A review by jmlib
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-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

2.75

A pleasant story with decent, albeit rather surface-level, character development. Tress's progression into a full-blown adventurer was very enjoyable and I liked the reverse damsel-in-distress plot. Sanderson's world was immersive and unique, too.

The ending was a bit of a letdown because

the main conflict was ultimately resolved in a way that felt largely disjointed from the rest of the story, and took agency away from Tress, when what I found enjoyable about the book was her development and problem-solving. I understand that Tress exists in some wider universe of Sanderson and while I have not read any I suspect that the inclusion of Hoid and the ending was for this reason, though it served little other narrative purpose. In my opinion it broke the third wall in a bad way.

I found Sanderson's prose uninspiring at best and distracting at worst at times that he was trying to inject humor outside of the story itself and it seriously detracted from my reading experience. Still, overall a pleasant read for the story, imaginative world, and characters.