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A review by fantasyaddict
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
3.0
This was a reread for me. This is a good book with lots of mysteries that I enjoy reading, but there are some flaws as well.
We get to know Arelon and its capital Kae where Elantris is situated. Some 10+ years ago the magic of Elantris disappeared, leaving the country in shambles. Now Arelon and its neighbor Teod is threatened by Fjordell who has sent one of their greatest weapons to Arelon to convert its citizens to their religion. To counteract this, Princess Sarene of Teod and Prince Raoden of Arelon are getting married.
In regards to the plot, world building and magic system, I think Sanderson has done a great job. Its engaging, the world building with political tension and religious fanaticism is described in great detail. The plot is simple, sometimes maybe too easy to understand and other times to over explained, but engaging. There are some mysteries that needs to be solved and I enjoyed the execution of it.
The main issue I have are the characters. We get three POV's in this, Sarene, Raoden and Hrathen.
Sarene is described as an assertive and strong woman, which is why she's an unmarried spinster at 25 without any friends because she is also smarter than everyone else, which is apparently intimidating. We're told this throughout the book and it becomes rather repetitive and overused long before the end. She gets all the flaws while her counterpart, Raoden, is considered perfect.
Raoden's chapters I found interesting because he is the one that shows us Elantris. Through his POV we get to see the inside of this city, get to know the mysteries of the Reod and what happens to everyone that gets thrown into Elantris. Other than that, Raoden as a character is rather boring because he is perfect.
Hrathen is the final POV and as a character he is the most interesting. There is much conflict in him and he is trying to find out what he believes and what he is willing to sacrifice for his belief. I also like how he and Sarene goes up against each other and try to outdo the other.
Overall, it’s a good book, and I always enjoy a mystery.
We get to know Arelon and its capital Kae where Elantris is situated. Some 10+ years ago the magic of Elantris disappeared, leaving the country in shambles. Now Arelon and its neighbor Teod is threatened by Fjordell who has sent one of their greatest weapons to Arelon to convert its citizens to their religion. To counteract this, Princess Sarene of Teod and Prince Raoden of Arelon are getting married.
In regards to the plot, world building and magic system, I think Sanderson has done a great job. Its engaging, the world building with political tension and religious fanaticism is described in great detail. The plot is simple, sometimes maybe too easy to understand and other times to over explained, but engaging. There are some mysteries that needs to be solved and I enjoyed the execution of it.
The main issue I have are the characters. We get three POV's in this, Sarene, Raoden and Hrathen.
Sarene is described as an assertive and strong woman, which is why she's an unmarried spinster at 25 without any friends because she is also smarter than everyone else, which is apparently intimidating. We're told this throughout the book and it becomes rather repetitive and overused long before the end. She gets all the flaws while her counterpart, Raoden, is considered perfect.
Raoden's chapters I found interesting because he is the one that shows us Elantris. Through his POV we get to see the inside of this city, get to know the mysteries of the Reod and what happens to everyone that gets thrown into Elantris. Other than that, Raoden as a character is rather boring because he is perfect.
Hrathen is the final POV and as a character he is the most interesting. There is much conflict in him and he is trying to find out what he believes and what he is willing to sacrifice for his belief. I also like how he and Sarene goes up against each other and try to outdo the other.
Overall, it’s a good book, and I always enjoy a mystery.