Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson Spoiler Review (Secret Project 1) 

One if my favorite quotes was "she went to talk to her parents, something more people in stories such as this should do"

Feel like “a friend of Hoid” should be code for someone in the know about the Cosmere. Like you see someone reading Mistborn or Stormlight and ask them “Are you… y’know… a friend of Hoid?”

I took the over the top villain portrayal of the Sorceress is a dig from Hoid. "I'll tell your story, but you will be the most bland character in it" is just the type of dig that would get under the skin of the Sorceress. Seems a perfectly Hoidish thing to do.

All i can say, is that it was a great debut novel for this Hoid guy, the guy has talent 😁

The bit about Hoid ranting about the notion of "I'm doing this for your own good" and how Hoid mentioned "I once said that exact thing, to 16 other people in fact" MY EARS/EYES ARE PERKED BRANDON, I SEE YOU.

“The fact that huck was Charlie was not that big of a surprise”… look I didn’t come here to be attacked

I liked how he said 'undulate' four times in the book. It reminded me of Merph

Tress thinking the fake Charlie didn't feel right and it wasn't "oh I don't love Charlie anymore" shows how she thinks and that a person that doesn't change after experiencing things so outside their norm is all but impossible. It was foreshadowed with Hoid narrating that she's different from other heros cause she thinks before moving forward and how amazing that is

I think the biggest reveal in this book is that Hoid’s name while he lived on our planet was “Terry Pratchett.”

This book was a ton of fun! One of my favorite things about it was the way Tress got rid of the captain, and then she said: "If you ever go make an important deal, make sure the cargo can't speak for itself." There were a lot of hilarious moments in this book I loved.

I loved that the book kind of managed to have soft magic in it. Even though it's been explained extensively in other books, the magic the sorceress used is never explained in-story, so for Tress it really is whimsical, inexplicable magic

I loved this story, and I think Tress might be the most competent protagonist in the Cosmere. She is incredibly thoughtful, confident without being reckless, an excellent leader, and supremely adaptable. I wonder if she'll make any further appearances in space age Cosmere,

Tbh I feel like Tress of the Emerald sea is Brandon Sanderson version of a cozy fantasy. I loved starting the year with something so comforting and whimsical. The man has range for sure. Can't wait for the other books !

Did everyone but me notice that Charlie is the rat?! I really enjoyed the douple-Hoid thing too. The first time he appears and is like 'Look, it's me!' was so charming! ^-^ I really loved how Tress, at the end, really felt different than Tress at the beginning. It's such a short story with so much character progession and her personal journey to ask for help and let people help her felt a bit like that was, what Hoid wanted to tell the imaginery person he told this story to. I imagined him sitting in front of someone (like everyone of us) telling us that we were being stupid and should just ask for help! xD

Loved it!! Spoilers below: I think my favorite part is how Tress’s selfless dragongifts ended up being what saved her in the end. She was able to warn them through the tablet, the ship sailed with determination from the letter in the helmswoman’s pocket who had her father to save afterwards, and the cannonballs were able to incapacitate the metal army because of the spectacles!

I’m listening to it now as a reread, and found an hilarious foreshadowing. When Hoid rants about Tress’s decision to reconsider, he says among many things that in a lot of stories the heroin discovers that what she seeks was with her all alone

I feel largely that Crow was the true antagonist in this show, and that it was more the threat of the sorceress that drove Tress than actually meeting her. The one dimensionality of the sorceress contrasts well with the depth that Crow develops.

I binged this book the day it came out and it was the absolute perfect way to start the year. Michael Kramer’s narration immediately gave away who the narrator was and I squealed “Hoid’s going to tell me a story!” 🥹🥰 favorite Cosmere standalone right now

I totally agree about the ending thinking that Tress was going to just drop Charlie off back home and go on to adventure and study spores. I also thought that would be an interesting turn, but I'm not disappointed he went the super sweet route of them growing together. That is pretty classic Sanderson after all and I was thinking about how he wrote this for his wife and what a sweet gift this was. I will say Hoid was a bit too on the nose sometimes and drifted to tangents a smidge more than I'd have liked. I'm still not sure how I feel about modern tech in my fantasy, but I know that is the direction he wants to go. I think that is part of why I'm struggling so much with Mistborn era 2.

