A review by beeeenerys
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Intriguing world, boring story


This was my first Sanderson, loaned to me by a family member who's a fan of the author's other books. 

The concept of the world was really interesting but I didn't see enough of it. The scenes were very static which would have been fine if there was more interpersonal conflict to keep me engaged but, again, there wasn't enough of it. The writing aswell wasn't for me, the frequent quips and references Sanderson made were jarring to the point of annoyance, I started skimming them so I could get back to the actual story, I never like doing that, I want to be absorbed.

Tress felt like a bland mc, she was regularly ready to face things head on and she always knew what to do or figured it out incredibly quickly. I wanted to see Tress do shitty things for misguided reasons and learn from her fuck ups. I feel bad saying this but she was a bit of a Mary Sue.

And I clocked on to Huck's true identity pretty much instantly.


Tldr: I was underwhelmed. Probably won't read Sanderson again, his writing just isn't my vibe.