You mentioned not having the stand up and cheer, or teary eyed moment in this book. But Dalinar’s ending of “You cannot have my pain” is the peak form of emotional cheering to me. That is THE Heroic moment of the series so far for me.
Yeah I came to say that same thing pretty much. Not sure how that didn’t land for Matt quite honestly. I haven’t listened to the audiobook, but maybe that’s a reason?
I did the opposite, I upgraded my rating on a reread. I enjoyed getting those other perspectives and the world and Cosmere stuff that I didn’t know about since I didn’t know about the wider world.
I found this one okay on the reread. My biggest problem is how the ending was just too long of a sanderlanche, it reminded me of when I watched star wars 8 and wondering when will this end already (oathbringer is much better obv). I can't wait for book 5 though and I just hope Shallan will finally get conclusion to her backstory. I like her character a lot, but it just feels like we are going in circle with her story because Brandon is saving big reveal with this upcoming book.
I fully agree. I liked Oathbringer, but after my rereads, I realized that I preferred Rythm of War over Oathbringer. My biggest issue was how long parts of it felt, especially the Shadesmar arc. That just dragged on for me.
Hi, I’m one of those people who have this one as their favorite. Still love your reviews and videos cause you keep it real but to me this book is #1 (followed by 4,2,1)
I mostly feel the same as you except for me the downsides outweigh the positives. And the more OP everyone gets, the less I care about any of it. To me the “you can’t have my pain” scene is cool but it’s the type of moment that becomes less the more I think about it. It lacks all nuance. It is exactly what it says it is.
What you have to say about Shallan in this book is exactly how I felt in the next book, imo Oathbringer set it up really nice to be resolved but then in Rhythm of War it's exactly what you said but multiplied.
Oathbringer is my current favorite HOWEVER as with each storm light book, I tend to read them over the course of several months. With oathbringer, for sure was where I had the longest gaps between reading bursts. I'm also reading gardens of the moon at the same time so maybe there's a correlation 😂
I’m up and down on this series. Books 1 and 2 I loved but by 3 I felt like serious editing was needed because it simply didn’t justify the page length and, at least to me, felt like the middle part was a slog to get through. Still haven’t read Rhythm of War but definitely will soon
I liked Oathbringer so much better on re-read. I think because I'm reading this series as it's released, so i have to wait a couple years between books. It just disappointed me on first read. I really grew to appreciate it after reading it again.
Oathbringer is not without its faults. When I read it the first time, I ended up dropping it for about a month due to pacing issues before I toughed it out and finished it. And I’m glad I did because it has some of my favourite scenes and quotes. It has some amazing character building in it, though I would consider it a little slow. This book and Rhythm of War are a little sloggy but they definitely have some amazing sections. Kaladin and Dalinar are always my standouts. Dalinar’s sections are mostly well paced. Shallan goes in circles in terms of character building and likability, unfortunately. Worldbuilding in both book 3 and 4 are outstanding, as always. I just dont appreciate how in both books I ended up taking a break for a month or two before picking them back up again. Meanwhile I breezed past books 1 and 2.
The ending of this book and certain other revelations throughout made me love this book, but I definitely felt its length. Nothing will ever be as bad as the Venli chapters in Rhythm of war though haha. My personal ranking is 1, 3, 2, 4.
I finished this a couple of months ago and it's my favorite in the series so far (I won't be starting Rhythm of War for a few weeks yet). I do feel like pacing issues stood out in this one more than in the previous volumes, particularly in a particular segment around the middle that seemed to overstay its welcome. (I suspect that everyone who has read this will know the thread I'm referring to.) But I found the ending so powerful that it overcame that bout sluggishness - and in a series known for its top-tier endings, I felt Oathbringer topped them all.
This one had way more side characters that I didn’t feel like remembering but that turned out to be important later and I’m just like, I don’t wanna go back and see who they were again and I don’t wanna look em up for fear of spoilers.
I mean the ending was the best in the series, though dalinars backstory was a little dry. Not sure I would put this at the bottom, I know this is heresy but that's probably where I put words or radiance(just not a big shallan fan)
Reading this book currently and it is slow-going. I do like the world and will no doubt be finishing the saga ultimately, but even the first book gave me the feeling that it should have been edited down. To be fair, I get this feeling with a lot of scifi and fantasy series. Especially when an author is Famous, it seems like editors are scared to push for quality instead of quantity.
I finished words of radiance and cannot continue this series. The characters are so juvenile and dumb, it just hard to not roll your eyes. What a bad decision it was to listen to all the hype.This is a series for YA.
This is the only Stormlight book where I feel it's length. I think it's because the pace is so inconsistent and the chapters feel like mini short stories so it's less page turning than the other books. I also find this to be the most predicable book in the series, I predicted pretty much the entire flashback, and the Sanderlanche was way too long for me. I like Shallan but Veil and Radiant are so boring and stall the plot that I dread when they show up. I feel like her plot line gets completely derailed my her multiple personality plot line. It's still a 4/5 but it's definitely my least favorite in the series.