I heard some people weren’t sure if Hoid was in character, but the way I see this was just a Hoid we never spent much time with. We’re use to mysterious stranger helping out without reason, or Wit who the cast clearly knows a lot he’s not telling, but still not scratching the surface of greater Cosmere. This is Hoid clearly talking to another world hopper who even if they don’t know the full story has a good idea who Hoid is. Basically this is how Hoid would act with us.

A story told by Hoid, a new planet where we can take a closer look at the Aethers, and as always fascinating worldbuilding also gripping characters. This really was a treat to all of cosmere fans. To think we are getting three more of this , truly this year is going to be year of Sanderson.

I marathoned Tress in 2 days. It was just such a fun light hearted read and I really liked Hoid as the narrator. I loved the tone he set for the story and even the tongue in cheek humor. The fact that he called out that readers who were paying attention probably wouldnt be that surprised that Charlie is Huck... and called out the readers who dig a bit deep into the Cosmere lore (pointing out steel and iron for those who maticously track those kinds of things) it was all so fun. I didnt super need an in depth villian... I was just excited to see an Ire Elantrian again and cursed Hoid was the funnest thing ever. I do hope folks cosplay cursed hoid at dragonsteel next year.

I think the sorcerous was like other immortals in the Cosmere: unhinged by her immortality. In addition: we’re getting this story second hand (from Hoid) 😊 - who knows what she’s really like!

Emily: Gee, I sure with Buttercup had more agency. Brandon: Okay, I’ll write that for you. That’s one heck of a Doug.

Totally in love with this book. and awesome cup, I am sure Tress would have loved to know its story

I actually thought to myself halfway through the book “this feels like the princess bride except flipped so the woman isn’t useless. Would That make it the Prince’s Groom?” And then I hit the authors note and was like “welp, he nailed exactly what he was aiming for”

I read this in three days, and I felt largely the way you did. Overall, I loved it! The whimsy, the world building, the Hoid voice with him part of the story...so good! There really isn't anything that I disliked. I want my kids (ages 12 and 15) to read this, since they both love Sanderson books as well!

Back when I lived in Arizona, the synagogue we went to had a specific rabbi that the children would visit during Sunday school. He was exactly what you’d expect in many ways, white hair, long ass beard, etc. he’s gather us kids around in a semi circle and just… tell stories. They weren’t always specific to Judaism and I don’t really remember any of them, but I remember being told them. It was always so magical. I really do feel so personally connected to Hoid, as I’m sure like everyone does, but especially because I was lucky enough to grow up around storytellers. Truly magical. It made this book even more special to me, because you’re absolutely right! It truly does read like a ‘told’ story. It’s weird because we don’t really have a tradition of oral storytelling anymore, at least not as much as we did in the past, but even still this book hits just the same because the narration feels spoken. It’s written like a 347 page monologue!

This was the first book I read by Sanderson (not counting the short story collection Legion) and I absolutely loved it. I thought the story was fantastic and the humor of Hoid was great and worked well. I didn't think anything about the story was groundbreaking or immensely thought provoking, but it doesn't need to be. It's a whimsical tale of a really cool planet and magic system. I could tell at some points that I would think "If I knew the Cosmere more, I'd get that", but that didn't take away my enjoyment of the book. 5/5 read for sure.

I also was excited when Tress "discarded" fake Charlie, I had the same thought of you about how interesting it would be for her to realize she and Charlie can't work anymore because they are too different now. It helped because I didn't think Huch was Charlie. I loved hoe people talked to each other and solved problems. Like planning with her parents instead of hiding it, then her dad going collecting favors from people in town. Also... I was convinced the Sorceress was Shallan. I was thinking "It needs to be someone we've seen to make sense... and Shallan is so far the only character with any relation to the Midnight Essence." I thought... it's gonna be a Shallan "evil" personality that took hold, after SA, and Hoid was there to save her, that's why he got himself cursed.

