Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderon – A Stormlight Archive Novella – Book Review
I want to say that all the thoughts here are my personal opinions. Reading is a unique experience, and what works for one person might not work for another. I aim to share my honest perspective while respecting everyone’s take on the books we all love to discuss💖
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Edgedancer: A Stormlight Archive Novella
✨📚 5/5 Stars! 📚✨
I wasn’t sure whether to purchase this or not, but my love for THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE won out—so here we are! EDGEDANCER is a novella that takes place after WORDS OF RADIANCE and before OATHBRINGER. You don’t have to read it in this order, but it fits chronologically within the series.
The story follows Lift, a character who had a dedicated chapter in WORDS OF RADIANCE. That chapter was long, and you could tell Brandon Sanderson wanted to explore her more. At first, I wasn’t a huge fan, but by the end, she had started to grow on me.
If you remember Lift, she’s the girl who appears around 10 years old due to a boon and a curse placed upon her. Her curse hasn’t been fully revealed yet. Her spren, Wyndle, is what really got me through the first few chapters—without him, I might have struggled! If you don’t remember Lift, don’t worry—the novella opens with the interlude chapter that reintroduces her.
Lift is infuriating to read at times. She makes reckless choices without much logic, but it’s not in a way that feels poorly written—it’s actually quite clever. Her stubborn nature makes her frustrating yet fascinating.
Wyndle, on the other hand, is an incredibly patient spren who just wants to be a gardener but finds himself caught up in something much bigger. What sets him apart from other spren we’ve seen so far is that he actively wants to give Lift all the information she needs to become a Radiant. But, of course, Lift being Lift, she refuses to listen. I couldn’t help but think how much further Kaladin would be if Syl had been this forthcoming!
As an Edgedancer, Lift has unique Radiant abilities—she can slip and slide across surfaces rather than Lash like Windrunners. More importantly, she has powerful healing abilities, which are showcased in the first chapter. Another intriguing aspect of her powers? Unlike other Radiants who draw on Stormlight, Lift fuels her abilities by consuming food. Particularly in this novella, pancakes!
This novella also confirms that Radiants are naturally drawn to each other, a concept I absolutely love. I can’t wait to see who else we meet throughout THE STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE!
Another major reveal (I don’t think this was officially confirmed in WORDS OF RADIANCE) is that the Heralds are alive and in the world. One of them, Nale, is actively executing anyone with Radiant-like powers while obsessively following legal procedures. His actions at the end completely threw me off—I have no idea where Sanderson is taking this, but I’m fascinated! Up until now, the stories about the Heralds had been so mixed that I wasn’t sure what to believe.
We also get the reintroduction of Szeth in his broken state. Nale has taken him in to join the Skybreakers, but Szeth himself doesn’t seem convinced by their cause. I highly doubt this is the end of his story. Given his past and the weight of the murders he’s committed across different kingdoms, I can’t wait to see the consequences for him!
Overall, I’m so glad I didn’t skip over this novella—it’s completely convinced me to read the others between the main books as well. I’d definitely recommend it to any Stormlight Archive fan!
📚 Interested in reading EDGEDANCER? (P.S. It’s an affiliate link, so if you decide to buy, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you!)
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