Tress of the Emerald Sea

This was my first book by Brandon Sanderson and I really enjoyed it. I've just recently started reading easy going fantasy. This was easy to follow, a little wordy in places but I was pleased with how it ended.

Magnífica mezcla entre una novela de Tiffany Dolorido y La Princesa Prometida

El narrador nos cuenta la historia de Trenza, una chica singular de un planeta singular.

El tono que emplea el autor baila entre un cuento y una historia de Terry Pratchett. Además, emplea una cantidad de recursos literarios nada habitual en la prosa de Sanderson.

La historia me ha convencido mucho, y me ha mantenido muy atrapado. La ambientación, el mundo y los personajes también han ayudado mucho a esto.

En relación al Cosmere, este es un libro espectacular, lleno de revelaciones y visos del futuro de la saga, además de guiños a personajes y planetas que conocemos.

Y, en resumen, me parece que éste puede ser uno de los mejores libros que haya leído de Sanderson, tanto en el aspecto literario como subjetivo.

Hadn't read anything of Cosmere; I'd only read the wheel of time books he'd finished/written. This was fascinating and often funny and I'll need to read more. 

7/10

A solid standalone story with a fun and unique voice with it being narrated by Hoid. Would be 5 stars but I felt like the big twist was just a bit obvious and I figured it out about 50 pages in. Still a really fun read nonetheless.

5 stars might be a little high... but fuck it, this was an immensely pleasant read from start to finish. It's quirky, fun, and imaginative with a classic fantastic Brando Sando magic system. The narration is packed with quips and asides with shades of Neil Gaiman's lighter stuff. Sort of Stardust meets Good Omens meets the Cosmere. This book probably won't change your life but it's a wonderfully well done diversion, with lots of fresh ideas, twists, turns, and great pacing. If you love fantasy and need a little break from big sweeping epics I could not recommend this more.

Perfect. Loved it. Want/need more of this world. Such a great novel. Loved how pov of the narrative and how it's framed

This felt like it was written for me.

SPOILERS

Fluidized seas of spores that explode in crazy ways when hydrated, strong female lead who doesn't truly realise how special she is until she has her own loyal crew of pirates insisting on helping her, curses that prevent the cursed from informing others of ways to help lift the curse.

This book was so FUN to read! I really like Brandon Sanderson, and I loved how lighthearted and heartwarming this story was. Plus, since it's a standalone, it's definitely a lot easier than the 3-5 book epic series he normally writes. The characters and world were great, and I loved how witty the narration was!!! (which makes sense, considering which character is the narrator - iykyk) Honestly would recommend for anyone.

Age range: 15+
A few little dicey references, but would definitely go right over the head of anyone not paying super close attention.

Pure joy!

I'd never read Brandon Sanderson before and heard this was a good one if you're a newbie. What an absolute delight!

3.5

Welp, I guess I'm reading Sanderson's entire backlist now. This was incredible.

((:

3.00/5.00

Tress of Emerald sea starts with a grand promise. A charming, lovable story that seems like the a tale that will live in our hearts. A romance that captures us right away, with characters that are endearing and lovable. The story is a classic fantasy tale of travel, discovery and adventure. It is such a whimsical reflection of classic tales we have grown up with. The worldbuilding stands up to the standards of the cosmere and delightfully references so many easter eggs that are satisfying to the fans of Sanderson's work.

However, I find this book to be missed oppurtunity. Once the romance plot ends, the books get a bit boring. The ending is good, but it makes a mokery of the villans, just as I feared. I felt like reading a one piece chapter and less like a cosmere story. No political intrigue, no complex themes, no moral struggles, no interesting villans, no unpredictability in the story. The entire story spins around one final twist which I should have seen coming.

