*Special Guest Post by Teen Volunteer, Madeleine*
When Brandon Sanderson announced that he had written four secret novels over the pandemic, the internet was intrigued. So intrigued, in fact, that the Kickstarter to buy said secret projects was the highest- earning in history, making $41 million. Tress of the Emerald Sea was one of those books. So is it worth the hype? Absolutely!
The plot centers around Tress, a young woman who has lived her entire life on a small island, and enjoys simple pleasures such as collecting cups that hearing stories from her best friend, Charlie, but one-day disaster strikes! Charlie and his father leave the island to search for a bride for him, and he never comes back. Tress must seek the sorceress of the midnight sea to hopefully bring her friend back. Oh, and the seas are filled with spores that can kill you if they even come into contact with a single drop of water.
I loved this book. Not only is it heart warming, it's hilarious (the narrator is Hoid).
It has many of the usual hallmarks of a Sanderson story, that is, great worldbuilding, interesting characters, and, of course, Hoid, who takes the role of a cabin boy on the ship that Tress has taken, after having his five five senses taken from him by the sorceress (the important ones of course- his sense of humor, decorum, purpose, self and taste). It's a great place to start if you want to get into the Cosmere.