I feel like I have the unpopular opinion of the stormlight archive where I like oathbringer and rhythm of war more than the way of kings and words of radiance
Matt You don't talk about and my guess is that you didn't find it yet ,but for me the greatest part of the books is that there is a shadow story behind every paragraph. There is so much foreshadowing and so many hidden connection and predictions that you have to study them to find out what is going on. It took me 4 reads and a lot of searching online to find these hidden parts inside. And I didn't like the Shallan flashbacks in my first 3 reads and now they are my favourite. Favourite quote is: "The world ended, and Shallan was to blame."
All of Dalinars chapters in Oathbringer are him walking around Urithiru, hands clasped behind his back and occasionally saying "carry on, soldier". There - I just spoiled the entire book.
I really don’t like the concept of the main radiant gaining little helper radiants. Literally every character is now a radiant and it takes something away from the story.
Matt am I wrong here to think Words of Radiance could of used some serious editing? I DnF the book at page 850 and I kind of regret it but it this is why
I agree I found this book too long and meandering. It had a fun finale at the end but didn't feel like it completely redeemed the journey that led to it.
Couldn't disagree more. After reading this book, it immediately became my favorite book I've ever read. It's probably dropped a little bit since then, but this book is absolutely fantastic.
@@neutral_narr you don't think telling people they need to read more about one of their favorite books sounds arrogant? Because it's blatant. And very concerning considering people's opinions. Would you like me to shit on your favorite books? I thought not.
I am also of the mind that this book is the weakest of the series. Is still very good, but not great. Many think the same of the 4th, but I actually really enjoyed RoW, almost as much as the first 2.
You mentioned not having the stand up and cheer, or teary eyed moment in this book. But Dalinar’s ending of “You cannot have my pain” is the peak form of emotional cheering to me. That is THE Heroic moment of the series so far for me.
Kaladin is my favorite character but that dalinar part is one of the coolest parts of fantasy I’ve ever read
Yeah I came to say that same thing pretty much. Not sure how that didn’t land for Matt quite honestly. I haven’t listened to the audiobook, but maybe that’s a reason?
I did the opposite, I upgraded my rating on a reread. I enjoyed getting those other perspectives and the world and Cosmere stuff that I didn’t know about since I didn’t know about the wider world.
2, 1, 3, 4 is my order. Rhythym of war was a serious chore and i probably glossed over a ton because it was such a slog.
I found this one okay on the reread. My biggest problem is how the ending was just too long of a sanderlanche, it reminded me of when I watched star wars 8 and wondering when will this end already (oathbringer is much better obv).
I can't wait for book 5 though and I just hope Shallan will finally get conclusion to her backstory. I like her character a lot, but it just feels like we are going in circle with her story because Brandon is saving big reveal with this upcoming book.
I fully agree. I liked Oathbringer, but after my rereads, I realized that I preferred Rythm of War over Oathbringer. My biggest issue was how long parts of it felt, especially the Shadesmar arc. That just dragged on for me.
I love the Tom Clancy book on the shelf in the background!!!
Hi, I’m one of those people who have this one as their favorite. Still love your reviews and videos cause you keep it real but to me this book is #1 (followed by 4,2,1)
I mostly feel the same as you except for me the downsides outweigh the positives. And the more OP everyone gets, the less I care about any of it.
To me the “you can’t have my pain” scene is cool but it’s the type of moment that becomes less the more I think about it. It lacks all nuance. It is exactly what it says it is.
What you have to say about Shallan in this book is exactly how I felt in the next book, imo Oathbringer set it up really nice to be resolved but then in Rhythm of War it's exactly what you said but multiplied.
Oathbringer is my current favorite HOWEVER as with each storm light book, I tend to read them over the course of several months. With oathbringer, for sure was where I had the longest gaps between reading bursts. I'm also reading gardens of the moon at the same time so maybe there's a correlation 😂
I’m up and down on this series. Books 1 and 2 I loved but by 3 I felt like serious editing was needed because it simply didn’t justify the page length and, at least to me, felt like the middle part was a slog to get through. Still haven’t read Rhythm of War but definitely will soon
I liked Oathbringer so much better on re-read. I think because I'm reading this series as it's released, so i have to wait a couple years between books. It just disappointed me on first read. I really grew to appreciate it after reading it again.
I liked this one more than Rhythm of War
Oathbringer is not without its faults. When I read it the first time, I ended up dropping it for about a month due to pacing issues before I toughed it out and finished it. And I’m glad I did because it has some of my favourite scenes and quotes.
It has some amazing character building in it, though I would consider it a little slow. This book and Rhythm of War are a little sloggy but they definitely have some amazing sections.
Kaladin and Dalinar are always my standouts. Dalinar’s sections are mostly well paced. Shallan goes in circles in terms of character building and likability, unfortunately.
Worldbuilding in both book 3 and 4 are outstanding, as always. I just dont appreciate how in both books I ended up taking a break for a month or two before picking them back up again. Meanwhile I breezed past books 1 and 2.
4 1 3 2 is my Stormlight order. Don't even get started on Red Rising rankings or people will have aneurysms.
