I’ve had my brother and a few friends tell me that I need to read the Stormlight Archive books. I picked up book 1 and loved it. I just finished this book, and I loved it as well. I didn’t read this one as fast as I had read the previous book. I think a lot of it had been the fact that I started this one almost immediately after finishing the first book. I think the length of these books were kind of getting to me a bit, so I ended up slowing down and taking the book in different chunks. By no means is that a bad thing. I will say that as I hit around the 60 percent mark, I got to the point where I struggled to put the book down because things really started picking up.
I’m very pleased with the way the story continues to progress. This book focused primarily on Shallan this time around giving us a bit of her back story. Some of the revelations about her past that come to light near the end of the book are really surprising. I think that is what I love about the book is how we are given bits and pieces of things as the main plot moves along. Eventually, the threads come together nicely while some new ones are made.
Shallan is a fascinating character. I was getting a little frustrated with her progression in the first half of this book because I felt like she was getting sidetracked too much with her side quests. However, it appears that those side quests will end up revealing some fascinating things in the next book. At least, I hope it does. Either way, I found myself wanting to slap her upside the head and be like, you are supposed to be doing other things instead of fixing ledgers or getting involved with a shady group. Oh well. She doesn’t listen very well.
Kaladin is still my favorite character. There is a part in this book where he finally accepts what he is and embraces it, and that moment was so vivid in my mind that it made me get a little tearful in happiness for him. I rarely get to a point where I want to cheer out loud while reading, but I came very close shortly after that. Kaladin’s progression has been a fascinating one to be a part of, and I can’t wait to see where the story takes him in the next book.
I’m glad people finally convinced me to give these books a chance. I am really enjoying them. I have picked up book 3 and 4 in the series. I don’t think I’m going to jump into book 3 just yet. I need a bit of a palate cleanser before I do. But, I am looking forward to it. I’m sure this story will continue to amaze and impress me. There is a reason so many people love these books.
