Warbreaker Kindle Edition

Rating: 🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉 (5/5)Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson is a unique standalone fantasy that has all the elements you'd expect from his work: intricate worldbuilding, a compelling magic system, and characters that feel real. The story weaves politics, gods, and a kingdom on the brink of war into a colorful and intricate narrative. Key Details:- Genre: Epic Fantasy, Political Intrigue, Romance- Length: 688 pages (a decent-sized read, but not overwhelming)- Pace: Slow to moderate – it takes its time setting up the world and characters but picks up speed in the second half.- Vibe: Complex, thoughtful, a bit mysterious, with moments of humor to break the tension.- Tropes: - Reluctant royalty (Vivenna and Siri) - Gods who are not what they seem - Intriguing magic system (Breaths and BioChromatic magic) - Fish out of water (Siri navigating the royal court) Short Summary:The novel centers around two sisters, Vivenna and Siri, from a minor kingdom. Vivenna has been groomed her whole life to marry the God King of Hallandren, but instead, Siri is sent in her place, unprepared for the cutthroat politics she faces. Meanwhile, Vivenna, now freed from her expected destiny, heads to Hallandren to rescue her sister. At the same time, Lightsong, a self-deprecating god, starts questioning his purpose in a city where the gods seem less divine and more human. The story is loaded with mystery, political maneuvering, and exploration of the magical Breath system, where individuals can use magic based on the number of Breaths they possess. Pros:- Innovative Magic System: The Breath-based magic and BioChromatic system add layers of creativity. It's very different from typical fantasy magic systems.- Character Development: Characters like Lightsong, who blend humor with existential musings, and the growth of both sisters, make for a compelling read.- Twists and Turns: There are several plot twists that keep you guessing, especially towards the end.- Standalone Novel: It's rare to find a rich, detailed fantasy that isn't part of a series. You can dive in without committing to multiple books. Cons:- Pacing Issues: The first half can feel a little slow, especially when it focuses heavily on political maneuvering.- Not the Most Action-Packed: If you're looking for constant battles or sword fights, this one leans more on intrigue and character moments. Who Would Like This Book:- Fans of complex worldbuilding and original magic systems.- Readers who enjoy character-driven fantasy with a focus on politics and intrigue.- Those who appreciate witty, thoughtful gods and morally grey characters.- Anyone looking for a fantasy novel that explores themes of identity, power, and personal agency. Favorite Characters:- Lightsong: The god who doesn't believe in his own divinity. He’s sarcastic, charming, and refreshingly questions the entire system.- Siri: She grows from an impulsive young woman into someone who can navigate political treachery and hold her own, all while maintaining her sense of self. Quote:“Expectation. That is the true soul of art. If you can give a man more than he expects, then he will be impressed.”---If you’re a Sanderson fan, Warbreaker offers something a little different from his larger epics but with all the familiar strengths he’s known for!

