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A review by pocketbard
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
5.0
Review from February 1, 2024 first read:
I quite enjoyed this one! Worldbuilding is where Sanderson really shines, and this book was no exception. I loved exploring how Tress’s world is different from our own, and how those differences affect the adventure that she undertakes. On the one hand, it’s a fairly classic heroine’s journey (unlike in the hero’s journey, the heroine’s journey involves assembling a team to face the big conflict, as opposed to going it alone), and most of the “plot twists” were pretty obvious. That said, the character arcs were believable, the story pulled the pieces together nicely, and the cast of characters were entertaining. The main thing I didn’t especially like was (SPOILERS!) the narration from Hoid’s perspective. It was a very jarring fourth-wall break every time it presented itself, at least to me. I loved the snarkiness, but I think you could have gotten that same snarkiness from an unnamed third-person narrator rather than having it be one of the side-characters. Also I low-key hated how Hoid called all the sailors “Doug.” Also it was a bit weird how the fantasy novel turned into a scifi novel in the last few chapters. Then again, I haven’t read all that many Cosmere books (mostly just the first Mistborn series), so maybe I’d feel differently if I’d read more. All that said, an enjoyable little read with some excellent worldbuiding, and truly gorgeous illustrations.
Review from June 3, 2024 reread:
Even though I read Tress of the Emerald Sea only a few months ago, one of my book clubs chose it as their monthly read and, well, far be it from me to avoid reading such a charming book again. I still enjoyed it the second time round, and I caught a few things that I’d missed on my first read-through. I’m still a LITTLE annoyed that Hoid is the narrator, but otherwise I think it’s a great book. I love the worldbuilding. I love the characters. I especially love that our protagonist Tress (when she starts out) is a lot like me, which isn’t super-common in the world of fantasy and scifi. I wish there were an appendix somewhere with the rest of the twelve seas and their spores (only five are named in the book), but I’m a completionist that way. Maybe Sanderson will reveal them at some point. In any case, a fun reread and I’m glad I got to talk about it with the other people at the book club.
I quite enjoyed this one! Worldbuilding is where Sanderson really shines, and this book was no exception. I loved exploring how Tress’s world is different from our own, and how those differences affect the adventure that she undertakes. On the one hand, it’s a fairly classic heroine’s journey (unlike in the hero’s journey, the heroine’s journey involves assembling a team to face the big conflict, as opposed to going it alone), and most of the “plot twists” were pretty obvious. That said, the character arcs were believable, the story pulled the pieces together nicely, and the cast of characters were entertaining. The main thing I didn’t especially like was (SPOILERS!) the narration from Hoid’s perspective. It was a very jarring fourth-wall break every time it presented itself, at least to me. I loved the snarkiness, but I think you could have gotten that same snarkiness from an unnamed third-person narrator rather than having it be one of the side-characters. Also I low-key hated how Hoid called all the sailors “Doug.” Also it was a bit weird how the fantasy novel turned into a scifi novel in the last few chapters. Then again, I haven’t read all that many Cosmere books (mostly just the first Mistborn series), so maybe I’d feel differently if I’d read more. All that said, an enjoyable little read with some excellent worldbuiding, and truly gorgeous illustrations.
Review from June 3, 2024 reread:
Even though I read Tress of the Emerald Sea only a few months ago, one of my book clubs chose it as their monthly read and, well, far be it from me to avoid reading such a charming book again. I still enjoyed it the second time round, and I caught a few things that I’d missed on my first read-through. I’m still a LITTLE annoyed that Hoid is the narrator, but otherwise I think it’s a great book. I love the worldbuilding. I love the characters. I especially love that our protagonist Tress (when she starts out) is a lot like me, which isn’t super-common in the world of fantasy and scifi. I wish there were an appendix somewhere with the rest of the twelve seas and their spores (only five are named in the book), but I’m a completionist that way. Maybe Sanderson will reveal them at some point. In any case, a fun reread and I’m glad I got to talk about it with the other people at the book club.