Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Tress of the Emerald Sea

Whimsical
Fairytale adjacent without being very young
Writing/ storytelling style
Humour and the random tangents (reminded me of Hitchhiker's)
Characterization
World-building
Lots of well developed female characters
Disability inclusion, they had a Deaf sensitivity/ representation reader, so cool!

What I didn't love:

I didn't find the actual story that compelling after about chapter 8.
When I realized Tress was staying on the ship the entire novel and the story was going to go pretty predictably - she's obviously going to go get Charlie and have some form of happily ever after
Lack of tension
Felt the pace could've been faster/ the pace was a little inconsistent/ slogged a bit after chapter 8

This was my first Sanderson novel so I'm definitely going to check out some more as I've heard they vary a lot in tone.

We want to imagine that people are consistent, steady, stable. We define who they are, create descriptions to lock them on a page, divide them up by their likes, talents, beliefs. Then we pretend some—perhaps most—are better than we are, because they stick to their definitions, while we never quite fit ours. Truth is, people are as fluid as time is. We adapt to our situation like water in a strangely shaped jug, though it might take us a little while to ooze into all the little nooks. Because we adapt, we sometimes don’t recognize how twisted, uncomfortable, or downright wrong the container is that we’ve been told to inhabit.

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betweentheshelves's review

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adventurous funny 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

As someone who has not read the majority of Sanderson's works, I can safely say this isn't a bad place to jump in if you're not familiar with the world. Much like Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, this is referencing things from the Cosmere universe Sanderson has created, but you can get by without getting the references. It seemed to me maybe there were more connections in this one? But I'd have to read more to know for sure.

I loved the vibes of this book, a bit of Princess Bride set at sea. But the sea isn't what you think it is. Sanderson is truly creative with his worlds, and the world building is fascinating and so well done. Will it spur me to read more Sanderson in the future? Only time will tell.

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takarakei's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

3.5

I hate to be a downer, but this was just a bit too whimsical for my taste... I think I'm just not a cozy fantasy person. The humor was trying a bit too hard and made me cringe. I also wasn't into the fourth wall breaks. Then the narration from Hoid really irked me at parts. Sanderson says he wanted to write a book from Hoid's pov before writing more from that character, but I don't understand why he had to be the narrator for Tress' story. I think the story overall would've been more impactful from a nameless narrator, a more traditional third person pov.

Unfortunately me knowing going into this that Sanderson was inspired by The Princess Bride was a detriment for me, because it's one of my all time fav movies, so I couldn't help compare too closely. I recognize that's unfair and my own issue. He says he wrote it as "if Buttercup had gone searching for Westley" - I personally read it as if Tress was Westley when he goes away and becomes the Dread Pirate Robert.

I did grow to love the cast of characters on the ship. There was great deaf representation! The world building is really interesting and unique. This is my first Sanderson book, and I've been assured it's very different from his other books. I plan to start the Stormlight series this year and look forward to what I'm hoping is a more straightforward epic high fantasy series.

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viselik's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

I did love this book, even if I did find the start a bit hard to get through. I read this in one sitting and did manage quite to enjoy it!

I found most of the characters quite enjoyable, even the plot twists about a certain two characters.

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spootilious's review against another edition

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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? No

4.0

Read: September 12, 2023
Title: Tress of the Emerald Sea
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
Review:

The biggest take away for this review is that this novel was loads of fun with such a unique world and wonderful characters.

The details: I am no stranger to Brandon Sanderson. I adore his work! That being said Tress of the Emerald Sea, which having the feel of many of his other works, is something unto itself.

The novel is fun and whimsical, with characters that are so lovable it hurts and villains that are just as loath-able. The nods to other worlds and characters in the cosmere is ever present which could be a bit confusing to a casual Sanderson reader (rather than the dedicated ones) but not so much so that it takes too much away from the story.

Sanderson has always had a talent for writing women and there is no exception here.

The world building is stunning (as expected) and so unique (also as expected).

