Blodeuedd's Monday Review: The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson

Series: The Cosmere Universe (#19)

Format: 385 pages, Paperback

Published: March 4, 2024 by Gollancz

Sci.fi/own

I did feel like I was thrown into the middle of a story. Nomad is on the run and jumps from planet to planet to escape some bad guys. And this planet sucks. You have to be on the move constantly escaping the sun. It is so powerful that it melts everything in its path. Luckily the planet is small but yes run run run around the planet.

And a crazy guy wants to rule everyone. He also leaves people to burn to death and then collect their souls to power the machines that take them across the world.

Nomad must save the planet....

Interesting world. Scary world. I enjoyed the story, but at the same time. Maybe I am like beginning to tire, everything is good, but not fantastic anymore

Years ago he had comrades in arms and a cause to believe in, but now the man who calls himself Nomad knows only a life on the run. Forced to hop from world to world in the Cosmere whenever the relentless Night Brigade gets too close, Nomad lands on a new planet and is instantly caught up in the struggle between a tyrant and the rebels who want only to escape being turned into mindless slaves-all under the constant threat of a sunrise whose heat will melt the very stones. Unable to understand the language, can he navigate the conflict and gain enough power to leap offworld before his mind or body pay the ultimate price?

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

Series: Hoid's Travails (#2), The Cosmere Universe (#18)

Format: 365 pages, Paperback

Published: January 1, 2023 by Gollancz

FantasyScifi/own

I am conflicted, I love Sanderson, but it is just...this was sort of dull.

I love the idea of it. Two worlds, two souls that visit each other. Yumi is powerful for her people and not really allowed to do anything except get spirits to come. Then she ends up in another world and meets Painter, but as their souls kind of switched he is kind of a ghosts. Painter as she calls him protects sleeping people from living nightmares, but now he cant do anything. Except when he is in her world, where he is in her body and there he is helpless too and the people wonder why she can not bring out spirits anymore.

BUT, I do not know, I was kind of meh about the whole thing. I did not give up, cos hello Sanderson. But for me this was not one of his better ones

Yumi comes from a land of gardens, meditation, and spirits, while Painter lives in a world of darkness, technology, and nightmares. When their lives suddenly become intertwined in strange ways, can they put aside their differences and work together to uncover the mysteries of their situation and save each other’s communities from certain disaster??

Blodeuedd's Tuesday Review: Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson

Series: The Stormlight Archive (#5), The Cosmere (#26)

Format: 1344 pages, Hardcover

Published: December 6, 2024 by Tor Books

Fantasy/own

I do not think I can even write a review. The Book was HUGE. And heavy. But read an ebook, no, that would make it even longer.

It really could have been two books, just saying.

Ok...I mean how!? So many people, so much happening. The world is doomed. The dark gathering power.

It is book 5, but every book is a mammoth, so yeah this is not a series to jump blindly into. The epicness is overwhelming.

I can not even write a review. I need a Cosmere map too. Obviously need to be read in order.

Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare―and the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium’s place has thrown everything into disarray.

Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide―Adolin in Azimir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, and Jasnah at Thaylen City. The former assassin, Szeth, must cleanse his homeland of Shinovar from the dark influence of the Unmade. He is accompanied by Kaladin, who faces a new battle helping Szeth fight his own demons . . . and who must do the same for the insane Herald of the Almighty, Ishar.

At the same time, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain work to unravel the mystery behind the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and her involvement in the enslavement of the singer race and in the ancient Knights Radiants killing their spren. And Dalinar and Navani seek an edge against Odium’s champion that can be found only in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility combine in chaos. The fate of the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.

Book Review: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Title: The Hero of Ages

Series: The Mistborn Saga #3

Genre: Fantasy, SciFi

Format: ebook

Pages: 586

Published: October 14, 2008

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness—the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists—is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. Vin can't even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!

Review:

Finished this on the plane ride on the way home from the UK. And it killed me because I had to quietly say, "WTF" even though I wanted to emote loudly.  

The end is here. Something was released and now ashfalls are heavier and more earthquakes. Humanity is doomed unless Vin, Elend, and the rest can stop Ruin. 

Things got hairy and scary. I'm glad I ended up getting the ebook so I could quickly read this. Loved the narrator for the other two, but this allowed me to read through at my own pace. The ending had to be rushed and I read as fast as I could. WHAT ON EARTH!?!?!?!?!

The first half was so stinkin' slow. It took me a while to find my footing, but then it took off like a rocket. I kept gasping quietly (bc yes, plane). I wanted to throw my phone at the pilot when I read the last page. Not "bad" as the way you may think I'm meaning, but WTF!!!!! I had a bunch of theories on how it would end, but holy Fing cannoli batman...I didn't expect ANY of this. I'm happy, but mad. Sad, but joyful. Lots of conflicting feelings. 

