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The Cosmere #28
孝褉械褋褋 蟹褨 小屑邪褉邪谐写芯胁芯谐芯 屑芯褉褟
欧宝娱乐 Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fantasy (2023)孝褉械褋褋 卸懈胁械 薪邪 芯褋褌褉芯胁褨 锌芯褋械褉械写 屑芯褉褟. 袙芯薪邪 屑邪褦 蟹胁懈褔泻褍 锌懈褌懈 褋芯谢芯薪懈泄 褔邪泄 褨蟹 谐芯褉薪褟褌芯泻, 褍 褌褉褨褖懈薪泻邪褏 褨 褖械褉斜懈薪泻邪褏 褟泻懈褏 褏芯胁邪褦褌褜褋褟 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟. 袗 褖械 孝褉械褋褋 谢褞斜懈褌褜 谢褞写械泄. 袉 蟹芯胁褋褨屑 薪械 蟹邪褋屑褍褔褍褦褌褜褋褟, 褟泻褖芯 胁芯薪懈 斜邪谐邪褌芯 谐芯胁芯褉褟褌褜 褨 褔邪褋芯屑 薪械蟹谢芯褋褌懈胁芯 斜褉械褕褍褌褜, 褟泻-芯褌 褩褩 写褉褍谐 效邪褉谢褨.
孝邪 芯写薪芯谐芯 写薪褟 效邪褉谢褨 蟹邪谢懈褕邪褦 芯褋褌褉褨胁, 斜芯 屑邪褦 芯卸械薪懈褌懈褋褟 薪邪 锌褉懈薪褑械褋褨. 袧械 蟹 胁谢邪褋薪芯褩 胁芯谢褨, 邪 蟹 锌芯谢褨褌懈褔薪懈褏 屑褨褉泻褍胁邪薪褜.
袩褉芯褌械 蟹谐芯写芯屑 胁懈褟胁谢褟褦褌褜褋褟, 褖芯 褋褌邪谢芯褋褟 谢懈褏芯. 校褋褨屑 斜邪泄写褍卸械, 褖芯 效邪褉谢褨 屑芯卸械 蟹邪谐懈薪褍褌懈. 校褋褨屑, 芯泻褉褨屑 孝褉械褋褋. 孝邪 褔懈 谐芯褌芯胁邪 写褨胁褔懈薪邪 芯斜谢懈褕懈褌懈 褋锌芯泻褨泄薪械 卸懈褌褌褟 泄 胁懈褉褍褕懈褌懈 胁 薪械斜械蟹锌械褔薪褍 屑芯褉褋褜泻褍 锌芯写芯褉芯卸, 写械 泻芯卸薪邪 泻褉邪锌谢褟 胁芯写懈 薪械褋械 褋屑械褉褌械谢褜薪褍 蟹邪谐褉芯蟹褍?
孝邪 芯写薪芯谐芯 写薪褟 效邪褉谢褨 蟹邪谢懈褕邪褦 芯褋褌褉褨胁, 斜芯 屑邪褦 芯卸械薪懈褌懈褋褟 薪邪 锌褉懈薪褑械褋褨. 袧械 蟹 胁谢邪褋薪芯褩 胁芯谢褨, 邪 蟹 锌芯谢褨褌懈褔薪懈褏 屑褨褉泻褍胁邪薪褜.
袩褉芯褌械 蟹谐芯写芯屑 胁懈褟胁谢褟褦褌褜褋褟, 褖芯 褋褌邪谢芯褋褟 谢懈褏芯. 校褋褨屑 斜邪泄写褍卸械, 褖芯 效邪褉谢褨 屑芯卸械 蟹邪谐懈薪褍褌懈. 校褋褨屑, 芯泻褉褨屑 孝褉械褋褋. 孝邪 褔懈 谐芯褌芯胁邪 写褨胁褔懈薪邪 芯斜谢懈褕懈褌懈 褋锌芯泻褨泄薪械 卸懈褌褌褟 泄 胁懈褉褍褕懈褌懈 胁 薪械斜械蟹锌械褔薪褍 屑芯褉褋褜泻褍 锌芯写芯褉芯卸, 写械 泻芯卸薪邪 泻褉邪锌谢褟 胁芯写懈 薪械褋械 褋屑械褉褌械谢褜薪褍 蟹邪谐褉芯蟹褍?
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 10, 2023
17.3k people are currently reading
363k people want to read
About the author
Brandon Sanderson
468听books264k听followersI鈥檓 Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.
Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, comes out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that will see the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard鈥檚 Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and Secret Project Four (with its official title reveal coming October 2023). These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.
November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. The third era of Mistborn is slated to be written after the first arc of the Stormlight Archive wraps up.
In November 2020 we saw the release of Rhythm of War鈥攖he fourth massive book in the New York Times #1 bestselling Stormlight Archive series that began with The Way of Kings鈥攁nd Dawnshard (book 3.5), a novella set in the same world that bridges the gaps between the main releases. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it鈥檚 the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. The fifth volume, Wind and Truth, is set for release in fall 2024.
Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, and various novellas available on Amazon, including The Emperor鈥檚 Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you鈥檝e read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.
I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, come out in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.
Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the Legion series, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. There鈥檚 a lot of material to go around!
Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart,The Emperor鈥檚 Soul, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you鈥檙e already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.
I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan鈥檚 notes.
Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com鈥攁nd check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.
Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, comes out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that will see the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard鈥檚 Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and Secret Project Four (with its official title reveal coming October 2023). These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.
November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. The third era of Mistborn is slated to be written after the first arc of the Stormlight Archive wraps up.
In November 2020 we saw the release of Rhythm of War鈥攖he fourth massive book in the New York Times #1 bestselling Stormlight Archive series that began with The Way of Kings鈥攁nd Dawnshard (book 3.5), a novella set in the same world that bridges the gaps between the main releases. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it鈥檚 the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. The fifth volume, Wind and Truth, is set for release in fall 2024.
Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, and various novellas available on Amazon, including The Emperor鈥檚 Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you鈥檝e read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.
I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, come out in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.
Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the Legion series, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. There鈥檚 a lot of material to go around!
Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart,The Emperor鈥檚 Soul, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you鈥檙e already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.
I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan鈥檚 notes.
Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com鈥攁nd check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33,552 reviews
May 4, 2023
4.5/5 stars
Tress of the Emerald Sea was simply whimsical and wonderful. Starting the year 2023 with the first secret novel from The Year of Sanderson is the correct action for me.
The time is here. The first of the four awaited secret project novels, Tress of the Emerald Sea, by Brandon Sanderson is here. If you're active in the fantasy community, or even if you're not, it is no longer news that Sanderson has shocked the world with the immense success of his four secret novels Kickstarter campaign. I mean, number one most pledged Kickstarter campaign of all time; it doesn鈥檛 get more successful than that. And it shouldn鈥檛 also come as a shock that I, as a longtime fan of his Cosmere novels, end up enjoying Tress of the Emerald Sea. I wanted to start my year with a great book, and choosing this book as the first novel of 2023 (as I said) was the right pick. Sanderson plus a full-length Cosmere novel is a formula that never ceases to impress me. What I did not expect, however, was just how visually beautiful Tress of the Emerald Sea would be. I am pleasantly surprised. I am glad the past Petrik decided to buy four premium hardcover editions of the secret novels, and I am eternally thankful to my co-blogger, TS, for covering the expense of the shipping fee. Without TS, I do not think I would cave into buying the premium hardcover editions, and I would regret it so much. I will go into more details on this later, but at $40 per secret novel (not counting the shipping fee) and for everything we get, this special edition can be considered, relatively, a bargain. This is on top of it being such a fun and cozy book to read.
All her life on an island named The Rock in the emerald-green ocean, Tress lived a simple life with the simple pleasures of collecting cups received from sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend, Charlie. But when Charlie鈥檚 father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must leave her simple life to stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Although I expected to love this book, I was initially worried after reading the first few chapters. Note the word ship in the official premise. Sailing and seafaring dominated the majority of Tress of the Emerald Sea. Personally, I tend to have mixed feelings about fantasy books with a heavy focus on seafaring unless they're The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb and The Tide Child trilogy by R.J. Barker. And there were indeed some sections here where I felt a bit of a lull because of this. However, my overall experience was fun. Most of the time, it was difficult for me to stay away from the book. Sanderson's prose and the relatively short length of the novel, plus its short chapters, made it easy for me to steal-read one or two chapters whenever I had some free time. This was a delightful book about human beings, contradictions, leadership, found family, stories, love, bravery, and empathy.
Before reading Tress of the Emerald Sea, I did not read any of the secret novel preview chapters. However, based on the known artists and the title or premise of the four novels, Tress of the Emerald ranked third out of four. I am interested in all four, but I am most excited about the third and fourth secret novels. Based on these, the first two secret novels felt like they would be the most tonally different from Sanderson's other Cosmere books. Having read all published Cosmere stories, including this one, I can convey that Tress of the Emerald Sea has proved it. Sanderson has mentioned that The Princess Bride is one of the main inspirations behind this book. Another good comparison for what kind of tone you're getting here is Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman. So it is time to admit something. I haven't read or watched The Princess Bride yet, but I have watched Good Omens. And I think Sanderson nailed the comparison he's going for. The storytelling is whimsical and light-hearted in tone but also imbued with clever philosophical nuggets and serious themes occasionally. I loved the novel for it. I don't think I would've liked it this much if it was just all fun and joy all the way through. Sanderson's comedy, especially when the narrative involves young adult characters, doesn't land well with me often. But his hard-hitting and thought-provoking passages? That's another story. Sanderson may not have flowery prose, but the words he put on the pages of his novel frequently hit and became passages I think about daily. A few examples from this book are:
And also these two long passages about memories.
Although possible, it wouldn't feel organic to have these kinds of passages appearing throughout the book if the novel is told through the first-person or third-person perspective of Tress. These were effective because the entire story in Tress of the Emerald Sea is narrated through Hoid's perspective. Hoid is an integral character in Sanderson's Cosmere universe. And we, Cosmere fans, are all waiting for Hoid's origin story. Sanderson mentioned he wanted to practice and be more fluent at writing Hoid's perspective before that backstory novel happened, and this is the book where it came to fruition. This won't, however, be how the story is told eventually in Hoid's backstory novel. It will definitely be less whimsical. But to give you an idea of the kind of voice Sanderson is giving Hoid in this book, if you've read The Stormlight Archive series, this is more in tune with the unforgettable "Wandersail" and "The Dog and the Dragon" stories Hoid told in the series. A full-length version of that kind of in-world story. I absolutely loved "Wandersail" and "The Dog and the Dragon," and obviously, I ended up loving Tress of the Emerald Sea as well.
So yes, we get to learn more about Hoid and the Cosmere (more on this in the next paragraph) inside this book. But at the end of the day, even though this is told through Hoid's perspective, Tress of the Emerald Sea is still a standalone story about Tress and her adventures. I mentioned The Stormlight Archive earlier, and I am no stranger to voicing how much I love the Bridge Four group in the series. The found family trope is one of the many things Sanderson executed extremely well in The Stormlight Archive and the first Mistborn trilogy. And he managed to craft another cherishable found family in this book. Tress, Huck, Fort, Salay, and all the characters are well-written and likable characters. The Deaf character representation was written with the help of a special sensitivity reader to do it justice, too. And hey, for the first time in the Cosmere, we finally get to see a real dragon. As Tress and the crew of the ship she's in face danger constantly, the bonds between them grow deeper and deeper. My investment in them, too. And upon reaching the last page, I can't help but hope we will get more stories or appearances from these characters eventually. Knowing how connected with each other the Cosmere is now, I'm confident we will.
Speaking of Cosmere connections, and because people will ask me this question, should you read other Cosmere books first? Tress of the Emerald Sea is a standalone story in the world of Lumar. This marks the first time we get a book taking place in this world in the Cosmere. Like always, it is not necessary to read the other Cosmere books first to enjoy the main story here. But will you benefit from reading them? Yes, you will. I talk about this already in my review of The Lost Metal. But moving forward, Sanderson's future publications in the Cosmere universe, especially the ones taking place after book 5 of The Stormlight Archive, will most likely have heavy Cosmere crossovers. If you intend to read all of Sanderson's Cosmere books, it is a good idea to start catching up reading them if you want to reap all the connections. As for this book, reading the entirety of The Mistborn Saga so far will be beneficial. Additionally, there were a few small nods to the magic or technology portrayed in Warbreaker, Elantris, and The Stormlight Archive. I will leave it to you to decide whether you want to read them first or not. There is no spoiler for these three series. Also, although not the primary planet of the magic and there is no main novel for it yet, aethers and its explosive potential are explored here.