This is such a masterful book. I love every minute of it! I love that Tress is such a smart and thoughtful character. And Crow was an excellent villain, certainly more of a villain than the Sorceress. And the twist with Huck was excellent. I did not see that coming!

For me, the Huck twist was insane. I was so wrapped around myself trying to look for twists I didn't see it right in front of me.

I thought it was awesome. I read it in 2 days, so as to avoid all spoilers. It was cool to go into it not knowing anything at all. I’ve enjoyed Sanderson’s middle grade stories, so this tone definitely still felt like his writing style to me. It was the perfect way to start off a new year, especially since I read The Lost Metal in December. I’m so glad he decided to publish this and can’t wait for the next secret project!

Absolutely loved this one. Glad you enjoyed it as well. I do feel like with the reviews I've seen the response is more meh/slightly positive, but I'm tilted pretty hardcore as one of my favs haha

I loved it and thought it was absolutely delightful. I did think the Sorceress was interesting because there were enough hints to show that she must be from another part of the cosmere.

I loved this book! Maybe one of my favorite Sanderson books just because it was so much fun. Also as a huge fan of the princess bride I loved finding all of the princess bride references that you might have to think about to get. For example I think Huck is an ROI (rodent of unusual intelligence). Also Ulaam at one point having 6 fingers on one hand. Tress and Crow meeting the dragon is something I totally called but still felt so great and had kind of the same feel of a battle of wits like between Wesley and Vizzini. I could go on and on, but those were a few I enjoyed.

I absolutely loved this book as well, it gives me major Diana Wynne Jones/Terry Pratchett vibes while still having that Sanderson feel like you mentioned. I finished it in 5 days! Great video as always!

Just finished the book in about 3-4 days. I read about 200 pages of mistborn a while back but other than that, this was the first Sanderson book I had read in it’s entirety. Hoid’s subtle references have made me want to keep reading more Cosmere books because it’s just seems like this universe is so vast and interesting. It’ll probably be a bit odd having this book be my first introduction to hoid though 😅

I couldn't put Tress down. Im a huge Cosmere fan, so obviously I love the darker themes in his other works, but Tress was whimsical and beautiful and I love the book and the character so so much. The art is incredible, too. I absolutely cant wait to put this on my shelf

I didn't know it was inspired by "The Princess Bride" until I got to the Author's Note, but I could feel it every step of the way - and that meta, storytelling vibe is a big part of it.

I have read a sampling of Sanderson over the years but when I heard him read the first tew chapters I knew I wanted to read this one. It's absolutely my style. I look forward to getting to it!

Tress was everything I thought it would be and more, it was just wonderful

Something I was thinking about in your review is that you were disappointed that The Sorceress wasn't more of a villain. To me it felt like this was a story about Tress and her growth and what can happen to a person when put in different circumstances and NOT about the big baddie. So the villain didn't have to do much in this book. She just needed to be a catalyst for this change and growth and interesting landscape points and then The Storyteller saved the day! :) lol

I haven't read a lot of books in the Cosmere so I wasn't too familiar with Hoid, and I still really liked his narration. It's really fun, even without knowing who this guy is. It made the whole thing more lighthearted and felt different from a lot of other similar fantasy books.

After reading this book I think I will go ahead and start reading Sanderson! The spores and the aether and all that felt so interesting, If the rest of his universe is so detailed and unique i will for sure love it

On hard vs soft magic - one of the things I loved about Tress was that Sanderson could use hard magic AS soft magic. The Sorceress and Hoid were using Aons at the end, which, if you've read Elantris, you'll understand how that works. If you're Tress, however, the Aons are just arcane mystical symbols the Sorceress uses to do her magic spells. A soft magic system can just be a hard magic system you don't fully understand.

This book was just delightful. It wasn’t hard or heavy, it didn’t make me sob, but it did make me laugh out loud multiple times.