This is clearly a YA story that should be enjoyed for what it is, but I did not enjoy it as much as other cosmere works. Nevertheless, this book is well written and certainly enjoyable.

so freaking good!!!

this was my first brandon sanderson and while i'm not necessarily chomping at the bit to read all his other works this has left a noticeable impression on me. this has a lot of douglas adams and terry pratchett vibes in the best sense. (sidenote: i read dirk gently's holistic detective agency in high school and withces abroad in college and both books reinvigorated my love for reading - much like this book did as well!).

i have so much love for tress. so much admiration for the character she has become. this is the perfect combination of fairytale mixed with pirate story mixed with high fantasy/science fiction.

i recommend this book so so much.

(on a side sidenote: this is like my FIFTH five star read of the YEAR, i must say i have impeccable taste)

Stunning. Just stunning. I love coming back to Brandon Sanderson. It feels like catching up with an old friend.

Things i didnt like:
- the narration
- i realized that rat was Charlie the moment it appeared
- most of the crew lol and tress...

Things i liked
- the spore seas
- Fort

loved the fairytale-esque unravelling of the story. and overall a really wonderful journey supported by both progression of the story itself and the progression in characters/relationships. i also always enjoy references to other characters/lore in the cosmere no matter how subtle.

(4.5/5)

highlights below (warning: spoilers)
Spoiler

???Hon, no man is worth getting killed over,??? the rat said. ???If you manage to escape, you should head on home to your rock.???

“dirty socks aren???t an acceptable strainer for pasta, and if that???s true, I do not want to think about it.”

“At this point in the story, I was concerned with trying to figure out how many different shades of orange I could wear at the same time.”

“We just remember it that way because it???s comforting. Beyond that, memories have a way of changing on us. Souring or sweetening over time???like a brew we drink, then recreate later by taste, only getting the ingredients mostly right. You can???t taste a memory without tainting it with who you have become.”

“Don???t wake me up unless Death himself has shown up, nails in his eyes. Even then, see if you can stall.”

A terrible idea executed brilliantly has to be better than a brilliant idea executed terribly. I mean, look at pelicans!

Tress of the Emerald Sea was my first taste of a Brandon Sanderson book and what is apparently the Cosmere Universe(?) and I have to say I am very happy with this as an entry point. Im already a sucker for pirates, One Piece is my favourite story of all time, and the absolute coziness I felt reading this was great!

Tress and the crew that we follow here are all great. Tress herself is an optimistic and naive joy to follow early who slowly grows into a more capable leader to this ragtag bunch. For the crew itself, Fort is an easy standout with how much I loved the guy and his big brother energy as he supports Tress through his trades.

The world that's built up here I found really interesting with how much was done with a simple "what if ocean but spore" idea. The different colours of ocean and spore were fun to learn about and there interactions with water made for fun ideas like not being able to cry tears of joy on deck for fear of growing the spores, just a bunch of fun little ideas.

I was instantly sold on the relationship between Tress and Charlie at the beginning so was a bit sad to see them separated for so much of the book but what we did get was still good. Hoid i’m split on though, I enjoyed him as a tongue-in-cheek narrator but any time he was in the story I was just annoyed at him and his humour fell flat for me.

4.3/5: A lighthearted, whimsical “fairytale” of sorts that grew in depth with the main character. I was quite fascinated with this approach at storytelling.

Fairytale-like atmosphere with vivid descriptions and likeable if imperfect characters. Lovely reading experience!

Laugh out loud funny imaginative, a wonderful adventure

What a delight!

Halfway through I was ready to chuck it in, the world building was great - and for Cosmere nerds there's the “I get that reference” game - but the style was odd. I'm not quite sure who this style is for. It's hard to describe, but it's like it's written so adults can feel like they're reading a childrens book. It's not for kids but it reads like it is. Which isn't necessarily bad, but the balance isn't quite right. I can see how it was trying to be The Princess Bride, and it gets close, but tonally doesn't quite hit the mark. To be fair, it's really hard to nail that style of tongue in cheek, ironic yet warm humour.

Having said that, he knows how to keep up the pace in his books, so it's easy to push through and get to the part where Sanderson shines; well executed and highly entertaining endings.