2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson the third book of the The Stormlight Archive series.

Pages: 1243 pages

Length: 2 Months (May and June)

Participants: Kathelijne, Dominique, Trisha .

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Just a reminder. In case you haven't, please read Edgedancer before starting Oathbringer.

Raviteja wrote: "Just a reminder. In case you haven't, please read Edgedancer before starting Oathbringer."

Thanks for the reminder!

Finished part 1

(view spoiler)[ This one is more about Dalinar's past. It was interesting to see the way he was when he was younger with his brother and Sadeas. We get to read about Galvinar's plan to bring back the gods and gets killed. We get to know more bout the Knights radiants .

I was surprised that Sadeas was killed so ealy in the book. Not sad but I expected a fight, pretty sure it will be explained later on.
I was happy to see that Kaladin's parents were still alive and had another son. It was touching when Kaladin's saw his baby brother.

I like Shallan but I feel something is missing, her story is interesting and hope more will happen especially with Jasnah's return (finally!) ! (hide spoiler)]

This topic has been moved to the June Buddy Reads folder.

Finished part 1!
(view spoiler)[This book is already a lot more Dalinar and Shallan focussed and that's why it was a little harder to get through than the start of the previous books but there are a lot of small things to be excited about, like seeing Adolin and Renarin come into Dalinar's life in the flashbacks. Can't wait to see that! Also, very much wondering about what the Thrill is again... 🤔

Kal's brother!! That broke me. I'm glad that Kaladin was on his own for a little while, I think it was good for him to go see his parents.
All in all, it's going in a little bit of a different direction than I was expecting, with Dalinar going back to focus on politics instead of 'assembling' the Radiants but the world does seem to become so much larger because of it. Very intrigued :)
(hide spoiler)]

Finished part 2!
(view spoiler)[
Many things to be excited about, however, this is going to be the first little rant that I'm going to have when reading the series... 😂
I actually had an issue with some of the writing choices in the book so far. Mainly, there were so many occasions where we got told about scenes but we didn't actually get to see them! And it came to a point where it was actually kind of annoying to me. For example, the reunions between Jasnah and Navani, Dalinar and even Shallan! We only got to see her reaction to her finding out she was alive. But Kaladin also mentiones a few conversations he had with Shallan and members of Bridge Four. I get that this is already a big book, and Sanderson couldn't possibly include everything but it did frustrate me on a few different occasions, while I haven't had that with any of his books before. So hopefully that changes over the course of the book.

My main question at the moment is why the Radiants broke their oaths. I really, really want to know! The Stormfather claims they would do it again if they knew, and Jasnah seems to know as well. I'm so curious! (hide spoiler)]

Kathelijne wrote: "Finished part 2!

Many things to be excited about, however, this is going to be the first little rant that I'm going to have when reading the series... 😂
I actually had an issue with some of the wr..."

(view spoiler)[ I totally agree with you. Shallan's reaction and what followed didn't add up. I think he wanted to focus more on Dalinar's story. At least we finally know his wife's name and some of his past with her. (hide spoiler)]

@Dominique
(view spoiler)[Yeah, you're probably right about Dalinar... and I am excited to see his backstory, it just feels a little different?
How do you feel about Evi so far?
(hide spoiler)]

Finished part 3!
(view spoiler)[ Oh I LOVED that ending!! Best part so far, for sure.
To me, this book really shines when Adolin, Kaladin and Shallan come together. Their dynamics are wonderful, yet the love triangle isn't at a point where it bothers me too much.
The scene where Elhokar died (😢), and Kaladin froze up, that was brutal... that poor guy can't catch a break.
But the ending is very promising. They're in Shadesmar with Pattern and Syl in 'full-sized form'. This means we can get to see everyone interact with each other's sprens as well. Should be very interesting😉 And they're with Azure, who's obviously a Radiant now that it's revealed she has a spren of her own. Will she be one of the new orders?
(hide spoiler)]

Some thoughts about Wit / Hoid
(view spoiler)[ It was great to see more of Wit. For the first time it felt like we actually got to know him a bit. Makes me curious as to what powers he actually has. It seems to, at least resemble, Lightweaving. (hide spoiler)]

Kathelijne wrote: "@Dominique
Yeah, you're probably right about Dalinar... and I am excited to see his backstory, it just feels a little different?
How do you feel about Evi so far?


Finished part 3!
Oh I LOVED t..."

Almost finished with part 3

(view spoiler)[ Evi is not in the right place. You can sense she hates war and doesn't have the same views of how life should be with Dalinar and the other women. Dalinar made it pretty clear that Adolin was his favorite especially when mentionned going away with Adolin and didn't mention Renarin. He's very ruthless and bloodless. (hide spoiler)]

Kathelijne wrote: "@Dominique
Yeah, you're probably right about Dalinar... and I am excited to see his backstory, it just feels a little different?
How do you feel about Evi so far?


