For someone who thinks of herself as very uninteresting, Tress is about to become a truly formidable force upon the spore seas.

***Please Note***

Before we dive in to the review on the book, here is a reminder of how I rate what I read (these will be on a scale of 1-10; 1 being low, 10 being high):

• Plot Structure: How well the story was put together.
• Character Development: Level of growth a character achieves and how well the author makes them feel “real.”
• Language: Level of swearing, innuendos, verbal abuse, and other triggers.
• Violence: Level of fight scenes and gore.
• Sexual Content: Level of physical intimacy.

Here are the star ratings and what they mean:

MUST READ!

LOVED IT!

WORTH READING

Anything less than three stars will not be posted as I don’t want to waste your time or mine.

If you would like an editorial review or endorsement for your own book with content ratings, you can contact me directly.

Disclaimer: The more I write, the more I critique books harder on plot structure and how the various elements work together. Thus my reviews reflect this. However, if you see a book appear on the blog, it’s because I enjoyed reading and thought you, as a fellow bookie, would enjoy it as well. As always, reading is subjective and what resonates with me may not resonate with you. And that’s OK! We’re in this to discover new books that are family appropriate and worth taking the time to read.

Book Description:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes a rollicking, riveting tale set in the Cosmere universe―a standalone adventure perfect for fans of The Princess Bride.

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?

The novels of Hoid’s Travails are standalone tales narrated by the worldhopping storyteller Hoid, and can be read in any order.

My Review:

Tress is a girl who falls in love with a boy who pretends to be a gardener for the resident royals, but in reality is the duke’s son. When his father makes him leave on a voyage to find a suitable bride, Charlie promises Tress he’ll make sure every princess he mets will instantly hate him and not want to get married and he will send her a cup to collect at every successful stop. Then when the duke arrives back without his son, Tress sets out to find him.

I LOVED this book. I’ve been working on my library’s Bookworm challenge where I committed to reading 50 books this year, and came across this gem. It was a wonderful read, especially after running into so many duds lately (hence no new reviews in a while). This was the perfect mix of adventure, fantasy, growing into who you were meant to be, and it was narrated by a full cast which made it even more enjoyable.

Tress is an instantly likable, if naive character who only wants to rescue the boy she loves and devises a plan to leave her island and find him. She proves herself resourceful and unfailingly kind to everyone she meets. Often too much so and leaves her own wants unmet. However, the character growth of Tress is fantastic. She blooms into a confident woman and aides so many people in the process.

Charlie, who we assume is just an airhead of a young man turns out to be very smart and experiences a lot of growth himself, though you don’t see it until the very end. (Well done Brandon!).

The crew is equally surprising as each one needs the other to grow and become even more than they are.

How I rated this book:

Structure: 10/10; EXCELLENT storytelling. This is possibly the first time I’ve ever awarded a book a ten. The plot begins simply enough, but it continues to branch and unfold in new and surprising ways. The clues that were planted but likely missed as you read through them become glaringly vivid as you reach the end and it was so neat to see how everything fell into place.

The characters were ones I could imagine as real people with real wants, even the silly ones.

Language: 2/10; One specific character uses the word D*** consistently, but this was the only word used.

Violence: 3/10; Minimal violence. I would rate it above PG and less than PG-13.

Sexual Content: 3/10; No bedrooms scenes, whether hinted or shown. Though there were a couple subtle innuendos if you were paying attention.

Conclusion:

If you like fantasy books with a pirate vibe who sail on a sea made of deadly spores, this one is a perfect fit for you.