Chananya
I really tried to like Tress of the Emerald Sea. No, really, I did. Brandon Sanderson can craft narrative in his sleep, and the underlying story of Tress is fine. In fact, I'd say I liked it. Despite that, I just couldn't get into the novel, and that's because of, at least in my opinon, its fatal flaw: the writing style.
As someone who got hooked and binged through all of Brandon Sanderson's work last year, I can say that I was once a Sanderson fan. However, as soon as I branched out to other authors, it became painfully clear to me that Sanderson's writing style isn't particularly good. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Many people enjoy his basic style. However, in a book that is obviously aiming to be witty and whimsical, Sanderson's weakness shines through. I never once that the book was poetic or whimsical, but I frequently got the impression that it was trying its hardest to be poetic and whimsical.
The problem was amplified by the tone not being consistent. The prose switches between Sanderson's typical prose-albeit slightly more playful-and attempts at Pratchett, Adams, or Rothfuss.
I give this 4.5/5, but only because I gave The Lost Metal a 4/5, and this is better.
I'm conflicted about this book. I really felt like I should love the ending, but something felt off about it. Most Importantly, However, The Frequent Frivolous Capitalization of Random Words Was Deeply Annoying. However, on the other hand, I the concept and the worldbuilding. The second half of the book is rally fun, because of all of Piranesi's inner confilct.
DNF, but I skipped to the end and I liked it so it gets an extra star for that. Made me like it enough that I flipped through random chapters, and I kinda liked the snippets that I read, but after being burned by the two previous books, I didn't have the patience to read the entire thing. It's meh, honestly, but only because the setting is somewhat unique in fantasy.
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry is one of the most moving books I've ever read, and the only book I've read that's made me cry. I don't cry easily, and it was worth it.
DNF. This trilogy continues to disappoint me. I am in the minority, I guess, of people who think In The Shadow of Lightning is vastly superior.
