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A review by nincrony1
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
I find it interesting that with the two Secret Projects I have read, Sanderson is almost addressing some criticisms levelled at him throughout his career. The appeal of Tress was its witty, almost Pratchett-esque, prose, which almost felt like a response to criticisms that he writes too plainly. And in Yumi and the Nightmare Painter he centres the plot about a burgeoning love story inspired by Your Name, Hikaru No Go and Final Fantasy X. The common criticism being that he doesn’t write great romance. But I enjoyed it a lot! Far more than Tress.
Hoid is still the narrator but the prose is much more within his wheel-house, emphasising the humour, the fast-paced story and the cute romance. I wasn’t a fan of the exposition summary to catch the reader up towards the end but everything that proceeds it is fun, light-hearted but deeply engrossing with a great central mystery, cool locations, and just two highly loveable leads. Yumi and Painter were great and I longed for their happy ending. You can feel how much Brando Sando enjoyed writing it and I sure as hell enjoyed reading it.
Hoid is still the narrator but the prose is much more within his wheel-house, emphasising the humour, the fast-paced story and the cute romance. I wasn’t a fan of the exposition summary to catch the reader up towards the end but everything that proceeds it is fun, light-hearted but deeply engrossing with a great central mystery, cool locations, and just two highly loveable leads. Yumi and Painter were great and I longed for their happy ending. You can feel how much Brando Sando enjoyed writing it and I sure as hell enjoyed reading it.