This book is just as good as the first one except BETTER because there is no investment cost. If you're here, you already did the work to get to know everyone and you're already familiar with the world, so we get to jump straight into the action!

I have... no idea what's going on. Okay, I have SOME idea what's going on. But there are at minimum three factions jockeying to control the future: 1) Dalinar & co., 2) the Ghostbloods, 3) whoever Amaram is working with.

Of these, we only really understand Dalinar's group. What end goal even are the Ghostbloods working towards? What are they seeking to accomplish? Taravangian is convinced he has to be king to save the world, but to save what part of the world, and from what?!?! We just don't know. Of Amaram's shadowy interest we know even less. And then you have all the factions we don't even know anything about. The spren and their political interest in what's going on. The constable who kills the little girl -- is he of the Ghostbloods, or something else? The gods, like Wit and the dude that resurrects Szeth, who clearly have an agenda of their own as well. Whoever manipulated the Parshendi into destroying themselves... the Voidspren? Odium? All of this is confusing and fascinating and I'm on the edge of my seat to know more.

This book was a great one for our characters. Kaladin made major, huge strides in unraveling the knot of who he wants to become. We finally get to find out about Shallan as she emotionally deals with her past. There was so much action, and everything was tons of fun the whole entire time with the one notable exception of the time Kaladin spent almost betraying his oaths. That was really tense and uncomfortable; I was so stressed I couldn't put the book down until I got through that section and out the other side. I'm so proud of him for overcoming the hatred that had almost become his whole identity at that point, even though he cut it a little bit close.

Some highlights:

• Shallan is SO much more fun now that she gets to be with everyone else. Her interactions with both Adolin and Kaladin are great, and I love her liespren too -- he's great and hilarious.

• "Hello. Would you like to destroy some evil today?"

• Kaladin really has clinical depression, or at LEAST seasonal affective disorder, doesn't he. That's very interesting.

• I cannot believe... that Dalinar became a Radiant... by yelling at the sky. He literally bullied the Stormfather into granting him magical abilities. Adolin is right about how nobody can deny his father anything I GUESS.

• Kaladin and Shallan made me rather uncomfortable for a while. Whenever you start throwing your hands up and going "UGH! You drive me crazy, woman!" things become super awkward. Like this is textbook Beatrice/Benedick energy and I don't like it at all. It got better after they escaped the chasm together, but I'm still vaguely worried about what the future holds. Adolin and Shallan are together, and that's how I want it, thanks. This had BETTER not devolve into a love triangle.

• REALLY ENJOYED THE PART ABOUT SHEN DEFECTING BACK TO BRIDGE FOUR FROM THE PARSHENDI

• Dalinar is so cool. Every time he commands a room instead of the king, or catches a Shardblade with his bare hands, or makes a decision showing humble wisdom and discernment, I'm in the background wolf whistling and yelling in the voice of Mulan's grandma, Now THERE is a man I would follow into battle.

• WHEN SHALLAN SUMMONED A SHARDBLADE? Uh, I don't know about you, but this took me completely and utterly by surprise.

• Kaladin flying to the center of the storm and landing in front of Dalinar with an impact that shook the earth, wielding a sword the size of his entire body, shining with the righteous white light of heaven like an avenging angel... is such a Scene™.

• Renarin joining Bridge Four???? I barely know him but honestly, I love that kid.

• I like how Kaladin is instinctively an enemy to everyone he meets until he experiences near death side by side with them and THEN AND ONLY THEN they can be friends. What a guy.

• Not gonna lie, Wit is actually really funny. "Dumb luck. In that I'm lucky you're all so dumb."

• First of all. The human nuance reflected even in the MINOR, FLAT SIDE CHARACTERS of this book is frankly staggering. Nan Balat is like, a crazy psycho who can only achieve inner peace by torturing and killing living things? And he's kind of a gross coward? But I came away feeling sympathy for him and wishing I could help him out? What is that? This is also evident in the way the book somehow rehabilitates GAZ? Like, he's a terrible person... but also... the book gives him space to try to be better even though, at this point, really, he's all but irredeemable. And you inexplicably come away not hating him as much. WHAT? HOW? Sanderson, please teach me your secrets. I'm astounded. Absolutely gobsmacked. Almost offended, honestly.

• Adolin just stabbing Sadeas in the face. AHAHAHA. I did not expect this, but I should have, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

• It makes me laugh that Shallan's spren familiar is an embossed square that likes murder, saying "mmhmmh," and eating lies. This, while Kaladin, whose only hobbies are killing people and hating everything, gets a peppy, cheerful wind girl who has a conniption every time he so much as shades the truth.

• I'm kind of uncomfortable with how many people are Radiants now. Every other Kholin family member, Shallan, Kaladin, and ALL OF BRIDGE FOUR? I feel like freely handing out this much power to this many people is going to massively raise the stakes for the next book, and that makes me very very nervous.

• Its weird how even with primeval monsters, unearthly gods, and evil characters like Sadeas a dime a dozen around here, Taravangian is legitimately the creepiest and most repulsive thing. I don't know why, but something about him is just absolutely abhorrent to me.

• I cannot BELIEVE that literally all of our mains have made it this far alive. I was absolutely certain that Dalinar was going to die, but he lived. I thought Elhokar was dead for sure, but he's fine! Reports of Jasnah's death were greatly exaggerated. Szeth actually WAS dead, but now he's not. This should be encouraging, but, to be honest, it's making me even more nervous.

As for the next book, I have no idea what's going to happen, and I need it as soon as possible. All I can say is that I cannot wait to see Kaladin reunited with his parents. They had better be okay and definitely not dead, and there had better be a reunion scene, and it had better be a GOOD REUNION SCENE. I also hope poor Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Truthless of Shinovar, gets to do some good things and fight for a good cause one of these days.