Book Review: 'Warbreaker' by Brandon Sanderson

Cover art by Dan Dos Santos

'Warbreaker' by Brandon Sanderson, is another great read in his Cosmere fantasy universe, joining the 'Mistborn' and the 'Stormlight Archives' series as well as 'Elantris' and 'White Sand' titles.

'Warbreaker', set on the world of Nalthis, is the story of two princess sisters, Siri and Vivenna, from the kingdom of Idris. Siri, the younger of the pair, is free spirited, rebellious in nature and always seeming to cause trouble, whereas Vivenna, the Eldest child of the King of Idris, has been brought up knowing that come her twenty second birthday, she'll be sent to the kingdom of Hallandren to marry the God-King that rules over the nation and produce an heir, and so is more reserved and more devout in the Idrian religion of Austre. But when the threat of a war with Hallandren is close to breaking out, the king tries to get around the small print of the pact and decides to send Siri instead of Vivenna, his favourite, which was intended in the pact between the two kingdoms, hoping to forestall the pending war. Vivenna, now left with the feeling like her only purpose in life has been taken away from her, leaves Idris in the hope of rescuing her sister.

The story also follows the viewpoints of two other characters, Vasher, a mysterious character in the possession of a sentient sword called Nightblood, and Lightsong the Bold, the Returned god of bravery, part of the Royal Court of Gods of the Returned, resurrected humans who have no memory of who they were before they were returned from death.

Of course, no Brandon Sanderson story is complete without a unique magic system. 'Warbreaker' has Biochromatic Breath. Or known simply as Breath. This magic can be infused into inanimate objects, or the dead, to bring them to life through vocal commands, draining colour from nearby objects to fuel the magic. Breaths can also be transferred by speaking a phrase; "My life to yours. My breath become yours." and is highly sought after as breaths enhance a person's soul, making the world around them seem more vibrant as well as making them more resistant to disease and injuries.

Sanderson weaves a multilayered tale, blending magic, religion, politics, conspiracies and romance. The personalities of the two sisters couldn't be more different, and to see them go through the changes in their character development over the course of the novel, transforming them into the women they needed to become, was very masterfully crafted, and kept me very much engaged in their narrative.

Despite the backdrop of potential war and political skullduggery, there is also quite a bit of humour, mostly when Lightsong is the pov. His whimsical and aloofness adds a levity to the story - making him one of the most likeable characters in the novel, and is in total contrast to the dour and seriousness of Vasher. Although the sentient sword Nightblood, a sword that is tasked with destroying evil, but doesn't know what evil means - brings some added humour to Vasher's viewpoints chapters too. 

The world building is typically Sanderson, which always makes it a joy to pick up one of his fantasy novels. Very in depth, but not so much that it becomes too overwhelming. Especially when it comes to the magic system. It just works so well. The surrounding cast of characters are very well fleshed out too, giving the world a proper lived in feel.

'Warbreaker' is a slow burn that builds things up slowly, carefully setting up events that will happen later on, and is full of twists and turns to keep you guessing until you get to the Sanderson avalanche that carries you along to the finish.

A really enjoyable read and a worthy addition to the Cosmere universe.

As a side note, check out the annotations on each chapter, as they're an excellent peek behind the scenes on the writing of the novel.

Available from Waterstones, Audible Audiobooks and all good bookstores.