Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

    I enjoyed this novel immensely. Not only did it have a compelling story, but had a colorful array of characters. The inclusion of "Breath" and the religion attached to it creates a dynamic concept. I had never seen or read about souls being treated in that manner. It felt like Sanderson was writing this novel for artists, with all the emphasis that he placed on color. Even some of the characters, depending on how much Breath they have, can determine the particular shades of each hue in the world around them. Aside from the intricately woven tapestry of the world, the characters intrigued me even more. The story revolves around the perspectives of three main characters, limiting our knowledge on the other characters around them. Each of these characters Siri, Vivenna, and Lightsong are pretty much ignorant whether by choice or circumstance. A young princess with a lackadaisical attitude who gets sent to wed the God King, another princess who was prepared for that task is left questioning her worth, and a god who doesn't even believe in himself. Even after the author fooled me about the intentions of one character, I still continued to get surprised every time a "good guy" was revealed to be the "bad guy." 

    I enjoyed the complex system of how to properly use the Breath. Only certain commands could be used and only organic materials could be controlled. The entire religion around the god was interesting, since they are only worshiped so they could one day sacrifice the entirety of their Breaths and then pass on. Other than that, they don't really contribute the welfare of the people of Hallendran. Lightsong seems to be the only one questioning his state of godhood, while others readily accepted the life. His attitude goes against the grain, and really questions the whole existence of the gods. At times his cynical view frustrated me, while other times he fulfilled his roles as the comic relief character. The two sisters, Vivenna and Siri, have their roles reversed. Neither one prepared what they had to eventually face and both handled their new life in unexpected ways. While Siri matured and came to accept the fact that she should be more involved in securing the safety of her homeland, Vivenna completely deteriorated. I was not very fond of the character, Vivenna from the beginning. She never intended to save her sister, she may have tried to convince herself of that in the beginning, but once she was in the city it was all about her. For someone who was educated to take on a queenly role, she was very inexperienced with dealing with others and her gullibility cost her and others suffering.

     I was a tad disappointed by the end, mainly because it was abruptly over but also the story wrapped up a little too cleanly. We are supposed to gladly assume that the army of the stone Lifeless reach and stop the other Lifeless army in time to save the city of Idris. Also, I felt like the explanations of the Five Scholars and finally the revelation of their true identities was just pinned on in the end. Overall this book held my attention The conflict of religious ideals, and how closely it reflects reality with monotheism vs. polytheism, gives this fictional world a link to our own. The treatment of souls is viewed differently in each city; in one city the soul is coveted, while the other sees it as a form of commerce.