Gotta disagree this is my favorite book from Stormlight
Cool but I found this the most boring out of the four
@@neutral_narrSkill issue
@@gauravshahi6334 I read the book lol I just wasn't in love with as you guys
@@neutral_narrlol man it was just a joke dw
@@gauravshahi6334 oh lol
The ending of this book and certain other revelations throughout made me love this book, but I definitely felt its length. Nothing will ever be as bad as the Venli chapters in Rhythm of war though haha. My personal ranking is 1, 3, 2, 4.
I finished this a couple of months ago and it's my favorite in the series so far (I won't be starting Rhythm of War for a few weeks yet). I do feel like pacing issues stood out in this one more than in the previous volumes, particularly in a particular segment around the middle that seemed to overstay its welcome. (I suspect that everyone who has read this will know the thread I'm referring to.) But I found the ending so powerful that it overcame that bout sluggishness - and in a series known for its top-tier endings, I felt Oathbringer topped them all.
This one had way more side characters that I didn’t feel like remembering but that turned out to be important later and I’m just like, I don’t wanna go back and see who they were again and I don’t wanna look em up for fear of spoilers.
Quite the opposite for me ngl. Its the best Stormlight book easily for me followed closely by Words of Radiance
Go team Shallan!!
I mean the ending was the best in the series, though dalinars backstory was a little dry. Not sure I would put this at the bottom, I know this is heresy but that's probably where I put words or radiance(just not a big shallan fan)
Reading this book currently and it is slow-going. I do like the world and will no doubt be finishing the saga ultimately, but even the first book gave me the feeling that it should have been edited down. To be fair, I get this feeling with a lot of scifi and fantasy series. Especially when an author is Famous, it seems like editors are scared to push for quality instead of quantity.
I finished words of radiance and cannot continue this series. The characters are so juvenile and dumb, it just hard to not roll your eyes. What a bad decision it was to listen to all the hype.This is a series for YA.
4* is still very generous IMO! 3*. For me the story just wasn’t there! And its was relentless in the slow sections
This is the only Stormlight book where I feel it's length. I think it's because the pace is so inconsistent and the chapters feel like mini short stories so it's less page turning than the other books. I also find this to be the most predicable book in the series, I predicted pretty much the entire flashback, and the Sanderlanche was way too long for me. I like Shallan but Veil and Radiant are so boring and stall the plot that I dread when they show up. I feel like her plot line gets completely derailed my her multiple personality plot line. It's still a 4/5 but it's definitely my least favorite in the series.
I feel like I have the unpopular opinion of the stormlight archive where I like oathbringer and rhythm of war more than the way of kings and words of radiance
Matt You don't talk about and my guess is that you didn't find it yet ,but for me the greatest part of the books is that there is a shadow story behind every paragraph. There is so much foreshadowing and so many hidden connection and predictions that you have to study them to find out what is going on. It took me 4 reads and a lot of searching online to find these hidden parts inside. And I didn't like the Shallan flashbacks in my first 3 reads and now they are my favourite. Favourite quote is: "The world ended, and Shallan was to blame."
Dude I agree on a lot. I just think this book and the 4th were too long and would've benefited from being a few hundred pages shorter.
All of Dalinars chapters in Oathbringer are him walking around Urithiru, hands clasped behind his back and occasionally saying "carry on, soldier". There - I just spoiled the entire book.
I really don’t like the concept of the main radiant gaining little helper radiants. Literally every character is now a radiant and it takes something away from the story.
Matt am I wrong here to think Words of Radiance could of used some serious editing? I DnF the book at page 850 and I kind of regret it but it this is why
Yeah all of them felt long but this one I felt it
I agree I found this book too long and meandering. It had a fun finale at the end but didn't feel like it completely redeemed the journey that led to it.
Couldn't disagree more. After reading this book, it immediately became my favorite book I've ever read. It's probably dropped a little bit since then, but this book is absolutely fantastic.
Please read more🙏
@@neutral_narr Wow. How arrogant.
@@joshuafoltz5222 ok lol
@@neutral_narr you don't think telling people they need to read more about one of their favorite books sounds arrogant? Because it's blatant. And very concerning considering people's opinions. Would you like me to shit on your favorite books? I thought not.
@@joshuafoltz5222 you don't think saying it is the best series you read isn't aggorant
I don't understand the disappointment toward Oathbringer. Oathbringer is my personal favorite of the Stormlight Archive.
I hated Navani's science fiction arc.
I am also of the mind that this book is the weakest of the series. Is still very good, but not great. Many think the same of the 4th, but I actually really enjoyed RoW, almost as much as the first 2.
I DNFed the series because of this book 🤦♂️
It gets worse. 😂
Does the world really need any more reviews of brandon sanderson books?
Need? No. But I review every book I read so....
man these books are just waay too long and i feel they're just not worth it
This series started greate with WOK, but keeps getting worse and worse, i ended up DNFing the 4th one.
I managed to get through 4th only because of audiobook on 2.5 speed 😅
But im hype about 5 since I wanna know how this arc ends