I wish I had the words to explain what this book does to my very soul. If you took everything I love about stories—my favorite tropes, my favorite kinds of story beats, my favorite relationship dynamics, my kind of humor, the kind of action sequences I love, the pacing that works best for me—and somehow managed to concentrate it into something tangible, you would have this book. Like, there's no other way to describe it. This book, to me, is flawless. I know, I know, there are so many other better books out there, including better books written by Sanderson. Trust me, I know! I've read them! And while I can look you in the eye and assure you that I absolutely agree that so many other books are better, and I wouldn't even say that this is my favorite book, it doesn't change the fact that this book feels like Brandon Sanderson himself gifted me a story he knew I would love. So, yeah. This is my second favorite book by Sanderson, and quite possibly my second favorite book in the entire world. It is simply unparalleled in the way it makes me feel. The Cosmere connections are frequent enough to pick up on and point out, but they don't bog down the narrative. The central romance is my absolute favorite of any fictional work ever created, and it's not even close. The humor really hits its stride, both with the dry quips between characters and with Wayne's more irreverent comments. The action sequences are as equally effective as the more dialogue-driven moments. The tie-ins to the first trilogy are beautiful and welcome. And the very, very last part of the epilogue? Anyone who knows me understands why it hits so hard for me specifically, even on a reread. (Though now that I think about it, I don't know that I've talked about this aspect of me on Pagebound, so maybe none of you know what I'm talking about, haha.) The fact that this story has so many moments where it could take an annoying, predictable turn and yet instead maintains its steady onward course is nothing short of satisfying for me. It's also quite possibly the only book to make me cry from sheer stress, but it makes me cry for other reasons too—joy, sadness, catharsis, relief. It plays with my heartstrings just right. Anyway. I freakin' love this book. 😁