Table of Contents:
General Impressions of Chapters 1 – 4
General Impressions of Chapters 5 – 10
Chapter 5 Impressions:
Why the fuck is Vasher using his breathe magic on the side of the building while still in the same clothes as when he was thrown in prison and sentenced to death for assaulting a noble? Are we really expected to believe no guards are gonna notice this grandiose display or that – after many of the prison guards were found dead and Vahr lacking any of his Breathe Magic and dead – that the Nobles won’t figure out Vasher got those Breathe Magics? We’re expected to believe that somehow there won’t be a manhunt to get them back considering all the painstaking time they took to mediate between keeping Vahr alive while under torture to get his Breathe Magic? Why the fuck is Vasher able to move around normally on the streets while looking like his usual self when it is dead obvious that he killed the prison guards, stole the coveted Breathes the Nobles wanted from Vahr, and is probably assumed to still be in their capitol city of T’Telir? Realistically, they would be on the manhunt for this guy, yet he’s just casually using Breathes that he just fucking stole from their most notorious prison and he’s still in the same clothes too. He can still go around town all casually? Does everyone in Hallandren just hold the Idiot Ball? The plot sucks so far. WTF is this shit? Seriously, Vasher thinks about how he can’t be out in the open, but somehow thinks he won’t stand out in the place with the most people just because there’s more powerful magical defenses? Fucking what? What is this shit?
While the court politics discussion between Vasher and Bebid is interesting, I’m confused how nobody kept a note (even a written one) of Vasher’s appearance that night or any written accounts or why Bebid is so casual of all those Breathes gone. You’d think of the nobility was so important, some jackass assaulting them would be remembered. The Coloration scheme of each human is mentioned when they have or lack Breathe Magic, so why isn’t the Court of Gods up in arms about Vahr’s Breathe obviously being stolen? If T’Telir is so good with tracking Returned, why not also Breathes… which they need to keep their Gods alive? Also, why the fuck does getting the Royal bloodline of Halladren from Idris matter, if literal Gods are worshipped and rule Halladren? What basis is Idris’s Royal bloodline considered Royal, if the Halladren Court of Gods see them as a nuisance and separate from their own system of rulership? How can Idris even be considered “royal” or “legitimate” for any type of rule, if not approved by the Halladren Gods who are deified as Gods by the Halladren people? This worldbuilding is a poor mess so far and either too vague or so poorly thought out that it is lazy.
Why are these Gods seen as “politicians” by their people? How the fuck are they Gods then? The descriptions never mentioned it being a euphemism in Halladren politics. This is stupid as fuck. If they’re politicians, then why aren’t they managing the policymaking and instead just lounging around and being worshipped? How the fuck are “Gods” just politicians? Why the fuck would Warhawks care if it is the eldest or youngest sister, if the next in line for the throne is the Son in Idris anyway? Did they not know the second child was already chosen as successor in Idris for twenty years? Why the fuck didn’t Halladren just demand the three sisters of Idris being married to “Gods” in their own civilization? Of course, I fail to understand why the fuck Halladren’s people sees the royalty of Idris as part of a Royal bloodline . . . when literal Gods rule their government. Like, what the fuck is this worldbuilding and politics? It makes no fucking sense. And if these Gods are so worshipped that three lesser priests constantly write down every trivial thing they say, why the fuck does Halladren see Idris’s royalty as part of their royal past? If the basis of legitimacy in Halladren is the Gods ruling them, then why the fuck does the royalty of Idris even matter? This is piss poor worldbuilding.
Chapter 6 Impressions:
If the Royal line left for the highlands because of the behavior of the people regarding the usage of Breathe Magic, what the fuck is the basis of their society? How the fuck did this society even come to function treating what they saw as perversions of magic to be then seen as Gods? The worldbuilding isn’t making any sense because there’s just no details here. Basically, what the fuck is the basis for the legitimacy of the current government of Halladren? This is a fatal flaw in the so-called “worldbuilding” of this story. I just don’t fucking get this “worldbuilding” so far, it seems like total crap.
I’m interested in seeing the God King, this is the only aspect of the story that still holds my attention. If this disappoints, I’m dropping the story. So far, everything is slow, terrible, and absolutely boring. The positive reviews for this book are all lies and probably due to parasocial relationships between the author, Brandon Sanderson, and his fans. Seriously, I don’t see any of the pacing and worldbuilding so touted by Youtube and Book reviewers.
Chapter 7 Impressions:
Okay, so this girl got ready for the whole day with several bathes, putting on much more refined clothes, and having her nails and hair redone . . . and it was all to take it off in front of the God King so the God King can fuck her so that Halladren can have a legitimate heir, right? Alright, so, how is her removing all of her clothes and prostrating herself in submission to a man not a Male Power Fantasy, or a Submissive Woman kink, or something quite clearly overtly made to be sexual in nature? Why do Reddit comments and general reviews claim that Sanderson doesn’t write sex and shies away from sexual themes . . . when this plot point – including her throwing off her own clothes in total submission to the God King – is a crucial and built-up part of the plot of Warbreaker? What, does not describing her breasts and buttocks when she removes all her clothes to submit herself not make it porn? I don’t understand how Sanderson fans can deride sexual themes, and yet the very premise and specifics of this story is about mature sexual themes that Sanderson readers and presumably Sanderson himself claims to be uncomfortable with writing.
