This was the first Brandon Sanderson book I ever read (bold choice, I know), and returning to it half a decade later for a re-read now that the series is completed was my best decision of 2025 so far. This is a masterpiece of epic fantasy. Sanderson is the GOAT when it comes to world-building! Between the ecological and cultural descriptions (so! many! crustaceans!), I feel like I truly understand the world of Roshar. The characters are loveable and understandable even when they make mistakes that make me cringe (I’m looking at you, Shallan). I love Kaladin so much and my heart breaks for him constantly. Overall, this is a wonderful story of war, violence, and despair, but also hope, curiosity, and brotherhood. Oh, and there’s magic!

Oh, also, I'm so here for Navani clawing her way out of the 'sister'-zone. It's so funny to me that when Dalinar calls her the honorific for older sister, she retaliates by getting him alone and kissing him just a few chapters later. She is not letting the dead-brother's-widow part get in her way.

Also I'm so gay for Jasnah. Sanderson is a coward if he doesn't make her a girl-kisser.

Draws you in to a complex world & keeps you going for what seems to be a build up to an epic journey

the plot twists at the end were so captivating… I really had no idea. amazing.

I listened to the audiobook version so that perhaps may have changed how I experienced this book, but I loved it. It's a little slow but because I was listening to it, that didn't bother me as much. The character development is strong in this book since it's setting up the series and introducing everything. 

Sanderson does a great job of world building and creating interesting magic systems and fantasy elements. 

I found myself surprised by how philosophical this book is, exploring various themes and perspectives around war, religion, leadership, roles of different peoples in civilization, classism, prejudices, etc. There are different cultures and peoples across the world built in this book and they all have different ideals on war, gender roles, religion, culture, some find fighting detestable while others relish it as their main purpose in life. 

The book follows characters that are royalty and slaves, soldiers and scholars, those that both use and are used. One of my favorite parts of this book was the philosophical debates the characters would have. It was surprisingly witty and smart. 

" I’m not trying to make a point consciously ever in my writing–though I do think that good stories should raise questions and make readers think. " - from Brandon's FAQ - https://faq.brandonsanderson.com/knowledge-base/tell-me-more-about-religion-and-your-writing/

While Sanderson explores various aspects of being human that relate heavily in our own world, depending on what your experience is, the story doesn't explore much in the way of sexuality of the human condition, but Sanderson doesn't dive into this aspect much anyways.   

" I don’t make a big deal of it, because I tend not to make a big deal of the sexuality of side characters in general. " - https://faq.brandonsanderson.com/knowledge-base/how-do-you-feel-about-gay-characters/

I got curious and read through his FAQ a bit on his beliefs. He is very open in these FAQs, answering difficult questions, but explains himself well. He is a Mormon, but liberal in a way. It seems he has changed in the past 10-15 years, and now supports the LGBTQ+ community. I'm curious to see if he explores various sexualities in his more recent books or going forward.

All in all, I enjoyed the book very much and look forward to reading the rest of the series.  

With every reread I find new information. It’s a thick and heavy read but feels relevant for the times.