One more thing before I end this review. I will update this once I have the physical copy, but right now, even the ebook of the premium edition alone is exquisitely made. Unless the paper quality of the physical copy sucks, which is so doubtful, I can vouch that the $40 I spent on getting this book is well spent. Maybe too well spent. It is almost ridiculous. You won鈥檛 get a premium/special edition like this with only $40 anywhere else. If Subterranean Press or Grim Oak Press publishes a book like this, I guarantee it will cost at least $200 (not counting the shipping fee and customs fee yet). The stunning design and the more than ten interior artworks (four fully colored art and the rest in green-toned black and white) by Howard Lyon enhanced the quality of the aesthetic and the tale. They are magnificent. And I am brimming with excitement waiting for the physical copy to arrive at my place. And if the first secret novel already reaches this level of production value, I want to read and find out what the other three will look like. Rest assured, in this review, I leave out some surprises in the clever design and artwork inside this book for you to find out for yourself.
Whether aesthetically or narrative-wise, Tress of the Emerald Sea provided a whimsical and wonderful reading experience. It is a refreshing addition to the Cosmere universe. And it is essentially (at least, it read like one) a Cosmere version of an adult fairy tale. With the success of the secret projects, some readers might think Sanderson favors quantity instead of quality in his books recently. It is up to you to think that way, but I can't voice the same sentiment. Personally speaking, Tress of the Emerald Sea doesn't show any drop in storytelling quality. Every book in the Cosmere, including this that he wrote in secret, works amazingly well for me. Similarly to the first Mistborn trilogy, even though this is undoubtedly a different kind of book, I think Tress of the Emerald Sea is a standalone story that can be enjoyed by both YA or adult fantasy readers. Making this even more appealing to a bigger audience. This is a superb first book of 2023 for me, and I hope this signals the positive trajectory of my reading year. I look forward to receiving the physical copy and reading the next secret novel.
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Tress of the Emerald Sea was simply whimsical and wonderful. Starting the year 2023 with the first secret novel from The Year of Sanderson is the correct action for me.
鈥淓ven small actions have consequences. And while we can often choose our actions, we rarely get to choose our consequences.鈥�
The time is here. The first of the four awaited secret project novels, Tress of the Emerald Sea, by Brandon Sanderson is here. If you're active in the fantasy community, or even if you're not, it is no longer news that Sanderson has shocked the world with the immense success of his four secret novels Kickstarter campaign. I mean, number one most pledged Kickstarter campaign of all time; it doesn鈥檛 get more successful than that. And it shouldn鈥檛 also come as a shock that I, as a longtime fan of his Cosmere novels, end up enjoying Tress of the Emerald Sea. I wanted to start my year with a great book, and choosing this book as the first novel of 2023 (as I said) was the right pick. Sanderson plus a full-length Cosmere novel is a formula that never ceases to impress me. What I did not expect, however, was just how visually beautiful Tress of the Emerald Sea would be. I am pleasantly surprised. I am glad the past Petrik decided to buy four premium hardcover editions of the secret novels, and I am eternally thankful to my co-blogger, TS, for covering the expense of the shipping fee. Without TS, I do not think I would cave into buying the premium hardcover editions, and I would regret it so much. I will go into more details on this later, but at $40 per secret novel (not counting the shipping fee) and for everything we get, this special edition can be considered, relatively, a bargain. This is on top of it being such a fun and cozy book to read.
鈥淟eaving didn鈥檛 feel exciting. It felt heavy. Every child looked forward to the day when they could choose a different path from the one their parents were on. Tress sincerely hoped she hadn鈥檛 decided on one that led straight off a cliff.鈥�
All her life on an island named The Rock in the emerald-green ocean, Tress lived a simple life with the simple pleasures of collecting cups received from sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend, Charlie. But when Charlie鈥檚 father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must leave her simple life to stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Although I expected to love this book, I was initially worried after reading the first few chapters. Note the word ship in the official premise. Sailing and seafaring dominated the majority of Tress of the Emerald Sea. Personally, I tend to have mixed feelings about fantasy books with a heavy focus on seafaring unless they're The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb and The Tide Child trilogy by R.J. Barker. And there were indeed some sections here where I felt a bit of a lull because of this. However, my overall experience was fun. Most of the time, it was difficult for me to stay away from the book. Sanderson's prose and the relatively short length of the novel, plus its short chapters, made it easy for me to steal-read one or two chapters whenever I had some free time. This was a delightful book about human beings, contradictions, leadership, found family, stories, love, bravery, and empathy.
鈥淚t might seem that the person who can feel for others is doomed in life. Isn鈥檛 one person鈥檚 pain enough? Why must a person like Tress feel for two, or more? Yet I鈥檝e found that the people who are the happiest are the ones who learn best how to feel. It takes practice, you know. Effort. And those who (late in life) have been feeling for two, three, or a thousand different people鈥� well, turns out they鈥檝e had a leg up on everyone else all along. Empathy is an emotional loss leader. It pays for itself eventually.鈥�
Before reading Tress of the Emerald Sea, I did not read any of the secret novel preview chapters. However, based on the known artists and the title or premise of the four novels, Tress of the Emerald ranked third out of four. I am interested in all four, but I am most excited about the third and fourth secret novels. Based on these, the first two secret novels felt like they would be the most tonally different from Sanderson's other Cosmere books. Having read all published Cosmere stories, including this one, I can convey that Tress of the Emerald Sea has proved it. Sanderson has mentioned that The Princess Bride is one of the main inspirations behind this book. Another good comparison for what kind of tone you're getting here is Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman. So it is time to admit something. I haven't read or watched The Princess Bride yet, but I have watched Good Omens. And I think Sanderson nailed the comparison he's going for. The storytelling is whimsical and light-hearted in tone but also imbued with clever philosophical nuggets and serious themes occasionally. I loved the novel for it. I don't think I would've liked it this much if it was just all fun and joy all the way through. Sanderson's comedy, especially when the narrative involves young adult characters, doesn't land well with me often. But his hard-hitting and thought-provoking passages? That's another story. Sanderson may not have flowery prose, but the words he put on the pages of his novel frequently hit and became passages I think about daily. A few examples from this book are:
鈥淲hile a healthy measure of foolhardiness drove our ancestors toward discovery, fear kept them alive. If bravery is the wind that makes us soar like kites, fear is the string that keeps us from going too far. We need it, but the thing is, our heritage taught us to fear some of the wrong things.鈥�
And also these two long passages about memories.
鈥淏eyond that, memories have a way of changing on us. Souring or sweetening over time鈥� like a brew we drink, then recreate later by taste, only getting the ingredients mostly right. You can鈥檛 taste a memory without tainting it with who you have become. That inspires me. We each make our own lore, our own legends, every day. Our memories are our ballads, and if we tweak them a little with every performance鈥� well, that鈥檚 all in the name of good drama.鈥�
鈥淢emory is often our only connection to who we used to be. Memories are fossils, the bones left by dead versions of ourselves. More potently, our minds are a hungry audience, craving only the peaks and valleys of experience. The bland erodes, leaving behind the distinctive bits to be remembered again and again. Painful or passionate, surreal or sublime, we cherish those little rocks of peak experience, polishing them with the ever-smoothing touch of recycled proxy living. In so doing鈥� like pagans praying to a sculpted mud figure鈥� we make of our memories the gods which judge our current lives. I love this. Memory may not be the heart of what makes us human, but it鈥檚 at least a vital organ. Nevertheless, we must take care not to let the bliss of the present fade when compared to supposedly better days. We鈥檙e happy, sure, but were we more happy then? If we let it, memory can make shadows of the now, as nothing can match the buttressed legends of our past鈥� Do not let memory chase you. Take the advice of one who has dissected the beast, then rebuilt it with a more fearsome face鈥� which I then used to charm a few extra coins out of an inebriated audience. Enjoy memories, yes, but don鈥檛 be a slave to who you wish you once had been. Those memories aren鈥檛 alive. You are.鈥�
Although possible, it wouldn't feel organic to have these kinds of passages appearing throughout the book if the novel is told through the first-person or third-person perspective of Tress. These were effective because the entire story in Tress of the Emerald Sea is narrated through Hoid's perspective. Hoid is an integral character in Sanderson's Cosmere universe. And we, Cosmere fans, are all waiting for Hoid's origin story. Sanderson mentioned he wanted to practice and be more fluent at writing Hoid's perspective before that backstory novel happened, and this is the book where it came to fruition. This won't, however, be how the story is told eventually in Hoid's backstory novel. It will definitely be less whimsical. But to give you an idea of the kind of voice Sanderson is giving Hoid in this book, if you've read The Stormlight Archive series, this is more in tune with the unforgettable "Wandersail" and "The Dog and the Dragon" stories Hoid told in the series. A full-length version of that kind of in-world story. I absolutely loved "Wandersail" and "The Dog and the Dragon," and obviously, I ended up loving Tress of the Emerald Sea as well.
鈥淲orldbringers like myself spend decades combing through folk tales, legends, myths, histories, and drunken bar songs looking for the most unique stories. We hunt for bravery, cleverness, heroism. And we find no shortage of such virtues. Legends are silly with them. But the person who is willing to reconsider their assumptions? The hero who can sit down and reevaluate their life? Well, now that is a gemstone that truly glitters, friend.鈥�
So yes, we get to learn more about Hoid and the Cosmere (more on this in the next paragraph) inside this book. But at the end of the day, even though this is told through Hoid's perspective, Tress of the Emerald Sea is still a standalone story about Tress and her adventures. I mentioned The Stormlight Archive earlier, and I am no stranger to voicing how much I love the Bridge Four group in the series. The found family trope is one of the many things Sanderson executed extremely well in The Stormlight Archive and the first Mistborn trilogy. And he managed to craft another cherishable found family in this book. Tress, Huck, Fort, Salay, and all the characters are well-written and likable characters. The Deaf character representation was written with the help of a special sensitivity reader to do it justice, too. And hey, for the first time in the Cosmere, we finally get to see a real dragon. As Tress and the crew of the ship she's in face danger constantly, the bonds between them grow deeper and deeper. My investment in them, too. And upon reaching the last page, I can't help but hope we will get more stories or appearances from these characters eventually. Knowing how connected with each other the Cosmere is now, I'm confident we will.
鈥淪he鈥� didn鈥檛 need to do this all on her own. That shouldn鈥檛 have been such a revelation for her. But after spending ages walking around with everyone piling bricks in your arms, it can throw you off balance when someone removes a brick to carry for you.鈥�
Speaking of Cosmere connections, and because people will ask me this question, should you read other Cosmere books first? Tress of the Emerald Sea is a standalone story in the world of Lumar. This marks the first time we get a book taking place in this world in the Cosmere. Like always, it is not necessary to read the other Cosmere books first to enjoy the main story here. But will you benefit from reading them? Yes, you will. I talk about this already in my review of The Lost Metal. But moving forward, Sanderson's future publications in the Cosmere universe, especially the ones taking place after book 5 of The Stormlight Archive, will most likely have heavy Cosmere crossovers. If you intend to read all of Sanderson's Cosmere books, it is a good idea to start catching up reading them if you want to reap all the connections. As for this book, reading the entirety of The Mistborn Saga so far will be beneficial. Additionally, there were a few small nods to the magic or technology portrayed in Warbreaker, Elantris, and The Stormlight Archive. I will leave it to you to decide whether you want to read them first or not. There is no spoiler for these three series. Also, although not the primary planet of the magic and there is no main novel for it yet, aethers and its explosive potential are explored here.
鈥淣ow, most people would agree that humans are not telepathic. We can鈥檛 directly send our thoughts or emotions into the minds of others. Nevertheless, you can hear my story and imagine the things I describe鈥攖he same as I picture them in my own mind. What is that, if not a form of telepathy?鈥�
One more thing before I end this review. I will update this once I have the physical copy, but right now, even the ebook of the premium edition alone is exquisitely made. Unless the paper quality of the physical copy sucks, which is so doubtful, I can vouch that the $40 I spent on getting this book is well spent. Maybe too well spent. It is almost ridiculous. You won鈥檛 get a premium/special edition like this with only $40 anywhere else. If Subterranean Press or Grim Oak Press publishes a book like this, I guarantee it will cost at least $200 (not counting the shipping fee and customs fee yet). The stunning design and the more than ten interior artworks (four fully colored art and the rest in green-toned black and white) by Howard Lyon enhanced the quality of the aesthetic and the tale. They are magnificent. And I am brimming with excitement waiting for the physical copy to arrive at my place. And if the first secret novel already reaches this level of production value, I want to read and find out what the other three will look like. Rest assured, in this review, I leave out some surprises in the clever design and artwork inside this book for you to find out for yourself.
鈥淥ne of the great tragedies of life is knowing how many people in the world are made to soar, paint, sing, or steer鈥� except they never get the chance to find out.鈥�
Whether aesthetically or narrative-wise, Tress of the Emerald Sea provided a whimsical and wonderful reading experience. It is a refreshing addition to the Cosmere universe. And it is essentially (at least, it read like one) a Cosmere version of an adult fairy tale. With the success of the secret projects, some readers might think Sanderson favors quantity instead of quality in his books recently. It is up to you to think that way, but I can't voice the same sentiment. Personally speaking, Tress of the Emerald Sea doesn't show any drop in storytelling quality. Every book in the Cosmere, including this that he wrote in secret, works amazingly well for me. Similarly to the first Mistborn trilogy, even though this is undoubtedly a different kind of book, I think Tress of the Emerald Sea is a standalone story that can be enjoyed by both YA or adult fantasy readers. Making this even more appealing to a bigger audience. This is a superb first book of 2023 for me, and I hope this signals the positive trajectory of my reading year. I look forward to receiving the physical copy and reading the next secret novel.
