Summary
Elantris was once a beautiful and abundant city that was ruled by people who were revered as gods. They could create food from almost nothing and they were able to heal all wounds that were brought to them. The Elantrians were the gracious rulers of Arelon. That all changed when a mysterious and devastating curse overcame the city, turning all of the once gifted chosen to be the now powerless doomed.
Ten years after the curse struck the once godly city, a story that follows three individuals of three different nations, commences in the city of Kai, the new capital of Arelon after Elantris's collapse. Prince Raoden was the prince of Kai and was loved by all the people. His problems only began, though, when the curse of Elantris claimed him and doomed him for all eternity to the dark city. Next up is Hrathen, a high priest of the empirical Fjordell empire. In hopes to convert Arelon to the religion of Fjordell and avoid a massacre of the people, Hrathen goes to the nation to convince the king to accept the rule of the large empire, or to die at their hands. He finds it challenging to convert those who used to live among gods themselves.
Finally, there's Princess Sarene of the nation of Teod, one of the last remaining countries that have avoided Fjordell's rule, along with Arelon. She travelled all the way to Arelon to marry a man she never met, but discovered that she was a widow before the ceremony even took place. Now she must devote her time to helping the people of Arelon against the formidable Fjordell empire.
How are these people connected and what will their role be in the future of Arelon? Will their choices make the world, including Elantris, better? Will they just make matters worse?
Opinion
Scale of 1-10:
10
Wow.... that is the first word I thought in finishing this book. Just... wow.
When I say that this was a work of pure art, I absolutely mean it. Not many stories can be simply beautiful, but this one was. Unlike a lot of Brandon Sanderson books, this wasn't fast pace or anything. I enjoyed reading this simply because of the world and how immersed I became in it. I even enjoyed learning about the politics and the societal rules that governed this mysterious world.
The characters were just full of life and passion. I am always amazed at the powerful female characters in many of Brandon Sanderson's novels. I am constantly looking up to the women he writes about and I have good reason to be. Sarene's character wasn't just strong, but you also got to see the vulnerability she had, but she never let it affect her goals. When she set out to accomplish a task, there was nothing that could stop her. Even the old fashion men that she spent her time around deeply respected and revered her. They even thought of her as their leader.
The relationships that developed in this story were just excellent! Many of the characters that didn't think anything of each other at first, grew to respect each other in ways that even baffled them. I'm finding it difficult to put into words the beauty of this story and it's characters.
Despite what many would think, this book isn't completely serious at all. There is some amazing sarcastic and sly humor that's included in it. Many of the characters make the best comments that honestly made me laugh out loud. I got to say that so far only a Brandon Sanderson book can have this amazing balance of fantasy, humor, and drama in one single story.
Age Rating
12+
The only things that are really a problem in this book are some cursing, a lot of graphic violence, and a little bit of sexual innuendo.
Language:
The only word said in this book is the word "damn". I think it's only a couple of times throughout the duration of the book.
Sexual Content:
There are a couple of light comments that reference sex. Sarene makes a comment about her wedding night. Other than that, there isn't really a lot of references whatsoever. There may be a joke or two but they will mostly go over kids' heads.
Violence:
There are some pretty graphic violent scenes in this book that are heavily described. The cursed people of Elantris have bodies that cant heal so when they get hurt that pain lives on with them forever. While inside Elantris, many of them suffer from some pretty gruesome injuries.
Other:
Inside Elantris, there is a group of crazy people who have decided that they would rather lose their minds than go through the pain of living in Elantris. These people are violent and it may disturb young readers to read about such conscienceless beings.
Here's the link to the book on Goodreads:
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