Book Review: Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson
The thrilling and much awaited conclusion to the first arc of The Stormlight Archive.
It's here! I finally feel like I fully processed my thoughts on Wind and Truth.
This review includes affiliate links, from which I earn a small commission for qualifying purchases.I started reading The Stormlight Archive books in July 2024 with the intention of being prepared for the release of Wind and Truth in December. Each book took about a month-ish to read, so I figured W&T would be about the same (spoiler: it was). Though it took a long time to finish, it was a joy to see how this story played out. Rhythm of War really left our faves in a really tight spot and I loved seeing how this story came together.
"A virtue is something that is valuable even if it gives you nothing. A virtue persists without payment or compensation. Positive thinking is great. Vital. Useful. But it has to remain so even if it gets you nothing. Belief, truth, honor... if these exist only to get you something, you've missed the storming point."
This book was a rollercoaster of emotions; the highs felt high, and the lows were very low. There were a lot of lows. 😠But overall a satisfying read.
The structuring of this book was brilliant, it was segmented in a way that kept me going without feeling like the sections were overwhelming. It felt like there were a lot of loose ends that were tied up pretty neatly, but still left a lot of room to grow in the second arc.
I came out of this book with a new favorite: Adolin! I loved his arc as a person, and his relationship with his father and Shallan. He is such a well-rounded character and I looked forward to every one of his chapters.
"An oath could be broken, but a promise? A promise stood as long as you were still trying. A promise understood that sometimes your best wasn't enough. A promise cried with you when all went to Damnation. A promise came to help when you could barely stand. Because a promise knew that sometimes, being there was all you could offer."
I am overall very pleased with how this book turned out. I know that the reviews are mixed on this one, and I can understand why. This one is definitely the chunkiest of the bunch, at 1300+ pages, and expectations were definitely high. After many years and many pages with these characters, not everyone is going to be happy with how certain storylines will play out. Personally, I enjoyed where the story went.
I received a lot of questions about how I felt about this book since I haven’t read any of the Cosmere. While there were many names and places that were definitely new to me, I still got the gist of what was going on. I have plans to read Mistborn and a few others in 2025, now that I've finished Wind and Truth.
Did you read this one? How do you feel about how this arc wrapped up? Did you also need a month to process the ending? Leave me a comment below, I'd love to chat about it!!
Rating: ★★★★★
Book Summary
- Title: Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive, #5)
- Author: Brandon Sanderson
- Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
- Who Should Read It? Those who've read the previous four books of The Stormlight Archive and want some questions answered.
Synopsis: Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare―and the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium’s place has thrown everything into disarray.
Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide―Adolin in Azir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, and Jasnah in Thaylenah. The former assassin, Szeth, must cleanse his homeland of Shinovar from the dark influence of the Unmade. He is accompanied by Kaladin, who faces a new battle helping Szeth fight his own demons . . . and who must do the same for the insane Herald of the Almighty, Ishar.
At the same time, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain work to unravel the mystery behind the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and her involvement in the enslavement of the singer race and in the ancient Knights Radiant killing their spren. And Dalinar and Navani seek an edge against Odium’s champion that can be found only in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility combine in chaos. The fate of the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.