I nearly hit the roof when Tress mentioned that Death had nails in his eyes

Read this book in a single plane ride and had to hold in some emotions for sure. It was just such an honest read, and hearing Sanderson talk to you through Hoid's voice on some serious (and relevant) topics - IE Burnout, was really nice. I can see this book being an entry-point into the cosmere for a lot of people.

When Huck were telling about his home and "others like him", that was near-instant confirmation to me about who he was. The Sanderlanch wasn't quiet the same Sanderlanch as in other books, at least for me, but that's honestly a very good thing in my opinion. It was softer and simpler, somewhat less action then usual, and in Stormlight Archive that final part usually was a bit hard for me to take in, with all the tension and emotions cranked up to eleven. This one was nearly as epic, but much warmer and happier.

Tress of the Emerald Sea might be my favourite Cosmere novel. Which is odd in a universe filled with great magic systems, epic quests, and fights for survival against literal gods. To think that a unassuming fairy-tale style story would bring me so much joy. I think it can be read without prior knowledge from other Cosmere stories. Some elements might be confusing and feel unexplained, but I'd argue it would add to the whimsical fairy-tale element (and at worst the answers exist in the broader universe)

I know I’m late to this! But I do love that segment of the book where I forget what impulsive decision Tress is about to make, but then she stops and thinks about it rationally and chooses something different. Then Hoid in the narration comments about how in stories how quickly issues could resolved if main characters actually stop and think about what they really want

I love that you were holding a cup for so much of this review.

This is your first video of yours I've seen and I immediately subscribed! I love the way you just have a conversation with us. I LOVED this book and had a lot of similar thoughts to you! Also, your mug reminds me of Frieza.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1012">16:52</a> you’re not alone! This was definitely my first expectation when I was in this section. I was so prepared for this, but I like how it ended up too.

I loved this book so much. It was just so much fun. It was whimsical, charming, cozy, and had a wonderful classical fairy tale vibe. And I think the world he created is actually maybe the most intriguing world yet simply due to the spores and fluidization. I really loved it so much, and it was a fantastic reading experience. I couldn't put the book down. It's probably a top 5 Cosmere novel for me.

Sweet! Awesome review as always. Sanderson definitely fun. I'll have to check it out whenever its in paperback/hardback/silverback editions

I loved this book sooo much! Such a breath of fresh air! It was just a blast!

I just found this channel. Excellent review. I will say that a lot of the positives you pointed out about the story can be found in Sanderson‘s Skyward series, especially the first book. I feel that Tress and Spensa have a lot in common as far as their personalities and how they develop. Spensa was also in a good family and although she had a more adventurous side than Tress, I just felt I was reading the Cosmere version of Spensa. Anyway, just wanted to point that out.

great review! I got to say, when you said: "the fact that Huck was Charlie all along, not that of a surprise" made me feel like Hoid under the curse hahaha. That was a total surprise for, I never thought of it while reading. I agree that the Sorceress was not very interesting, I wanted a bit more development for her. But as always, amazing book from Sanderson. This guy is not human!

When I read this book I was thinking: Oh pirates, I'm so happy for Merphy, I bet she will love this!

Had the last line been, "And, THAT, Kaladin, is why you never trust an Elantrian with a space ship and a chip on her shoulder." I would have expected no less.

I feel that the holding of a cup through much of the video was an unsaid nod to the novel.

I loved this book. I am only just getting into reading books again (as opposed to listening to audiobooks exclusively), and this reminded me why I used to crunch through books in a few days. I loved this book so much that all I want to do is read it again instead of moving on to any other book in my TBR list

Great review and you pulled some great quotes to back up your points.

