WOW. The Sanderlanche strikes again. 

“In the end, I must proclaim that no good can be achieved of false means. For the substance of our existence is not in the achievement, but in the method.”

WHAT. A. RIDE!!

The Everstorm comes. The True Desolation. The Night of Sorrows.

Re-reading The Way of Kings was an experience I didn’t expect to love even more the second time around, but that’s exactly what happened. This book, and The Stormlight Archive series as a whole, remains firmly in my top three favorite series. With the deeper perspective that only a reread brings, the subtlety of Sanderson’s storytelling comes through so much more. Kaladin’s struggles with mental health, which I picked up on more this time, resonate deeply and make him one of the most compelling characters I’ve read.

Sanderson’s action scenes and those “level up” moments are second to none—he manages to make you want to stand up and cheer every time. And Syl? She’s the best. Period. No other character brings the same kind of warmth and lighthearted balance to this epic journey. I’ll never get tired of returning to this world, and I’m already itching to pick it up again someday.

I don't think I've been this invested in a world and cast of characters since I read Game of Thrones, and this is definitely better. I need to sit down for awhile and just sit in my Strong Emotions. I yelled at one of the twists and I am not a Book Yeller. The world building is amazing and the STAKES man. The DRAMA. I need a nap.

I must admit that, apart from watching Game of Thrones and reading Feist's [b:Magician|43916|Magician (The Riftwar Saga, #1-2)|Raymond E. Feist|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391464462l/43916._SY75_.jpg|2960376], my relationship with fantasy literature is rather dated; a lot of Tolkien, Ursula LeGuin, Michael Moorcock, and the occasional Jack Vance or Guy Gavriel Kay, but nowadays I read mostly other kind of books. So, even though I was intrigued by the extremely good reviews of the book in goodreads, I was rather reluctant to begin reading it, because I was afraid that the high score was due to fantasy fans and I would entangle myself in something rather superficial (it's 1000+ pages didn't help me decide either). Now that I have devoured it, just three weeks after I first delved into its pages, I'm glad I took that decision!

If you want to read a great review of the book, the one that gave me the final push to start it, check
Kogiopsis' review. Not having to add much to that after finishing the book, I will only say that what makes it a really great "book", and not just a great "fantasy book", are four things: the painstaking detail and realism of its worldbuilding, the complexity of its characters, the depth of the universal themes it addresses, and, above all, the superb storytelling, both in terms of plot and of narrative techniques.

The two more popular quotes from the book speak for themselves:

“The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”,

and

“Life before Death.
Strength before Weakness.
Journey before Destination.”

Off to the next of the series!