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

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

You must understand that this is a tale about people who are both what they seem and not what they seem. Simultaneously. A story of contradictions. In other words, it is a story about human beings.

What an introduction to the literary world of Brandon Sanderson! This epic fantasy was just what I needed to start of 2024. We explore, through description and illustration, breathtaking landscapes within Sanderson's Cosmere as our heroine leaves behind everything she's ever known (yes, yes, a trope we all know well) to rescue the love of her life who has become something of a "dude in distress." Our teacup-loving, bargain-hunting, never-imposing Tress sails on two ships (and one rowboat) across three seas as she faces danger and despair at the hands of expected and unexpected foes. 

Why wouldn't I end up trapped on a ship
captained by a demon
sailing straight toward my own doom? 

I truly enjoyed this read from the main plot—a flip on the "man rescues his love from certain death" trope—and side quests—who knew we'd deep-dive into Lumar's artillery—to the stories of both Tress and the crew members she falls in with. For two-thirds of the book, the pacing and story had me struggling to put the book down (who needs sleep, eh?). I did feel the progression was a little rushed toward the end as I found myself regularly checking how many pages were left and incredulously wondering how we could get through the coming trials before the book ran out of text. 

Nothing motivates quite like a deadline. Particularly one that emphasizes the dead part.

I was thrilled that, of course, Sanderson did not run out of words or pages, and he addressed nearly all my questions (some likely answered only by reading more Cosmere novels!) in an ending that left me feeling satisfied if not a little sad to see our trek with Tress come to an end. This nearly 400-page epic reads more like a novella as you won't want to put it down until the lively chaos has reached its conclusion. I definitely recommend checking out (literally and figuratively) Tress and The Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson with illustrations by Howard Lyon.