@CamReeds popped up on my recommended a few days ago! Super good moods and vibes on the videos i've watched from him so far

Honestly this have become one of my top 5 books. I had so much fun, I didn't guess the twists and I felt like the rereadability was very high. Also, I loved Hoids voice

I can't decide if it's taken the place of oathbringer as my favorite sanderson book. It was so lovely and wonderful. I loved how ulaam's eccentricities were just totally glossed over

Wow, it feels like i got a shoutout from a celebrity! Thanks! lol I thought the same thing when she got fake Charlie back lol I thought, "Of course, she can't go back to normal after this" 😂

I loved this book. I haven’t read Stormlight Archives or Mistborn Era 2 yet but honestly this may be my favorite Sanderson book so far. Page to page it was a genuine delight.

I just finished the audiobook yesterday BEFORE I came to watch your review. I think it was amazing and a lot of fun and much lighter than his usual book. It definitely feels like a different Sanderson. I am so excited now for the book hinted at... (Hoid's story?!!)

I loved this book, I didn't think I would love it, based off the sample chapters. But the cosmere stuff was WAY more than I thought he'd do. So much stuff, I fucking adored. It was really cute, and surprisingly touching. I nearly cried near the end, Fort is my favorite character

I was very surprised by this book. It was initially the secret project I least looked forward to after reading all the previews last March, but it won me over big time. I thought it was a beautiful and fun adventure that gave the Cosmere a fresh breath of air. I don't think this is my favorite Cosmere stand alone (because Emperor's Soul and Warbreaker are tough competition), but it is definitely one of the better ones. This makes me quite excited for the other secret novels coming out this year. Great book, 5/5.

I came into this book knowing nothing because I wanted it to be a surprise entirely and I was so excited when I realized that Hoid was telling the story.

I super enjoyed this story. I have been enjoying absurdist fantasy lately and this swung into that lane nicely. Do you think truly absurd stories work out best when the main character is dull in some way? Adams' Hitchhikers did it with Arthur. Pratchett's Guards Guards did it with Vimes. It seems to work out the best

My absolute favorite part of this book is that its written both to us, and to a character (not a specific character, but at the very least a person living on a specific planet) in the cosmere! No hints, its subtle but if you squint Hoid references some things that confirm it

Crow was the real character villain of the novel. She had a lot more page time than the sorceress, and it was Tress who actually dealt with her. The sorceress was more of a force of nature, the final hurdle, dealt with by getting hoid there. Kinda like a Sauron compared to a Saruman. Or the firelord compared to Zuko and then Azula.

Maybe I'm revealing a bit about how I just tend to let stories wash over me and try *not* to predict things too much, but I personally didn't actually find the Huck-is-Charlie reveal to be predictable. I remember being like "OH! That totally makes sense!" the second I read it, but I hadn't even thought about it before that, because I think Sando did a really good job at also inserting the possibility that maybe Tress, having grown so much on her journey, might not have been compatible with Charlie anymore if he really was the same old person. I would have found both perfectly acceptable, though I do prefer what we ended up getting ^.^ I really just thought this book was great. And THIS is what I had hoped Cosmere tie-in books would be like!!! This book single-handedly won me over on how all the different technologies and magics can fit together in one story. I mean, an Elantrian being thought of as a sorceress on Tress' planet? Brilliant. I just loved it.

I loved this book! As I was reading it I distinctly thought of how it felt when I read Peter Pan, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. I loved how light and fun it was. The art also was top notch.

Honestly I thought Charlie was dead. Had no clue he was the rat. 😂 I read Tress upon your recommendation, at this point in time it is the only Sanderson book I've read. It probably my favorite non comic book I've read this year ❤❤❤❤ I loved it so much. 😍 The Princess Bride inspiration was just so good. I loved Hoid I had no idea the narrarator was going to be in the story. I do plan on reading more Sanderson. ❤

This story was so sweet and cosy...loved it start to finish..

I loved the part where Tress is discovering the uses of her Sporer tools and Hoid points out that the shield that draws the rosite crystals towards is is iron and mentions the shovel pushes them away and then says something like, “Steel, for those of you who obsessively track that sort of thing.”

I thought the book was really good! I blazed through it as well. Also worth mentioning the lovely chapter markings, and of course the gorgeous artwork!