Finished part 3!
Oh I LOVED t..."

Finished Part 3.

(view spoiler)[ Totally agree about the ending, great way to finish part 3! What a difference Dalinar is in the past, brutal, wanting to burn people and Sadeas at his side. Evi paid the price of his need to destroy everything and everyone. I knew Elkhokar was going to die but not with hs son there.

I love Wit and his interaction with Shallan. I need more of him and his backstory (hide spoiler)]

@Dominique
(view spoiler)[
Yeah Dalinar was really ruthless. I was excited to see him become a father, but it’s hardbreaking to see him become.. well a bad one 😅 And poor Evi...

I really want to know what happened to Elhokar’s son! I mean, he better escaped from there somehow.
(hide spoiler)]

Kathelijne wrote: "@Dominique

Yeah Dalinar was really ruthless. I was excited to see him become a father, but it’s hardbreaking to see him become.. well a bad one 😅 And poor Evi...

I really want to know what happen..."
Kathelijne
(view spoiler)[I do hope his son escaped and how. When Dalinar used to say he didn't remember his wife, I can understand why with his story (hide spoiler)]

Little comment on previous part with spoilers for part 4 ;)
(view spoiler)[ Okay so Azure wasn't actually a Radiant but it was the spren of Adolin's Shardblade, my mistake haha. Also, I guess we've definitely seen Vivenna now ;) (hide spoiler)]

Finished part 4!
(view spoiler)[ Pretty much loved everything about this 😂 Especially Kaladin and Syl. It symbolised perfectly how strong their bond actually is. And Sylphrena is the Ancient Daughter, created by the Stormfather, even before the Recreance. That is what I think you meant, Raviteja, when you talked about Syl being special?

Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate Adolin? He says he's useless but they never would've survived without him! The way that he took care of Kaladin after arriving in Shadesmar was SO precious. He made sure to distract him, and not letting him trail behind. He knew that Kal was going to a dark place and he did exactly what he needed to do. He took care of everyone, while still taking charge, and dealing with his own insecurities. I love him haha.

Finally the reason for the Recreance is revealed! The humans, they were the Voidbringers!! at least in the first desolation. That really puts everything into perspective and it will definitely have an impact on their world and the conflict. (hide spoiler)]

Kathelijne wrote: "Little comment on previous part with spoilers for part 4 ;)
[spoilers removed]

Finished part 4!
Pretty much loved everything about this 😂 Especially Kaladin and Syl. It symbolised perfectly how s..."

Agreed
(view spoiler)[ the only disappointment was Adolin's confession. I had a feeling he was guilty the moment they announced that Saddeas was murdered. (hide spoiler)]

Kathelijne wrote: Some thoughts about Wit / Hoid"

You pick breadcrumbs about Hoid all over Cosmere books. That is one thing I love very much. Apart from what you mentioned, there are some things about him from other worlds too. I will probably put more once you confirm you are done with most of the Cosmere books.

And Dominique, I guess Dragonsteel would probably cover Hoid and his backstory, if/when it gets published. Like I said, above, there is a good amount of information about him, scattered across all the cosmere books.

Kathelijne wrote: "Little comment on previous part with spoilers for part 4 ;)
[spoilers removed]

Finished part 4!"

(view spoiler)[ Woohoo, you spotted Vivenna! Nice :D

That is just one part, but not what I meant. Syl is different from the spren that you are currently seeing (like pattern). But it is what you just mentioned. She was probably one of the very few spren from before recreance who knows what and why it happened. As a result, she has a different view of humans, the radiant bond etc.

Adolin (and his friendship) is a wonderful thing. There will be a moment in Rhythm of War where you will love it. You will know when you read it :)

Yes. Humans are the immigrants who took over the planet. So when the previous generation of radiants found it, they found themselves hugely conflicted. (hide spoiler)]

Finished the book!
(view spoiler)[ The issue that I mentioned in the beginning was not present at all for the rest of the book until the very end 😂 Come on, why didn't we get to see the wedding!?

Although the book had some of my favorite moments, it was definitely my least favorite one so far. I think that the problem of this book was that it tried to do too much. Therefore, we were focussing on everyone a little bit instead of centering on a few main characters. It felt like it was more general and a little less focused on the character work and relationship building. The battle at the end is a good example, as it switched so many times and between so many different characters that I really got pulled out of it a few times while reading. What did you all think?

Don't get me wrong, I still rated it 5 stars 😂 but it's definitely more on the 4.5 for me, personally. However, this series is phenomenal and I love these characters so much.
(hide spoiler)]

Kathelijne wrote: "Finished the book! "

(view spoiler)[Hmm, that did not trouble me much actually (atleast I do not remember. But then, I also read it during the release week and the aim was to finish it asap before my fellow readers on GR roll out spoilers. By now, I think I am quite used to reading books with way many PoVs (The faithful and the Fallen series is one big example) and I am very comfortable with it.

