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imskylow's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
I sure do wish Brando could give romance a bit more flavor in his books 🙃 like, I don’t need them to be romantasy but give me a bit more chemistry and one good smooch in these dictionary sized books. That’s all I ask. That isn’t too much, is it?
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Genocide, and Confinement
Minor: Murder and Misogyny
hdcamp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The plotting and world building in this was expert and engaging. There's a note at the end from Sanderson about what he really loves about Elantris: that it's a story about a good man thrown into a bad situation. And Raoden is definitely that - no "morally gray" nonsense here, he's just a good dude who continues to do good in the horrible place he ends up. His chapters were easily my favorite. I was completely taken in by the mystery of what happened to Elantris, his study of the Aons was intriguing (scratched the linguistics part of my brain in a fun way), and the stakes were really high. I was initially quite horrified by Elantris and the whole
Raoden and Sarene's little romance was sweet if not a bit awkward. I was so rooting for them though, and to have them
Hrathen was probably my least favorite of the characters, but there was a great deal that I appreciated about him from a technical standpoint. He wasn't a clear-cut villain either, which I think added to his success as a character; he could very easily have been written as a gross religious stereotype, but instead Sanderson gave him depth. He grappled with his faith even while trying to do the work he believed he'd been called to, and as his storyline went on I really came to appreciate that. There did end up being a crazy zealot in the story, but even he was given a bit of humanity - he had his reasons for descending into madness.
I felt the ending was a little rushed. We'd been plodding along at a pretty even pace, gradually increasing if anything, when all of a sudden everything started happening in quick succession.
If this review feels weird, it's because it was written two weeks after I finished the book and my brain is rotting 🙃 Overall I really enjoyed it, I can't say enough in praise of Sanderson's worldbuilding, and I can't wait to dive into more of his writing this year.
Graphic: Violence and Gore
Moderate: Violence and Gore
There is some violence and gore mentioned throughout the book, but it is most explicit right at the beginning.sorbeth's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence
elwh's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Misogyny, and Death
Minor: Suicide
simmonsj's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Elantris is more a focus on politics. We have a king failing, a prince shunned, a political marriage gone awry, and a neighboring country vying for power through religion. There are political maneuvers, political bribes, politics and religion getting mushed together.
In the background we have Elantris. Elantris was a great fallen city with an interesting premise. The city and its people are well described. The magic of Elantris, AonDor, is not as well described - better at the very end, but not really during the book as a whole. There are some Aon examples at the back of the book, but sometimes the ones described in the text are not in the index. Some of the text descriptions do not match the index drawings either. It was a little bit of a struggle to wade through AonDor passages until the end when things finally started clicking.
The niggle about the magic system aside, I really enjoyed this book. Good writing, plotting, and world building kept me entertained even though I don't always enjoy politics-heavy novels. Characters were fleshed out and believable, and Galladon's "Doloken" might be my new favorite book "swear word."
Minor: Death of parent, Death, Body horror, and Violence
teyn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Ableism, Physical abuse, War, Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Chronic illness
Minor: Death, Violence, and Suicide
mkaiww's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
Graphic: Torture, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Blood, Violence, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Body horror, Gore, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Murder, Stalking, Kidnapping, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Genocide, Child death, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Grief, Bullying, and Child abuse
dredadonx's review
- 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
4.75
The Shaod is a supernatural curse that pervaded all throughout Elantris and gives you dark blemishes all throughout your skin, turns your skin a dark-greyish color, and pronounces you "dead", but technically you can still "live", breath and talk like normal. You don't retain a heartbeat, and you feel hunger, but you don't need food to keep living (but without food you can suffer from extreme hunger, fatigue, and deliriousness, eventually causing you to pass away). It is a weird curse, and **spoiler** Raoden almost gave into the hunger in the book, which made me cry because it seemed like he was considering un*living himself.
My review is a little over the place but I did not want to give too much away with spoilers. PLZ PLZ PLZZZZZ READ THIS BOOK and I cannot wait to dive in further into Emperor's Soul, which is a sequel, but also stand-alone novel, to Elantris.
My only issue with this book was how Sarene would describe herself due to how perverse patriarchal norms are in the setting of this book. Once you read it you'll understand what I am referring to. Also, I was not a fan of how Shuden, who is a darkskinned man from an indigenous Jindo , was kind of fetishized throughout the book due to his skin type. I understand the book was written in the early 2000s so reading this in 2023 where we have made great advancements in gender and racial issues definitely had me uncomfortable.
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Violence, Mental illness, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Forced institutionalization
ravenfaerie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Death, Violence, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
bergha1998's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Multi-POV, Romance Subplots, Hidden Identity
“Pain loses its power when other things become more important.”
“Truth can never be defeated… Even if people do forget about it occasionally.”
“When you can’t find reason in life, you tend to give up on it.”
“Joy was more than just an absence of discomfort.”
Graphic: Cursing, Colonisation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Violence, Suicide, Abandonment, Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Racism, and War