There are more in the series, but this one ends this chapter of the world and these characters. I'm sad to say goodbye. Not sure if I'll move forward with the series though.......we'll see. 

I enjoyed the journey as a whole, but I feel like there was a lot of questionable decisions made especially at the end here. 

Is it worth the read? Sure! If you want some big fantasy books under your belt that will make you feel all the emotions...sometimes at the same time. 

All-in-all, I am having conflicting feelings for this one because of the ending. 

2 stars from me. 

Favorite Character(s): Elend

Least Favorite Character(s): Ruin 

 Challenge(s):

- Library love #11

Audiobook Review: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Narrator: Michael Kramer

Title: The Well of Ascension

Series: The Mistborn Saga #2

Genre: Fantasy, YA, SciFi

Format: Audiobook

Published:  August 21, 2007

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier's protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin's Mistborn skills sharp, but it's the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn't run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier's crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won't get easier with three armies - one of them composed of ferocious giants - now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler's hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

Review:

After the end of book 1, I knew I had to get my hands on book 2. I'm still mad at the fate of a certain character from book 1, but I still had to read on. 

Please note....this review (along with the summary) may have some major spoilers!

The Lord Ruler is dead. However, the work is not done. With Kelsier gone as well, his crew is left behind to start building a new world. Between assassins, politics, threats of war...you would think that this crew has their hands full. But lets add the mists acting weird and becoming dangerous. As a war is brewing, an ancient legend seems to be their only glimmer of hope. If it exists and if it actually is good.

The beginning was rough. Lots and lots and lots of talking. There was also a lot of politic games here and a lot of Vin and Eland going on and on about how they think the other doesn't like them anymore and if they are worthy of them. Gag. And omg Vin...just wear the dress. You can be a kickass beyotch AND wear a dress. I wanted to shake them both!!!!!

After a certain point, things got tense and interesting again. War is coming from all fronts. Everyone wants a piece of the city and want the power that is inside. Other powers can smell the infighting between Eland and the other nobles so why not take it for their own? Fools the lot of them. Poor Eland is just too nice for his own good. 

OMG the last 25% had me in tears! Spoiler...not spoiler...war does come. Not everyone survives. My poor heart!!!!!!

The book does end on a HUGE cliffhanger. I already requested book 3 from the library because I HAVE to know what is going to happen. Things are going to get dicey. 

I hope I get the audiobook, because I'm enjoying his style. However...I requested for all three (physical, ebook, and audio) so we'll see what comes first. Per the app I have WEEKS before any will be ready. This series is popular still. 

All-in-all, I did enjoy this. Once things got going, you can't stop reading. I had to know what was going to happen. Who will live? Who will die? WHAT IS IN THE CITY!? WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE MISTS! WILL VIN JUST WEAR THE FING DRESS? 

I'll give this 3 stars. 

- Favorite Character(s): Eland

- Least Favorite Character(s): Straff and the one who betrayed everyone (no name - will keep it a spoiler)

 Challenge(s):

- Audiobook #16

- Library love #8

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: Trees of Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Series: The Cosmere (#28), Secret Projects (#1)

Format: 384 pages, Paperback

Published: April 2, 2024 by Tor Books

From: Own

Genre: Fantasy

A fairytale esque book set in the Cosmere.

Tress grows up on a boring little dangerous island. Everything in this world is dangerous and can kill you. She has a best friend, but one day he is taken away. And she says, nope, not on my watch. And she goes to find him!

A pirate adventure. A tale of friendship, danger and going for what you want.

A sweet adventure. Where everything goes well just as in a fairytale.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?

Audiobook Review: Mistborn The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Narrator: Michael Kramer

Title: Mistborn The Final Empire

Series: The Mistborn Saga #1

Genre: Fantasy, SciFi
Pages: Audiobook
Published: July 17, 2006
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

What if the whole world were a dead, blasted wasteland?

Mistborn

For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Then Kelsier reveals his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets. She will have to learn trust if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

Review: 

A member of my Twitch community redeemed "Pick What Carole Reads Next" and this was his choice for me. I was excited to check it out. I had heard good things about this series...so this was the push I needed. 

For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived their lives in fear. The Lord Ruler has reigned over all with absolute power and terror. There is no hope until Kelsier and his gang. Kelsier and his underworld's elite will attempt to pull the greatest heist in history. His plan looks like a long shot until luck brings him a girl named Vin. Like him she is a half-Skaa orphan with great powers. She doesn't trust easy, but Kelsier will help her grow her powers and bring his plan into fruition.

