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erins_bookshelf_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
4.0
I liked this a lot, I love pirate stories so this was great
Also Hoid is like the best narrator ever
I am kind of confused about where this fits in the cosmere but it’s fine, I’m never going to fully understand this universe lol
Also Hoid is like the best narrator ever
I am kind of confused about where this fits in the cosmere but it’s fine, I’m never going to fully understand this universe lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death and Slavery
divine529's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Confinement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Vomit, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Ableism and Slavery
apersonfromflorida'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Death
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, and Murder
Minor: Slavery, Blood, and Vomit
lycheeteareads'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read the first five chapters available on Brandon Sanderson's website. Will update you when the full book is released and read.
* finished reading today. I felt that Hoid as the narrator nailed the role by interjecting his humor.
This book had Tress struggle and grow into a new person by the end of it.
The Kindle edition had some great artwork throughout, especially the spore sea depictions. The teacups were so cute and
This book opened up a new planet with more questions about the Cosmere inside of a whimsical and fun project such as this.
* finished reading today. I felt that Hoid as the narrator nailed the role by interjecting his humor.
This book had Tress struggle and grow into a new person by the end of it.
The Kindle edition had some great artwork throughout, especially the spore sea depictions. The teacups were so cute and
This book opened up a new planet with more questions about the Cosmere inside of a whimsical and fun project such as this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Gun violence
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, and Murder
Minor: Slavery, Blood, and Vomit
axel_p's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
- 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
This book was so fun, the characters were so amazing. I really didn't see that plottwist coming at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Kidnapping, Death, Slavery, Trafficking, and Confinement
readandfindout's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Style/writing: 5 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4.5 stars
Worldbuilding: 5 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4.5 stars
Worldbuilding: 5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Kidnapping
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Violence, and Confinement
Minor: Slavery, War, Blood, and Vomit
kylieqrada's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.5
I am so happy to have something new from BSands to read!! Tress is a lovely adult fairy tale that turns the damsel in distress trope on its head. It's also narrated by Hoid, everyone's favorite friendly neighborhood immortal!! I loved Hoid's narrative voice and just being back in the Cosmere. I can really see looking back on Sanderon's canon how far he's come in regards to inclusivity and I live for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Confinement
Minor: Alcohol, Slavery, and Sexism
tinyelfarcanist's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Classism, Ableism, and Chronic illness
Minor: Medical content, Alcohol, Bullying, Slavery, Vomit, Terminal illness, and Torture
saltycoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
Content Warnings
Minor: War, Trafficking, Slavery, and Gore
kaziaroo's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.25
I've only read Brandon Sanderson's early works (Elantris, Mistborn era 1 and Warbreaker), so I wasn't sure what to expect – but it was actually great. You could definitely tell he had fun writing this, and the inspiration from William Golding and Terry Pratchett was obvious from the start. Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan of comedic books and did find the whimsical narrative style tiring after a while, but I still enjoyed it on the whole.
As expected of Brandon Sanderson, the magic system was fascinating and complex, and the world was interesting. I liked the characters, although I found that again the narration style and identity of the narrator were a barrier to me actually connecting with them emotionally. The book doesn't really have any quiet moments where you see the characters just being themselves and bonding together – everything happens in action with the purpose of either revealing the world and/or furthering the plot. While I love Brandon Sanderson's complex magic systems and clever plots and mysteries, I miss the intricate characters and deep introspection from authors such as Robin Hobb and Samantha Shannon.
One area where Sanderson has definitely improved, is his sensitivity and approach to minorities and their representation. I really respect him for listening to his audience. Until this one, all of his books I'd read were dominated by men, even when the main character was a woman, and somehow the only significant female character(s) always ended up outnumbered by a group of older men influencing and guiding her. Pairing this with the incessant use of male pronouns when referring to abstract concepts (e.g. the men of the city are in danger, a wise man never leaves his sword behind, etc (not direct quotes, just examples – seriously, what's wrong with "people" or "they/them"?)), and his problematic portrayal of an autistic-coded character in Elantris, I didn't have a high opinion of Brandon Sanderson's ability to write about characters who weren't straight, white, middle-aged, non-disabled, clever, men. But Tress of the Emerald Sea showed a lot of improvement and promise in this area, and I was very glad to see that he hired a sensitivity reader for a deaf character.
In summary, I liked this book and it's made me much more interested in exploring the Cosmere and looking forward to the author's future works.
As expected of Brandon Sanderson, the magic system was fascinating and complex, and the world was interesting. I liked the characters, although I found that again the narration style and identity of the narrator were a barrier to me actually connecting with them emotionally. The book doesn't really have any quiet moments where you see the characters just being themselves and bonding together – everything happens in action with the purpose of either revealing the world and/or furthering the plot. While I love Brandon Sanderson's complex magic systems and clever plots and mysteries, I miss the intricate characters and deep introspection from authors such as Robin Hobb and Samantha Shannon.
One area where Sanderson has definitely improved, is his sensitivity and approach to minorities and their representation. I really respect him for listening to his audience. Until this one, all of his books I'd read were dominated by men, even when the main character was a woman, and somehow the only significant female character(s) always ended up outnumbered by a group of older men influencing and guiding her. Pairing this with the incessant use of male pronouns when referring to abstract concepts (e.g. the men of the city are in danger, a wise man never leaves his sword behind, etc (not direct quotes, just examples – seriously, what's wrong with "people" or "they/them"?)), and his problematic portrayal of an autistic-coded character in Elantris, I didn't have a high opinion of Brandon Sanderson's ability to write about characters who weren't straight, white, middle-aged, non-disabled, clever, men. But Tress of the Emerald Sea showed a lot of improvement and promise in this area, and I was very glad to see that he hired a sensitivity reader for a deaf character.
In summary, I liked this book and it's made me much more interested in exploring the Cosmere and looking forward to the author's future works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Terminal illness, Vomit, Confinement, Animal cruelty, and Death
Minor: Slavery, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexism