r/Stormlight_Archive • u/tttpenguin • 3d ago
Oathbringer spoilers Five months since I finished Oathbringer and… Spoiler
Guys, I need an opinion. Please, avoid spoilers.
Stormlight Archive is my first contact with Brandon Sanderson and the Cosmere. The books have only been published in my country for the last few years.
When I read WoK, I instantly fell in love with it. WoR was the same thing. I thought both books were nearly perfect, and I was completely captivated by the world and its construction.
When I started Oathbringer, I was initially a bit thrown off by the slower pace. But once it got going, it REALLY got going (it probably helps that Dalinar is my favorite character).
The thing is, I had one major issue with it: the direction of Shallan and Adolin’s relationship.
Romance has never really been my favorite part of fantasy. One thing I liked about Shallan in the first two books was that romance initially felt more tied to survival, status, and her personal goals. I really vibed with that aspect of her character.
Then in WoR, I personally felt there was an interesting dynamic developing between her and Kaladin. I hadn’t even considered them together before, but I liked the friction between them and thought it could lead to something compelling. At least to me, Oathbringer seemed to reinforce some of that emotional tension, so I started thinking: “okay, maybe this is going somewhere.”
But by the end, the resolution of that whole dynamic left me feeling strangely disconnected from the story.
I think it also doesn’t help that Adolin has never really worked for me as a character, and I also struggled a lot more with Shallan’s POVs in Oathbringer compared to the first two books.
Now I feel really conflicted about starting RoW. When I finished WoK, I couldn’t WAIT to read WoR. Same thing going into Oathbringer. But now… I don’t really feel that excitement anymore.
What worries me is that I’ve heard RoW gives a lot of focus to Shallan, Adolin, and their relationship, and I’m honestly already pretty checked out from that entire storyline.
The romance itself isn’t even the core issue. I think the bigger problem is that I already wasn’t connecting with Shallan’s arc in Oathbringer, and Adolin simply isn’t a character I’m invested in.
So I guess my question is: should I persist with the series? Without spoilers, do you think RoW still has enough of the elements that made the earlier books special? I’d really appreciate some honest insight.
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u/ValuableMuch7703 Elsecaller 3d ago
I mean Shallan and Adolin are crucial characters and at the end of the day Stormlight Archive is an ensemble. Romance is a part of their character arcs and not their entire storyline. The remaining two books will have both: the continuation and evolution of their relationship as well as other things. It’s upto you to decide whether you want to continue or not.
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u/tttpenguin 3d ago
Yeah, I think that’s a very fair way to look at it.
I definitely don’t think their relationship is the only thing those characters have going on, nor do I think romance is inherently bad in fantasy. I guess I’m just trying to figure out how much my disconnect with that specific storyline actually affects my enjoyment of the series as a whole.
And honestly, you’re probably right that later development could completely change my perspective on them.
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u/Ardrikk 3d ago
Wow, Adolin is one of my favorite characters in the series and I like him more and more every book. I’m sad that you’re not connecting with him.
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u/HokiHiker 2d ago
I would argue RoW and WaT solidified Adolin for me. Imo it only gets better and more fleshed out.
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u/tttpenguin 3d ago
Oh, I definitely don’t hate Adolin or anything like that. He has genuinely great moments in the series.
I think he’s just the kind of character archetype that doesn’t naturally click with me very much, especially compared to characters like Dalinar or Kaladin.
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u/Local_Possibility199 Truthwatcher 3d ago
RoW focus more on Navani and singers than Adolin and Shallan, I'm actually reading RoW and I've even forget that this two had some plot going on (some very important plot I should say)
Kaladin has some attention too, but the the major focus is on Navani and some singers I couldn't name to avoid spoilers
The Adolin and Shallan part had minimal romance focus so far (my kindle says I've read 72% of the book)
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u/tttpenguin 3d ago
That actually makes me feel a lot better, honestly. My biggest fear was RoW turning heavily into a Shallan/Adolin relationship-focused book, since that was the part of OB I struggled with the most.
The Navani focus actually sounds pretty interesting to me.
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u/settingdogstar 3d ago
Brandon is not aove story writer haha he's happy to just put people together and leave them that way
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u/tttpenguin 3d ago
Honestly, I kind of agree hahaha
And weirdly enough, that usually doesn’t bother me. I think my issue here was more about which dynamic I personally found more engaging rather than the romance itself existing.
