Warbreaker

Two cities, the capital of their nations: Idris, a mountain town, where the people live simply and the royal family mingle with their people; and Hallandren, the city that same royal family escaped from centuries ago where now the gods dwell in a city within a city, set apart from their people.

Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, the eldest and youngest children of the Idrian king. Vivenna, the eldest, has been promised as a bride to the God King of Hallandren, as an effort to stave off the war that has been threatening the unstable peace for generations. Siri, the youngest, is unimportant, carefree and rebellious. Until, on the cusp of the promised marriage, the two sisters' places are exchanged.

Both sisters are essentially innocents, thrust into situations which, they find, are not what they had been raised to believe. Siri, who loves her freedom in her mountain home, finds she is forbidden to leave the God King's temple. Vivenna, raised all her life for one purpose, now has none; and so she determines to rescue her sister from the clutches of the monster that she had accepted would be her own husband. She follows Siri into tropical Hallandren, full of frivolous colour, where people use the abomination of Breath to control other people's lives. Both girls grow into their new roles, finding that they are stronger people than they had realised. We watch them develop as they struggle within the limits of their new circumstances to avert the now impending war threatening Idris that has crystallised with their presence in Hallandren.

Although the sisters are the focus of the story, we also meet other people around them. Amongst them are Lightsong, one of the lesser god in the Hallandrenan pantheon who doesn't believe in his own godhood, and Denth and Vasher, two old adversaries, one a mercenary and one an adventurer, who are adept at using Breath to help them achieve their ends.

Each person is born with one BioChromatic Breath, but it can be transferred to another person. One person can collect many Breaths, and use it to Awaken objects with the power. There is a cost, though; using Breath is powered by colour, which leaches from the Awakener's surroundings. Unfortunately, giving up one's Breath means becoming a Drab and losing much of the joy in life.

I didn't fully comprehend the scope and the mechanics of the power, though Vasher does explain it quite nicely at one point; but he also points out that even the people who know how to unlock and use the power understand it very little, too, and research is ongoing.

This is (at the moment) a stand-alone work, though there is an indication at the end that there could be further adventures to come.

Though the writing is lighter and less intense in style than, say, Robert Jordan, there are so many twists and turns in this story as we watch the sisters meet their challenges, and my attention was completely engaged. It is a long book, at close to 700 pages, but the pages just fly by. It was fun to read, with occasional banter, from Lightsong, that was reminiscent of David Edding's Belgariad series.

I looked for this book based on the enthusiastic recommendations of several LTers. I've been reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, but I've been a bit wary of picking up the last few books where he collaborated with Sanderson. I thought this would be a good introduction to Sanderson's adult writing (I read his YA book Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians a few months ago - recommended by other LTers), and now I'm quite happy to go back to continue the Wheel of Time. I will also be looking out for Sanderson's other books.

Four stars
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Sanderson did it again! A fantastic book. I loved the characters, particularly Vivenna and Siri. I also found myself routing for Vasher, the God King, and LightSong. Each main character was a wonderful blend of strengths and weaknesses. Most psychologically grew and changed as they encountered trials and betrayals.

The plot kept me guessing. I had a working theory near the start of the book and discovered I was about 90% wrong. I loved being surprised by who really were the villains and heroes.

Like Mistborn, this was an amazing world. The idea of breath/color being a form of magic was ingenious.

The only reason for 4-star rating instead of 5-star was due to the fact I felt this book was reminiscent of Sanderson's early series, Mistborn. Due the slight similarities, it seemed familiar. This was my only gripe about the book.

Those who love strong world-building fantasy stories with a unique type of magic will love this book. ( )

I really enjoyed this book, and just wanted to read more (although it's surprisingly refreshing to have self-contained fantasy books, nowadays, hehe).
The world created is amazing (I wonder if he inspired himself on Jasper Fforde...), and I loved both sister's characters, each so strong in their own way. ( )

You know, a good fantasy series is a gift that keeps on giving. You read it, you enjoy it, you get to look forward to more and feel reasonably sure that you'll enjoy it too. I was a little leery of picking up a single-volume all-in-one fantasy, because I'm so used to searching around for the next great series. But actually, this was perfect. It was really nice to get a whole story in one book.

The world building is excellent - I could picture everything perfectly. Sanderson managed to set the scene in a way that kept me immersed in the sights, sounds, feel and taste of an alien world without ever detouring into lengthy, hyper-detailed descriptions. He created a magic system that was unique, interesting, and easy to understand. I tend to judge a magic system by how well the author works out checks and balances - what is the cost of magic, what are its limitations? Sanderson's idea of Breath, and of the Returned, is one of the most elegant and poignant examples I have ever run across.

I liked the characters - the sisters, Siri and Vivenna, made an excellent contrast to one another and I rooted for them both. Lightsong was hilarious, and the comic relief welcome. Nobody seemed flat.

There wasn't anything in Warbreaker that bugged or annoyed me. No flaw that I had to overlook. That may not sound like much but really it's a miracle. I'm a nitpicker and I had no nits to pick. OK, I take that back...there's a particular plot device here that Sanderson uses one time too many, and that bugged me. So one nit.

I'd happily recommend it to anyone who's jonesing for a good fantasy story. The book didn't blow me away, make me jump for joy, but it was absolutely satisfying.
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To be found and read here: http://www.brandonsanderson.com/library/catalog/Warbreaker_Full-Books