A review by hdcamp
Elantris: Tenth Anniversary Author's Definitive Edition by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was absolutely captivating.

The plotting and world building in this was expert and engaging. There's a note at the end from Sanderson about what he really loves about Elantris: that it's a story about a good man thrown into a bad situation. And Raoden is definitely that - no "morally gray" nonsense here, he's just a good dude who continues to do good in the horrible place he ends up. His chapters were easily my favorite. I was completely taken in by the mystery of what happened to Elantris, his study of the Aons was intriguing (scratched the linguistics part of my brain in a fun way), and the stakes were really high. I was initially quite horrified by Elantris and the whole
not healing thing (the bit where the random guy gets his neck ripped open? A MOST unfortunate start my guy)
, but ultimately it was a really obstacle for the characters. I think it added to the virtue of Raoden too, that he was overcoming this constant, intense pain, and that he found a way to "heal" it in others as well.

Raoden and Sarene's little romance was sweet if not a bit awkward. I was so rooting for them though, and to have them
interacting with each other without knowing it
was pretty exquisite. I appreciated that Sarene was a strong FMC without being one of those obnoxious, "strong" FMC's I see so often in fiction. She was quick and clever, and she had a history of being quick and clever that was backed up by her actions on the page. I appreciated everything about her, pretty much.

Hrathen was probably my least favorite of the characters, but there was a great deal that I appreciated about him from a technical standpoint. He wasn't a clear-cut villain either, which I think added to his success as a character; he could very easily have been written as a gross religious stereotype, but instead Sanderson gave him depth. He grappled with his faith even while trying to do the work he believed he'd been called to, and as his storyline went on I really came to appreciate that. There did end up being a crazy zealot in the story, but even he was given a bit of humanity - he had his reasons for descending into madness.

I felt the ending was a little rushed. We'd been plodding along at a pretty even pace, gradually increasing if anything, when all of a sudden everything started happening in quick succession.
Roial's death was the biggest blow to me, I'd really come to like the guy.
It's been a while since I read it now (dagnabbit, depression, getting in the way of my review writing), but I remember
once they ended up in Teo,
it all kind of felt as though I was being hit over the head with one shocking revelation after another.
Hrathen's crush on Salene was my least favorite of all - it had been set up a bit, kind of, but I don't think it was set up enough. It just felt weird, which is too bad, because I could've seen it being a really interesting thing. I like me a good forbidden romance though, so take that opinion with a grain of salt.


If this review feels weird, it's because it was written two weeks after I finished the book and my brain is rotting 🙃 Overall I really enjoyed it, I can't say enough in praise of Sanderson's worldbuilding, and I can't wait to dive into more of his writing this year.
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