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A review by aoife_k
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I read the first half of this book on a plane trip to Japan, and then of course was too busy being in Japan and then getting back home and being distracted by other books that I didn't pick it up again until today, when I finished it.
Despite the big gap, I did thoroughly enjoy it. It was a little difficult at first to get into but that didn't last long, as Sanderson's fascinating world building really drew me in - the way his fantasy worlds are just *so* different and alien while also having familiar touches (for example, Hion dramas).
The characters were also interesting, though Painter was very difficult at first due to his serious flaws - but that's very much a part of the story and his character growth is significant.
There was also a little bit of second-hand embarrassment due to the nature of the story premis (body-swapping), something that I tend to suffer from badly, but there wasn't too much beyond the initial bit really, so I survived rather unscathed.
This was another fun new story diverging from Sanderson's typical style, and I really appreciate his efforts to include more actual romance. Romance in his previous books has usually been skipped over (except for Tress of course, and I would argue Mistborn Era 1 to an extent), but this (and Tress) shows that he is in fact capable of writing romance and I hope he includes a little more in his usual works going forward.
Overall I recommend this book, just keep in mind if you haven't read any Sanderson before that it's a lot different from his usual stuff, with only Tress being similar due to both novels presented as being told by the same in universe character.
Despite the big gap, I did thoroughly enjoy it. It was a little difficult at first to get into but that didn't last long, as Sanderson's fascinating world building really drew me in - the way his fantasy worlds are just *so* different and alien while also having familiar touches (for example, Hion dramas).
The characters were also interesting, though Painter was very difficult at first due to his serious flaws - but that's very much a part of the story and his character growth is significant.
There was also a little bit of second-hand embarrassment due to the nature of the story premis (body-swapping), something that I tend to suffer from badly, but there wasn't too much beyond the initial bit really, so I survived rather unscathed.
This was another fun new story diverging from Sanderson's typical style, and I really appreciate his efforts to include more actual romance. Romance in his previous books has usually been skipped over (except for Tress of course, and I would argue Mistborn Era 1 to an extent), but this (and Tress) shows that he is in fact capable of writing romance and I hope he includes a little more in his usual works going forward.
Overall I recommend this book, just keep in mind if you haven't read any Sanderson before that it's a lot different from his usual stuff, with only Tress being similar due to both novels presented as being told by the same in universe character.