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Art W.
5.0 out of 5 stars If you're looking for a Brandon Sanderson book to start with, this is the one that I recommend.
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2016
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Warbreaker is, thus far, my favorite book written by Brandon Sanderson.
Although I feel that his writing style is consistently engaging, this book resonated even more with me than usual.

The book is told through the viewpoints of 4 different characters that interact throughout. I feel that his ability to tell a powerful story from the viewpoints of several different people is one of his greatest strengths.

Here we follow two princesses (sisters) a demi-god named Lightsong and a mysterious character named Vasher. One of the things that I love about this book is that even though we're introduced to a whole new world and magic system I feel like he doesn't waste any time with world creation. What I mean by that is that from the get-go it (the book) grabs at you and you never feel (at least I never did) that the story has stalled as more details about his new world are explained. Rather, you learn as you go.

It's full of twists and surprises, the characters you think you'll love/hate often aren't those that you would expect. I hate spoilers in reviews, so I don't feel that I can say anymore

Even though it is connected to most of the other books he's written (e.g., it's part of the Cosmere Universe) as a stand-alone book it is a quick read that can be picked up without any prior knowledge of any characters from the Mistborn books or Stormlight Archives. If you're interested in reading a Brandon Sanderson book without making a big reading/time commitment, this is probably the one that you should start with.

I love this book and highly recommend it to others. However, books are tricky, and I recognize that not everyone is going to like the same books and things that I do. So, of course I can't guarantee that others will love it, but I can promise that if you read it you will at least see how a master storyteller weaves his tale together.
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Sammie B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous characters, interesting plot -- everything you've come to expect from Sanderson
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2018
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My husband’s been trying to get me to read this book for, like, five years because he said I’d like it … and he was so right. Warbreaker has pretty much everything you’ve come to expect from a Brandon Sanderson book: deep and delightful world-building, a complex and intriguing plot, and a cast of fabulously gray characters that you can’t help but want to hang out with. Yes, even if that means forfeiting your life. Probably. I mean, there’s the tiniest offchance that you might survive, and isn’t that worth it?

Thoughts:

- Siri is a delight. I mean, who doesn’t love a bad-ass female lead? I mean, you’ve got to give her credit. She tries awfully hard to be the frail, innocent damsel in distress. It’s not her fault that she’s incredibly bad at it. In fact, the only thing she’s been really good at her whole life is being insignificant, because being the youngest of four children (three girls and a boy), that makes her dispensable. Which is a great position to be in because yay, freedom! Until, suddenly, she’s not. Siri is thrown into an impossible situation, at just 17: stop the war, save her people … preferably don’t die? The last one was sort of optional.

- There's a talking sword, and I do love talking swords. His name is Nightblood, and I totally want one. It seems like every talking sword I read/see is snarky in some way. Is that a prerequisite? Maybe there’s something in the process of a making a talking sword that automatically snaps their emotional lever off at delicious sarcasm. Either way, I’m all for it! We learn more about Nightblood as the story continues, and his backstory/origin is hinted at, but I thought his personality was brilliant.

- ASSASSINS! Oh, wait, that doesn’t tell you anything, does it? AWESOME ASSASSINS! The best part about Denth and Tonk Fah is they’re enlightened assassins. They realize what a short straw their profession has drawn. Why is it that no one believes them? Or trusts them? Or always suspects them of being lying, murdering swindlers with no morals but money? GOSH. Their banter is hilarious. I couldn’t wait for them to pop up again, just to see what they’d have to say again. Their dark humor and sarcasm is delicious, and they were easily my favorite characters in this book just for that. I couldn’t stop laughing.

- I’m fairly certain Lightsong the Brave is my spirit animal … and I’m not sure if that’s more of an insult to him or me? I actually think his character arc is the best, and his story was the one I was most eager to read. His arc was a wild ride, but by the time I got to the end, I was so excited for how it culminated. It was perfect!

- Sanderson isn’t a romance writer, but his romances are often my favorites, and this is no exception. You know why I love them so much? Because they’re healthy, even when they’re between two pretty messed up characters. And they don’t come easy. They’re earned, like all the best relationships. The relationships in this book (and of course there are some) are slow burns between two strong characters who complement each other.

- The world-building’s fabulous, the plots are intricate and well woven together, trust no one, yada, yada, yada, Sanderson. If you’ve read one Sanderson book, you should know pretty well what to expect by now. And if you haven’t … what’s wrong with you? No, off with you. Go to your room, and don’t come out until you’ve finished one. All the things that make Sanderson’s works great are present in this book … except for a sequel.
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Music Lover
3.0 out of 5 stars Buyer beware
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2018
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This is not a 600+ page book. 20% of the book is annotations on each chapter, essentially the author patting himself on the back for clever choices. While this may be interesting for a student of writing, it fails to compensate for the anti-climatic nature or simplistic consistency of this book. Pass by and grab a Bujold novel or Robin Hobb, or the Expanse series by GRRM’s personal assistant, or pick up Rothfuss or Phillip Charles Stephens or Altered Carbon. There’s better to be found.
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Katie - Melting Pages Book Blog
5.0 out of 5 stars This book was so amazing! I listened to the audiobook and I’ve never ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2018
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Oh. My. God. Brandon Sanderson is a genius! This book was so amazing! I listened to the audiobook and I’ve never listened to one before, and this was a great introduction. I loved the plot and the magic system was extremely interesting. The characters developed and changed as the book went on, and if I had to choose a favorite character I don’t think I could do it because I love them all so much in different ways! I actually laughed out loud at parts of the audiobook because the dialogue between some characters was so witty and it was just…I really have no words that can describe how I feel about this book right now!

