Review 3/23/2026 7.5/10

I would give Tress a solid 7.5/10 after having about a week to mull it over in my head. When I read I often find myself wondering why the author did certain things and during this read I was curious as to why Brandon Sanderson wrote this novel. I've read a lot of his books and the point is usually presented early on in the story as a simple black and white good/evil. He then gives you time to accept that point before turning it on its head and mixing it together into a thorough grey. I think a lot of the stormlight archive is trying to get across the life lesson of "there are no simple truths" and that is present in Tress as well. So why did he write Tress if he already has a multi-thousand page epic (that is only half over) essentially dedicated to the same subject? Well funnily enough he was motivated by love the same as Tress on her journey across the seas. I'm not pretending to know his mind or anything he has stated he wrote the book for his wife, she wanted to see the princess bride but if Buttercup was more proactive in saving Westley. I can certainly see how the two are similar, Sanderson let himself just be funny in this book with Hoid being a bit mindless. "People keep promising me cold shoulders but nobody has followed up on it yet." is probably one of my favorite lines in this novel. The adventure is there, with a special magical sauce that keeps each of his stories magical. Spore seas? Thats sick. Deadly spore seas? Mastering the deadly spores? Sanderson can't disappoint with his magic systems. The magic alone would qualify this at above a 5/10. Where it lost out was almost purely personal preference. This book felt a bit more young adult than what I was hoping for or (coming off the heels of the stormlight archive and having read a significant amount of his other works) expect from Sanderson. It was fun, it was casual, it was funny and I had a good time reading it especially because it didn't overstay its welcome. I'll probably recommend it to younger people looking to dip their toes into fantasy/adventure. That said for most people trying fantasy adventure I'd probably recommend The Hobbit or The Princess Bride first.