Reviews

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

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gassyhaggis's review against another edition

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dark inspiring mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

junellewright's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

SPOILERS!!!

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I really enjoyed Elantris. I actually enjoyed the characters and the plot more than Mistborn Era 1 however I do think the magic system and the action was better in Mistborn Era 1.

Pros:

The characters! I loved loved loved Sarene and Hrathen both for different reasons. I loved Sarene for her political views, how she was strong and independent against the noble men and others who thought a strong women is frowned upon. I related to her in so many different ways with her views on self love and her insecurities. I also really liked her female empowerment and showing women how to fight which ended up being beneficial during the action scenes.

I liked Hrathens character once I saw his inner battle between what he felt was right and his religion. I saw a lot of similarities between Sazed from Mistborn Era 1 where he battled with his faith and who he was. The one thing that bothered me was the sudden love he felt for Sarene when he was about to die, it felt like it was unnecessary. You can respect a character and appreciate who they were without loving them

I surprisingly liked the political aspect of the book. I did not enjoy the politics too much in The Well of Ascension but loved Sarene and her political views and how she communicated to everyone else her beliefs. The side characters really aided in this as well.

I liked the relationships in this book from Sarene’s uncle Kiin to Eventeo, her father, to the loyalty from Roial, Shuden and Eondal as well as Galloden’s relationship with Raoden. I felt really connected to them and felt the bonds within them all.

Cons

I felt the storyline of Raoden being in Elantris most of the book and the last 15 percent he ends up being king and it just all felt very fast.

The sanderlanch I feel gave me whiplash since there were so many plot twists at the end and it was not enough time to fully understand and enjoy

Hrathen suddenly realizing he loves Sarene sort of did not make sense to me and came out of left field in my opinion

The magic system could have been explained a lot better and the pacing could have been better specifically with the Sarene and Raoden connection and their relationship as well as the Dilaf and Heather reveals. I also think we could have gotten more clear explanations on the gods and religions.

All in all I really enjoyed the book, I connected with the story and am excited to continue in the Cosmere.

Content Warnings

heyashes's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5/ 4 stars.

Early Brando Sando, the first Sanderson I read actually, many years ago. Rereading/ Audiobooking now to catch Cosmere things before Stormlight 5 and Mistborn Era 2 Finale.
The graphic audio was interesting.. I definitely think I prefer normal audio books though.

radiance_01's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I did enjoy this book, but it's evident that it is Sandersons first.

The Sanderlanche was coined by this book - Elantris has quite the dramatic and fast paced ending, with a myriad of scenes happening simultaneously that it can be a struggle to comprehend and keep up with. That pacing can be seen throughout the book in general, a little inconsistent and sometimes hurrying things along despite the distances and efforts involved.

Sarene and Raoden, too, were characters that stayed true to themselves throughout the book. There wasn't too much development on their parts, although they were written in such a way that even though it's evident that they're the heroes it's not written in a way that bores you.

The structure of magic in Elantris is one of its best features. Physical components to magic, the artistry, the mystery to its formation and how it works was one of the most interesting parts of the book for me. Elantrians as a whole are an interesting take on godlike characters with magic at their fingers and what becomes of them when it's gone - or doesn't work.

Hrathen was an interesting take, even if it becomes obvious that he has his own internal conflicts within his order, and I was genuinely impressed with his own development. Moreso than the other two main POV characters, even if I was quite unamused and dismissive of one particular trope at the end.

All in all, it's a pleasant standalone novel even if it may seem a bit fast or disjointed at times, fans of creative magic systems rejoice.

fethiye's review against another edition

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4.0

Rating 3.5 ( might raise it later)
Overall it was enjoyable and good read. If it was a little more polished and reconstructed a bit, i could have given it 5 stars. Elantris was originally published as a standalone ( though I think Sanderson plans on expanding the story?). I felt about the ending similarly to The final empire in the way that it could easily be a standalone but would be an extraordinarily thrilling as a series. All the threads left for Sanderson to weave another masterpieces (hopefully?)
Anyways, good read, I would recommend it.