Dalinar's Tien" moment actually made me choke up a little.)
Dalinar was pretty much the same person he was at the end of TWOK, so he was probably the least interesting person in this book. That said, he still had some good moments, especially in relation to Kaladin and Shallan.
Adolin didn't have much in the way of an arc, but the insights we got into his character were great, and oh god, that last scene with him. That was one of the two big...not "cliffhanger" moments, not exactly. More of an "oh, crap" moment? Either way, I wouldn't have predicted him outright murdering Sadeas, but after the fact I could see how well Sanderson had foreshadowed that he was capable of exactly that. I actually have a lot to say RE: what Adolin did, but it'll take a while to get my thoughts in order.
The other "oh crap" moment, incidentally, was Jasnah turning up near Wit in the epilogue. I have mixed feelings about that; on the one hand, I'm happy that she's alive, but on the other, I was left wishing that we had been given more reason to expect it beyond an initial gut feeling of "oh come on, she's too cool a character to kill this early on and this isn't a G. R. R. Martin novel." I'm assuming she Soulcast a replica of her body and then Elsecalled off the ship, but I guess we'll have to wait until the next book to know more.
Speaking of Wit/Hoid, wow he was all over this novel. His scene during Shallan's childhood made me tear up, and overall I'm just really starting to love the guy despite still not understanding his motives.
Sadeas came off as far too impotent for me to really care that he existed, and by the end of the novel he was more interesting as a catalyst for Adolin's hatred than as a character in his own right. A little disappointing, since I absolutely loved him as a character in TWOK, but what can you do?
Renarin had a strange place in the novel, and there were several moments that I just wasn't satisfied with. His joining Bridge Four only dragged out an "oh, seriously?" reaction from me. His showing up as the fourth Radiant in "The Four" was unsurprising, since his place in the arena fight was a big fat neon sign of +4 foreshadowing, and I was left wishing that he had gotten a few perspective segments. Hell, even Sadeas did, and they only served as a red herring!
Moash did not surprise me. I mostly just feel vaguely bad for him, since he's way out of his depth. Honestly, Kaladin, what were you thinking when you gave him those shards? Ugh.
I would write a lot about Zahel, but I don't think you all want to read a big love letter to the guy, which is what my writeup would end up being, so, oh well! <3 zahel
Szeth was pretty much crazy to begin with and the book's events only threw him even further off the deep end. Him with Nightblood is a terrifying thought, and I can't wait for more from him.
