This novella is #3.5 in the Stormlight Archive, taking place between Oathbringer and the upcoming Rhythm of War. In it, Rysn guides her ship toward the treacherous island of Akinah, with help from several Radiants, and a traitor on board. This is the sort of book that is absolutely dependent on reading the others in the series to know what’s going on. It’s a book that bridges gaps and fills in holes in readers’ knowledge of the Cosmere.

Did I love it? Oh yes. Absolutely. I knew that the book would be about 75% Rysn’s POV and the rest mostly The Lopen’s POV, and while Rsyn hasn’t always been my favorite character, I was interested in watching her continue to grow as a person. The Lopen, of course, is just awesome, and I knew he had a good arc to navigate as well. Plus, the prologue clued me in to the fate of someone I’ve wondered about since early in the second book, which is awesome!

The region felt so empty. Quiet as a home with no cousins. –The Lopen

Um…Not really much else to say here. I’m not going to go into realmatic theory and I don’t know if any of my current readers have ever even been interested in the Stormlight Archive, despite my obvious enthusiasm. So I’ll just keep this short: Brandon Sanderson does it again!

Revisited via audio in August 2022: The audio production of this book released two years after my original read, and it was lovely to revisit this book read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading. It’s funny how a book that you’ve only read once can feel like a comfort read due to it being part of a larger series that you love. The audio just enhanced the story that I already loved, and my only quibble was the change in how the narrators pronounced Aimia, but that’s just a tiny thing. Loved this audiobook wholeheartedly!