Rhythm of War

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. Overall: I liked the book, but I found it the weakest in the series so far. The frame structure of the series (flashback character per book, tight plotting within each book) are things that usually make each of these huge tomes great and fun to read. And even if some aspect falls a bit short (I wasn't a fan of the Alethkar plotline in Oathbringer, but the flashbacks more than made up for it). In this book however - neither the main plotline (Urithiru-under-siege) nor the flashbacks caught me right.

It's still a good book - just not as good as the previous ones.

Minor spoilers for the book. If you've read Part 1, you should be good. Don't click behind the spoilertext unless you've finished it.

What I liked:

1. Interesting setup in Part 1. I liked how the frame structure was changed, and the first part rushed through.
2. Navani doing science. I think it might have been a bit too overwhelming for usual readers at times, but I liked the change - you rarely get to read a book about scientists figuring out things, and its superbly done. From Accidental discoveries to discoveries causing accidents - its all in there. Navani's on her not considering herself as a scholar felt a bit too much at times, but the journey was worth it.
3. Adolin's character arc. His undying optimism gets to you.
4. Mental health depiction, for the most part. Characters in fiction are often thrown into situations where anyone would be scarred for life - this book tries to take a realistic approach to that - showcases PTSD, and contrasts what is possible if people are willing to listen.
5. The chess-piece ending. How the next book is going to be 10 days. How Taravangian ascends to Odium, and the whole Ishar side-plot.
6. The who's-the-spy stuff that Shallan fights in Shadesmar. I really liked the resolution.

What I didn't like:

1. The whole Urithiru-under-siege plot. The climax didn't feel like the right ending (except for maybe the Kaladin bits - wohoo!). The whole idea of a singer invasion being so benevolent that barely anyone dies doesn't feel right in a large-scale war. The setting had too much plot armor for me to ever be worried about Hesina/Lirin/Rlain/Dabbid/Lift.
2. Kaladin's PTSD at times. It felt like barely a barrier at times where Kaladin just gets up and becomes amazing and basically says - I can deal with this later. Felt like a cop-out.
3. The Shadesmar plot - mainly because it disappears for too long in the book, and the consequences are not directly in this book.
4. The Venli/Eshonai flashbacks. This was my most boring part of the book, for some reason. I wasn't interested at all in the Venli/Eshonai dynamic. Maybe I shouldn't have skipped (some of) their parts in my re-read? I'm not sure - but they felt nowhere near as impactful as the flashbacks in the previous books.
5. The Leshwi/Raboneil/Venli politicking. Wasn't too much of it, but I spent some time confused as to why Venli has a new master.

Favorite Bits (non-cosmere stuff)

1. Navani - Journey before destination, you bastard
2. Kaladin - I AM DEATH
3. Maya - MY SACRIFICE!
4. Chiri Chiri - EAT VOOD!
5. I loved the mutual admiration between Sibling and Navani once they bonded. They do get each other.
6. All of Wit's scenes.
7. Jasnah being a badass. And still learning. And still finding time to be a scholar. And THAT DUELING SCENE. I find it weird when she quotes contemporary research - who are these scholars researching societal changes in war v/s peace times in Roshar?

HEAVY SPOILERS FOR COSMERE FOLLOW. DO NOT SCROLL UNLESS YOU HAVE READ ALL COSMERE

Interesting Cosmere stuff:

1. Thaidakar=Kelsier confirmed.
2. Taravangian is new Odium. This is gonna be very interesting. Taravangian understands Dalinar, and has the best chance at actually beating him.
3. Shallan has a Seon
4. Did Wit get tricked at the end? How many breaths did he lose? Will he notice at the end of the day?
5. Cultivation's vessel is a Dragon.
6. The Wit/Jasnah dialogue was so interesting.
7. Raboniel's mention of Raysium. She doesn't mention how they get it, but I'm curious - what happens to it now that Taravangian is the vessel?
8. The Tones of Roshar. Apparently, its a cosmere wide thing. Going to be interesting how it plays into more things
9. No signs of Azure, but Zahel fixes his classification system.
10. The madness cure that Ishar mentions is going to be interesting - I can think of far more implications than just Ishar getting cured temporarily.
11. I have a feeling something is up at Purelake (Cultivation's Perpendicularity), due to Rock's absence.
12. Cultivation is apparently playing some long-game.
13. How cosmere aware was Gavilar? How did he make those spheres?
14. After seeing how much Harmony manipulated Wax, I'm wondering how much effort did Cultivation have to put in getting this done?
15. So many more SHARDS NAMED. We got Invention/Mercy/Valor/Whimsy. We're at 14/16 now.
16. The Dalinar/Odium negotiation was amazing.
17. Ishar's house-of-horrors. AARRGHH.