Reviews

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

jenhurst's review against another edition

4.0

I think this was a really good book and it definitely seemed like a debut. Compared to his other books the character work is not as good and magic system is less developed. It felt more like a low fantasy book in an epic setting then mistborn with its hard magic system. I see people complaining about the world building, but I thought it made sense because it’s more focus on Elantris and the secrets associated with it. It’s supposed to be smaller scale and it worked for the books. The character work is more similar to older fantasy with the less developed characters. I think it’s a good book and it’s interesting to see how far Brandy Sandy has come, but it’s definitely not one of his best.

spaceinvader6k's review against another edition

4.0

I actually can not believe I finished this book after what feels like eons of reading. This euphoria. This is what it must feel like to reach Everests peak.

Excellently written religious and political drama. Learning the rivalry between Shu-Korath and Shu-Dereth was gripping and felt as though I was reading about real-life ancient religions. It is clear to see the time and effort Sanderson poured into making them. On a story level however, I was only really super interested in the conflict between Dilaf and Hrathen and wasn’t that hooked on Raodon and Sarenes story. Like I definitely cared, but I felt like the plot meandered a little bit. While it was interesting enough to keep picking up, I never felt like I couldn’t put it down and for the most part exclusively read this on my commute to school. Speaking about Hrathen and Dilaf, I loved them. Hrathens spiritual crisis is so interesting to read considering he is introduced as such a devout, militant follower of Jaddeth. Dilaf is just a menace to society. I love how they are two sides of the same coin yet sit at completely opposite ends of the religious spectrum. I also really loved Hrathens character arc :}

I would recommend this to people who enjoy plot-driven books with endless amounts of lore to dissect and enjoy.

narwalerampage's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

Overall a pretty boring read. You can definitely tell this was a very early Sanderson book by quality. Not bad, just not that good either

itsanaturaldisaster's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense

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

4.5

tabicatreads's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

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

3.75

blogthatbook's review against another edition

1.0

Well, I've had to call it a day at the halfway point. I guess I'm just not going to get along with fantasy after all.
This book just doesn't really go anywhere...or at least it takes it's own sweet time about it.
The characters are bland and two dimensional.
And I'm sorry but "show don't tell!"
I'm sure all fantasy can't be this uninteresting, but it's going to take me a long time to get over this enough to try another.

I have Skyward by Brandon Sanderson on my to read shelf, let's hope he can peak my interest a little more with my favoured sci-fi.

Thanks for reading my review, I hope it was helpful. But, please remember, this is simply my take on this book and you may have a completely different opinion.

How I select a star rating for each book is explained in my profile.

mixedsigneals's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

globalmurmur's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

jarodriquez's review against another edition

5.0

As usual, Brandon kept me thoroughly engaged. The last part of the book kept me unable to put the book down. Perhaps not my favorite Sanderson book, but it is definitely up there.

ithzalumbra's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional slow-paced

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

3.0