鈥淭he first is that heroes can be trained. Not by a government or a military, but by the people themselves. Heroes are the ones who have thought about what they鈥檙e going to do, and who have trained to do it. Heroism is often the seemingly spontaneous result of a lifetime of preparation鈥� In the frenzied anarchy of destruction, loyalty to causes and kingdoms alike tends to fall to the chaos. But the bond between people, well, that鈥檚 stronger than steel. If you want to create heroes, don鈥檛 give them something to fight for. Give them someone to fight for.鈥�
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Currently reading
January 1, 2023the speed at which I threw $200 at this man for books we do not even have titles for lmao
September 5, 2023
I was really hoping to love this but... it was okay.
April 3, 2025
鈥淥ur words, like our hearts, are weapons still hot from the forging, beating themselves into new shapes each time we swing them.鈥�
The first of brandon sanderson鈥檚 secret cosmere projects was everything for me. This story is truly unlike any other that brandon has created before, for so many reasons, but mostly because it reads like a fairytale! This is inspired by The Princess Bride, which I actually have never read before, but it didn't hinder my reading experience whatsoever! And just seeing some long time favorites from the cosmere world, and some cameos and name drops that I was not prepared for, felt like coming home - even if this setting is one that I would have never anticipated! But鈥� dare I say, because I know this is a keyword everyone is looking for these days鈥� this was cozy fantasy perfection!
You do not need to read any other book in the cosmere to read this story, but you will miss out on so many easter eggs throughout and i am not sure if not having that appreciation will hinder your reading experience - so here is a little warning, in case!
To put this very briefly, this is a story about a girl who leaves the only home she has ever known to brave a very strange ocean, in a very different cosmere world, with a very sweet pirate crew (for the most part), for love. Because at the end of all my favorite types of stories, it鈥檚 always for love and it鈥檚 always worth it.
But I so quickly fell in love with Tress and her teacups and her story. Also, if you鈥檝e been following my reviews for a while, you will know how much I adore a questing storyline and this book delivered that and more so! I also feel like every cosmere series has such a perfect and different found family, yet you always feel like you are a part of that family as well, and it鈥檚 so beautiful each time, but this one was extra close to my heart.
I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on the second secret project, because the bar has just been set so very high for me. (plus howard lyon is one of my favorite magic the gathering artist so it was extra perfect for me!) I also have a very soft spot for the character who narrates this story鈥� and to keep being secretive鈥� I loved the whimsy of this story extra, too! muhahahahah!
I predict this will probably make my best of 2023 list, because my heart overflows more and more each time i think about this story. It just felt so warm and cozy and was filled with so much light and hope - and that鈥檚 exactly what I want to be reading in my life right now.
trigger + content warnings: mentions of war, poison/drugging, vomit, captivity, murder, talk of cancer/tumors very briefly, brief weight loss comment, mention of slavery, and鈥� lots of mentions of spores (i only say this because i think a lot of people are watching last of us right now and it might make you think about things lol)
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The Frugal Wizard鈥檚 Handbook for Surviving Medieval England 鈽呪槄
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽�
The Sunlit Man 鈽呪槄鈽呪槄
January 5, 2023
Going into this book, I was quite confident that it wasn't going to be for me. In general, I haven't really like the Brandon Sanderson one-off books in the past, and knowing that this book is more YA (a category I don't normally enjoy), this had "DNF" written all over it.
And while reading the first 20% of this book my predictions were correct, I didn't like the characters, didn't love the setting, and thought the writing style was trying to be far too humorous, which I don't think Brandon Sanderson excels at.
To my incredible surprise, the plot quickly picks up the pace and turns into an incredibly fun adventure full of amazing characters with great personal growth, an enchanting world, an inventive and fun magic system, great plot twists that I truly didn't see coming (but should have - the hallmark of a great twist), and a wonderful ending.
By the end of this book I was full of smiles while reading, and was regretting getting to the end of this book. I can't wait for my kids to get older so I can read them to them and see the wonder in their eyes as they experience this fantastic adventure story.
Read
January 4, 2023DNF @ 35%
Don鈥檛 give me that look, I鈥檓 as shocked as you!
I was always told that if I had nothing Positive to say, then I鈥檇 best say nothing at all鈥�
But I hate being told what to do so let鈥檚 get Negative!
Ha! Jks (kind of), I鈥檓 not looking to rain on anyone鈥檚 parade and I鈥檓 willing to shoulder a percentage of the blame for this DNF (only my 3rd ever, I believe) as I had no right picking this up. Modern Fantasy hasn鈥檛 been 鈥渢rending鈥� on my tbr for over a year now but, nevertheless, I couldn鈥檛 resist buying into Sando鈥檚 Secret Projects and when I saw this in my email, I fell into my friend Nataliya鈥檚 reading philosophy and thought, 鈥淥oh, shiny!鈥�.
Plot: Teenage Girl loves boy鈥攂oy gets kidnapped by Sorceress鈥攇irl decides to cross treacherous ocean composed of deadly spores in order to save boy鈥攁larmingly negligent parents not only approve but assist in girl鈥檚 efforts to stow away on a ship full of men of unknown repute in order to achieve said goal鈥� You know how it is.
I said I鈥檇 shoulder a percentage, but not all of the blame for this DNF. It really boils down to one reason I just COULD NOT continue with this. Well, two but they really fall into the same category: dialogue and inner monologue. They are written so incredibly poorly I could hardly believe what I was reading. Through the narrator鈥檚 (Hoid鈥檚) voice, Sanderson has gone with a kind of 鈥渏ovial-look-how-(wit)ty-I-am-let鈥檚-make-an-observational-joke-about-absolutely-everything鈥� tone and it鈥檚 so SO CRINGE! I was rolling my eyes so much while reading this that it turned into a sort of motor tic and started affecting my personal life!
鈥漌hy are they always fair maidens?鈥� she said. 鈥淎re there maidens that are unfair? Perhaps they mean 鈥榝are鈥�, as in food. I could be that kind of maiden. I鈥檓 good with food.鈥�
Sando thought this one was so clever, he used it twice in the space of 7 pages:
"It might be said [Charlie] had a way with words. In that his words often got away."
"It might be said that Tress had a way with words. In that her words tended to get in her way."
It just goes ON and ON, my friend:
鈥滻t wasn鈥檛 quite like water; it was too thick, and the tips of the waves broke apart into puffs of green spores. In fact, the sea was wrong in the way that solely something almost right can be. Familiar, yet alien. As if it were liquid鈥檚 disrespectful cousin who told inappropriate jokes at Grandma鈥檚 funeral鈥�.
W..what are you even talking about?! Put your hand up if you think that makes ANY sense!
In the introduction, Sando says they hired a 鈥渟ensitivity reader鈥� for the project. I鈥檓 walking away from reading this with a perpetual eye roll and a newfound propensity for telling shit jokes! Who鈥檚 looking out for my comedic sensitivities?! 鈥楾eam Dragonsteel鈥� had 53 employees as of 2022 (likely more now), I don鈥檛 think it would blow the budget to hire one more for comedic quality control.
Shit, I didn鈥檛 say anything positive did I?... Umm, there's probably an epic Sandalanche?! 馃槄
Don鈥檛 give me that look, I鈥檓 as shocked as you!
I was always told that if I had nothing Positive to say, then I鈥檇 best say nothing at all鈥�
But I hate being told what to do so let鈥檚 get Negative!
Ha! Jks (kind of), I鈥檓 not looking to rain on anyone鈥檚 parade and I鈥檓 willing to shoulder a percentage of the blame for this DNF (only my 3rd ever, I believe) as I had no right picking this up. Modern Fantasy hasn鈥檛 been 鈥渢rending鈥� on my tbr for over a year now but, nevertheless, I couldn鈥檛 resist buying into Sando鈥檚 Secret Projects and when I saw this in my email, I fell into my friend Nataliya鈥檚 reading philosophy and thought, 鈥淥oh, shiny!鈥�.
Plot: Teenage Girl loves boy鈥攂oy gets kidnapped by Sorceress鈥攇irl decides to cross treacherous ocean composed of deadly spores in order to save boy鈥攁larmingly negligent parents not only approve but assist in girl鈥檚 efforts to stow away on a ship full of men of unknown repute in order to achieve said goal鈥� You know how it is.
I said I鈥檇 shoulder a percentage, but not all of the blame for this DNF. It really boils down to one reason I just COULD NOT continue with this. Well, two but they really fall into the same category: dialogue and inner monologue. They are written so incredibly poorly I could hardly believe what I was reading. Through the narrator鈥檚 (Hoid鈥檚) voice, Sanderson has gone with a kind of 鈥渏ovial-look-how-(wit)ty-I-am-let鈥檚-make-an-observational-joke-about-absolutely-everything鈥� tone and it鈥檚 so SO CRINGE! I was rolling my eyes so much while reading this that it turned into a sort of motor tic and started affecting my personal life!
鈥漌hy are they always fair maidens?鈥� she said. 鈥淎re there maidens that are unfair? Perhaps they mean 鈥榝are鈥�, as in food. I could be that kind of maiden. I鈥檓 good with food.鈥�
Sando thought this one was so clever, he used it twice in the space of 7 pages:
"It might be said [Charlie] had a way with words. In that his words often got away."
"It might be said that Tress had a way with words. In that her words tended to get in her way."
It just goes ON and ON, my friend:
鈥滻t wasn鈥檛 quite like water; it was too thick, and the tips of the waves broke apart into puffs of green spores. In fact, the sea was wrong in the way that solely something almost right can be. Familiar, yet alien. As if it were liquid鈥檚 disrespectful cousin who told inappropriate jokes at Grandma鈥檚 funeral鈥�.
W..what are you even talking about?! Put your hand up if you think that makes ANY sense!
In the introduction, Sando says they hired a 鈥渟ensitivity reader鈥� for the project. I鈥檓 walking away from reading this with a perpetual eye roll and a newfound propensity for telling shit jokes! Who鈥檚 looking out for my comedic sensitivities?! 鈥楾eam Dragonsteel鈥� had 53 employees as of 2022 (likely more now), I don鈥檛 think it would blow the budget to hire one more for comedic quality control.
Shit, I didn鈥檛 say anything positive did I?... Umm, there's probably an epic Sandalanche?! 馃槄
November 23, 2023
A light-hearted, whimsical and refreshing take on the fairy tale genre- that for me evoked all the spirit and nostalgia of "The Princess Bride"(a film that I adore).
Final Rating: 4.5/5 馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寳
"Simply delightful!" That's a good starting point. They perfectly encapsulate my experience with this book. It's an even better phrase for me to be left with, because I initially approached this read with a large sense of trepidation. You should know that I'm not typically a fan of stand-alone fantasy novels. Also young adult fiction is more likely to sink my boat rather than float it. Furthermore, reading this book later in the year, I was aware that this book saw Brandon Sanderson venturing into his "comedy zone". Normally, as a huge fan of comedic fantasy and science fiction books in general (a.k.a Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Nicholas Eames), this would be excellent news. However, with all due respect to Brando Sando, his attempts at comedy in the past have left me cringing rather than laughing. So imagine my surprise when all of my trepidations turned out to be unfounded. What an excellent book this was. Indeed, I can't do better than where I started. Simply delightful.
Plot Summary
"Tress of the Emerald Sea" is set in a magical realm that blends elements of both traditional and contemporary fairy tales. It centers on Tress, a seemingly ordinary girl whose life on an island surrounded by a vast, emerald-green sea is filled with simple pleasures like family, stories, and her beloved cup collection. Her peaceful existence takes a turn when she falls for Charlie, the duke's son. Displeased with their growing bond, the duke takes measures that result in Charlie being captured by the mysterious sorceress of the Midnight Sea. Determined to rescue him, Tress embarks on a daring voyage across the Emerald Sea. This marks the beginning of her true adventure, one filled with challenges and discoveries that transform her journey into an extraordinary tale of courage and resilience.
World Building: 5/5
Brandon Sanderson's novels always seem to nail world-building, right? It's almost a given to slap a 5/5 on this section. I'm constantly amazed at how he keeps pulling out these awesome and unique fantasy worlds. It's seriously impressive. You'd think he'd run out of cool ideas, but nope, here he is again, surprising us. This time, he's got oceans made of different spores instead of water, which I imagined as things that sit somewhere between a marble and a grain of sand. When air is bubbled through them from vents underneath, they act like water. Anyway, each type of spore is not only coloured differently (emerald is the first one we come across), it also does its own thing when it hits water, giving Sanderson loads of neat hooks to hang his story on.
