Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

9 stars

Plot from amazon.com:
To keep a treaty made long ago, the king of Idris must send his daughter to marry Susebron, the God King of Hallandren. Loath to part with his eldest daughter, Vivenna, King Dedelin instead sends his youngest daughter, tomboyish 17-year-old Siri, who struggles to make sense of the schemers and spies in Susebron's court. Hoping to rescue her sister, Vivenna joins a group of Idrian operatives with questionable motives. As Vivenna comes to terms with her magical abilities, resurrected hero Lightsong questions the role of the undead Returned Gods, who command Hallandren's mighty army of zombie soldiers.

Warbreaker is a truly unique fantasy novel. Within these pages you won't find any fireballs, wizards, elves, or the like. Instead, you will find a system of magic based on color and Breath, a new world that includes men who die and come back to life as Gods, clothes that move as if alive, a religion that fears color, and many other unique and intriguing surprises.

Perhaps the highest praise I can give to Warbreaker is that I was truly surprised by some of the plot twists. I don't know about you, but sometimes books, especially fantasy books, are all too predictable. I didn't have this problem with Warbreaker. Once or twice there were true “huwhaaaaaaat!?!?!?!?!?!?” moments. The characters within Warbreaker are unique, complex, and believable, as is the world they live in. Finally, there were moments that made me laugh out loud. I'm usually not a laugh-while-reading kind of person, so this too is high praise.

Anyone who loves fantasy =needs to read Brandon Sanderson. In addition to Warbreaker, Sanderson has also written The Mistborn Trilogy and Elantris, which I also greatly enjoyed. I happen to own The Mistborn Trilogy and Elantris and anyone who wants to can borrow them.