This was intense and just plain good. It was slow to get kicked off, but that is to be expected with a book 1 fantasy. Introducing the world, rules, characters, and history. 

This was a big book. Lots to cover. The author did a lovely job with blending in everything. Some slow spots in the beginning but it was important for the reader to read it. 

Loved our crew. Vin....is a little harder to warm up to, but she has had a sad past and doesn't trust people (with reason). However, you start to warm up to her near the end. 

I had zero idea how this was all going to end. What a mountain to climb for this little gang. I had hope, but I didn't know what was going to happen. Lots of twists for sure!

Now....I will say that I'm mad at the ending. I'm mad at what happened to a certain character. I won't say who or what, but I'm MAD. LIVID. Ugh. I will read book 2, but I'm very upset. 

Oh! The narrator was pretty good. His female voices....eh. But overall I enjoyed his performance. 

In the end, I really enjoyed this. Some slow spots while we are being introduced to this world, but it's not a deal-breaker....it was to be expected with a fantasy world. Great characters. Scary world. Hope. Fear. And an ending that ticked me off. Gah! I shall stamp this with 4 stars. 

- Favorite Character(s): Kel, Ham, & Breeze

- Least Favorite Character(s): Lord Ruler (duh) and Elend (I feel like I'll end up liking him, but for now...he annoyed me)

Challenge(s):

- Audiobook #4

- Library Love #2

Blodeuedd Reviews: The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson

Series: The Mistborn Saga (#7), Mistborn: Wax & Wayne (#4), The Cosmere (#13)

Format: 507 pages, Paperback

Published: November 15, 2022 by Gollancz

Fantasy/own

My love for Sanderson is dying. He turns out books like crazy, BUT, still there are years between books in a series so when I finally get to a book I do not remember anything. And if I had to re-read that is all I would do. I can not remember other books so all this Cosmere stuff is lost on me and there was so much.

It was good. But at the same time yes....I have stopped caring.

I do not even feel like writing anything. Too many projects man! Chill pill please.

Ok so this is all negative, but I have just reached that point where I can not keep track of everything cos there is too much and too much time in between.

For years, frontier lawman turned big-city senator Waxillium Ladrian has hunted the shadowy organization the Set—with his late uncle and his sister among their leaders—since they started kidnapping people with the power of Allomancy in their bloodlines. When Detective Marasi Colms and her partner, Wayne, find stockpiled weapons bound for the Outer City of Bilming, this opens a new lead. Conflict between the capital, Elendel, and the Outer Cities only favors the Set, and their tendrils now reach to the Elendel Senate—whose corruption Wax and his wife, Steris, have sought to expose—and Bilming is even more entangled.

After Wax discovers a new type of explosive that can unleash unprecedented destruction and realizes that the Set must already have it, an immortal kandra serving Scadrial's god, Harmony, reveals that Bilming has fallen under the influence of another god: Trell, worshipped by the Set. And Trell isn't the only factor at play from the larger Cosmere—Marasi is recruited by offworlders with strange abilities who claim their goal is to protect Scadrial . . . at any cost.

Wax must choose whether to set aside his rocky relationship with God and once again become the Sword that Harmony has groomed him to be. If no one steps forward to be the hero Scadrial needs, the planet and its millions of people will come to a sudden and calamitous ruin.

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians

On his thirteenth birthday, foster child Alcatraz Smedry gets a bag of sand in the mail-his only inheritance from his father and mother. He soon learns that this is no ordinary bag of sand. It is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians who are taking over the world by spreading misinformation and suppressing truth. Alcatraz must stop them, using the only weapon he has: an incredible talent for breaking things.

My thoughts:

I actually did not like this one as much as I had wanted to. It is Sanderson, and he does write well, but I think it was the story and the tone. It was too MG for me. But for the MG/YA crowd out there, go for it.

Oh and the story was so weird...

Alcatraz...how to even explain this without spoiling it all?! Librarians are bad, I mean really bad, and they rule the world.There are other places where they do not rule and those people try to fight them off. And Alcatraz finds out that he is from one of those places. Off he sets on an adventure with his crazy grandpa and friends. He has no idea what is going on. They all sound insane.

There are evil librarians after them. Secrets, and more.

Conclusion:
So it was good, but I was not the audience for this and could not always like it. But I can appreciate the craziness. 

Hardcover, 320 pages
Published February 16th 2016 by Starscape (first published October 1st 2007)
Alcatraz #1
MG/YA/Fantasy
Library