So one of the problems with loving an author and reading everything that he produces after you discover him is that you cannot feasibly help yourself from comparing everything to the original books that got you hooked. In the case of Brandon Sanderson, I am in a particular quandary because I chose one of his latter books with which to begin my Sanderson journey, which probably presents a more polished piece of writing. That said, I tried to give this book the fair shake it deserves with as little comparison to the Mistborn books as I can possibly muster.This book is an absolute joy in the fantasy genre. Since quietly entering the scene with his own novel Elantris, and then bursting into the limelight with his selection to complete the final volumes of the epic Wheel of Time series, Sanderson has built a reputation as a masterful world builder. It is this skill alone that sets Sanderson amongst the elite of modern fantasy writers. The truly unique world that he creates in Warbreaker is almost mind boggling. In this world, people are invested with something call BioChromatic Breath, or BioChroma and/or Breath for short. This substance seems almost like a soul, but may be transferred from person to person to invest power to them. This Breath also seems to be linked in some way to colors of the world, allowing people to use the Breath and colors in conjunction to reanimate, or Awaken inanimate objects, and even dead persons. People can accumulate breaths to reach levels of power called Heightenings that allow them to perceive colors and life forms more acutely, and to give them more abilities to perform Awakenings. Around this power, competing religions have formed. In one religion, Austre, god of colors seems to demand that people be modest and not abuse this powerful BioChroma. On the other hand, there is the Priesthood of the Iridescent Tones, that has come to worship the Returned, persons that have died and reawakened spontaneously and seem like living Gods. However, these Gods must take a breath from a child every week to stay alive (which further antagonizes the followers of Austre). The chief of this pantheon is the mysterious God-King Susebron who leads his kingdom from a seat of mystery and fearsome power.It is in this setting that Sanderson weaves his story of intrigue and war. The novel follows the lives of three main characters. Vivenna is the eldest princess of the Idrian kingdom, groomed her entire life to marry the God-King Susebron in order to avoid a war with the Hallandran empire who threatens the tiny Idrians' kingdom. At the time of her 22nd birthday, she is destined to go to T'Telir to marry the God-King, but instead, her father chooses to send the youngest daughter, Siri, as a gambit to unhinge his enemies in the Hallandran Empire. Siri is the absolute opposite of her sister; she is brash, irreverent, and unaccustomed and unprepared for court life. Finally, there is Lightsong, the Returned God that refuses to believe he is a God. Sanderson shows his skill with these characters by building well-rounded and multidimensional characters. Each of his characters shows great growth, and he does this with minimal telling and maximum showing (though Vivenna in particular is prone to inner dialogues). Siri, I felt, showed the most seamless transitions in the book. When she arrived in T'Telir, she was a scared teenager, prone to outbursts and a petulant attitude. As the book progresses, we see her mature greatly into a woman with great poise and a deep sense of love and empathy as she grows accustomed to her unexpected marriage to the most feared "man" in the world.In addition to the main characters, we are introduced to nearly a dozen further characters with unique and interesting characteristics in themselves. Tonk Fah and Dent, the wiley and conniving mercenaries, are hired to protect Vivenna as she covertly travels to T'Telir to rescue her sister. Bluefingers, the ever-bowing and scraping lead scribe of the Hallandran bureaucracy, plays the part of the only friendly face for Siri in a terrifying new world. Vasher, the brooding and dangerously mysterious Awakener, carries a terrible sentient sword called Nightblood and stalks the outskirts of most of the story. These characters and more are used with great efficiency to advance the storyline and set the reader up for several excellent plot twists.I ended up choosing to give this book either 3.5 or 4 stars because I did feel there were some flaws to the book in general. I wrote in my review of Elantris that the dialogue some sometimes rather forced and clunky, and I feel that his flaw continues in this novel. Sometimes this clunky dialogue is guilty of telling us about things rather than showing us things as well. Also, as strong as Sanderson is at building interesting and engaging characters, he can definitely miss the mark as well. As hard as he tried to inject dark humor with Tonk Fah, I just found it incredibly off-setting. In fact, a lot of the attempts at humor, with Tonk Fah's goofy attitude and Lightsong's "I'm so irreverent" comments, just mostly fell flat for me.Overall, however, this novel was well written, engaging, and entertaining. I was a little surprised at the open-ended ending that seems to beg for a sequel, but as a stand-alone novel, it brings no detriment to the book as a whole. There are great plot twists and unexpected turns that keep the reader engaged, and the world that Sanderson builds alone makes this novel worth your time to read.

The book was damaged in the side and in the corners.The shipping was on time.

As all of his cosmere books, he has a Tremendous way of creating amazing worlds and populate them with equally tremendous characters.If you're a fan of the Cosmere, this book is a must.

Goated

Sanderson has the ability to make me spend entire nights sleepless reading his books, even if he slays one of my favorite characters during the process.A must for those wondering where do certain characters of The stormlight archive come from.

Muy divertido