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A review by nataliestorozhenko
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
4.0
“Every man is a hero of his own story.”
I went into this book with very different expectations regarding the tone of the narrative, but I was very gobsmacked by the storytelling. It turned out to be exactly what I needed, as it lifted my spirits during a difficult time and after all of the damage caused by Mistborn Era One. The plot, which revolves around politics and made-up religions, is full of comical miscommunications and witty banter, making it Sanderson's goofiest work yet. However, if this style of humor was overused, I would probably become tired of it.
I was less concerned with the plot and more interested in spending time with Siri and Susebron. The way the God King turned out to be was a beautiful twist, and I loved how they became close to each other. They are my favorite characters in this book, and I appreciated that they found family in each other, as Siri's family completely sucks!
My next favorite character is Lightsong. I loved his witty humor and honest perception of others. Even though he tried to be careless and irrelevant, he couldn't help but be a hero. His relationship with Llarimar was beautiful, especially when considering their shared history. He is such an amazing character and it was truly sad to accept that we will no longer see him. But beware, when interacting with Blushweaver, there are a lot of what can be considered sexist jokes: “My dear, did you just try to prove the existence of God through the use of your cleavage?”
The most important reason I wanted to read this novel was to learn more about Vasher and Nightblood. It was intriguing to find out where this weird sword of Szeth came from, and I was not disappointed. I wished we had more time with Vasher, but I understand that his story was rushed intentionally to leave room for potential sequels.
I couldn't care less about Vivenna, as her motives seemed too questionable for me, and she only tried to rescue her sister only after Vasher had been captured there. Being a sister myself, it was hard for me to understand her. And while she spent months making havoc in Hallandren with Denth, she rarely remembered that she actually came there for her. It seemed that nobody really cared for Siri. Her religious prejudices and prudishness were hard to swallow, but her eventual character development and bonding with Vasher were good. I loved Denth and Tonk Fah, and their mercenary jokes were hilarious. However, the plot twist involving them caught me off guard and made me feel as stupid and naive as Vivenna.
Although the magic system in this book sounds interesting and beautiful, it is not my favorite in the Cosmere, possibly because it is more vague than the others. Even if you only read "The Final Empire," you have a clear understanding of the basic principles of Allomancy, but in this book, I felt a little lost. Vasher's sudden scientific infodump for Vivenna did not help, and it made things awkward for me. Especially when he started talking about the Investiture and it would absolutely be out of context and confusing for those who did not read through the whole Cosmere.
Overall, I still enjoyed this story. I laughed a lot, and the sweet romance subplot was well-written and one of the most interesting elements for me. Sanderson cannot write a bad book, and although the magic system is not my favorite, it is still impressive and leaves you wondering how he comes up with such ideas.
P.S. And of course do not miss out on Hoid in here :)
I went into this book with very different expectations regarding the tone of the narrative, but I was very gobsmacked by the storytelling. It turned out to be exactly what I needed, as it lifted my spirits during a difficult time and after all of the damage caused by Mistborn Era One. The plot, which revolves around politics and made-up religions, is full of comical miscommunications and witty banter, making it Sanderson's goofiest work yet. However, if this style of humor was overused, I would probably become tired of it.
I was less concerned with the plot and more interested in spending time with Siri and Susebron. The way the God King turned out to be was a beautiful twist, and I loved how they became close to each other. They are my favorite characters in this book, and I appreciated that they found family in each other, as Siri's family completely sucks!
My next favorite character is Lightsong. I loved his witty humor and honest perception of others. Even though he tried to be careless and irrelevant, he couldn't help but be a hero. His relationship with Llarimar was beautiful, especially when considering their shared history. He is such an amazing character and it was truly sad to accept that we will no longer see him. But beware, when interacting with Blushweaver, there are a lot of what can be considered sexist jokes: “My dear, did you just try to prove the existence of God through the use of your cleavage?”
The most important reason I wanted to read this novel was to learn more about Vasher and Nightblood. It was intriguing to find out where this weird sword of Szeth came from, and I was not disappointed. I wished we had more time with Vasher, but I understand that his story was rushed intentionally to leave room for potential sequels.
I couldn't care less about Vivenna, as her motives seemed too questionable for me, and she only tried to rescue her sister only after Vasher had been captured there. Being a sister myself, it was hard for me to understand her. And while she spent months making havoc in Hallandren with Denth, she rarely remembered that she actually came there for her. It seemed that nobody really cared for Siri. Her religious prejudices and prudishness were hard to swallow, but her eventual character development and bonding with Vasher were good. I loved Denth and Tonk Fah, and their mercenary jokes were hilarious. However, the plot twist involving them caught me off guard and made me feel as stupid and naive as Vivenna.
Although the magic system in this book sounds interesting and beautiful, it is not my favorite in the Cosmere, possibly because it is more vague than the others. Even if you only read "The Final Empire," you have a clear understanding of the basic principles of Allomancy, but in this book, I felt a little lost. Vasher's sudden scientific infodump for Vivenna did not help, and it made things awkward for me. Especially when he started talking about the Investiture and it would absolutely be out of context and confusing for those who did not read through the whole Cosmere.
Overall, I still enjoyed this story. I laughed a lot, and the sweet romance subplot was well-written and one of the most interesting elements for me. Sanderson cannot write a bad book, and although the magic system is not my favorite, it is still impressive and leaves you wondering how he comes up with such ideas.
P.S. And of course do not miss out on Hoid in here :)