I’ll start by saying that before reading A Song of Ice and Fire last year, I had only dabbled in the world of fantasy. It was never a genre I was drawn to, or at least that’s what I thought. I chose to read books of other genres, always thinking that fantasy novels were too much for me to comprehend. It wasn’t until I finished A Dance with Dragons and closed out my reading journey of one of the most epic fantasy series ever written that I realized that fantasy was very much for me. I love reading long books, being immersed with characters in a world that is so unlike my own. I love learning about magic systems, politics, humanity (or not) of fantasy novels.

I’ve been craving another epic fantasy series. Enter the book I am reviewing for you today. My husband started reading The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson last year and we actually own each, all of them signed by Sanderson. My husband even sprung to purchase a special leather-bound edition of this book that is also signed, he said they were just that good. Reading this series wasn’t really on my radar this year, but on a random day I decided I wanted to embark on a new epic fantasy journey and I wanted to start somewhere that was loved, that people really enjoyed. My husband suggested The Stormlight Archive series and I picked it up that day. Each book is a little over 1,000 pages and while that is daunting to some, I see it as more of an opportunity for me to really get to know a set of characters, walking alongside them as they embark on their own journeys.

When I first started reading book one in the series, The Way of Kings, I felt like it was dragging. It was complex, in that I had to learn about the world, who my main characters were, what they were motivated by, a totally new magic system, and more. Along with this, I had to visualize the settings of these places as well, which can be challenging when the world is so unlike our own. This book seemed like it was taking a lot of effort on my part in the first part of the book. As I read, I found myself taking lots of notes in my reading journal and referencing them again, confirming suspicions or answering my own questions. After about the first 30% of the book, I was fully hooked and the learning of the world felt less like a chore and more of an experience. I was invested in the main characters, Shallan, Kaladin, and Dalinar. I wanted more of their stories, but more than the characters, I found myself fascinated by the world that Sanderson was creating. The way the plants and creatures interacted with each other, how everything seemed alive and full of a greater meaning than what Sanderson was writing. I loved his descriptions of the Shattered Plains, where most of the story occurs, and how detailed he is in describing every aspect of Roshar. Brandon Sanderson is a master world builder, thinking through every tiny detail without missing a beat.

As the story progressed, I found myself taking less notes on the world building and jotting down more questions. I was asking so many questions, not out of confusion, but more out of curiosity. Sanderson would drop hints or he would allude to something and I wondered what he was referring to. As I read, I desperately hoped he would answer my curious musings.

For me, this book read more like a character driven novel. We were immersed in the thoughts, motivations, inner workings of our main characters. We were able to see how the main characters dealt with big human emotions like guilt, grief, pride. This book felt more like an introduction to the characters and the world as a whole than an action packed thrill ride. In my opinion, the action really happens in the last 30% of the book. I found myself finding more and more time in my day to continue reading when I hit this section of the book. The answers that I desperately craved were being explored and I just needed to know more. I didn’t get all of my answers, but I will certainly keep reading for more.

Long books are not for everyone, I used to think they weren’t for me either. There is something to be said about being able to pick up a 300 pager and finish it in a weekend, but there is also an undeniable feeling one gets when they pick up a tome. You know that you’ll become part of the world, from the moment you crack open the cover and read the first page. That’s what Brandon Sanderson did for me in The Way of Kings. He invited me into a world of high fantasy and made it understandable, very attainable, and left me wanting more. I toyed around with the idea of picking up another book in between the first and second book in this series, but after I read the ending of The Way of Kings, I immediately rented the second book, Words of Radiance and started reading. It’s that good.

This book easily came in at 5 stars for me.