Reviews

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

lmkennedy's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I struggled with this book unlike any other Sanderson book. I normally feel like Sanderson’s writing is very accessible and easy for all levels of readers and that the payoff at the end with his well thought out writing and plotting is always so well done, that doesn’t really happen here. While I liked the characters there was no one that truly stood out who I loved. 

willjacks's review against another edition

3.0

Not the best Sanderson novel, but there are some brilliant original ideas here.

What lets the book down are the inconsistent narrative pacing and inconsistent character belief systems.

Raoden is supposed to be the perfect embodiment of virtuousness and Sarene always roots out liars and schemers… but when Raoden lies multiple times for weeks on end, she doesn’t really care. At one point she was even like ofc! How silly of me!

I would love to see where the Sanderson would take this world 20+ years after the first book.

sayamoon's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

dillonbrantley's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

cboyko's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

landrade4's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

bhgold1711's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Elantris isn't a great book. It's not bad, but it's only good... with caveats. It's a deeply flawed work that shows its flaws in a big way. Brandon Sanderson in 2024 is a different, and superior, author than in 2005. I don't think I'm grading Elantris on a curve with this rating, though, I'm fairly grading it.

Some higher level thoughts I had on reread.

- The foreshadowing of the ending in Chapter 3 is beautifully done
- From the jump, the way characters talk about women is just bad. It starts from the beginning. Sarene talking about Eshen. Raoden talking about the women who enters Elantris in Chapter 4. It's just juvenile and one of the things that's aged the worst. The way the royals talk about women is also... rough. 
- Raoden kind of is a Gary Stu.
- Brandon's writing of Kiin's children is also pretty weak. Kaise is supposed to be smart... but she reads like a young adult, not a child. Daorn to a lesser extent. And the less said about Aiden the better (as Brandon acknowledges, it's baaaaaad)
- Hrathen still stands out as the star of this story. His crisis of faith is a great story and his characterization is deep. Hrathen is the best indicator of what would come down the road.
- Brandon even in his early books is good at not doing too much exposition and finding ways to weave in worldbuilding effectively. It's a hallmark of his writing and you see it in Elantris
- Sarene has her moments despite far too much "I'm not like other girls" for my liking. Her relationship with her father stands out (one of the best parents in the Cosmere!)
- Sarene and Raoden's relationship is... not well written. All of his deceit just feels wrong.
- Hrathen's crush on Sarene NEVER WORKS AT ALL. It is so bad. And so jarring.
- There are too many mysteries and reveals late that don't really matter. Dreok Crushthroat? Not that important.
- There are others that are jarring and make no sense. Iadon and the Mysteries never really fits in
- The Dilaf reveal, on the other hand, is just masterful

lubrn's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

therealjp's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

eesh25's review against another edition

5.0

I fully intended to not give this book 5 stars because I've heard countless times that the other books in The Cosmere are even better than this one. I just couldn't go through with it. I loved the book so much.

Brandon Sanderson is an amazing author. This is the second book I've read of his (The first was The Emperor's Soul which I also loved) and if he continues writing books the these two, he will become my favourite author.

He created such awesome worlds and magic systems and explains them in such a great and accessible way that you have no problem understanding them. And he ha wonderful characters. I loved Sarene and Kaoden as individuals and they were perfect for each other.

Hrathen was a very complex character, and as much as I wanted to hate him, I couldn't. In fact, by the time I got halfway through the book, I was hoping against hope that he would realize that he was supporting the wrong man.

The magic system was very unique and very interesting. And I wanted more. When the book ended, I was happy because I couldn't take the characters being tortured (I swear, the last 50 pages were majorly unnerving. I was having problems sitting still), but I was also sad. I didn't want the book to end.

The story was, like everything else in this book, amazing.

This book was not only enjoyable, it also appealed a lot to my critic side. I highly recommend checking this book out. If you're hesitant (the book is kinda huge), read The Emperor's Soul first. It's a novella. It will definitely convince you.