Tress of the Emerald Sea

This book is so damn adorable. It's sweet and whimsical.

Brandon Sanderson tries to combine The Princess Bride and Discworld, and manages to pull it off pretty well. It takes a second to get going, but once it's rolling it's hard to put down.

There is nothing wrong with this book, but there is nothing especially interesting or memorable about it either. It feels like it was written as a side project, which it was. It does get extra consideration since, like all Sanderson fantasy, it has a well thought out magic system instead of one that evolves to fit whatever corner the author writes themself into.

Loved it, probably my favorite stand-alone book of Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere! Interesting world building and beautiful artwork.

This was a really fun, short novel. A bit of a romantic adventure, but with classic Sanderson world-building and quirky characters. You can certainly see some of the covid influences, from the fear of airborne spores to tablet communication devices. The plot is straightforward and told in an interesting style with a whimsical narrator that talks to the reader and frequently drops fascinating Cosmere links or foreshadows story events. Overall this was a good book and a great start to the year of Sanderson.

For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2023/01/book-review-tress-of-emerald-sea-by.html