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

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

32 reviews

elskabee's review against another edition

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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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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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense 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

This book was whimsical, funny, and surprisingly poignant. I loved seeing Tress’s story unfold and how she grew into her own in a way that stayed true to her original character. So many great one liners from the narrator that were hilarious and thought-provoking! I would love to learn more about this world as the details we saw were fascinating. This was a fantastic cozy fantasy.

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imds's review against another edition

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

3.75

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kirstym25's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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? It's complicated

4.0

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shaipanda's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely lovedddd this!!!
I’ve never read any of Brandon Sanderson’s other work but this was completely ridiculous and exactly the kind of thing I love :) I’d absolutely read a book from Hoid’s POV if he writes that at some point but in the meantime this is making me mildly tempted to finally delve into the rest of his work 👀

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vickybuka's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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? No

4.0

The author claimed they were writing with The Princess Bride in mind, but I think the book has the same resonances as Stardust. Possibly because of the pirates.

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twistykris's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-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

5.0

5 stars is not enough. This will probably be in my Top 5 of the year. I love that Brandon Sanderson wrote this for his wife, after they wondered what would have happened in The Princess Bride if Buttercup had set out to find and save Westley herself.

A rat. Found family. Pirates. A dragon. A sorceress. Humor that made me laugh like an idiot. This book truly swept me up in the story and the characters.

This was my first Brandon Sanderson book and I'm so glad it was. It felt like a wonderful introduction to his other works, which I look forward to reading in the future.

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divine529's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

If you've been following me for awhile, you know that I have a complicated relationship with Sanderson and his work. I think I can safely say, this is probably my favorite of all of his works (followed by Words of Radiance, Elantris and Warbreaker).

This follows our main protagonist, Tress, who ends up going on a quest to save Charlie, the man she loves, from an evil sorceress in a distant land. This reads like a grown-up fairytale. That's the best way to describe this - think Stardust meets Princess Bride and Good Omens and that's kind of the vibe you have here. Everything about this book was very solid, but particularly the world-building and the characters (and Hoid is the narrator! I adore Hoid at all times).

Definitely one I can see myself reread many times in the future.

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readwithria's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Tress of the Emerald Sea blew me away! This book is a masterpiece, I love it so much, and I will be rereading it in the future.

Brandon Sanderson struck gold with this story. The world building is amazing, the characters are absolutely wonderful, the story is perfectly paced and laid out, and the writing is *chef’s kiss* some of his finest work.

If Tress has zero people in her fan club, I am dead. She is so perfect ordinary in such an extraordinary way. Her growth throughout the book is so lovely to see, and I really appreciate her resourcefulness and empathy.

Read this book if you love
- The Princess Bride
- Good Omens
- whimsy
- a fairytale that straddles the boarder of YA and Adult fantasy
- genius world building
- compelling characters
- deliciously quotable prose

This is certainly one of the best books I’ve read this year. Five stars.

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