Running into some negative effects of the emerald spores
As someone who's mostly into fantasy, stumbling upon this kind of fresh world-building is a real treat. A big chunk of the story has Tress and her crew sailing these spore seas, figuring out smart ways to face whatever each new spore throws at them. I just love how the plot grows right out of the world he's created. It's like Sanderson comes up with a cool concept and then runs wild thinking up all the challenges and fun stuff he can do with it.
Story Telling: 4.5/5
In the plot department, the novel kicks off as a love story but swiftly morphs into an adventure tale. It's a classic hero's journey, but with a twist 鈥� instead of a farm boy, we have a window-washing girl stepping out of her comfort zone. As she sets off, she forms bonds with a diverse crew on her ship, each member grappling with their own personal battles. I won't dive too deep into the storyline, but let's just say there are some brilliant plot twists that caught me off guard, yet in hindsight, they're the kind of twists you realize you should've seen coming 鈥� the best kind, really.
鈥淥ne of the great tragedies of life is knowing how many people in the world are made to soar, paint, sing, or steer鈥攅xcept they never get the chance to find out.鈥�
And, of course, it wouldn't be a Sanderson book without a solid ending. He really knows how to wrap things up satisfyingly. For the Cosmere fans, there are plenty of easter eggs scattered throughout 鈥� nothing too alienating for newcomers, but definitely delightful nuggets for the initiated.
My only complaint when it comes to the plot is that in some places it feels a little too fairy tale like - think happily ever after. Which of course is exactly the slant that Sanderson is going for, but isn't 100% my cup of tea.
Characters: 5/5
The characterization in "Tress of the Emerald Sea" is a standout feature, with each character vividly portrayed and undergoing their own unique challenges. The story intricately weaves Tress's journey with a colorful and diverse cast. This includes a cursed Hoid, an intriguing character from the wider Cosmere; Huck, a talking rat; Fort, a merchant trader turned cook; Salay, an unintuitive helmswoman; and a humorous ensemble of characters collectively named Doug for simplicity. This exceptional group is not only well-crafted and likable but also pivotal to the novel's engaging narrative. In an exciting first for the Cosmere, we even get to meet a real dragon.
One of the most compelling aspects of the book is the development of Tress herself. As the story progresses, we witness a remarkable evolution in her character. The Tress at the end of the novel is markedly different from the one we meet at the beginning, showcasing a dynamic and thoughtful character arc. However, there's a bittersweet element to this, as the novel stands alone, meaning we won't see these characters evolve further in subsequent volumes. This fact has made their stories, confined to this single book, all the more precious and memorable, leaving a lasting impression on me.
鈥淒o you know how many grand romances would have avoided tragedy if the hero had thought, "You know, maybe I should ask her if she likes me first"?鈥�
Writing Style: 3.5/5
The voice that Sanderson chose to write this book in is, I suspect, where it might lose some people. The story isn't told from Tress鈥檚 point of view, but rather through Hoid - a cabin boy/wizard who is a character from elsewhere in the Cosmere. Sanderson himself notes his intention to master writing from Hoid's perspective for a future novel, making this book a sort of test run.
For me, Hoid's narrative voice reminds me of the whimsy found in "The Princess Bride" or some of Terry Pratchett's children's works. In many parts of the book I found it's quirky and light-hearted tone to be freaking excellent, with several parts being laugh-out-loud funny (Sanderson is getting better at humour it would appear) and utterly brilliant. However, there were times, especially during tense moments in the plot or when a joke didn't quite land, that this style took me out of the story as I tried to understand what nonsense he was talking about.
鈥淵ou might think this an unfair moral problem to force upon a simple window washer, but there鈥檚 a certain arrogance in that kind of reasoning. A window washer can think, same as anyone else, and their lives are no less complex. And as I鈥檝e warned you, 鈥渟imple鈥� labor often leaves plenty of time for thought."
Overall, I'd say for me it hit about 70% of the time, and missed the rest. Because of that I suspect that for some this narrative approach might not click as much. Indeed if it really misses I'm sure there will be people who will DNF it, however for most they will find Hoid's quirkyness utterly charming and it will add to the enjoyment.
What I really DID appreciate were the philosophical insights woven into the story. These, courtesy of Hoid, added depth to the whimsical narrative, leaving me with things to reflect on well after I finished the book. I guess that's a trait of all good fairy tales no? Here is one that I particularly liked:
鈥淲e want to imagine that people are consistent, steady, stable. We define who they are, create descriptions to lock them on a page, divide them up by their likes, talents, beliefs. Then we pretend some鈥攑erhaps most鈥攁re better than we are, because they stick to their definitions, while we never quite fit ours. Truth is, people are as fluid as time is. We adapt to our situation like water in a strangely shaped jug, though it might take us a little while to ooze into all the little nooks. Because we adapt, we sometimes don鈥檛 recognize how twisted, uncomfortable, or downright wrong the container is that we鈥檝e been told to inhabit.鈥�
Enjoyment: 4.5/5
I started this book feeling a bit unsure, but by the end, I had a huge grin plastered on my face. Honestly, just writing this review makes me want to jump back in and read it all over again. It's weird, but this book totally clicked with me, even though it's not my usual cup of tea. It's now my top favorite among Sanderson's stand-alone works. I'm really looking forward to reading it to my kids when they're a bit older 鈥� I bet they're gonna love it just as much!
Final Rating: 4.5/5 馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寳
My favourite books of 2023 in preferential order
馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱:
1. - (My Review)
2. - (My Review)
3.
4. - (My Review)
5. - (My Review)
6. - (My Review)
馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寳:
7. - (My Review)
8. - (My Review)
9. - (My Review)
10. - (My Review)
11.
12. - (My Review)
13. - (My Review)
14. - (My Review)
15.
馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱馃写:
16. - (My Review)
17. - (My Review)
18. - (My Review)
19. - (My Review)
馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寳馃写:
20. - (My Review)
馃寱馃寱馃寱馃写馃写:
21. - (My Review)
22. - (My Review)
馃寱馃寱馃写馃写馃写:
23. - (My Review)
Final Rating: 4.5/5 馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寳
"Simply delightful!" That's a good starting point. They perfectly encapsulate my experience with this book. It's an even better phrase for me to be left with, because I initially approached this read with a large sense of trepidation. You should know that I'm not typically a fan of stand-alone fantasy novels. Also young adult fiction is more likely to sink my boat rather than float it. Furthermore, reading this book later in the year, I was aware that this book saw Brandon Sanderson venturing into his "comedy zone". Normally, as a huge fan of comedic fantasy and science fiction books in general (a.k.a Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Nicholas Eames), this would be excellent news. However, with all due respect to Brando Sando, his attempts at comedy in the past have left me cringing rather than laughing. So imagine my surprise when all of my trepidations turned out to be unfounded. What an excellent book this was. Indeed, I can't do better than where I started. Simply delightful.
Plot Summary
"Tress of the Emerald Sea" is set in a magical realm that blends elements of both traditional and contemporary fairy tales. It centers on Tress, a seemingly ordinary girl whose life on an island surrounded by a vast, emerald-green sea is filled with simple pleasures like family, stories, and her beloved cup collection. Her peaceful existence takes a turn when she falls for Charlie, the duke's son. Displeased with their growing bond, the duke takes measures that result in Charlie being captured by the mysterious sorceress of the Midnight Sea. Determined to rescue him, Tress embarks on a daring voyage across the Emerald Sea. This marks the beginning of her true adventure, one filled with challenges and discoveries that transform her journey into an extraordinary tale of courage and resilience.
World Building: 5/5
Brandon Sanderson's novels always seem to nail world-building, right? It's almost a given to slap a 5/5 on this section. I'm constantly amazed at how he keeps pulling out these awesome and unique fantasy worlds. It's seriously impressive. You'd think he'd run out of cool ideas, but nope, here he is again, surprising us. This time, he's got oceans made of different spores instead of water, which I imagined as things that sit somewhere between a marble and a grain of sand. When air is bubbled through them from vents underneath, they act like water. Anyway, each type of spore is not only coloured differently (emerald is the first one we come across), it also does its own thing when it hits water, giving Sanderson loads of neat hooks to hang his story on.
Running into some negative effects of the emerald spores
As someone who's mostly into fantasy, stumbling upon this kind of fresh world-building is a real treat. A big chunk of the story has Tress and her crew sailing these spore seas, figuring out smart ways to face whatever each new spore throws at them. I just love how the plot grows right out of the world he's created. It's like Sanderson comes up with a cool concept and then runs wild thinking up all the challenges and fun stuff he can do with it.
Story Telling: 4.5/5
In the plot department, the novel kicks off as a love story but swiftly morphs into an adventure tale. It's a classic hero's journey, but with a twist 鈥� instead of a farm boy, we have a window-washing girl stepping out of her comfort zone. As she sets off, she forms bonds with a diverse crew on her ship, each member grappling with their own personal battles. I won't dive too deep into the storyline, but let's just say there are some brilliant plot twists that caught me off guard, yet in hindsight, they're the kind of twists you realize you should've seen coming 鈥� the best kind, really.
鈥淥ne of the great tragedies of life is knowing how many people in the world are made to soar, paint, sing, or steer鈥攅xcept they never get the chance to find out.鈥�
And, of course, it wouldn't be a Sanderson book without a solid ending. He really knows how to wrap things up satisfyingly. For the Cosmere fans, there are plenty of easter eggs scattered throughout 鈥� nothing too alienating for newcomers, but definitely delightful nuggets for the initiated.
My only complaint when it comes to the plot is that in some places it feels a little too fairy tale like - think happily ever after. Which of course is exactly the slant that Sanderson is going for, but isn't 100% my cup of tea.
Characters: 5/5
The characterization in "Tress of the Emerald Sea" is a standout feature, with each character vividly portrayed and undergoing their own unique challenges. The story intricately weaves Tress's journey with a colorful and diverse cast. This includes a cursed Hoid, an intriguing character from the wider Cosmere; Huck, a talking rat; Fort, a merchant trader turned cook; Salay, an unintuitive helmswoman; and a humorous ensemble of characters collectively named Doug for simplicity. This exceptional group is not only well-crafted and likable but also pivotal to the novel's engaging narrative. In an exciting first for the Cosmere, we even get to meet a real dragon.
One of the most compelling aspects of the book is the development of Tress herself. As the story progresses, we witness a remarkable evolution in her character. The Tress at the end of the novel is markedly different from the one we meet at the beginning, showcasing a dynamic and thoughtful character arc. However, there's a bittersweet element to this, as the novel stands alone, meaning we won't see these characters evolve further in subsequent volumes. This fact has made their stories, confined to this single book, all the more precious and memorable, leaving a lasting impression on me.
鈥淒o you know how many grand romances would have avoided tragedy if the hero had thought, "You know, maybe I should ask her if she likes me first"?鈥�
Writing Style: 3.5/5
The voice that Sanderson chose to write this book in is, I suspect, where it might lose some people. The story isn't told from Tress鈥檚 point of view, but rather through Hoid - a cabin boy/wizard who is a character from elsewhere in the Cosmere. Sanderson himself notes his intention to master writing from Hoid's perspective for a future novel, making this book a sort of test run.
For me, Hoid's narrative voice reminds me of the whimsy found in "The Princess Bride" or some of Terry Pratchett's children's works. In many parts of the book I found it's quirky and light-hearted tone to be freaking excellent, with several parts being laugh-out-loud funny (Sanderson is getting better at humour it would appear) and utterly brilliant. However, there were times, especially during tense moments in the plot or when a joke didn't quite land, that this style took me out of the story as I tried to understand what nonsense he was talking about.
鈥淵ou might think this an unfair moral problem to force upon a simple window washer, but there鈥檚 a certain arrogance in that kind of reasoning. A window washer can think, same as anyone else, and their lives are no less complex. And as I鈥檝e warned you, 鈥渟imple鈥� labor often leaves plenty of time for thought."
Overall, I'd say for me it hit about 70% of the time, and missed the rest. Because of that I suspect that for some this narrative approach might not click as much. Indeed if it really misses I'm sure there will be people who will DNF it, however for most they will find Hoid's quirkyness utterly charming and it will add to the enjoyment.
What I really DID appreciate were the philosophical insights woven into the story. These, courtesy of Hoid, added depth to the whimsical narrative, leaving me with things to reflect on well after I finished the book. I guess that's a trait of all good fairy tales no? Here is one that I particularly liked:
鈥淲e want to imagine that people are consistent, steady, stable. We define who they are, create descriptions to lock them on a page, divide them up by their likes, talents, beliefs. Then we pretend some鈥攑erhaps most鈥攁re better than we are, because they stick to their definitions, while we never quite fit ours. Truth is, people are as fluid as time is. We adapt to our situation like water in a strangely shaped jug, though it might take us a little while to ooze into all the little nooks. Because we adapt, we sometimes don鈥檛 recognize how twisted, uncomfortable, or downright wrong the container is that we鈥檝e been told to inhabit.鈥�
Enjoyment: 4.5/5
I started this book feeling a bit unsure, but by the end, I had a huge grin plastered on my face. Honestly, just writing this review makes me want to jump back in and read it all over again. It's weird, but this book totally clicked with me, even though it's not my usual cup of tea. It's now my top favorite among Sanderson's stand-alone works. I'm really looking forward to reading it to my kids when they're a bit older 鈥� I bet they're gonna love it just as much!