By the way, I am surprised that you didnt mention the epilogue.
“I understand,” Wit said. He took the rags and cord he’d worked with earlier, forming them into the shape of a little doll.
.
.
“That’s too bad,” Wit said. He raised the doll to his lips, then whispered a choice set of words.

When he set it down, it started to walk on its own. A soft gasp sounded inside the shadows. The little doll toddled toward the street. Step by step by step …
He just used Awakening on the doll (from Warbreaker). Speak of crossover magic :D

And at the end of epilogue,
Once they were gone, Wit rolled over and looked at the Pattern that now covered his palm. It seemed to be trembling.

“Life before death, little one,” Wit whispered.
Hoid is on his way to become a lightweaver :) (hide spoiler)]

Are we doing Rhythm of War in July or at a later date?

I was thinking of starting it on my holiday next week, but does that fit you as well? Otherwise, we can start it later :)

Raviteja wrote: "Kathelijne wrote: "Finished the book! "

Hmm, that did not trouble me much actually (atleast I do not remember. But then, I also read it during the release week and the aim was to finish it asap be..."

Ohhh!!
(view spoiler)[ I did notice him use Awakening on the doll but I didn't catch the last two sentences. It's really obvious, I don't understand how I didn't see it at first but I was just confused haha

This is really cool. Wit just keeps getting more and more interesting. I desperately want to know more about him and the Cosmere as a whole, but that'll probably be a while :)

I saw somewhere that Wit is the main character of Mistborn Era 4. Is this true? That would be epic. Mistborn Era 4 will be the last (planned) series in the Cosmere, right?
(hide spoiler)]

Kathelijne wrote: "I was thinking of starting it on my holiday next week, but does that fit you as well? Otherwise, we can start it later :)"

L'm good with that. I might start a little bit around Wednesday.

Dominique wrote: "Are we doing Rhythm of War in July or at a later date?"

Oh, there is Dawnshard to read before Rhythm of War. You need to read it first XD

The fabrial innovations in Rhythm of War are based on what happens in Dawnshard. And there is one particular event that happens with a Bridge 4 crew member. Otherwise, Dawnshard is Rysn's story (you might remember her from the interludes of the stormlight archive books).

Kathelijne wrote: "Raviteja wrote: "Kathelijne wrote: "Finished the book! "

"Ohhh!!"

(view spoiler)[
happens :D

Hmm, you will see Hoid's cameos in Mistborn era 2 books as well. Once you read Mistborn book 6 (Wax and Wayne #3), read the story Secret History via Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection. The collection has essays about each planet and it has some important cosmere information. Secret History is behind the scenes for Mistborn era 1, but it has a piece of information that will spoil Mistborn book 6, so :/

Yup, Brandon confirmed it. That, and Dragonsteel novels will have him as the main character.
https://wob.coppermind.net/events/39-...
Mistborn #4 is the last mistborn series but I dont think that is gonna be the last cosmere series. I mean, it may be the last in terms of chronological timeline order since it is expected to be a space opera. But Brandon has too many untoouched series and prequel works, so the order is never known! (hide spoiler)]

Raviteja wrote: "Dominique wrote: "Are we doing Rhythm of War in July or at a later date?"

Oh, there is Dawnshard to read before Rhythm of War. You need to read it first XD

The fab..."
Thanks for the reminder!

Raviteja wrote: "Kathelijne wrote: "Raviteja wrote: "Kathelijne wrote: "Finished the book! "

(view spoiler)[
Great thanks! I was wondering about the reading order for the short stories/Secret History and Era 2.

I'm so excited for the space opera. That should be great.
Yeah that's what I meant with 'planned'. It feels like that man always gets 10.000 more ideas when he's writing haha. It will probably never end, but I'm totally good with that :)
(hide spoiler)]

Is there no thread for Rhythm of War or am I overlooking it? 🙈

I do not see it scheduled in the spreadsheet. May be its missed?

Raviteja wrote: "I do not see it scheduled in the spreadsheet. May be its missed?"

I didn't see it either

I asked if they can make a thread for next month!

Kathelijne wrote: "I asked if they can make a thread for next month!"

Can't wait to read this chunker!

Hey folks, sorry for missing in action! Dropping by to say that I’m starting with Edgedancer now and will follow it up with Oathbringer. Can’t wait to read your comments! :)

Quick update:
The first chapter is the one we read in Words of Radiance, so I’m skipping it; did a quick scan though just to refresh my memory cells. (And I know that you all already know this, but I’m still going to write everything I feel/notice. 🤓 )