Warbreaker

Title: Warbreaker

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Age Group: Adult

Synopsis: Four characters embark on a perilous journeys to save their kingdoms from being ravaged by war that would be fuelled with the magic of color and and the power of Breath.

The Low Down:

I have to fight tooth and nail to get reading time. There’s so much going on that unless I’m sick or on vacation, I don’t get hours back to back to read. That’s how I like to read, to immerse myself so deeply that I can just exist in the world the author has created. Luckily (or unluckily in some ways) I was on vacation last week and then got sick right after I got back. Prime reading time. I had three other books that I wanted to review before this but I’ve pushed them all to the back of the line and allowed Warbreaker to cut.

The world that Sanderson has created is so rich, detailed, and unlike any I’ve read about before. The idea that magic can be used with the power of color is intriguing and the way it’s described in the book, just goes to show how much time and energy Sanderson has given to the development of this universe. The additional use of Breath, as a power by which one can enhance their magic adds such a philosophical level to the use of magic. Not only does each person intrinsically have Breath but they can also gift that Breath to someone else, leaving them blind to the natural instincts that it afforded them. Is it wrong then to use the Breath of others to enhance your powers? Everyone has a different view, from the Idrians who reject the use of Breath and the very colors that make its use possible, to the Hallandrens, who give their Breath to their gods on a weekly basis. Warbreaker isn’t just a book about some random characters placed in a random world. Each piece of the novel is carefully and lovingly crafted.

The stories characters are no different. They all have the opportunity for growth and watching how that growth affects them, is like watching a flower unfurl its petals. There are some characters that are amusing and some that make you grit your teeth in frustration. The wide variety keeps the reader alert and engaged for it is through the eyes of the main characters that we are introduced and interact with the book. In a complicated (but not so complicated that you need a graph) series of events, the main characters find their lives entwined and working toward a common goal. We move from Vasher, the first character we meet and a shady assassin with a penchant for magic, to Siri, a self-centered but well meaning princess sent unexpectedly to marry the king of her kingdom’s sworn enemy. The book also follows Lightsong, a god in the land of Hallandren who doesn’t believe in his own divinity, and Vivenna, Siri’s older sister, who naively sets off to save her younger sibling and give her own life the sense of purpose that it lacks.

Warbreaker is exciting and engaging and made it surprisingly easy for me to discover the silver lining to being ill.

Story Tips:

1. Don’t get sick to read this book. Just carve out enough time in your life to properly enjoy it.

I need more!

I have good news and bad news… Bad news first. There’s not yet a sequel to Warbreaker. Sanderson has said he’s working on one with the title Nightblood but nothing is concrete, as of yet. Good new: Sanderson has so many books that you could make yourself a book fort with them. It might be a one person book fort though, no friends allowed. For a complete list of his works head over to: http://brandonsanderson.