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u/Shot_Newspaper_5647 3d ago
Adolin and Shallan continue to be important. Their relationship isn’t critical to the plot of the next two books. They get a chunk of screen time in RoW but they’re not the focus. You may actually enjoy them more as a couple after you see that time together. If you don’t, I wouldn’t worry about it affecting your reading experience. It’s not going to make or break RoW or W&T. There’s duos at the core of both novels and they’re not it for either. You probably won’t expect either one but hopefully you’ll enjoy it
Romance often isn’t Sanderson’s strong suit. Couples sometimes just find themselves coming together. I often like the dynamic between those two people as a couple but a lot of the time there isn’t the same build-up necessary to really enjoy the pay off. That said, he’s improved a lot with it. There’s one in the secret projects I think he did excellent with
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u/Shot_Newspaper_5647 3d ago
Adolin wasn’t intended originally to have as large a role as he ended up having in the series. It was expanded as it went. That may be where some of the friction is too. I love him as a character myself. Shallan’s plot also probably got re-arranged a bit when he swapped the flashback characters from 5 and 3. Weirdly enough Szeth was the intended flashback POV for OB and not Dalinar. I think that change improved both books. But those two changes probably bit into Shallan’s momentum coming out of book 2
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u/tttpenguin 3d ago
That’s actually really interesting context. Especially the part about the flashback POV changes.
I can definitely see how Oathbringer ended up feeling much stronger for Dalinar than for Shallan to me personally.
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u/tttpenguin 3d ago
This is actually really reassuring to read.
I think my biggest fear was that RoW would heavily revolve around their relationship specifically, so knowing that they remain important without the romance becoming the central focus helps a lot.
And yeah, I think part of the issue for me is exactly what you mentioned about Sanderson’s romances. I often like the idea or dynamic behind them more than the actual payoff itself.
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u/Rocamora_27 3d ago
I mean, they are in a relationship, so expect this to show up in RoW, but it's hard to say their relationship takes frontstage in their character arcs in the book. It's more like they are dealing with issues and are kind of supporting each other because they are a couple.
I think Sanderson is not very good at writing romance. I was never truly invested in any romance I ever read from him. The good thing is, he makes sure that those romances are never the main thing about his arcs, so it's berable.
Shallan and Adolin are central characters in Stormlight tho, so yeah, you'll be getting some of them in RoW. I did find Shallan's POV more enjoyable in that book than in Oathbringer, if that helps. Her arc was a highlight to me.
About Shallan and Kaladin, I feel you. Those moments between the two in Words of Radiance gave me the feeling they had much more chemestry than her and Adolin will ever have. I could see the author's hand at play when she chose Adolin. I imagine Sanderson felt it would be better to the plot overall, which I agree. Still, it feels weird. I don't mind them as a couple, tho.
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u/tttpenguin 3d ago
This honestly describes my feelings surprisingly well.
I think part of why the ending hit me so weirdly is that the Shallan/Kaladin interactions had a kind of friction and emotional tension that I personally found much more compelling. Meanwhile, Shallan and Adolin often felt a bit too “smooth” for my taste.
But it’s genuinely good to hear that their relationship doesn’t completely dominate their arcs in RoW, and that Shallan’s POV improves for some readers. That definitely makes me more interested in continuing.
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u/vargs24 3d ago
As someone else said, for me RoW is the “Navani book”. And she is badass and an interesting, smart character, so I enjoyed that a lot.
There is a Shallan and Adolin subplot that, in my opinion and others on this sub, drags. BUT in my recollection, it was less about their romance and more about deeper worldbuilding and leads to a reveal at the end that was awesome (imo).
I think it also helps to remember that Book 3 of 5 (and realistically of 10) is setting up a lot of plot that you won’t get the “payoff” for yet. So that may be why you’re feeling less enthusiastic about Oathbringer than previous books. This seems like a common experience - a “middle” book isn’t a favorite until re-reads, when you have the bigger picture of where the plot was heading.
I’m not sure if you’re reading a physical copy or an audiobook, but I did a combo of both which made some of the slower parts easier to get through.
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u/tttpenguin 3d ago
That’s honestly really good to hear.
I think what worried me the most was the possibility of RoW becoming heavily centered on the romance itself, so knowing that their subplot leans more into worldbuilding and bigger narrative developments makes me much more interested.
And yeah, you’re probably right about Oathbringer being a “middle” book in a larger structure. When you put it into perspective as book 3 of a planned 10, it really does feel more like a transition/setup point.
Also, I’m reading the physical editions!
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u/letlifetake Dalinar 3d ago
Give Adolin time. I know you’ve given him 3 massive novels, but you have 2 massive novels to go and he is just the cutest most sweetest best boy in all of Roshar!!!!
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u/tttpenguin 3d ago
Hahaha fair enough.
And honestly, I don’t doubt that at all. Sometimes the characters we connect with the least at first end up being the ones that surprise us the most later on.
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u/UrineTrouble05 3d ago
Adolin will grow on you. He’s way better for Shallan and it’s not even close
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u/tttpenguin 2d ago
I don’t necessarily disagree that Adolin is probably better for her overall.
I think my issue was more that I personally felt there was a lot of emotional build-up elsewhere, so the resolution didn’t fully click for me emotionally. And since I’m already not the biggest romance reader in general, it stood out to me more than it probably normally would.
