Book Review: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

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Earlier this year, I bought a hardcover edition of Tress of the Emerald Sea, thinking it would be a Little Mermaid retelling. Oh, how wrong I was. Not only is it its own unique story — it’s so much more than that. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s look at a few book details first.

About the Book

Title: Tress of the Emerald Sea

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Year: 2023

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure

Summary: The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death? (From Goodreads)

About the Author

Brandon Sanderson describes himself as a writer of stories of the fantastic, whether that be fantasy or science fiction. Born in 1975, Sanderson started his writing career with Elantris in 2005, followed by Mistborn: The Final Empire in 2006.

Most of his books are connected in the shared universe of the Cosmere, a high-fantasy and urban-fantasy setting spanning over 10 stories.

Some of his most recognised works are:

• The Mistborn series
• The Emperor’s Soul
• The Stormilght Archive series
• Skyward
• Warbreaker

Review

Where do I even start with this book? Overall, it was fantastic. The characters, the setting, the writing — everything worked beautifully. It was my first time reading Sanderson, and it absolutely surpassed my expectations.

So, without further ado, let’s break it down:

Narrative

One of the first things that stood out is that although the story is written in first person, the narrator is actually a secondary character rather than Tress herself. The narrator’s personality shines through their witty remarks and playful explanations of the world. And yes — did I mention we’re on another planet? Which leads us to the next point.

Setting

The story takes place on a completely different world, one eerily similar to ours but with key differences — the biggest being that their oceans are made of spores instead of water. Where do they come from? From the several moons above, of course.

This is my favorite type of fantasy/science fiction: “What if everything were the same… except for one major thing?” It scratches that alternate-dimension itch in the best way.

Characters

Another standout element is the cast. It’s funny how you end up loving (almost) every single one of them.

Tress shines the most. She’s brave and clever, and she thinks before acting — something surprisingly rare in fantasy protagonists.

Her companions are a delightful mix:

• the man who speaks only through a magical writing board,
• the gun-obsessed marksman who can’t shoot straight,
• the gruff but soft-hearted helmsman,
• and of course, Huck the rat. Never forget Huck the rat.

And then there’s Hoid — our narrator. He provides so many funny moments I should have kept a “Hoid made me smile” counter.

But my personal favorite? The extremely weird and absolutely-not-human Ulaam. He’s bizarre, extravagant, and wonderfully chaotic — a mad scientist type, which I adore.

Final Thoughts

Tress of the Emerald Sea is absolutely a book I would recommend, especially if you’re curious about the Cosmere but intimidated by Sanderson’s larger series. It works perfectly as a standalone and as a gentle introduction to his universe. I’m definitely planning to read more — I already have my eyes on Yumi and the Nightmare Painter.

If you’re interested, you can buy Tress of the Emerald Sea on Amazon. Or if it’s not your thing, you can check out one of my other book reviews here.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below. And as always, see you in the next one. Bye!