Reviews

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

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sunonsea's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

t_whit's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

Although this did feel a bit slow at times I never found myself bored. I loved the politics, and the world Brandon was able to build here. I can’t wait for more!

keberwick's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective tense slow-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

3.75

albymej's review against another edition

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5.0

Ok, I should start by saying I dnf-ed mistborn. Loved warbreaker though, and haven't read the stormlight archive. But elantris. Simply beautiful! So here's some gushing:

1. The world. I loooved it. The world of the elantrians, their downfall, the current political climate, the religion wars. All of it! Engaging and well presented.

2. The pacing. Not fast, not slow, just flowing. There were moments we spent watching the characters do menial tasks (and how hard it was for some of them!). Moments where they sat and discussed political matters, evaluating every posibility before coming to a consensus, making it feel very real. There were horror moments, that also felt very real, and just painful moments (the toes man...)

3. Characters. Also real. Loved. Them. All. Just all of them, I don't even have a favorite. And again, they felt very real!

4. The story. Good versus evil (but you're not sure who's who all the time) the characters would act a certain way, but their motivations were clearly laid out, so you could be fair witness to all sides.

5. The ending. I know some people take issue with the resolution of all matters, maybe a little neatly, but to me it felt earned and it was the ending I wanted so sue me.

Overall, i highly highly recommend!

crustypatriot's review against another edition

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4.0

Going into this book, I was warned that this was Brandon Sanderson’s “worst book” since it was his first published. After reading the first 4 Mistborn books and loving every one of them, I was hesitant to pick this one up because I didn’t want to disappoint myself. Very quickly I realized that Brandon’s “worst book” is higher than a lot of authors best book.

I loved this book! I was so surprised at how much I loved it. Especially considering how low everyone else rated it compared to other books by Sanderson. While slow and tedious at times, it had great character development and a great mystery in the city of Elantris. The ending was pure perfection in my opinion. Everything came together perfectly in normal Brandon Sanderson fashion. The magic system in this book was also very fascinating to read and is fairly well flushed out.

The only cons I have about this book are how tedious it is at times and how much it leans into politics and the mystery of Elantris. It got dry sometimes but overall not that big of a deal. Another “con” is the character names. A little thing that maybe it’s just me but I didn’t like alot of character names. I thought it was too much and out there at times but that is a MINOR issue.

Overall, if you are worried that you won’t like this book because everyone warned you about it, PICK IT UP ANYWAY. If you love Brandon Sanderson, you will ultimately enjoy this book. While very different from books like Mistborn, this one focuses more on politics and the mystery of Elantris. I am so glad I picked this up despite the warnings. 4.1 out of 5 stars (rounded down to 4)

nataliestorozhenko's review against another edition

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5.0

“You will find that hate can unify people more quickly and more fervently than devotion ever could.”

I don't care that Elantris is considered one of Sanderson's weaker novels, I absolutely loved it! The world of Elantris was breathtakingly beautiful, the magic system was fascinating, and the characters were well-developed and evolved throughout the story. I also enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the book, even though it wasn't as action-packed as some of Sanderson's other works. Despite this, the pacing was excellent and kept me engaged from beginning to end.

Spoiler

“So, using his pride like a shield against despair, dejection, and—most important—self-pity, Raoden raised his head to stare damnation in the eyes.”

Brandon Sanderson is known for creating complex and intriguing characters, and he doesn't disappoint in Elantris. The story follows Prince Raoden, who tries to build something great out of broken characters in terrible circumstances (hey Kaladin, how is the Bridge Four doing?). We also meet Princess Sarene, who defies society's expectations of her as a woman, and a priest who questions his faith and life purpose. The secondary characters, such as the pessimistic Dula and Lord Roial are some of my favorites and add even more depth to the plot. Sanderson's careful character development is evident in his anniversary postscript, where he reveals that he sacrificed one of the main characters to give more quality time to others.

The plot of the book is excellent, but personally, I wanted to stay in the city of Elantris for the entire story, even in its slimy state. Raoden's POV was particularly interesting to me, both because of the city and because of his character. He is an example of absolute goodness, strength, and willpower that radiates so much that it affects everyone around him. His alias as Spirit was certainly fitting. However, the other POVs were also well done. I enjoyed the trope of a questionable villain, and the detail about Hrathen's feelings was particularly good for me, despite the emotional damage it caused to me. The romance subplot was also well done, especially how Sarene was drawn to "Spirit" without realizing who he really was. Raoden is so sweet, being a serious and responsible prince who wants to protect his people, but totally loses his plot when there's anything concerning Sarene.

“At first Raoden stayed away from the library, because it reminded him of her. Then he found himself drawn back to it—because it reminded him of her.”

Sarene's character is so relatable personally to me and I really loved the encouragement she gets from the wonderful people around her and even in Raoden's POV who constantly praises her.

"You're an excellent judge of character, Sarene— except your own. Often our own opinions of ourselves are the most unrealistic. You may see yourself as an old maid, child, but you are young, and you are beautiful. Just because you've had misfortune in your past doesn't mean you have to give up on your future."

I loved her cunning games in the court (very reminiscent of Shallan) and her fencing lessons to encourage all the women there.

"They say they give their women more freedom, but there's still the impression that the freedom was theirs to give in the first place."

When reading from Hrathen's POV, I found his plot to be quite intriguing. Despite being the complete opposite of Sazed, I enjoyed it due to the similar theme of a crisis of faith. Sanderson has a talent for utilizing religions to ponder over much deeper issues regarding faith. I find it to be an interesting topic that never gets old, and I highlight the heck out of the quotes that resonate with me.

“One cannot separate truth from actions...Physically inevitable or not, truth stands above all things. It is independent of who has the best army, who can deliver the longest sermons, or even who has the most priests. It can be pushed down, but it will always surface. Truth is the one thing you can never intimidate.”

"You must have believed at one point, otherwise you wouldn't have pursued the priesthood long enough to become a gyorn. But you lost it somewhere. I have listened to your sermons. I hear logic and complete understanding - not to mention determination. I just don't hear any faith, and I wonder what happened to it."

There are so many things I enjoyed, but I'll have to quote the whole book. Here are the honorable mentions or topics that piqued my interest: Devotion and Dominion's dynamic and how it will progress in the future. Seons vs the skaze. HOID. Why Hoid has a deal specifically with the skaze and is he a bad guy then? A more detailed observation of all magic manifestations on Sel.

I have to stop myself from rambling about the majestic city of Elantris and dreaming about glowing people who draw magic by writing characters in the air. I am immensely happy that this story will progress and Sanderson plans to release the next book. I absolutely adored this book as a standalone, and I'm sure I'll love it even more as a series.