Reviews with content warning for Classism - Tress of the Emerald Sea

Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

11 reviews

callistag1's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-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

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maddie_can_read's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

I really enjoyed a lot of the aspects of this story:

Whimsical
Fairytale adjacent without being very young
Writing/ storytelling style
Humour and the random tangents (reminded me of Hitchhiker's)
Characterization
World-building
Lots of well developed female characters
Disability inclusion, they had a Deaf sensitivity/ representation reader, so cool!

What I didn't love:

I didn't find the actual story that compelling after about chapter 8.
When I realized Tress was staying on the ship the entire novel and the story was going to go pretty predictably - she's obviously going to go get Charlie and have some form of happily ever after
Lack of tension
Felt the pace could've been faster/ the pace was a little inconsistent/ slogged a bit after chapter 8

This was my first Sanderson novel so I'm definitely going to check out some more as I've heard they vary a lot in tone.

We want to imagine that people are consistent, steady, stable. We define who they are, create descriptions to lock them on a page, divide them up by their likes, talents, beliefs. Then we pretend some—perhaps most—are better than we are, because they stick to their definitions, while we never quite fit ours. Truth is, people are as fluid as time is. We adapt to our situation like water in a strangely shaped jug, though it might take us a little while to ooze into all the little nooks. Because we adapt, we sometimes don’t recognize how twisted, uncomfortable, or downright wrong the container is that we’ve been told to inhabit.

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shlymiller's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-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? No

5.0

Such a wholesome cozy, feel good read with themes of acceptance and camaraderie and facing obstacles together, not alone

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elskabee's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A Terry Pratchett-lite humorous fairytale-esque story. I definitely enjoyed it, but aside from some unique world-building, there's not much in particular that stood out to me about it. I liked the touch of it being narrated from the perspective of a minor character, though the omniscience of it made me wonder how useful it was as a narrative device and if the book would have been just as good with a generic 3rd person omniscient narrator (like Sir Terry's work lol).

While a little cliche and predictable at times, I'd happily recommend it to virtually anyone and I'm keen to check out more of Brando Sando's work after this little taste test

Edit to add: as much as I liked the disability rep and some great anti-misogyny moments, I was really disappointed to read a couple of fatphobic lines in the book, so heads up on that. They're minor and fleeting, but still a shame.

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aseel_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-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

4.25

This was such a fun read!! Sanderson is an excellent writer and I loved all the little bits of wisdom or humour he chucked in. I was a tad confused with the narrator at the start but I might have missed something while I was reading it, otherwise, very wholesome

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purplepenning's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I haven't read any other books but Brandon Sanderson yet, so this was an unforeseen delight! The kind of book that the whole family can enjoy — whether they're familiar with the Cosmere or not. And the audiobook is excellent, so load it up for your next family road trip!

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spootilious's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-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? No

4.0

Read: September 12, 2023
Title: Tress of the Emerald Sea
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
Review:

The biggest take away for this review is that this novel was loads of fun with such a unique world and wonderful characters.

The details: I am no stranger to Brandon Sanderson. I adore his work! That being said Tress of the Emerald Sea, which having the feel of many of his other works, is something unto itself.

The novel is fun and whimsical, with characters that are so lovable it hurts and villains that are just as loath-able. The nods to other worlds and characters in the cosmere is ever present which could be a bit confusing to a casual Sanderson reader (rather than the dedicated ones) but not so much so that it takes too much away from the story.

Sanderson has always had a talent for writing women and there is no exception here.

The world building is stunning (as expected) and so unique (also as expected).

Now, despite all of this it is not a 5 star book in my opinion. The ‘twists’ of the novel are extremely predictable. Perhaps this might be because I have read too much of Sanderson’s works but regardless, I found more of the world building (particularly the spores and interactions with them) far more surprising and intriguing than the actual plot ‘twists’. Though, I find that I am very rarely surprised but plot twists now a day, so perhaps it is just me.

I will also say that one of the signatures of a Brandon Sanderson book is it’s explosive and captivating ending. It is something I have come to expect and is typically delivered, and while the ending of this novel is fast paced and entertaining I would not categorize it as explosive (at least not figuratively) nor captivating. That is not to say that it wasn’t good, far from it, the ending was practically perfect. It was simply not what I had come to expect from a Sanderson novel, it seemed to fall just a tad bit short of my expectations; the book as a whole however met them all head on.

I loved this novel and will be recommending it as a wonderful first step into the Cosmere!

Minor TW: Death, Self harm, Vomit, Confinement, Murder, Slavery, War, Violence, Suicide, Classism, Blood, Guns.

Quotes:

If you wish to become a storyteller, here is a hint: sell your labor, but not your mind.

One of the great tragedies of life is knowing how many people in the world are made to soar, paint, sing, or steer—except they never get the chance to find out.

If bravery is the wind that makes us soar like kites, fear is the string that keeps us from going too far.

More twisted than a librarian’s love life (trust me, they’re a strange bunch)

You can’t taste a memory without tainting it with who you have become.

Memories are fossils, the bones left by dead versions of ourselves.

Worry has weight, and is an infinitely renewable resource.

After spending ages walking around with everyone piling bricks in your arms, it can throw you off balance when someone removes a brick to carry for you.

If we let it, memory can make shadows of the now, as nothing can match the buttressed legends of our past.

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lizziaha's review against another edition

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adventurous

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

Having read the book now, I think the comparison to The Princess Bride holds up, specifically in the tone of the story (along with certain plot points). Unfortunately, I wasn’t as sold on the romance. But other aspects of the story were certainly compelling: the piracy, the spores and the sprouting, the secret king’s assassin, the zombie. Fun read overall.

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kirbylover16's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

Super cute story and an easy read. Dare I say it could have been longer? It's a pirate adventure story that reminds me of the bloody jack series but is less violent. I love the idea of an ocean that's not just water or lava. The big twist took me half the book to figure out, which is pretty satisfactory. The only thing that bugged me was the "I'm not like other girls" troupe is everywhere in this book and how many times "moons" was said.

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tinyelfarcanist's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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? No

5.0

An outstanding start for The Year of Sanderson.

Tress is one of the most sensible heroines you'll find in YA. She seeks help, talks openly with her parents, and admits when she's scared. She also goes on a suicidal mission for the man she loves, but that's love for you.

This book features beautiful relationships (romantic or otherwise), tons of adventure, and FEELINGS. Even deaths that should have been insubstantial pack a punch. Also, as expected from Sanderson's fantasy novels, a fascinating and innovative magic system. You may need to have read other of his books (The Way of Kings, Elantris) to appreciate it fully.

I LOVED the fairytale vibes. It's no coincidence that it was inspired by one of my favourite books of all time: The Princess Bride. This book has some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read. It's funny, it's witty, and full of insightful lessons. I kept highlighting passage after passage. I hope Sanderson keeps exploring this narrator.

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