Joe

The women in this book are basically present to cry, flirt, and be moms. Even when they're given moments of strength, they're still weak compared to the men. Only reason this gets two stars is because aside from the blatant misogyny the story is quite good. I just can't give the sexism in this one a pass.

I'd give this a 4.5 if I could, because I don't think it deserves a 4, but it also isn't quite the 5-star read I've come to expect from Sanderson. I think this books main issue (and it's a small one at that) is its pacing in the last 25% of the book. I felt the story ramping up to its climax, and then before I had a chance to absorb everything, the book was over.

Still totally worth reading, as this novel was great in every other way. The lead characters were very compelling, and their arcs felt nature and complete.

This one took me a while to finish because Baldur's Gate 3 launched and has been consuming every waking moment of my life.