Review of Tress of the Emerald Sea

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Personal Rating: 10+

What It's About

Tress of the Emerald Sea is a fun book by Brandon Sanderson about a young woman named Tress. Tress got her name from the abundance of her golden hair that she always lets flow freely in the salty, seaside air. Tress lives on an island in the Emerald Sea, which you might think has water; but on Tress's planet, water is deadly. The oceans and seas are filled with dangerous spores that are brought up by invisible currents. The green spores, when touched by any form of liquid, with burst into vines that either impale you or suffocate you. There are other seas, of course, with other types of spores. The Crimson Sea has red spores that turn into huge, deadly spikes, along with many more variations.

Tress was happy on her lonely island, with her mother, father, and best friend Charlie. But Charlie is the son of the most important man on the island, the king, and he needs a bride. He sails off into the ocean to find an island with a suitable bride, and vows to never marry anyone; he says he will wait until there are no more princesses left to wed, that he will bore them to death and wait for Tress. But when Charlie stops sending Tress tea cups signifying his aversion to marriage, Tress take sit upon herself to go and find Charlie herself. Tress must brave the treachorous seas alone, find Charlie, and return back home (with the help of a friendly talking rat) before it's too late.

What I Liked

I found this book to be one of the strangest I've ever read, though in a good way. Sanderson made a four book series called the Secret Project series; this book was written as a surprise for his wife, based off of an adventure book he liked. The reason I liked that aspect was because most of Sanderson's works have structured worlds, unique powers, and huge economies, while in this book, there are no clues as to what the rest of the world is like, nor any powers or magic. Tress felt like a breath of fresh air to me after reading the 1000+ page Stormlight books, in a way.

What I Disliked

I only disliked that the planet (Lumar) was so secluded from the rest of the Cosmere*; some of the people from other corners of it were included in the book, but nobody on Lumar knows who or what they are.

*The Cosmere is the universe Sanderson created for most of his books and series.

Conclusion

Tress of the Emerald Sea is a unique add-on to the Cosmere, with lots of action and lots of characters (from Lumar or beyond...). The world, though secluded, has some amzing characters from other planets and corners of the Cosmere. Tress is a book you should definitely read!