My favorite thing was the spore sea that was undulating.

Honorary mention to the giant cup. Tress would approve

I completely agree, loved the interaction between Hoid and us as the readers. That was so refreshing to read!

Loved this book, agree 100% with your review. What a tease for future videos in February!!!!!

I have a ton of this book highlighted! So many lovely quotes!

That looks like a lot of fun! I really need to read that!

this was my first sanderson book , i had a lot of fun with it, it totally rekindled my love for reading

Always love hearing your thoughts! Plan to put out my own spoiler free video soon, but just a bit here. Full disclosure. Self-identifying as a Sanderson die-hard. I loved the Lost Metal, but was starting to feel a bit of “Expanded Universe” fatigue with the way The Lost Metal handled its Cosmere integration. Tress of the Emerald Sea was a wonderful antidote for that feeling, and not just because it was a smaller story with more personal stakes. The biggest thing the fairy tale vibes did for me, is that it gave the story a pretense for not needing to answer every little question. A lot of the time in fairy tales things just happen because that’s how it is. We don’t need to know where Cinderella’s fairy godmother comes from because that’s not what the story is about. Similarly, when a creature or power from another part of the Cosmere appears in Tress’s story, we don’t need to hear about it beyond how it serves this story. The only part that maybe that doesn’t quite work for is when things go crazy at the end, but for the most part this story revels in its own (relative) simplicity. I think my one disagreement with you is on The Sorceress. What made The Sorceress work so well for me personally was not that she was a well done villain, so much as the way she is set up and then paid off. She’s given this sort of “Evil Queen” build-up. She lives in spooky tower in the middle of a spooky and dangerous sea, and we think we’ve got an idea of what to expect. Then we meet her and she just doesn’t fit at all in this story. She’s fantastical, yes, but she’s operating on such a different wavelength from everyone else. Tress tries to engage with her like the heroine of the story, and that fails completely because The Sorceress doesn’t want to play ball beyond what gets the people of this world to do what she wants. That said, the climax itself does feel a bit rushed to me. I still loved the ending actually, but I’m pretty comfortable saying that the climax is probably this book’s weakest point. -S

when Huck started acting out the conversation between Crow and Laggart my wife and I were convinced that he was Hoid, or rather, Hoid's identity and some of his memories stamped onto a rat. some of the stuff he said about his past sounded like stuff that could've come from Hoid's backstory. after a bit I thought of the possibility of him being Charlie instead, and started noticing stuff that pointed in that direction. my wife was on the Hoid train right up to the reveal, though. it was fun kinda debating back and forth who we thought he was, but we both saw some form of twist coming there lol

It was so much fun. Probably my favorite world of Sanderson’s now. The mixture of an awesome world and a fairytale story, as well as Hoid’s voice was just perfect. Not my favorite of his books (that still belongs to Mistborn Era 1), but it was a good read for sure. -T

I loved this book. I enjoyed it so much and it’s one of those feel good ones I will reread when I am have a bad day. My favorite line was, “Parents are required to see the best in their children otherwise living with the little sociopaths would drive a person mad”

edit: oops looks like you mentioned most of this stuff later in the video lol, my bad. Yeah in the postscript Brandon mentions that his main inspirations for the this one were Princess Bride if Buttercup actually went looking for Wesley, as well as Good Omens, his own take on the sort of classic fairy tale, and the fact that he wanted to write a book narrated by Hoid as well as have a world with non-liquid oceans.

I'm on Chapter 58, so close to the end. I'm loving it so much. Feels very much like a Cosmere version of The Princess Bride.

I went w/ audiobook for this one, because I felt it'd be more immersive since it's meant to be a "fairytale" told by a storyteller. But I LOVED the whimsical nature, the snarky humour, and the references. Like that bit about "maybe YOURS is the weird one.." lol. (Or when he makes fun of the listeners' religion.. lol.)

I just read this and it’s my first Sanderson! I loved it!

I thought that mug was a joke prop. It's huge!

Cam is fantastic! Great review!