To be clear: there’s nothing wrong with admitting a sexual kink or having mature sexual themes in a story. But . . . how is it Sanderson fans don’t even admit this much about Warbreaker? That’s what this entire initial plotline up to Chapter 7 is with Warbreaker. If he doesn’t want to write mature sexual themes and fans don’t care for such parts of the human experience . . . can someone explain to me the first 7 chapters of Warbreaker?
The Returned explanation seems brief and alright. I guess I can’t begrudge it too harshly, but this is the inner monologue of a woman prostrating nude for a man to save her country. I fail to see how this wouldn’t just be so much better when actual sensual descriptions. Overall, I only feel it is completely appropriate to keep reading this while putting porn to view and listen to. It feels completely appropriate given the chapter’s pornographic context.
And what an absolutely pathetic disappointment of a chapter. I was hoping for something to happen regarding the God King that I found myself skipping Lightsong’s part of this chapter completely to read the next chapter. Lightsong is so uninteresting that I don’t think I missed anything worth my time at all.
Chapter 8 Impressions:
What an absolutely anti-climactic and boring conclusion to the tension that was building for an intense, dramatic, and erotic scene. What a boring conclusion. If I don’t see this God King figure by the next chapter then I’m quitting this book completely. I don’t care enough about anything else to continue. If it’s another shitty fake out, then I’m dropping this book completely because that shit is so boring.
Alright, the conflict regarding Siri still has me intrigued despite the shitty fake out regarding the God King, so I guess I’ll wait and see for now.
[Added Chapter 7 Impression]: Now, I’m reading the shitty Lightsong part I skipped over because Lightsong is so worthless and boring and I fucking hate reading his parts. Time to slog through this boring as fuck crap. Good thing I have porn in the background to help make this slog faster.
Alright, again, if Sanderson is setting up sexually mature situations, then he’s just doing an absolute disservice to his readers by creating these situations but not fully committing to the idea. If he doesn’t want to write sex scenes and feels uncomfortable with them, why the constant set-up for adult sexual encounters? What purpose does it serve his story? I don’t get it. It’s like readers want the intimate moments, but are so filled with Western barbarity that they hate the intimacy between consenting adults and only want to show blood and gore as if murdering people is less bad than healthy sexual relationships. I think Sanderson fans might just be prudish Western barbarians only wanting violence and hate instead of consenting adults showing intimacy and love, as expected of Western barbarians.
Now that I’ve finished Lightsong’s Chapter 7 part . . . I can honestly say this was the stupidest possible dialogue I’ve ever read. The idiotic Royals ran off 300-years ago and there’s been usurpers since then evidently, with the God King being the current one. Nevertheless, if he’s recognized as a God and the other Gods approve of him, why the fuck does the Royal family, which abandoned and watched 3 centuries of turmoil while living in a little hill, matter to the people living in contemporary times in Halladren? This doesn’t make any sense. Sanderson has absolutely failed at Worldbuilding by not setting up what the basis for legitimacy is. If Court of Gods are recognized as Gods, then why the fuck does the so-called Royal family of Idris even matter? Royal in what way and on what basis in the eyes of the Halladren public? This is fucking stupid. Even worse, it says the God King has had wives before with stillborn children, so what the fuck is the point of bringing a Royal from the Hills to sire an heir? This story makes no fucking sense and just got a whole lot dumber, but I guess that’s just Brandon Sanderson’s writing and storytelling in general.
I’ll read the next two chapters, if I don’t like them, then I quit reading. Ten chapters should be more than enough.
Chapter 9 Impressions:
An absolute worldbuilding catastrophe. How did people fail to notice this? First, Idris’s lands are the key to trade routes for Halladren in earlier chapters, but now Idris itself has a commerce problem? Why would Idris have a commerce problem, if they hold control of the trade routes that lead into Halladren? They could easily just tax these people traveling to and from Halladren and make revenue that way. If there are trade agreements arranged to avoid doing that, then Sanderson has failed to explain any of it. An absolute failure of worldbuilding.
And the chapter ends with a fake out. Fuck this. I’ll read Chapter 10, then I’ll probably drop it if Chapter 10 isn’t amazing. This story is just so bad and boring.
Chapter 10 Impressions:
The forgettable spy Lennex just made Vivienne react to what he did and Vivienne blames herself . . . why? She had no control of him transferring the Breathe to her right before he died. I don’t get it. And here is where I end it. What an absolute failure of plot, worldbuilding, character, and especially my time. Only the mildly pornographic scenes with Siri made any of this interesting to read and only with porn playing in the background as I read through this glorified crapfest. Absolutely terrible. Only porn could help cope with how much of a failure this book is.