Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive #3)

 Synopsis

In Oathbringer, humanity faces a new Desolation with the return of the Voidbringers, a foe with numbers as great as their thirst for vengeance. Dalinar Kholin's Alethi armies won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost: The enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, which now sweeps the world with destruction, and in its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the horrors of their millennia-long enslavement by humans.

While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that the newly kindled anger of the parshmen may be wholly justified. 

Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shallan Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient  stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths dark secrets lurking in its depths.

Dalinar realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar was too narrow in scope. Unless the nations of Roshar can put aside Dalinar's blood-soaked past and stand together-- and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past-- even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not prevent the end of civilization.

Loved

• My favorite part of this third book in the series is Dalinar's story. Throughout the book we are shown scenes from Dalinar's past and we realize that he was actually a blood-thirsty tyrant in many aspects, and he did some pretty horrible things. But Dalinar's journey of reconciling the man he used to be with the honorable man he has become is compelling and powerful. The theme of redemption is so beautifully woven throughout the story, culminating with a jaw-dropping climax that exemplifies the hopeful message that we can all overcome our past mistakes by addressing and overcoming hurt and shame, and allowing it to give us more wisdom, perspective, and strength.

• The battle. To be honest, much of this book was pretty slow- lots of build up with politics, characters' internal conflicts, etc. So I was really hoping for an exciting end to the story- and wow did Sanderson deliver! The battle at the end of this book is a complete whirlwind- sweeping you up to see all the characters in their different fights and tasks, and having your mind blown with epic action scenes and powerful character climaxes. Reading about this battle was so engrossing and fun because it switches perspectives of characters every few paragraphs, so we are constantly being swept around the battlefield seeing all the threads come together.

• I've talked about it in the other reviews, but the characters are truly the best part of this story. They all develop so much in each book, and by now we've read over 3,000 pages of them, so they've become like old friends to us. These characters are just so real and lovable- from Kaladin's honor and reserved intensity to Syl's petulance and sassy sarcasm to Bridge Four's transformation from rough bridge men to squires and warriors who have powers on their own. I will always have soft spot for Adolin- his humility, integrity, and flappable personality do him far more credit than any stormlight powers would have done. The characters' interactions with each other are so fun to read because we've grown to love each character so much, so watching them care about each other, fight for each other, and banter together is just heart-warming ;)

• There is SO much to love about this book and it's hard to capture over 1,200 pages in one review! Some more things to love: epic battle scenes, shocking betrayals, intrigue, witty banter, dangerous secrets, crazy cool powers, and best of all- stunning development in both main and secondary characters.

Didn't Love

• This was definitely the slowest of the first three books of this series. Having come this far in the series, anyone who reads this will be invested in this book, but it does take a long time (like 2/3 of the book) to feel like anything really happened. I do wish there was a little more action rather than just talk for the beginning of the book. But it's definitely worth it!

• Also, Shallan still drives me a little crazy. And the slight love triangle we get in this was a little frustrating at times, but I trust Sanderson and am here for wherever he takes us on this ride :)

Content

• Language: 
• Curses from the world "Storming," "Stormfather," "Almighty," etc.
• Frequent uses of "bastards" and "damnation."

• Sexual content: 
• A few kisses, not much described.
• One male character kisses a female and feels her "breasts press against him." He describes her beauty and figure that she could "make men weep with desire."

• Violence:
• Not quite as much violence as the other books, but still a LOT.
• Most disturbing scene happens when a city is burned and men, women, and children are heard screaming as they burn.
• MANY battle scenes where people die by being stabbed, crushed, and speared.
• Quite a few secondary characters die in battle. One character stabbed through the heart and the head.
• Main characters all receive bad injuries, but are able to heal themselves.
• Disturbing scenes where armies are possessed and turn against their own people and slaughter them.
• One weapon kills by disintegrating anyone it touches- it kills many, many people in battle.
• Disturbing scene where many characters we know fight and kill each other.
• A young boy is beaten by a thug and dies. Lots of emotion around this death.
• Many refugees from different cities who are starving to death and desperate.
• Themes of possession- people giving up their bodies so ancient spren (beings) can inhabit them.

Overall Thoughts

Out of the first three in this series, Oathbringer was definitely the slowest for me. Much of the book deals with politics, build-up to the battle, and characters developing. Sanderson's writing and the lovable characters keep the story engaging, but it does feel slow and it takes a long while into the book to really feel like anything big happened. But it's definitely worth it for the climatic ending- the battle action scenes, but also the end of Dalinar's journey of redemption and forgiveness. This is definitely, 100% worth reading, but know that it does take a little more determination to get through because it is much slower-paced with more build-up than actual action. However, be ready to laugh out loud, have your mind blown, get straight up chills, and bite your nails during the intense battle scenes as you journey through this third installment of a phenomenal series.