Final Rating: 4.5/5 馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寳
My favourite books of 2023 in preferential order
馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱:
1. - (My Review)
2. - (My Review)
3.
4. - (My Review)
5. - (My Review)
6. - (My Review)
馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寳:
7. - (My Review)
8. - (My Review)
9. - (My Review)
10. - (My Review)
11.
12. - (My Review)
13. - (My Review)
14. - (My Review)
15.
馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寱馃写:
16. - (My Review)
17. - (My Review)
18. - (My Review)
19. - (My Review)
馃寱馃寱馃寱馃寳馃写:
20. - (My Review)
馃寱馃寱馃寱馃写馃写:
21. - (My Review)
22. - (My Review)
馃寱馃寱馃写馃写馃写:
23. - (My Review)
![Profile Image for Anna [Bran. San. Stan].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1593184464i%2F98245866._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
October 14, 2024
2024: The GraphicAudio adaptation is fantastic! The same actor who is voicing Wit in Stormlight is the narrator here. He鈥檚 doing a great job and you鈥榲e got to love consistency like that.
2023: This was just as wonderful, delightful, and enchanting as I鈥檇 hoped; especially the humourous, whimsical tone and Hoid鈥檚 narrative voice were a joy. And the worldbuilding is just as amazing as ever: Picture a world with twelve moons, each releasing sand-like spores unto the land, creating twelve vast seas not of water but of alien dust - each a different color (the eponymous emerald being one of them). Each type of these spores explosively grows aethers (e.g. vines or crystals) when touched with water - the results of which range from 鈥渦ncomfortable鈥� to 鈥渄eadly鈥� considering 鈥渢he number of wet things that leak from human bodies even if they鈥檙e healthy.鈥� Only salt and silver render the spores inert. And they are not just a cool visual; they naturally serve to further the story.
As for the plot, the novel starts as a love story but then quickly becomes an adventure - farm boy (or rather window washing girl) leaving home to go on a hero鈥檚 journey. With our heroine, Sanderson again creates a magical character you can only love; she is proactive, competent, both brave and pragmatic, and above all relatable.
Tress is very much in love with the Duke鈥檚 son, Charlie, who is not very dukely at all. Charlie actually sounds a bit like Sanderson himself with his passion for story telling and words.
Charlie, however, is absent from the narrative, and Tress鈥檚 adventure lies in trying to save him from an evil sorceress. (She is, in a way, Buttercup who had gone searching for Westley.) Her journey is interwoven with a variety of characters, among them a cursed Hoid, a talking rat, a Cosmere creature, a horrible cook and also several insignificant people all referred to as Doug for simplicity鈥檚 sake.
With this 鈥済rown-up fairy tale鈥�, Sanderson has once again created something extraordinary, something magical and enchanting and something very much unlike anything he has ever written before. And yes, Hoid鈥檚 story did feel like a 鈥渇ull-length version of something like 'Wandersail' or 鈥楾he Dog and the Dragon鈥欌€� - just as he intended. And even if I saw a twist at the end coming, I loved every bit of it, from the very first page.
In terms of Cosmere implications, what can you expect? (Skip if you鈥檇 rather not know. Essentially, no previous knowledge is required for you to enjoy the story; however, you will appreciate it even more if you do know your Cosmere.)
**
馃敼Hoid as both a storyteller and character, though his role within the narrative is initially hilariously complicated because of a curse (some knowledge of either Warbreaker, Elantris, both Mistborn eras, White Sand and especially Stormlight is helpful)
馃敼Aethers, though a different type than shown in The Lost Metal and the non-canon Aether of Night (no previous knowledge required)
馃敼Kandra (Mistborn knowledge is helpful)
馃敼the Nalthian magic of awakening (no previous knowledge necessary)
馃敼having read Secret History is a bonus
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌�-
March 5, 2022: The first five chapters of this (no-longer) secret project #1 are just enchanting. I loved that Hoid is telling this "slightly more fairy-tale-ish" story in his customary cheeky tone. I can just picture him telling Tress鈥榮 story to others in the Cosmere. Did I mention I can鈥檛 wait to read this?
鈥淪he felt less a human being and more like a human who was just being.鈥�
I鈥檝e been beyond excited these past couple of days about Sanderson鈥榮 announcement and these four new books! So happy to be a part of his Kickstarter campaign! (And spending waaaay too much money on it.) So much to look forward to, this year and the next...
PA: You can listen to Sanderson reading the first chapters here:
2023: This was just as wonderful, delightful, and enchanting as I鈥檇 hoped; especially the humourous, whimsical tone and Hoid鈥檚 narrative voice were a joy. And the worldbuilding is just as amazing as ever: Picture a world with twelve moons, each releasing sand-like spores unto the land, creating twelve vast seas not of water but of alien dust - each a different color (the eponymous emerald being one of them). Each type of these spores explosively grows aethers (e.g. vines or crystals) when touched with water - the results of which range from 鈥渦ncomfortable鈥� to 鈥渄eadly鈥� considering 鈥渢he number of wet things that leak from human bodies even if they鈥檙e healthy.鈥� Only salt and silver render the spores inert. And they are not just a cool visual; they naturally serve to further the story.
As for the plot, the novel starts as a love story but then quickly becomes an adventure - farm boy (or rather window washing girl) leaving home to go on a hero鈥檚 journey. With our heroine, Sanderson again creates a magical character you can only love; she is proactive, competent, both brave and pragmatic, and above all relatable.
鈥漈he girl had been given the unfortunate name of Glorf upon her birth (don鈥檛 judge; it was a family name), but her wild hair earned her the name everyone knew her by: Tress.鈥�
Tress is very much in love with the Duke鈥檚 son, Charlie, who is not very dukely at all. Charlie actually sounds a bit like Sanderson himself with his passion for story telling and words.
鈥漑The Iriali] supposedly had golden hair. Like yours, the color of sunlight.鈥�
鈥淢y hair is not the color of sunlight, Charlie.鈥�
鈥淵our hair is the color of sunlight, if sunlight were brown,鈥� Charlie said. It might be said he had a way with words. In that his words often got away.
Charlie, however, is absent from the narrative, and Tress鈥檚 adventure lies in trying to save him from an evil sorceress. (She is, in a way, Buttercup who had gone searching for Westley.) Her journey is interwoven with a variety of characters, among them a cursed Hoid, a talking rat, a Cosmere creature, a horrible cook and also several insignificant people all referred to as Doug for simplicity鈥檚 sake.
With this 鈥済rown-up fairy tale鈥�, Sanderson has once again created something extraordinary, something magical and enchanting and something very much unlike anything he has ever written before. And yes, Hoid鈥檚 story did feel like a 鈥渇ull-length version of something like 'Wandersail' or 鈥楾he Dog and the Dragon鈥欌€� - just as he intended. And even if I saw a twist at the end coming, I loved every bit of it, from the very first page.
In terms of Cosmere implications, what can you expect? (Skip if you鈥檇 rather not know. Essentially, no previous knowledge is required for you to enjoy the story; however, you will appreciate it even more if you do know your Cosmere.)
**
馃敼Hoid as both a storyteller and character, though his role within the narrative is initially hilariously complicated because of a curse (some knowledge of either Warbreaker, Elantris, both Mistborn eras, White Sand and especially Stormlight is helpful)
馃敼Aethers, though a different type than shown in The Lost Metal and the non-canon Aether of Night (no previous knowledge required)
馃敼Kandra (Mistborn knowledge is helpful)
馃敼the Nalthian magic of awakening (no previous knowledge necessary)
馃敼having read Secret History is a bonus
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌�-
March 5, 2022: The first five chapters of this (no-longer) secret project #1 are just enchanting. I loved that Hoid is telling this "slightly more fairy-tale-ish" story in his customary cheeky tone. I can just picture him telling Tress鈥榮 story to others in the Cosmere. Did I mention I can鈥檛 wait to read this?
鈥淪he felt less a human being and more like a human who was just being.鈥�
I鈥檝e been beyond excited these past couple of days about Sanderson鈥榮 announcement and these four new books! So happy to be a part of his Kickstarter campaign! (And spending waaaay too much money on it.) So much to look forward to, this year and the next...
PA: You can listen to Sanderson reading the first chapters here:
April 18, 2025
猡�3.5! This book has the cutest vibes everrr <3 The premise is Tress saving Charlie after his father dropped him off to a witch because he refused to marry a princess (waiting for Tress)!! Isn't it so fairytale-esque 馃槍 I love that's she's the savior + Charlie and Tress' romance was so so sweet 馃槶 They're both really goofy LOL but perfect for each other!! The details of the cups and them calling each other gloves is so adorbs :') Maybe I'm just in my pirate era but this book was so fun + the spore magic is super unique!! It was a littleeeee bit boring in the middle + I'm not too attached to the crew tho... It picked back up towards the end and the plot twist was really well done 馃き The way the story was told made me laugh out loud, and I can't wait to read the earlier cosmere books to get more Hoid 馃馃徏
[鈥淚鈥檝e discovered that it鈥檚 all right to need help. So long as you鈥檝e lived your life as the kind of person who deserves to be rescued.鈥漖
[鈥淚鈥檝e discovered that it鈥檚 all right to need help. So long as you鈥檝e lived your life as the kind of person who deserves to be rescued.鈥漖
May 28, 2023
3.5 stars!
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I really liked the premise of the book, but on the other hand the pacing was inconsistent and the plot dragged at times. The pacing was slow for most of the book until the end. The world building was great, the idea of an ocean of spores was very interesting, although it was confusing at first. I really liked Tress, she is brave, kind, loyal, persistent, and strong. At first I had a hard time connecting with Tress, but once I got to know her, I really liked her and felt a connection to her. I also really liked Huck, (talking rat) he is sweet, funny, brave, and intelligent. I liked the side characters as well, but I wished that their back stories were explored a bit more. The narration was unique and interesting, but it was hard to get used to at first. It has first person narration but the narrator is not the main character. The ending was so good and exciting! I鈥檓 glad that it ended on a happy note. Overall, it was a decent book, but it didn鈥檛 wow me and I struggled with the slow pacing.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I really liked the premise of the book, but on the other hand the pacing was inconsistent and the plot dragged at times. The pacing was slow for most of the book until the end. The world building was great, the idea of an ocean of spores was very interesting, although it was confusing at first. I really liked Tress, she is brave, kind, loyal, persistent, and strong. At first I had a hard time connecting with Tress, but once I got to know her, I really liked her and felt a connection to her. I also really liked Huck, (talking rat) he is sweet, funny, brave, and intelligent. I liked the side characters as well, but I wished that their back stories were explored a bit more. The narration was unique and interesting, but it was hard to get used to at first. It has first person narration but the narrator is not the main character. The ending was so good and exciting! I鈥檓 glad that it ended on a happy note. Overall, it was a decent book, but it didn鈥檛 wow me and I struggled with the slow pacing.
April 12, 2023
Tress of the Emerald Sea is a whimsical, earnest, and surprisingly crustacean-free surprise novel from Sanderson鈥檚 record-breaking Kickstarter. It is also one of the best YA fantasy books I鈥檝e read. Every aspect of the book feels balanced and rewarding. Tress is perfectly paced and compulsively readable, full of plot twists that make sense but are still thrilling. I wasn鈥檛 sure if Hoid鈥檚 narration would be effective, but it definitely is. His commentary strikes the perfect balance between silliness and genuine insight. The familiar adventure structure of the story runs the risk of becoming predictable, but Sanderson doesn鈥檛 fall in that trap here. His skill as a storyteller shines in this novel; it is further proof that he doesn鈥檛 need thousands of pages to tell a compelling, meaningful story that is also fun and wholesome and heartfelt. I can already tell that this will be a book I look back on with fondness and warm, nostalgic feelings. Tress of the Emerald Sea is one of those gently affecting books that make the world seem a bit less scary.
5 stars
5 stars
鈥淚t鈥檚 really not a problem that someone needs to be saved. Everyone needs help. It鈥檚 hard to be the person who makes trouble, but the thing is, everyone makes trouble. How would we help anyone if nobody ever needed help?鈥�
September 30, 2024
My complete review is published at .
鈥淥ne of the great tragedies of life is knowing how many people in the world are made to soar, paint, sing, or steer鈥攅xcept they never get the chance to find out.鈥�
Originally conceived as a personal gift for his wife, Brandon Sanderson has now gifted Tress of the Emerald Sea to the world for all of us to enjoy. Tress of the Emerald Sea is like a warm hug from Sanderson, a whimsical coming-of-age tale that finds the author at the peak of his storytelling powers.
