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Spoiler-Free Blog

Warbreaker is my first Brandon Sanderson novel – and I can now confidently say: I get it. It hooked me from beginning to end with zero slumps. That almost never happens, which is why I usually end up reading several books at once.

Needless to say, this one kept my focus, and I can’t recommend it enough.

What’s Warbreaker about?

The first born princess of Idris, Vivenna, was raised to be married off to the God King while the youngest, Siri, was given free rein. But in a surprise turn, their father sends Siri in Vivenna’s place, starting a chain of events involving political intrigue, war, and magic.

This one is now competing for my top read of the year.

Warbreaker seamlessly weaves humor and seriousness, friendship and betrayal, while also telling a compelling, nuanced story. It subverts expectations at every turn. And not to mention the unique, hard magic system with its own rules and religious beliefs. Did I mention there’s a sentient sword? This is everything I want from a fantasy novel.

The characters especially blew me away. They felt real to me, not just because of their flaws, but because almost every single one managed to surprise me at least once. Each had a distinct personality, and their personalities influenced the plot. Who they were as individuals was just as important to the story as the external plot and world.

This is also the best use of multi-POV that I’ve seen in a long time.

This is multi-POV done right. The three main characters with the most page time are Siri, her older sister Vivenna, and the god Lightsong. All three of them follow similar emotional motifs, but because they’re different people with their own flaws, their responses to these emotions vary. In my opinion, this is an excellent use of multi-POV.

The emotional core of this story revolves around feelings of uselessness and a lack of agency. A lot of decisions were made for these three characters, and their superiors just expected them to take it. Now they must find it in themselves to act.

When we meet Siri in the first chapter, we learn that as the youngest of four royal children, she is redundant. But Siri describes her freedom as a perk of that uselessness. She’s emotional, unrestrained, and a little rebellious. Her oldest sister, Vivenna, was raised to be married off to the terrible God King in another kingdom. But in a surprise act of favoritism and change of tactic, their father chooses to send Siri instead. When Siri arrives at the God King’s palace, she’s a fish out of water. She still feels useless, but now without the freedom, and it’s tinged with fear for her life and her people. Siri must carve out some power if she wants to stop the impending war.

We first meet Vivenna in the wake of Siri’s departure. She’d trained her whole life for this moment, only for her purpose to be snatched away. Vivenna describes now feeling useless and restless. She decides it’s up to her to save her sister and her homeland, but she must confront her prejudices and biases if she’s going to succeed.

Lightsong is a lesser god in the God King’s court. He has everything he wants and needs, access to any revelry or artform he so desires. But he lacks purpose and an understanding of the self. His uselessness is an armor that he must shed to participate in the change he feels coming. (He is also irreverent and witty, which I love, but I digress.)

It manages to feel fast-paced while still being character-driven.

If you’ve read my other blogs, then you know a blend of character and plot is my favorite. Too much of one or the other leaves a story feeling lopsided. Sanderson nails it in this book – the characters impact, and react to, the plot. With each personal development or discovery, they act, resulting in a new chain of events.

This book felt like watching those videos of dominoes falling. The videos where at first there’s just a line of dominoes, but then it quickly branches out, turning simple chain reaction into an artform.

The ending was definitely character-focused as each wraps up their own arc. I will say that I might have enjoyed a little more action during the climax – but I don’t feel this impacts my overall view of the story or the rating.

Should you read Warbreaker?

If you’re a fantasy reader, or are looking for a place to start in the genre, Warbreaker is a must-read. You’ll enjoy this if you prefer a balance of character and plot, political intrigue, subversion of expectations, and strong character arcs. While this book is not a romance, I think this is the perfect high fantasy to try if you’re looking to break out of the romantasy bubble.

I can’t wait to dive into more of Sanderson’s work.