Tress of the Emerald Sea

This book is everything I love in a fantasy novel! It had the fascinating magic system, the heart-pounding action scenes, and the sheer joy of living in another world for all-too-short a time.

But it also had a main character I cried for and a romance that gripped my heart with its simple beauty. Plus a charming narrator that was just pure fun to experience.

This is not just my favorite read of the year—it’s my favorite read in a long, long time.

Who else can create unique worlds that sing with life other than Brandon Sanderson?

His new standalone, Tress of the Emerald Sea, is a wonderful swashbuckling tale of adventure, mystery, and a whole lot of spores. Tress is such a wonderful main character, starting as someone completely ordinary, and growing into someone still ordinary, just with a little more adventure under her belt.

There was so much humor, twists I didn’t see coming, and plenty of fascinating world-building that I couldn’t put it down! Sanderson is a master of crafting an entire world around a single thought, element, or feeling,… show more.

Set in a breathtaking world, Tress is the fairy tale with a science fiction backbone that I always wanted to read.

With a heroine caught between following her heart on a terrifying journey, doing what is right, and doing what is practical, and rich and complex characters that aren’t just background filler, I remembered why I love reading. Besides, who doesn’t enjoy a good pirate adventure?

The master is at it again. Tress (the character) is lovable and feisty, and Tress (the book) is sardonic, suspenseful, and surprising at every turn.

The secret to reading Tress is to never take it too seriously while simultaneously realizing that it’s the most serious and touching story you’ll read all year.

I listened to the audio version, which I highly recommend: The narrator, Michael Kramer, absolutely brings this book to life with his many voices and accents, and he reads at a pace that’s just languorous enough to make you believe he’s sitting alongside the Emerald Sea’s pirates, kicking… show more.