Tress is a seemingly ordinary girl who lives on an island surrounded by a vast emerald-green sea. Tress enjoys the simple things in life: spending time with her family, listening to stories, and admiring her collection of cups. But when her good friend Charlie disappears during a voyage at sea, Tress knows that she must take action if she ever wishes to see him again.
In true Brandon Sanderson fashion, Tress of the Emerald Sea puts journey before destination. Although her goal is to rescue Charlie, the real focus of the novel is on Tress鈥檚 growth throughout her journey, which includes plenty of self-discovery as Tress assumes the roles of ship inspector, pirate, and scientist.
With her unbridled curiosity and ingenuity, Tress reminds me of a young Navani from Rhythm of War, the fourth book of Sanderson鈥檚 Stormlight Archive series. Just as Navani explores the science of stormlight, inventing new ways to harness its power, Tress experiments with the mysterious and dangerous spores that shower down on her world.
Another highlight of the book is Hoid鈥檚 narration. Sanderson fans know Hoid as the key unifying figure of his interconnected universe, the Cosmere. Always full of wit, Hoid is an absolute delight as narrator, giving Tress of the Emerald Sea a charm and whimsy that recalls William Goldman鈥檚 classic, The Princess Bride:
鈥淚t鈥檚 really not a problem that someone needs to be saved. Everyone needs help. It鈥檚 hard to be the person who makes trouble, but the thing is, everyone makes trouble. How would we help anyone if nobody ever needed help?鈥�
The book is full of insightful and quotable passages that touched my heart. One of the major ideas explored in Tress of the Emerald Sea is that of memory, reminding me of Mark Lawrence鈥檚 The Book That Wouldn鈥檛 Burn:
鈥淢emory is often our only connection to who we used to be. Memories are fossils, the bones left by dead versions of ourselves.鈥�
For all its coziness, Tress of the Emerald Sea also has some surprisingly dark moments, including mild elements of body horror. Fortunately, these darker scenes work well to build tension during Tress鈥檚 quest, aiding in her character development.
Tress of the Emerald Sea is a delight in every respect. Brandon Sanderson鈥檚 words are accepted as some of the best from his incredibly prolific career. This gem of a novel is both the perfect introduction to Sanderson鈥檚 universe and a delightful treat for well-traveled worldhoppers of the Cosmere.
鈥淥ne of the great tragedies of life is knowing how many people in the world are made to soar, paint, sing, or steer鈥攅xcept they never get the chance to find out.鈥�
Originally conceived as a personal gift for his wife, Brandon Sanderson has now gifted Tress of the Emerald Sea to the world for all of us to enjoy. Tress of the Emerald Sea is like a warm hug from Sanderson, a whimsical coming-of-age tale that finds the author at the peak of his storytelling powers.
Tress is a seemingly ordinary girl who lives on an island surrounded by a vast emerald-green sea. Tress enjoys the simple things in life: spending time with her family, listening to stories, and admiring her collection of cups. But when her good friend Charlie disappears during a voyage at sea, Tress knows that she must take action if she ever wishes to see him again.
In true Brandon Sanderson fashion, Tress of the Emerald Sea puts journey before destination. Although her goal is to rescue Charlie, the real focus of the novel is on Tress鈥檚 growth throughout her journey, which includes plenty of self-discovery as Tress assumes the roles of ship inspector, pirate, and scientist.
With her unbridled curiosity and ingenuity, Tress reminds me of a young Navani from Rhythm of War, the fourth book of Sanderson鈥檚 Stormlight Archive series. Just as Navani explores the science of stormlight, inventing new ways to harness its power, Tress experiments with the mysterious and dangerous spores that shower down on her world.
Another highlight of the book is Hoid鈥檚 narration. Sanderson fans know Hoid as the key unifying figure of his interconnected universe, the Cosmere. Always full of wit, Hoid is an absolute delight as narrator, giving Tress of the Emerald Sea a charm and whimsy that recalls William Goldman鈥檚 classic, The Princess Bride:
鈥淚t鈥檚 really not a problem that someone needs to be saved. Everyone needs help. It鈥檚 hard to be the person who makes trouble, but the thing is, everyone makes trouble. How would we help anyone if nobody ever needed help?鈥�
The book is full of insightful and quotable passages that touched my heart. One of the major ideas explored in Tress of the Emerald Sea is that of memory, reminding me of Mark Lawrence鈥檚 The Book That Wouldn鈥檛 Burn:
鈥淢emory is often our only connection to who we used to be. Memories are fossils, the bones left by dead versions of ourselves.鈥�
For all its coziness, Tress of the Emerald Sea also has some surprisingly dark moments, including mild elements of body horror. Fortunately, these darker scenes work well to build tension during Tress鈥檚 quest, aiding in her character development.
Tress of the Emerald Sea is a delight in every respect. Brandon Sanderson鈥檚 words are accepted as some of the best from his incredibly prolific career. This gem of a novel is both the perfect introduction to Sanderson鈥檚 universe and a delightful treat for well-traveled worldhoppers of the Cosmere.
January 4, 2023
I didn't want to rate this 2 stars, but I gotta. Out of everything I read of Brandon's this is perhaps my least liked book of his. Many authors have books that are so-so, and even still, I continue to buy their books. This book was written for his wife and there is a sentimental reason behind it.
This book was written as a bit of a nod to The Princess Bride. That instead of Wesley saving Buttercup, instead it's Tress saving Charlie. I have no problems with that what-so-ever. I think that we need more stories with females saving their male 'true-love'.
But, this book sadly is not what I hoped it would be. Did I expect a romance? No. I don't see Brandon writing one like that. However, I expected a story told from Hoid's perspective of a girl finding herself.
One will argue with me that she found herself, that I am rating this book rather poorly. For me, I can't really say what went wrong and why this book (the first of the bunch) turned out to be a dud, but I'll go into it:
I don't know how the other books are written except for the beta team but I expected something with more meat on the bones. Instead, I got a boring, rather drawn out short story about a dull girl who goes to rescue a dull 'man of her heart' from a lame villain who doesn't do anything to make shit difficult for her. But again: this was written as a story for his wife, and if she enjoyed it that's what should matter. Props to him for being an amazing husband and writing a novel for her enjoyment. I hope more writers do that for their wives.
I hope book two is better :/
This book was written as a bit of a nod to The Princess Bride. That instead of Wesley saving Buttercup, instead it's Tress saving Charlie. I have no problems with that what-so-ever. I think that we need more stories with females saving their male 'true-love'.
But, this book sadly is not what I hoped it would be. Did I expect a romance? No. I don't see Brandon writing one like that. However, I expected a story told from Hoid's perspective of a girl finding herself.
One will argue with me that she found herself, that I am rating this book rather poorly. For me, I can't really say what went wrong and why this book (the first of the bunch) turned out to be a dud, but I'll go into it:
I don't know how the other books are written except for the beta team but I expected something with more meat on the bones. Instead, I got a boring, rather drawn out short story about a dull girl who goes to rescue a dull 'man of her heart' from a lame villain who doesn't do anything to make shit difficult for her. But again: this was written as a story for his wife, and if she enjoyed it that's what should matter. Props to him for being an amazing husband and writing a novel for her enjoyment. I hope more writers do that for their wives.
I hope book two is better :/
January 11, 2023
Wherein Brandon makes a fun world and decides to amuse himself whilst exploring it ;)
January 23, 2023
3.5 stars
This book is unexpectedly really funny at times! Unfortunately it also seems a bit more YA-ish than I would like, though Sanderson bills this as a grown-up fairy tale in the postscript. On the other hand, this is a book narrated by Hoid which I absolutely enjoyed. The world building is pretty unique and interesting, while still fitting into the greater Cosmere. So all in all, rounding this up to 4 stars and looking forward to the next 鈥渟ecret project鈥� from Sanderson鈥檚 Kickstarter.
This book is unexpectedly really funny at times! Unfortunately it also seems a bit more YA-ish than I would like, though Sanderson bills this as a grown-up fairy tale in the postscript. On the other hand, this is a book narrated by Hoid which I absolutely enjoyed. The world building is pretty unique and interesting, while still fitting into the greater Cosmere. So all in all, rounding this up to 4 stars and looking forward to the next 鈥渟ecret project鈥� from Sanderson鈥檚 Kickstarter.
August 14, 2024
鈥滶njoy memories, yes, but don't be a slave to who you wish you once had been.鈥�
i鈥檇 say this book is the most whimsical that i鈥檝e read from Sanderson so far. Tress is a 鈥渟imple鈥� girl, there isn鈥檛 really anything special about her in the way you鈥檇 expect from a fantasy story but she鈥檚 still a great character who shows resilience in other ways while staying true to the part of her that is determined to finally go after what she wants. so when her quest to find and return the kings son aka the boy she loves leads her on a journey across the sea, she finds that the world is a lot more expansive and exhilarating than she thought. i loved the tone of this book with the little bits of humor, this was honestly just an experience in itself and i never knew where the story would go, all the side characters she meets along the way were so entertaining as well. had a really fun time with this one!
i鈥檇 say this book is the most whimsical that i鈥檝e read from Sanderson so far. Tress is a 鈥渟imple鈥� girl, there isn鈥檛 really anything special about her in the way you鈥檇 expect from a fantasy story but she鈥檚 still a great character who shows resilience in other ways while staying true to the part of her that is determined to finally go after what she wants. so when her quest to find and return the kings son aka the boy she loves leads her on a journey across the sea, she finds that the world is a lot more expansive and exhilarating than she thought. i loved the tone of this book with the little bits of humor, this was honestly just an experience in itself and i never knew where the story would go, all the side characters she meets along the way were so entertaining as well. had a really fun time with this one!
March 6, 2024
This was such a fun ride. Brandon Sanderson somehow made what seemed like a fairy tale into a great adventure that I couldn鈥檛 put down. Loved Tress character development and how the book ended was really amazing.
Even tho this book didn鈥檛 have many battle/fight scenes that I鈥檓 used to with a Sanderson book I still enjoyed this standalone and all the nuggets of the Cosmere in there (freaking Hoid)
4.25/5
Even tho this book didn鈥檛 have many battle/fight scenes that I鈥檓 used to with a Sanderson book I still enjoyed this standalone and all the nuggets of the Cosmere in there (freaking Hoid)
4.25/5
February 1, 2023
En su isla natal sobre un oc茅ano verde esmeralda, la 煤nica vida que Trenza conoce es sencilla, marcada por el placer de coleccionar las tazas que traen los marineros de tierras lejanas y escuchar las historias que le cuenta su amigo Charlie.
Pero cuando el padre de Charlie se lo lleva en barco para buscarle esposa y sucede una cat谩strofe, Trenza deber谩 colarse como polizona en un barco y partir en busca de la hechicera que habita en el mort铆fero mar de Medianoche.
Sobre unos oc茅anos de esporas repletos de piratas, 驴podr谩 Trenza abandonar su tranquila vida y crearse un lugar en un oc茅ano donde una sola gota puede significar la muerte instant谩nea?
Hago esta rese帽a desde un punto de vista que igual a algunos os interesa ya que coincidimos y es que estoy quemado con y de Sanderson, me le铆 casi todo y ya los 煤ltimos del archivo me han decepcionado. 1500 p谩ginas que muy cuesta arriba se me fueron haciendo, cada libro m谩s. Bueno, pues aqu铆 vuelve el autor que a mi me gust贸 en "Elantris", "El Aliento de los Dioses" o "Nacidos de la Bruma".
S贸lo con un, no s茅 si llamarlo defecto, no lo es y es que a diferencia de esos, es un historia algo m谩s juvenil, otro tono. Pero no le quita que sea disfrutable para "todos".
Entretenido, muy original, con buenos personajes en unas 500 p谩ginas. NO 1500...
Sanderson muestra ya su dominio t铆pico de la narraci贸n, la brillante capacidad de grandes construcciones de mundos y el trabajo que tienen detr谩s los personajes.
Seguimos a Trenza, una chica que emprende una aventura 茅pica para rescatar al chico que quiere de las garras de la Hechicera. Se vuelve un libro pirata que me ha gustado mucho por ese aspecto.
Barcos, piratas, mar del color esmeralda, magia marca Sanderson, y 隆Autoconclusivo!. Chap贸.
La historia es contada por un personaje que muchos conocer茅is, de hecho, es uno de lo varios gui帽os al Cosmere. Cuya narrativa hace que el tono de la historia tenga su personalidad y sus toques humor铆sticos.
El mundo de Lumar est谩 muy bien construido. Se sent铆a tan 煤nico e inmersivo, es el aspecto que m谩s me ha gustado. Dentro de la sencillez de la propia historia de chica salva a chico, est谩 el mundo y la magia, no dir茅 complejas pero si de lo m谩s fascinante.
El concepto de doce mares diferentes y un mont贸n de lunas diferentes que brillan sobre ellos. Cada mar tiene un tipo diferente de esporas, peligrosas y t贸xicas para los humanos, pero todos pueden ser utilizados por expertos para hacer todo tipo de cosas diferentes, lo que me pareci贸 un sistema m谩gico 煤nico y muy bien pensado. Es Sanderson, lo que no se le ocurra a este se帽or.
