Review of Tress of the Emerald Sea, by Brandon Sanderson

Do you have a favorite cup or mug that you prefer above all the others in your cabinet? If so, then you will find you have something in common with Tress of the Emerald Sea.

Tress of the Emerald Sea, here posed with one of my own favorite cups!

I had recently been reading quite a lot of heavy stuff (Yellowface and Beartown, among others) and I needed a break. I needed something light. So I perused my TBR, and my reading list for 2025, and settled on Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson.

I had been waiting to read any Brandon Sanderson because it just seemed like such a big endeavor. It always seemed like the only way to read Brandon Sanderson would be to commit to a long series, and the subsequent various spinoffs. It felt a little like trying to keep up with the current state of the Marvel universe. While I have no issues DNF-ing a book, it can be intimidating to start a series when you don't even know if you will like it. (For example, I DNF-ed A Court of Thorns and Roses on book two).

Then along came a rare stand-alone novel by Sanderson, and I had my gateway drug.

Tress of the Emerald Sea is, in a word, whimsical. And I adored it.

Tress, the titular character, is refreshingly average while also attaining a level of depth rarely seen in most lighthearted fantasy adventures. She is kind and hardworking, but otherwise, she is just a regular girl content to live her regular life. But, when her best friend vanishes, she will stop at nothing to save him.

Surprisingly, 75% of this book takes place on a ship in the spore seas. Yes, this was surprising to me, but perhaps if I had been a bit more observant, the title would have given that away before I even opened the book. That aside, though, this was a highly welcome surprise. I loved the mix of fantasy with swashbuckling pirates. It more than just worked, it was brilliant and original. The swashbuckling pirates leaned into their tropes with ease, and somehow never felt tropey (at least, not in the bad way. I am not anti-trope). The fantasy was ever-present in that fact that in this world, the sea is not made of water but of undulating spores. Water causes the spores to violently sprout, which poses a constant threat to the humans (made up of 60% water) who sail the seas.

Fantasy, adventure, pirates, and also a brilliant mystery. I found I had figured out the "twist," but only a couple of steps ahead of Tress. This was satisfying without making the big reveal feel boring. If you are paying attention, you will see it, but you will still not quite see the full picture until the end.

Full of colorful characters, this story sports pirates of all shapes and sizes, at least one of which is cursed. There is the bloodthirsty Captain Crow, the incoherent Hoid, the lovable Fort who communicates through sign-language, the badass Ann who can't fire straight to save her life; there is a dragon who deals in bargains, there is a terrifying sorceress, a heartless duke, a talking rat, and a zombie.

Tress learns to trust, without being too trusting, she makes friends, she forms alliances, she makes enemies, and she becomes braver. All the while holding onto her most precious earthly possessions: two of her favorite cups.

Possibly one of the most beautiful aspects of this story is Sanderson's ability to weave heartfelt insights into human life with a whimsical swashbuckling fantasy mystery, without ever losing the pace.

My only complaint is that I sometimes had a bit of trouble picturing how the characters might look or dress, as sometimes things were described in a very "fantastical" way, and other times it felt modern. Really, this is hardly a complaint because in the moment it didn't bother me, and I chalked it up to whimsy, and I do love a bit of whimsy! Overall, this story is light, sweet, well-written, beautifully paced, and freshly original.