I finished Dawn Shard now and I enjoyed it more than Way of Kings but not enough to want to read more Stormlight Archives. I actually found the story to be a fairly self-contained story on a boat. I think already knowing a bit of spoilers about spren and void bringers was enough.

There were sometimes parts where characters would mention things like briefly being a king in the past, which I’m sure comes from another book but wasn’t important for the plot of this book.

Overall I’m just not a Sanderson fan I think. I don’t like his humour and I found I really didn’t care about the characters in Way of Kings. The big problem is that his books are so long and it seems like not much happens until the end. I saw fans calling this an avalanche but I really couldn’t stand it. No hate on others who like it but it’s really not for me.

Fair enough but I really didn’t enjoy the first book and these books are huge. I’d rather be confused and get through it than buy and read two more massive tomes I likely won’t enjoy.

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle. Some of the dialogue feels a bit dated but so far I’m enjoying it.

The First Law by Joe Abercrombie. It deals with political struggles and empires clashing but not the end of the world. The characters are definitely more flawed and relatable at times.