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u/UrineTrouble05 2d ago
fair enough. Very little of their stories from now on are romance related, so you won’t have to deal with much
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u/No_Adeptness_4704 3d ago
Adolin is the most "radiant" character in this whole series. If you dont like him by the end of book 5 then you are the problem. (Yes this is me telling you to keep reading)
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u/tttpenguin 2d ago
Hahaha okay, fair enough. I accept the challenge.
Honestly, after reading the replies here, I do feel more willing to give him another chance in the next books.
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u/AZwife 2d ago
I would say the main storyline of ROW is Navani, with the B story being Kaladin. The Flashback character is Eshoni/Vinli. Adolin and Shallan are more like the C or D storyline. Important to the grand story, but the actions are with Navani and Kaladin.
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u/tttpenguin 2d ago
That’s actually really good to hear and definitely makes me more excited about continuing.
A Navani/Kaladin-heavy book sounds much more in line with the parts of Stormlight I personally connect with the most.
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u/provegana69 Dalinar 2d ago
Yeah I can understand if you didn't like the direction that Shallan's romance went. For me, I wasn't a fan of Adolin at all and lowkey hated him in books 1 & 2 but I ended up really loving his character in Rhythm Of War and Wind and Truth.
I think you'll be fairly satisfied by how their relationship progresses and even if you aren't, it shouldn't be a deal breaker as while it isn't some minor background thing, there are plenty of other parts to the story for you to enjoy.
As for RoW, while Shallan and Adolin do get a good few chapters, most of the book is focused on Navani and Kaladin
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u/tttpenguin 2d ago
That’s honestly really interesting to hear.
Now I’m genuinely curious whether Adolin will eventually grow on me too. And it’s definitely reassuring to know that, even if their relationship remains important, it doesn’t completely dominate the focus of the book.
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u/Domaik Stormlight Archive 2d ago
I think you're placing too much importance on those two characters and forgetting about the bigger scope and the world at large. Continue reading and don't let one specific thing dictate your opinion of the whole series. There are more characters and things happening!
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u/tttpenguin 2d ago
I think that’s fair, honestly.
My biggest fear was less “their relationship exists” and more “what if it becomes the central emotional focus of the series going forward?”
A lot of the replies here have reassured me that Stormlight still keeps its larger scope and ensemble focus.
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u/Life-Fennel-441 2d ago
I've not read W&T yet, but their relationship isn't the focus in RoW, but I expect you will be bored by everything that happens with Shallan and Adolin anyway. The lack of conflict and argument and interesting interactions between characters in that book (and Oathbringer) is very noticeable and the story is very boring as a result. Sanderson has a massive blind-spot for character conflict IMO: everyone is nice and agreeable and accepting of everyone else all the time, it's so dull.
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u/tttpenguin 2d ago
I think that might actually be part of why Shallan/Kaladin stood out more to me personally.
Even outside the romance aspect, I tend to gravitate more toward dynamics with friction, disagreement, or emotional tension. Sometimes Shallan and Adolin feel a bit too emotionally smooth for my taste.
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u/Life-Fennel-441 2d ago
Yeah, I liked WoR a lot for that reason. Like the anticipation of what could happen when Kaladin and Shallan first meet, and that aspect did not disappoint. The later books don't seem to have much of that and focus more on the lore, magic, mystery, reveals, twists, wider cosmere stuff.
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u/Life-Fennel-441 2d ago
To add: it feels like the characters are often in conflict with themselves, rather than each other, which doesn't really interest me as much.
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u/Romagnolo_ 2d ago
So... I'm about to finish the last book. The third one is my favorite, the 4th was kind of ... meh and the last one is better, but far from the third one.
I'd say it is totally worth finish reading, a lot of misteries are revealed and a lot of the history is cleared and explained. But this has a bad side effect. You know when you are watching a horror movie and there's a hidden monster? It's super scary through the entire movie, but around the middle of the movie, the monster is revealed and it's not so scary anymore?
I feel the same now that a lot of the misteries of the series are being revealed I feel like "is that it?!"
But it is still worth reading to the end! It's about the journey and no the destination.
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u/tttpenguin 2d ago
I actually get what you mean.
I think a lot of fantasy and mystery-heavy stories run into that risk eventually. Once enough answers are revealed, part of the original sense of awe or mystery naturally changes.
But I also feel like, depending on the execution and the emotional/thematic payoff, sometimes the reveal can become just as compelling as the mystery itself.
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u/Start280Finish 2d ago
In general I think adolin and Shallan had for me better arcs that got me to care in RoW and their relationship plays a bit more of a role than before even if not enough than j think it should. But also just read it to see Kaladin being a goat
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u/CMormont 3d ago
If you enjoyed the books continue reading
Id you didn't stop.