Its good! But, cracks are starting to show within this expansive series as this was my least favorite entry into Stormlight Archive.

The character work here is solid, but not the best. The flashback were definitely not as egregious as I've seen some people claim (I disliked many Dalinar and many Shallan flashbacks wayyyy more) but they are definitely... weak. Nothing too profound or revelatory is delivered through them, and we see enough of Venli's arc in the modern time that the flashbacks seem quite dull in comparison. Maybe its just me, but Eshonia is also not as compelling a character as Sanderson seems to think so. Put together, the two don't quite carry the weight. But at least they were short chapters! Kaladin was quite fun to follow here (as is the usual for me). His little spy action chapters were quite entertaining. His conclusion also got me teared up. Another highlight was Navani. I wasn't the biggest fan of the science-battle that contained a huge chunk of the middle: in a lot of ways, I didn't feel it was quite mysterious, or compelling, or unique enough to keep me interested on its own. But, I like Navani, and her perspective on things was illuminating and there is enough going on within the tower itself that I didn't fully feel the burden. It definitely handles its middle better than Oathbringer.

The plot here is, being honest, quite modest compared to the previous books. Sure, there is still the usual earth shattering (Roshar Shattering?) reveals, but its much more contained than the previous three. The major plot surrounding the tower is solid. The things going on with Dalinar around is less, but it also takes up much less page time. Almost everything happening in Shadesmar put me to sleep, not going to lie (exaggeration, but still). The conclusion to the saga quite emotions heavy, which is fine, but the way the plot was leading up was quite technical and a lot of time is spent working on the fine-balance of systems that are left behind in favor of emotion. I also think a lot of the questions and issues that were brought up were not adequately addressed. I did like the lore stuff that came from it - finally learning who Thaidakar is! - but overall it left me wanting (not in a good way).

However, complaints take up a lot more space cuz they're easier to make. This is still a solid book that (largely) carries its weight. I felt the interludes were the best here - all were of short length and contained to relevant things that didn't make just wish they would finish so I could get back to the "good stuff". The way the narrative weaves the character stories were also fun. There were a few things I was pleasantly surprised in how they turned out.