Now, despite all of this it is not a 5 star book in my opinion. The ‘twists’ of the novel are extremely predictable. Perhaps this might be because I have read too much of Sanderson’s works but regardless, I found more of the world building (particularly the spores and interactions with them) far more surprising and intriguing than the actual plot ‘twists’. Though, I find that I am very rarely surprised but plot twists now a day, so perhaps it is just me.

I will also say that one of the signatures of a Brandon Sanderson book is it’s explosive and captivating ending. It is something I have come to expect and is typically delivered, and while the ending of this novel is fast paced and entertaining I would not categorize it as explosive (at least not figuratively) nor captivating. That is not to say that it wasn’t good, far from it, the ending was practically perfect. It was simply not what I had come to expect from a Sanderson novel, it seemed to fall just a tad bit short of my expectations; the book as a whole however met them all head on.

I loved this novel and will be recommending it as a wonderful first step into the Cosmere!

Minor TW: Death, Self harm, Vomit, Confinement, Murder, Slavery, War, Violence, Suicide, Classism, Blood, Guns.

Quotes:

If you wish to become a storyteller, here is a hint: sell your labor, but not your mind.

One of the great tragedies of life is knowing how many people in the world are made to soar, paint, sing, or steer—except they never get the chance to find out.

If bravery is the wind that makes us soar like kites, fear is the string that keeps us from going too far.

More twisted than a librarian’s love life (trust me, they’re a strange bunch)

You can’t taste a memory without tainting it with who you have become.

Memories are fossils, the bones left by dead versions of ourselves.

Worry has weight, and is an infinitely renewable resource.

After spending ages walking around with everyone piling bricks in your arms, it can throw you off balance when someone removes a brick to carry for you.

If we let it, memory can make shadows of the now, as nothing can match the buttressed legends of our past.

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bergha1998's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad tense 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

4.0

It felt a bit different from Sanderson’s typical work, with Hoid being the narrator. I of course loved seeing this different, magical world through one of the most beloved character’s eyes. It made for deep discussions and no shortage of humor. The pace for me felt a bit off, otherwise I loved it.

Fantasy, Found Family, Romance subplot

“One of the great tragedies of life is knowing how many people in the world are made to soar, paint, sing, or steer—except they never get a chance to find out.”

“‘Doesn’t it seem like things were better when you were younger?’ Huck asked. ‘Did life make more sense then?’”

“‘I remember thinking I understood how my life would go.’”

“‘And because we couldn’t see the troubles,’ Huck agreed. ‘Maybe we didn’t want to see them. When you’re young, there’s always someone else to deal with the problem.’”

“What else would she have never known about herself, if she hadn’t left her home island? Worse, how many people like her lived in ignorance, lacking the experience to fully explore their own existence?”

“When one abandons certain fears and assumptions, the whole world opens up.”

“We make of our memories the gods which judge our current lives.”

“We must take care not to let the bliss of the present fade when compared to supposedly better days. We’re happy, sure, but were we more happy then? If we let it, memory can make shadows of the now, as nothing can match the buttressed legends of our past.”

“Those memories aren’t alive. You are.”

“She… didn’t need to do this all on her own. That shouldn’t have been such a revelation for her. But after spending ages walking around with everyone piling bricks in your arms, it can throw you off balance when some one removes a brick to carry for you.”

“She had gone not because she assumed she would succeed, but because something had to be done.”

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shaipanda's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely lovedddd this!!!
I’ve never read any of Brandon Sanderson’s other work but this was completely ridiculous and exactly the kind of thing I love :) I’d absolutely read a book from Hoid’s POV if he writes that at some point but in the meantime this is making me mildly tempted to finally delve into the rest of his work 👀

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twistykris's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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

5.0

5 stars is not enough. This will probably be in my Top 5 of the year. I love that Brandon Sanderson wrote this for his wife, after they wondered what would have happened in The Princess Bride if Buttercup had set out to find and save Westley herself.

A rat. Found family. Pirates. A dragon. A sorceress. Humor that made me laugh like an idiot. This book truly swept me up in the story and the characters.

This was my first Brandon Sanderson book and I'm so glad it was. It felt like a wonderful introduction to his other works, which I look forward to reading in the future.

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