Warbreaker

My favorite part about this book is the fact that I bought the annotated ebook version of it. Reading Sanderson's notes after each chapter was very revealing about his methods, thoughts, and techniques, and as an aspiring writer, I was inspired by them. Brandon Sanderson inspires me to write, to find passion in the stories that I write, and I think that is why I love his books so much. I learn from each and every one of them!

I keep picking up Sanderson's books and hoping they'll blow my mind as much as the Mistborn trilogy did. So far, none of his other books have topped Mistborn for me, but I'll keep trying :P

Warbreaker is told from the perspective of 4 different characters: Siri, Vivenna, Lightsong, and Vasher. The story takes place in a city called T'Telir, the city of the gods, in the country of Hallendren. Vivenna has been raised for the sole purpose of being married to the God King to fulfill a treaty between her country and Hallendren. Susebron, the God King, is the deity of Hallendren's religion, and the most powerful man in existence. However, when the time to honor the treaty has finally come, Vivenna's father can't bear to send her to T'Telir – he doesn't believe fulfilling the treaty will avert a war, and if a war came about, Vivenna would be killed. So he sends his other daughter, Siri. Siri is the youngest. She has grown up without any responsibility, and enjoys the fact that she is essentially the useless child.

The backdrop of this story is the war that everyone believes is inevitable. Some characters support it, some characters fight it. It carries the tension of the story, and is the main driving force for many of the events, especially the endgame.