Did they not catch that in editing? Did I miss something?Īnyway, speaking of the seas, the setting of this book was so cool! The seas on this planet are not liquid, but spores that, when exposed to water, burst into either vines or spikes.

I know those are both shades of green, but it was just kind of weird. Also this Deaf character was a ton of fun and I want to be friends with him.Īnother (even smaller) quibble I had was… what was Tress’ sea called? I swear sometimes it was called the Emerald Sea (which makes sense, considering the title of the novel) and sometimes it was called the Verdant Sea. This felt clunky, though I did appreciate the effort, and the rest of the book was fine in that regard. It’s almost like the plot entirely stops for an entire scene to describe a Deaf character and how he communicates. I do think the initial introduction to a couple of the characters felt a little forced, like Sanderson was unsure how to naturally work in characters of color or with disabilities. I also loved Huck, and the other pirates are fantastic, too. Sanderson does an excellent job endearing the readers to Charlie quickly, which is pivotal because he’s the whole reason Tress leaves her home. She’s sharp and brave, but also unsure of herself and feels very out of her depth throughout a lot of this, which makes her pretty sympathetic and easy to root for. I don’t know that I’ve ever described a protagonist as “plucky” before on this blog, but it certainly applies here. While I enjoy the character of Buttercup, I vastly prefer Dread Pirate Buttercup (or Dread Pirate Tress in this case)! Tress is such a fun character. I can easily see how Tress is inspired by Buttercup, but also ends up being more like Westley. So this is a tale inspired by The Princess Bride, and it shows. So she ventures off her island to face the seas of spores, dragons, and dangerous pirates so that she can save her love. If no one else is going to save him, she will herself. So when Charlie goes missing-kidnapped by the being known as the Sorceress-Tress decides to go after him. The noble family leaves the island, and Tress has to face the realization that she loves Charlie. Charlie, however, is the son of the Duke, who has plans for his son’s life. She washes windows, collects cups, and spends time with her best friend Charlie. In Tress of the Emerald Sea, the first of Brandon Sanderson’s “Secret Projects” (because he, like Hamilton, apparently writes like he’s running out of time), Tress has lived a quiet, simple life on an island known colloquially as The Rock (not Dwayne Johnson, sadly).

Tress of the emrald sea