A review by merlucito
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

mysterious tense slow-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

This whole review contains spoilers

 I would've never imagined that a fantasy book about conscious zombies was going to be this relatable. I have chronic pain; every day, I wake up and my body hurts, all of it; sometimes the pain is so big that I can barely walk, sometimes is something in the back of my brain. So, reading about the Elantrians and their constant pain and how they started to manage it really resonated with me. And it means a lot.

That's probably I loved Raoden so much. He refuses to fall for the pain, he sets a goal for himself and the whole city and pursues it even when the hunger and the pain never leave.

The man had come looking for a magical solution to his woes, but he had found an answer much more simple. Pain lost its power when other things became more important. Kahan didn't need a potion or an Aon to save him—he just needed something to do.


That, right there, was perfect. For me, at least. Raoden gave them what they needed and they forgot the pain. And I've been in that situation: when I'm doing something that's important, I can forget about my pain; when I'm working, my body doesn't scream as much. But if I stay all day in bed, doing nothing, feeling sorry for myself, the pain gets worse, because all my mind does is think of it. And so I loved everything about Raoden and Elantris. And I see myself re-reading some of those parts in the future, when I feel down.

On the other side, I also loved the political stuff. Sarene was a great character to follow and I really liked her interactions with the other nobles. The religious aspects of the world were really, really interesting and it kept my attention at all moments.  Hrathren was a little tedious to read at times, but it ended up being a very interesting perspective. I love the discussion presented with his character and it was great to see the different sides of religion, and how men manipulate the belief systems to justify their atrocious actions. I think it's specially interesting coming from an author that's religious himself and as an atheist, I found it just... fascinating.

And, lastly, I just loved the magic system. But with Sanderson, I didn't expect less. I always love the magic in his books. In every chapter I went back and forth between the reading and the Arcs Arcanum to see which Aon was drawn and how that connected with what happened. I just loved it, I want to know more about the Dor.

I have the Arcanum Unbounded, so I'll just run to read The Hope of Elantris now, bye! 
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