Title: Elantris
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Series: N/A [Thus Far, Anyway]
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
The Overview: Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling. Arelon’s new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping — based on their correspondence — to also find love… [continue reading]
The Mini Review:
I have been trying to write this review for well over a week now and I’m not quite sure why it has been so difficult (I mean, how hard can it be to compose a paragraph or two?). I really enjoyed Elantris, which is no surprise considering it’s a Sanderson. There’s something really nice about picking up a novel and knowing it’s going to be good. It contained everything I’ve come to expect from such a great author – fantastic and relatable characters, cool magic system/magical beings, and excellent writing. In the whole scheme of his works, I think Elantris falls somewhere in the middle (keep in mind everything I’ve read from him is 4-Stars or higher). I found countless similarities to his Mistborn trilogy, so if you liked that one there is an excellent chance you will like this one (and vice versa). In fact, there wasn’t anything I DIDN’T like about it… Sanderson strikes again!
Other books you might like:
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- Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
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- The Lascar’s Dagger by Glenda Larke
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- A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham
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- The Wayfarer Redemption by Sara Douglass
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- Thief’s Gamble by Juliet E. McKenna
The Obsessive Bookseller 
Its not as flashy as his later books, but Elantris is arguably Sanderson’s best published novel. Except for maybe The Alloy of Law, or Words of Radiance. Excellent stuff!
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I think the only two Sanderson’s I haven’t yet read is Alloy of law (I was holding out until the second book release date gets closer) and the rhythmist. I really enjoyed this one, but it didn’t dazzle me as much as the stormlight archives or even the emperor’s soul, probably because, like you said, they weren’t as flashy. Really though, comparing one Sanderson to another is like comparing chocolate to ice cream – both are highly satisfying and there really isn’t a wrong choice. :-)
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I’ve had this sitting on my bookshelf for ages. I picked it up because I had wanted to read a Sanderson book for ages, but didn’t want to start another big fantasy series, so I felt like picking Elantris was a compromise! Unfortunately, it’s one of those books that has sat on my shelves for far too long and I don’t even know why.
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Definitely a great compromise lol. It really did feel like the Sanderson Readers Digest – everything you’d expect, but micro packed into one novel. Warbreaker is another fun stand alone that I liked equally as much (color magic!!). :)
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