Review: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Beware reading this book before bed. Not because it’s scary, but because the action scenes get your heart pumping and the cliffhangers make it impossible to put down. I tore through this book the last few days and found it immensely entertaining, despite the fact that it totally screwed up my sleep schedule. Brandon Sanderson has a remarkable talent for creating massive, immersive fantasy worlds, better-than-any-movie action sequences, and deep, funny, compelling characters, including strong female protagonists. Between this book and the Mistborn trilogy, I’m officially a fan.

Some of my favorite quotes from this book:

“We follow the codes not because they bring gain, but because we loathe the people we would otherwise become.”

“Candle flames. A dozen candles burned themselves to death on the shelf before me. Each of my breaths made them tremble. To them, I was a behemoth, to frighten and destroy. And yet, if I strayed too close, they could destroy me. My invisible breath, the pulses of life that flowed in and out, could end them freely, while my fingers could not do the same without being repaid in pain. I understood in a moment of stillness. Those candle flames were like the lives of men. So fragile. So deadly. Left alone, they lit and warmed. Let run rampant, they would destroy the very things they were meant to illuminate.”

“A man’s emotions are what define him, and control is the hallmark of true strength. To lack feeling is to be dead, but to act on every feeling is to be a child.”

Rating: 5 stars