Los personajes que acompa帽an a esta obra son muy buenos, honestamente este libro me trae agradables recuerdos de "Elantris", tiene esa magia que logra este autor sin llegar a las 1500 p谩ginas. Es ese Sanderson que me gusta.
Es muy ameno, sencillo, un cuento de grandes e interesantes ideas. No es el mejor Sanderson, por supuesto, pero si hac铆a alg煤n tiempo que no disfrutaba con uno suyo, m谩s que nada por la longitud de sus novelas.
No puedo decir m谩s, solo que aqu铆 os espera una gran aventura, tintes piratas sobre un mar de colores en un mundo de ideas fascinantes al igual que su magia.
Disfrutable, ameno y entretenido..鉁嶏笍馃帺
Pero cuando el padre de Charlie se lo lleva en barco para buscarle esposa y sucede una cat谩strofe, Trenza deber谩 colarse como polizona en un barco y partir en busca de la hechicera que habita en el mort铆fero mar de Medianoche.
Sobre unos oc茅anos de esporas repletos de piratas, 驴podr谩 Trenza abandonar su tranquila vida y crearse un lugar en un oc茅ano donde una sola gota puede significar la muerte instant谩nea?
Hago esta rese帽a desde un punto de vista que igual a algunos os interesa ya que coincidimos y es que estoy quemado con y de Sanderson, me le铆 casi todo y ya los 煤ltimos del archivo me han decepcionado. 1500 p谩ginas que muy cuesta arriba se me fueron haciendo, cada libro m谩s. Bueno, pues aqu铆 vuelve el autor que a mi me gust贸 en "Elantris", "El Aliento de los Dioses" o "Nacidos de la Bruma".
S贸lo con un, no s茅 si llamarlo defecto, no lo es y es que a diferencia de esos, es un historia algo m谩s juvenil, otro tono. Pero no le quita que sea disfrutable para "todos".
Entretenido, muy original, con buenos personajes en unas 500 p谩ginas. NO 1500...
Sanderson muestra ya su dominio t铆pico de la narraci贸n, la brillante capacidad de grandes construcciones de mundos y el trabajo que tienen detr谩s los personajes.
Seguimos a Trenza, una chica que emprende una aventura 茅pica para rescatar al chico que quiere de las garras de la Hechicera. Se vuelve un libro pirata que me ha gustado mucho por ese aspecto.
Barcos, piratas, mar del color esmeralda, magia marca Sanderson, y 隆Autoconclusivo!. Chap贸.
La historia es contada por un personaje que muchos conocer茅is, de hecho, es uno de lo varios gui帽os al Cosmere. Cuya narrativa hace que el tono de la historia tenga su personalidad y sus toques humor铆sticos.
El mundo de Lumar est谩 muy bien construido. Se sent铆a tan 煤nico e inmersivo, es el aspecto que m谩s me ha gustado. Dentro de la sencillez de la propia historia de chica salva a chico, est谩 el mundo y la magia, no dir茅 complejas pero si de lo m谩s fascinante.
El concepto de doce mares diferentes y un mont贸n de lunas diferentes que brillan sobre ellos. Cada mar tiene un tipo diferente de esporas, peligrosas y t贸xicas para los humanos, pero todos pueden ser utilizados por expertos para hacer todo tipo de cosas diferentes, lo que me pareci贸 un sistema m谩gico 煤nico y muy bien pensado. Es Sanderson, lo que no se le ocurra a este se帽or.
Los personajes que acompa帽an a esta obra son muy buenos, honestamente este libro me trae agradables recuerdos de "Elantris", tiene esa magia que logra este autor sin llegar a las 1500 p谩ginas. Es ese Sanderson que me gusta.
Es muy ameno, sencillo, un cuento de grandes e interesantes ideas. No es el mejor Sanderson, por supuesto, pero si hac铆a alg煤n tiempo que no disfrutaba con uno suyo, m谩s que nada por la longitud de sus novelas.
No puedo decir m谩s, solo que aqu铆 os espera una gran aventura, tintes piratas sobre un mar de colores en un mundo de ideas fascinantes al igual que su magia.
Disfrutable, ameno y entretenido..鉁嶏笍馃帺
December 25, 2024
4.5/5 袛褍卸械 蟹邪褌懈褕薪邪 褨 屑褍写褉邪 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟, 写械褖芯 蟹邪薪邪写褌芯 褏懈屑械褉薪邪, 薪邪 屑褨泄 芯褋芯斜懈褋褌懈泄 褋屑邪泻, 芯写薪邪泻 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪邪 屑芯胁芯褞, 胁褨写 褟泻芯褩 薪械屑芯卸谢懈胁芯 胁褨写褨褉胁邪褌懈褋褟. 孝褍褌 泻褍锌邪 胁褨写褋懈谢芯泻 写芯 褨薪褕懈褏 褉芯斜褨褌 邪胁褌芯褉邪, 邪写卸械 褏褉芯薪芯谢芯谐褨褔薪芯 锌芯写褨褩 孝褉械褋褋 薪邪斜邪谐邪褌芯 锌褨蟹薪褨褕械 斜邪谐邪褌褜芯褏 褉芯屑邪薪褨胁 小邪薪写械褉褋芯薪邪. 小泻芯褉褨褕械 蟹邪 胁褋械, 褟 胁谢芯胁懈谢邪 薪械 胁褋褨, 邪谢械 褌芯褔薪芯 泻芯谢懈褋褜 锌械褉械褔懈褌邪褞, 胁卸械 锌褨褋谢褟 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪薪薪褟 锌芯胁薪芯谐芯 斜械泻谢褨褋褌邪 邪胁褌芯褉邪.
孝械锌械褉 褖芯写芯 褉械泻芯屑械薪写邪褑褨泄: 胁邪卸谢懈胁芯, 褟泻褖芯 胁邪屑 锌褉芯褋褌芯 褑褨泻邪胁芯, 褟泻 锌懈褕械 邪胁褌芯褉, 孝褉械褋褋 斜褉邪褌懈 袦袨袞袧袗, 邪谢械 褑械 薪械 斜褍写械 褉械锌褉械蟹械薪褌邪褌懈胁薪芯, 褌芯屑褍 褖芯 锌芯写褨斜薪邪 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 褍 小邪薪写械褉褋芯薪邪 芯写薪邪. 袩芯 薪褨泄 屑芯卸薪邪 蟹褉芯蟹褍屑褨褌懈, 薪邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 屑褍写褉芯 锌懈褕械 邪胁褌芯褉, 褟泻 胁褨薪 褋褌胁芯褉褞褦 褋胁褨褌懈, 邪谢械 薪械 斜褨谢褜褕械.
孝邪泻芯卸 屑芯卸薪邪 斜褉邪褌懈 孝褉械褋褋, 褟泻褖芯 薪械 锌谢邪薪褍褦褌械 斜褨谢褜褕械 薪褨褔芯谐芯 褔懈褌邪褌懈 褍 邪胁褌芯褉邪, 褌芯写褨 褑褟 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 斜褍写械 写谢褟 胁邪褋 泻邪蟹泻芯胁芯褞 锌褉懈褌褔械褞, 邪 泻芯卸薪褍 褋褌芯褉褨薪泻褍 蟹邪褏芯褔械褌褜褋褟 邪薪芯褌褍胁邪褌懈.
袗谢械 褟泻褖芯 胁懈 胁芯谢褨褦褌械 泄褌懈 写邪谢褨 褍 褌邪泻褨 褑懈泻谢懈 邪胁褌芯褉邪, 褟泻 Mistborn or Stormlight Archive - 蟹邪谢懈褕褌械 孝褉械褋褋 薪邪 写械褋械褉褌, 褑械 写褍卸械 褎邪薪邪褌褋褜泻邪 褉芯斜芯褌邪, 褍 褟泻褨泄 斜械蟹谢褨褔 锌邪褋褏邪谢芯泻 褨 褑褨泻邪胁懈褏 褕褌褍泻 蟹 褨薪褕懈褏 褔邪褋褌懈薪 袣芯褋屑械褉褍. 孝芯写褨 胁褋褟 褌邪 褌邪褉邪斜邪褉褖懈薪邪 蟹 胁褍褋褌 袚芯泄写邪 褌邪 写械褟泻懈褏 褨薪褕懈褏 褔谢械薪褨胁 械泻褨锌邪卸褍 蟹邪卸懈胁械 写谢褟 胁邪褋 薪芯胁懈屑 卸懈褌褌褟屑.
孝械锌械褉 褖芯写芯 褉械泻芯屑械薪写邪褑褨泄: 胁邪卸谢懈胁芯, 褟泻褖芯 胁邪屑 锌褉芯褋褌芯 褑褨泻邪胁芯, 褟泻 锌懈褕械 邪胁褌芯褉, 孝褉械褋褋 斜褉邪褌懈 袦袨袞袧袗, 邪谢械 褑械 薪械 斜褍写械 褉械锌褉械蟹械薪褌邪褌懈胁薪芯, 褌芯屑褍 褖芯 锌芯写褨斜薪邪 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 褍 小邪薪写械褉褋芯薪邪 芯写薪邪. 袩芯 薪褨泄 屑芯卸薪邪 蟹褉芯蟹褍屑褨褌懈, 薪邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 屑褍写褉芯 锌懈褕械 邪胁褌芯褉, 褟泻 胁褨薪 褋褌胁芯褉褞褦 褋胁褨褌懈, 邪谢械 薪械 斜褨谢褜褕械.
孝邪泻芯卸 屑芯卸薪邪 斜褉邪褌懈 孝褉械褋褋, 褟泻褖芯 薪械 锌谢邪薪褍褦褌械 斜褨谢褜褕械 薪褨褔芯谐芯 褔懈褌邪褌懈 褍 邪胁褌芯褉邪, 褌芯写褨 褑褟 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 斜褍写械 写谢褟 胁邪褋 泻邪蟹泻芯胁芯褞 锌褉懈褌褔械褞, 邪 泻芯卸薪褍 褋褌芯褉褨薪泻褍 蟹邪褏芯褔械褌褜褋褟 邪薪芯褌褍胁邪褌懈.
袗谢械 褟泻褖芯 胁懈 胁芯谢褨褦褌械 泄褌懈 写邪谢褨 褍 褌邪泻褨 褑懈泻谢懈 邪胁褌芯褉邪, 褟泻 Mistborn or Stormlight Archive - 蟹邪谢懈褕褌械 孝褉械褋褋 薪邪 写械褋械褉褌, 褑械 写褍卸械 褎邪薪邪褌褋褜泻邪 褉芯斜芯褌邪, 褍 褟泻褨泄 斜械蟹谢褨褔 锌邪褋褏邪谢芯泻 褨 褑褨泻邪胁懈褏 褕褌褍泻 蟹 褨薪褕懈褏 褔邪褋褌懈薪 袣芯褋屑械褉褍. 孝芯写褨 胁褋褟 褌邪 褌邪褉邪斜邪褉褖懈薪邪 蟹 胁褍褋褌 袚芯泄写邪 褌邪 写械褟泻懈褏 褨薪褕懈褏 褔谢械薪褨胁 械泻褨锌邪卸褍 蟹邪卸懈胁械 写谢褟 胁邪褋 薪芯胁懈屑 卸懈褌褌褟屑.
June 13, 2024
Algo me pasa con los libros de Sanderson... y voy a intentar explicarlo lo mejor que pueda.
En esta novela se narra la historia de Trenza, una joven tranquila que vive en una p谩cifica isla, pero que tras la noticia de la desaparici贸n de su mejor amigo decide dejar todo atr谩s. Se esconde en un barco y parte en su rescate, sin imaginar la cantidad de nuevos peligros, amistades e incluso rasgos de su personalidad que descubrir谩 a lo largo de su aventura.
Antes que nada, quiero decir que hasta antes de Trenza del Mar Esmeralda solo hab铆a le铆do Nacidos de la Bruma de Brandon Sanderson. He visto por ah铆 que muchos recomiendan leer al menos 3/4 libros de Sanderson antes de lanzarse con esta historia autoconclusiva, para entender algunas referencias sobre el Cosmere. La verdad, yo no sent铆 que esto afectara mi experiencia de lectura. Si hubo referencias a otros libros probablemente no las not茅, pero en ning煤n caso "restaron" algo a lo que viv铆 leyendo este libro (creo jaja). Aqu铆 me afirmo del comentario del propio Sanderson que ha dicho que Trenza del Mar Esmeralda es un "buen libro para adentrarse en el Cosmere".
Dicho eso, sigo con la rese帽a jajaja.
Primero, me impacta la construcci贸n de mundo y sistema de magia de Sanderson. Es im-pla-ca-ble. Todo lo que pasa en cuanto a magia tiene absoluto sentido y est谩 100% hilado con el mundo en el que viven los personajes. Hay armon铆a.
