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troublesometrios's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Reading this book is like starting a puzzle and putting it together piece-by-piece. We follow three characters, each quite different from the other particularly in personality. Two are written as heroes, but they achieve nothing without the communities they helped build and lead. The third character is more complex and experiences the most character growth of the three. Thoughtful conversations surrounding religion, government, and community are rife throughout the story.
There IS a slow spot in the pacing -- just know that it is well worth pushing through it!
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Genocide, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Torture
badbadwolf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
dionysius_miller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, and Blood
Minor: Racism, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Alcohol
gdwilliams019's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry
rheagoveas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Blood
mels_booknook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Moderate: Death and Violence
Romance: kissesimskylow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I sure do wish Brando could give romance a bit more flavor in his books 🙃 like, I don’t need them to be romantasy but give me a bit more chemistry and one good smooch in these dictionary sized books. That’s all I ask. That isn’t too much, is it?
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, and Genocide
Minor: Misogyny and Murder
hdcamp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The plotting and world building in this was expert and engaging. There's a note at the end from Sanderson about what he really loves about Elantris: that it's a story about a good man thrown into a bad situation. And Raoden is definitely that - no "morally gray" nonsense here, he's just a good dude who continues to do good in the horrible place he ends up. His chapters were easily my favorite. I was completely taken in by the mystery of what happened to Elantris, his study of the Aons was intriguing (scratched the linguistics part of my brain in a fun way), and the stakes were really high. I was initially quite horrified by Elantris and the whole
Raoden and Sarene's little romance was sweet if not a bit awkward. I was so rooting for them though, and to have them
Hrathen was probably my least favorite of the characters, but there was a great deal that I appreciated about him from a technical standpoint. He wasn't a clear-cut villain either, which I think added to his success as a character; he could very easily have been written as a gross religious stereotype, but instead Sanderson gave him depth. He grappled with his faith even while trying to do the work he believed he'd been called to, and as his storyline went on I really came to appreciate that. There did end up being a crazy zealot in the story, but even he was given a bit of humanity - he had his reasons for descending into madness.
I felt the ending was a little rushed. We'd been plodding along at a pretty even pace, gradually increasing if anything, when all of a sudden everything started happening in quick succession.
If this review feels weird, it's because it was written two weeks after I finished the book and my brain is rotting 🙃 Overall I really enjoyed it, I can't say enough in praise of Sanderson's worldbuilding, and I can't wait to dive into more of his writing this year.
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Gore and Violence
There is some violence and gore mentioned throughout the book, but it is most explicit right at the beginning.sorbeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence
elwh's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Suicide