The Cosmere discussion

Minor RoW spoilers:

I am currently completing my reread of Rhythm of War and something caught my eye that I hadn’t really put much thought into before. The scene where Jasnah is on the front lines and fighting and engaging in war for the first time is sosososos good. I get caught up in how amazing Sanderson fight scenes are with like Kaladin in the sky, Adolin’s insane duelling skills, and Dalinars battlefield presence, but this scene of Jasnah “fighting like a butcher” is so raw, so intense, so…. I don’t even know. I really moved me this time around for some reason… seeing her feelings about the fighting, the shock afterwards, how it differed from what she had read, and her drive to prove herself to her people, it was written so insanely well and really made me feel like I was there.

What are some of your favourite moments from RoW? I feel like this book is often overlooked just because of how amazing Words of Radiance and Oathbringer were, I’m interested to hear people’s thoughts on RoW.

*MAJOR Rhythm of War spoilers*

I'm somewhat of an anomaly, with The Way of Kings being my favorite followed by WoR and RoW (yes I love RoW as much as WoR) and lastly Oathbringer which is an incredible book even if it's last place on my list.

What can I say about RoW. Immaculate book with so many amazing scenes. Navani and Raboniel finding the rhythm of war, Jasnah on the battlefield, Navani bonding the Sibling, Kaladin defeating the Pursuer for the last time, Kaladin reaching the fourth ideal, Dalinar facing Ishar, Hoid confronting Odium I could go on and on and I wouldn't be out of amazing scenes that impacted me hard in RoW.
It was probably the most action packed of all the SA novels, and I would forever be awed by Brandon's sheer storytelling power.

I 100% agree, I feel like I overlooked this book in my first read through for some reason, the nuances of Kaladins character struggling with his mental health and how that effects him is so amazing because I feel like in a lot of books there are characters who struggle with mental health but they have like one moment of revelation where they are basically “cured” and are completely fine from there. Sanderson instead sticks close to the truth and explains how even in good times Kaladin can still be affected and he has so many layers that make him feel so real and relatable. But yes all those other scenes you mentioned are just so amazing. I also feel like Venlis character development is often overlooked and I’m glad she gets so much screen time in RoW. With the backstories you almost start to hate her but then you learn more about her motivations and her own struggles and you start to understand where she came from… anyway little rant, just love this book and the recent secret project drop has my mind FULL of Sanderson and I needed to let it out LOL

Love your observation about Kal not conveniently becoming ok and actually feeling so very real and relatable.
Always loved how accurate Sanderson's representation of mental illness is in the Cosmere.

MAJOR RoW Spoilers

OMG OMG OMG, just got to the part where Veil confronts Shallan and returns all her memories!!! I had totally forgotten about the true purpose of Veil and what she represented, this scene had me bawling like a baby all over again.

Shallan is so strong and has been through so much, this growth is HUGE and I can’t wait to see how she progresses in future books… I am officially in the midst of the Sanderlanch for this book and can barely put it down to get my uni work done!

I can't tolerate how some people hate Shallan. One of the most unique characters in SA and the conclusion of her arc is one of my favorite scenes

100% agree, she gets so much unwarranted hate. She’s so young and has been through so much! She deserves to make mistakes and be a little awkward and annoying at times…

AGH! I know, how can people hate Shallan? Most people complain about her being whiny or selfish, but everything she does is for others! Shallan is such a good character and her growth is incredible! Sanderson writes such good characters!

Absolutely true