Ahora, siento que esta creaci贸n de un mundo y sistema tan impresionantes, hacen que la lectura "demore" en tener ritmo. Sent铆 que hasta el 60% del libro todo era introducci贸n (de mundo, personajes y magia) - que fue lo mismo que me pas贸 con Nacidos de la Bruma.
No quiero hacer un juicio de valor sobre este tipo de estructura porque no es algo que est茅 "bien o mal". Es una forma de escribir que puede gustar o no seg煤n el tipo de lector que seas.
Probablemente sea disfrutada por lectores mega fans de la 蹿补苍迟补蝉铆补, que prefieren entender con precisi贸n como funciona todo el sistema para despu茅s, en el restante 40%, cuando venga toda la acci贸n y revelaciones, las disfruten como si pertenecieran a ese mundo.
Por el contrario, podr铆a ser "no tan disfrutada" por personas que quieren una trama enganchante desde el cap铆tulo 1 y que no tienen problema con que la magia y el mundo actu茅n como "paisaje", sin tanto detalle.
En mi caso, cuando llegu茅 al 60%, valor茅 mucho la cantidad de explicaciones que se hicieron. Me hab铆a encari帽ado con los personajes (a los que vi literalmente crecer en la historia) y comprend铆a su entorno de una manera muy completa, por lo que que la recta final y plot twists fueron MUY emocionantes.
De hecho, en el 煤ltimo cap铆tulo se me apret贸 la garganta por las ganas de llorar jajaja - y todo esto, de nuevo, fue lo mismo que me pas贸 con Nacidos de la Bruma...
A partir de estas dos experiencias que he tenido con el autor, y que han sido muy parecidas, me da la sensaci贸n de que los libros de Sanderson se cocinan como a "fuego lento". Son libros a los que hay que dedicar una hora al d铆a, leer al menos un cap铆tulo para no perder el hilo y dejarse sorprender por una trama que, aunque demora en enganchar, vale la pena al final.
La historia de Trenza es muy bonita, "un cuento de hadas para adultos" y me dej贸 con una sonrisa.
En esta novela se narra la historia de Trenza, una joven tranquila que vive en una p谩cifica isla, pero que tras la noticia de la desaparici贸n de su mejor amigo decide dejar todo atr谩s. Se esconde en un barco y parte en su rescate, sin imaginar la cantidad de nuevos peligros, amistades e incluso rasgos de su personalidad que descubrir谩 a lo largo de su aventura.
Antes que nada, quiero decir que hasta antes de Trenza del Mar Esmeralda solo hab铆a le铆do Nacidos de la Bruma de Brandon Sanderson. He visto por ah铆 que muchos recomiendan leer al menos 3/4 libros de Sanderson antes de lanzarse con esta historia autoconclusiva, para entender algunas referencias sobre el Cosmere. La verdad, yo no sent铆 que esto afectara mi experiencia de lectura. Si hubo referencias a otros libros probablemente no las not茅, pero en ning煤n caso "restaron" algo a lo que viv铆 leyendo este libro (creo jaja). Aqu铆 me afirmo del comentario del propio Sanderson que ha dicho que Trenza del Mar Esmeralda es un "buen libro para adentrarse en el Cosmere".
Dicho eso, sigo con la rese帽a jajaja.
Primero, me impacta la construcci贸n de mundo y sistema de magia de Sanderson. Es im-pla-ca-ble. Todo lo que pasa en cuanto a magia tiene absoluto sentido y est谩 100% hilado con el mundo en el que viven los personajes. Hay armon铆a.
Ahora, siento que esta creaci贸n de un mundo y sistema tan impresionantes, hacen que la lectura "demore" en tener ritmo. Sent铆 que hasta el 60% del libro todo era introducci贸n (de mundo, personajes y magia) - que fue lo mismo que me pas贸 con Nacidos de la Bruma.
No quiero hacer un juicio de valor sobre este tipo de estructura porque no es algo que est茅 "bien o mal". Es una forma de escribir que puede gustar o no seg煤n el tipo de lector que seas.
Probablemente sea disfrutada por lectores mega fans de la 蹿补苍迟补蝉铆补, que prefieren entender con precisi贸n como funciona todo el sistema para despu茅s, en el restante 40%, cuando venga toda la acci贸n y revelaciones, las disfruten como si pertenecieran a ese mundo.
Por el contrario, podr铆a ser "no tan disfrutada" por personas que quieren una trama enganchante desde el cap铆tulo 1 y que no tienen problema con que la magia y el mundo actu茅n como "paisaje", sin tanto detalle.
En mi caso, cuando llegu茅 al 60%, valor茅 mucho la cantidad de explicaciones que se hicieron. Me hab铆a encari帽ado con los personajes (a los que vi literalmente crecer en la historia) y comprend铆a su entorno de una manera muy completa, por lo que que la recta final y plot twists fueron MUY emocionantes.
De hecho, en el 煤ltimo cap铆tulo se me apret贸 la garganta por las ganas de llorar jajaja - y todo esto, de nuevo, fue lo mismo que me pas贸 con Nacidos de la Bruma...
A partir de estas dos experiencias que he tenido con el autor, y que han sido muy parecidas, me da la sensaci贸n de que los libros de Sanderson se cocinan como a "fuego lento". Son libros a los que hay que dedicar una hora al d铆a, leer al menos un cap铆tulo para no perder el hilo y dejarse sorprender por una trama que, aunque demora en enganchar, vale la pena al final.
La historia de Trenza es muy bonita, "un cuento de hadas para adultos" y me dej贸 con una sonrisa.
June 25, 2023
I think I am falling out of love with Brandon Sanderson.馃樋
March 4, 2024
3,75/5
April 11, 2023
i鈥檇 give this book 6 stars if i could
more coherent thoughts to come
more coherent thoughts to come
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March 9, 2023Watch my full video review here:
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson is The Most Fun I've Had With The Cosmere in Years
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson is The Most Fun I've Had With The Cosmere in Years
Read
February 21, 2023on pause
January 22, 2024
2/5
It PAINS me to rate this so low but it was soooo long and I don鈥檛 know if we needed to spend so long on that pirate ship. And unfortunately tress was interesting as cardboard and her love interest was 鈥�. Forgettable. I think the fairytale vibe Sanderson was going for fell flat. He excels in writing mental health struggles and complex characters which are not present in this book due to its younger feel, and it greatly weakened it.
It PAINS me to rate this so low but it was soooo long and I don鈥檛 know if we needed to spend so long on that pirate ship. And unfortunately tress was interesting as cardboard and her love interest was 鈥�. Forgettable. I think the fairytale vibe Sanderson was going for fell flat. He excels in writing mental health struggles and complex characters which are not present in this book due to its younger feel, and it greatly weakened it.
February 3, 2023
Una historia de aventura por el mar con piratas, hechiceros, un drag贸n y referencias al cosmere con un halo a cuentos de hadas. Pero sobre todo divertida e ingeniosa.
芦La mayor铆a de la gente nunca vive de verdad, Trenza, porque teme perder los a帽os que le quedan, a帽os que tambi茅n pasar谩 no viviendo. Es la iron铆a de una existencia cautelosa.禄
Trenza vive en su peque帽a isla, es cobarde, no resalta, no tiene un objetivo por cumplir m谩s all谩 de ser una limpiaventanas y recolectar tazas de distintas formas y dise帽os. Sin embargo, al igual que en tantos otros cuentos de hadas el amor la mueve a hacer algo por recuperar un ser querido. Y en este caso, ella (la chica) es quien debe rescatar al chico y quien se zambulle en una historia m谩gica y fant谩stica donde las lunas "vomitan" esporas t贸xicas y peligrosas sobre los mares que rodean diferentes islas y lugares, las cuales solo pueden ser detenidas con sal y plata.
Vine a esta historia porque s铆, la portada me sonaba a un cuento de hadas y efectivamente hay muchos gui帽os, referencias y arquetipos de personajes t铆picos dentro del libro. Y me ha dado en parte eso, as铆 que qued茅 m谩s que encantado. Adem谩s, leer el libro es disfrutar del narrador (que seguro ya muchos conocen) quien con su sentido del humor y el de los dem谩s convierte esta historia en una lectura r谩pida por sus cap铆tulos cortos y por el tono humor铆stico y desenfadado.
芦Aunque una medida sana de atrevimiento llev贸 a nuestros antepasados al descubrimiento, fue el miedo lo que los mantuvo con vida. Si la valent铆a es el viento que nos hace volar como cometas, el miedo es el cordel que nos impide ir demasiado lejos.禄
La aventura comienza m谩s pronto que tarde a trav茅s de un barco con piratas exc茅ntricos, germinadores, una capitana mala malota (de las rudas), una rata parlante, un m茅dico "zombie" y surcar m谩s mares de distintos colores y explotar y conocer m谩s esporas mort铆feras, hasta llegar a un drag贸n fuera de lo com煤n y una hechicera protegida por monstruos marinos y soldados. Adem谩s de conocer otros t茅rminos como comeesporas, germinadores y alguna que otra maldici贸n por los distintos paisaje y la ambientaci贸n mar铆tima que es fant谩stica y m谩gica sin duda alguna.
芦Una verdad aburrida siempre tendr谩 dificultades para competir con una mentira emocionante.禄
En general, lo mejor que tiene para m铆 es el humor y las din谩micas entre los personajes, a nivel narrativo es bastante predecible, regulero y conveniente, pero se lo perdono por lo bien que la pas茅. Y tambien innova un poquito en las figuras t铆picas y representativas de estos personajes en los cl谩sicos cuentos, ya que rompe el molde y no los deja encasillados en t贸picos, estereotipos o arquetipos planos.
Y si eres adicto a las referencias dentro del cosmere a lo mejor y te encuentras bastantes huevos de pascua de sus otros libros (yo solo encontr茅 referencias a Elantris y Mistborn pero a lo mejor hay m谩s).
芦La mayor铆a de la gente nunca vive de verdad, Trenza, porque teme perder los a帽os que le quedan, a帽os que tambi茅n pasar谩 no viviendo. Es la iron铆a de una existencia cautelosa.禄
Trenza vive en su peque帽a isla, es cobarde, no resalta, no tiene un objetivo por cumplir m谩s all谩 de ser una limpiaventanas y recolectar tazas de distintas formas y dise帽os. Sin embargo, al igual que en tantos otros cuentos de hadas el amor la mueve a hacer algo por recuperar un ser querido. Y en este caso, ella (la chica) es quien debe rescatar al chico y quien se zambulle en una historia m谩gica y fant谩stica donde las lunas "vomitan" esporas t贸xicas y peligrosas sobre los mares que rodean diferentes islas y lugares, las cuales solo pueden ser detenidas con sal y plata.
Vine a esta historia porque s铆, la portada me sonaba a un cuento de hadas y efectivamente hay muchos gui帽os, referencias y arquetipos de personajes t铆picos dentro del libro. Y me ha dado en parte eso, as铆 que qued茅 m谩s que encantado. Adem谩s, leer el libro es disfrutar del narrador (que seguro ya muchos conocen) quien con su sentido del humor y el de los dem谩s convierte esta historia en una lectura r谩pida por sus cap铆tulos cortos y por el tono humor铆stico y desenfadado.
芦Aunque una medida sana de atrevimiento llev贸 a nuestros antepasados al descubrimiento, fue el miedo lo que los mantuvo con vida. Si la valent铆a es el viento que nos hace volar como cometas, el miedo es el cordel que nos impide ir demasiado lejos.禄
La aventura comienza m谩s pronto que tarde a trav茅s de un barco con piratas exc茅ntricos, germinadores, una capitana mala malota (de las rudas), una rata parlante, un m茅dico "zombie" y surcar m谩s mares de distintos colores y explotar y conocer m谩s esporas mort铆feras, hasta llegar a un drag贸n fuera de lo com煤n y una hechicera protegida por monstruos marinos y soldados. Adem谩s de conocer otros t茅rminos como comeesporas, germinadores y alguna que otra maldici贸n por los distintos paisaje y la ambientaci贸n mar铆tima que es fant谩stica y m谩gica sin duda alguna.
芦Una verdad aburrida siempre tendr谩 dificultades para competir con una mentira emocionante.禄
En general, lo mejor que tiene para m铆 es el humor y las din谩micas entre los personajes, a nivel narrativo es bastante predecible, regulero y conveniente, pero se lo perdono por lo bien que la pas茅. Y tambien innova un poquito en las figuras t铆picas y representativas de estos personajes en los cl谩sicos cuentos, ya que rompe el molde y no los deja encasillados en t贸picos, estereotipos o arquetipos planos.
Y si eres adicto a las referencias dentro del cosmere a lo mejor y te encuentras bastantes huevos de pascua de sus otros libros (yo solo encontr茅 referencias a Elantris y Mistborn pero a lo mejor hay m谩s).
August 31, 2023
how do i keep getting tricked into reading cozy fantasy 馃槶 like i promise i know i don鈥檛 like that subgenre so i genuinely try to stay away but i never know until i鈥檓 reading them! this book was so fun and interesting in the beginning but once she set sea i lost all interest
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