The ending was fantastic and Brandon Sanderson better get working on that second book because I need it in my life now. He is quickly becoming my favorite author, and I’ve ordered more of his books because his writing and the worlds he creates are absolutely fantastic.

DEFINITELY recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy or political scheming!
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G1nG3rP4nD4
5.0 out of 5 stars Colourful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 20, 2017
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Compared to other books by Sanderson i found it a little difficult to get into this book as at first i didn't really like or understand the characters. However, as the story progressed i learned more about the world and how the magic of breath works and found myself eventually wanting to know more. Similar to the method of writing in elantris it switches characters between chapters and while this can get frustrating as you might not like a particular character so when it leaves the story in a climatic situation only for you to spend the next 30 pages reading about other characters it can sometimes remove that feeling of drama as it's been a while since you were last in the situation. Non the less as the story progressed the characters do become more interesting and so does the plot this eventually allowed Me to finish the book.

The magic system is amazing, at first it I'd difficult to imagine but as the story progresses the use of breath is amazing and the use of the magic system is unique at first when comparing it to the magics of other systems the magic seemed fun and colourful but i couldnt imagine it being used in intricate actions sets. This eventually was proven i correct as we see vasher fight in some pretty cool ways.

Overall it is an enjoyable read which i wish there was more written and cannot await more adventures to take place in this system
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J Coles
5.0 out of 5 stars Another brilliant book by Sanderson
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2020
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At times this book can get a little slow and you're wondering what's going on, but stick with it because this book is one of the great ones. The ending was satisfying but leaves you wanting more. A sequel is apparently planned in the not so distant future. I would recommend the audiobook as well because I really enjoyed listening along to it too.

If you're interested in Brandon Sanderson and epic fantasy novels then you'll likely enjoy the Stormlight Archive. I recommend reading this book first because these books are all part of the Cosmere, and there are crossovers that are made more epic if you read them in the right order. However Warbreaker can still be considered a standalone.
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h3rne
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it anyway - it's awesome
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 10, 2020
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Brandon Sanderson generously offers this novel for free on his website, but this is my third reading after recommending it to another epic fantasy fan and I felt he really deserved my patronage, so I bought it even though I already own it. It still draws me in and makes me laugh and cry. I can ask little else of the fiction I read.

This is a good introduction to Sanderson. It's a stand alone novel, so no great commitment, unlike The Wheel of Time, which he completed with aplomb when Jordan died or the Way of Kings which is still in progress - volume 4 is slated for later this year at the time of writing). It bears a lot of the hallmarks of his writing - nicely rounded characters with interesting arcs, clever manipulation and undermining of standard fantasy tropes, a well thought out magic system (based on breath and colour this time) - so much so that it's a shame it's trapped in a single novel and a thundering climax that braids the plot lines into a satisfying conclusion.

Read it, buy it - but not necessarily in that order.
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bookish_heights
4.0 out of 5 stars Warbreaker
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2018
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My first Sanderson novel and I loved it!

I actually read this book in under 2 days, given I did stay up at an atrocious time to finish it because I was so addicted.

The world building was brilliantly done, which was no surprise for Brandon Sanderson as I knew before I started that his worlds are amazingly built. Also, I loved the unique magical element.

I loved Siri and Susebron's characters' relationship, very different to what I was expecting. However, there were a few characters I didn't like and as this book is told from multiple perspectives there was no getting away from them. Number one would be Vivenna, she frustrated me for most of the book but when she meets Vasher she changed for the better. I was actually hoping for a book about Vasher as he really intrigued me. Also, Lightsong, while I loved his character, his perspective was a little boring at times, still brilliant though.

I'm still not sure if this is a standalone or not...I hope not as the ending was a little rushed and I would love to see what happens next!
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callum mellor
5.0 out of 5 stars Short and snappy. An easy book to read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2017
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As a stand alone novel (for now) it's an easy book to read. I personally love to shift from seeing Siri as the main character to Viveena as it establishes your enjoyment of one over the other early on, only for you to slowly realise it was the 2nd that held the potential to realy develop into a more diverse character all along.

The book realy hints at obscure lore and hidden magic to be discovered that leave you reaching for a second book that simply doesn't exist. As part of the cosmere I found myself rereading it to analyse how the magic system fits the structure of investiture and shards.(bit it reads brilliant even without any understanding of the wider universe it fits in.i think it's a good book for those new to sanderson, a gateway drug I to the Reston the cosmere.

And I really want to find out more about nightblood!

I heard rumour there will be a sequel and I can't wait for it.
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