Meredith Levin’s Reviews > The Way of Kings > Status Update

- Related to the previous: the prologue with Szeth I thought was such a cool tutorial level to Lashing and Stormlight but then nobody did it again until 500 pages later when Szeth gets an interlude. I guess it'll be important later? Still a long time. And I don't understand what Soulcasting is.

- I've read over 600 pages and still don't know what the stakes are. Like what is going on, why am I reading about these people? Why do I care? I knew that plotwise this was a slow-burn worldbuilding-heavy book but still, I'm over halfway through and don't know what's happening. Dalinar's visions seem important and Syl is probably important but that's pretty much all I've got. I'm not bored though.

- I think it's really cool how science and magic in this world interact. Like how people don't really understand how infection works but if you see "rotspren" around a wound that's a bad sign and if you treat it the rotspren will go away. I think that's cool worldbuilding. But I knew that Sanderson was awesome at that.
- Is there a spren for everything?

I still have two weeks left on my loan but thought this was a good time to compile more thoughts. Will have to do this in multiple parts.
- If you're left-handed can you make your safehand be your right hand? Or are you out of luck?
- I was thinking about how cool it is that lots of the names are almost palindromes ("Amaram") and then the book told me that was on purpose!! So validating.

My loan is up so I have to take a break. Here are my thoughts so far!
- It's really long
- I like the writing much more than in Mistborn
- I don't like that there are three prologues. I'm counting the first chapter as a prologue. I have no idea what's happening.
- I like that our Maingirl Shallan is a punster.
- The worldbuilding is amazing, but I don't really know what's going on.