Review ~ The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson

TITLE: The Emperor’s Soul

AUTHOR: Brandon Sanderson
COPYRIGHT: 2012
TYPE: Fantasy
PAGES: 175
SERIES:  No

REASON FOR READ:

Sitting on TBR Pile and thought it would be a good introduction to this author

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):

A heretic thief is the empire’s only hope in this fascinating tale that inhabits the same world as the popular novel, Elantris.

Shai is a Forger, a foreigner who can flawlessly copy and re-create any item by rewriting its history with skillful magic. Condemned to death after trying to steal the emperor’s scepter, she is given one opportunity to save herself. Though her skill as a Forger is considered an abomination by her captors, Shai will attempt to create a new soul for the emperor, who is almost dead. 

Probing deeply into his life, she discovers Emperor Ashravan’s truest nature—and the opportunity to exploit it. Her only possible ally is one who is truly loyal to the emperor, but councilor Gaotona must overcome his prejudices to understand that Shai’s forgery is as much artistry as it is deception. 

THOUGHTS/OPINION:

It took a minute to get into this book. Apparently it is a novella out of his Elantris series which I didn’t know when I started it. However once I figured out the main character and what the hell soul stamping was I was back on track. The world is complex and there was some telling instead of showing but, that is okay since this is part of a series. The story is complex and yet not and I found myself getting sucked into Shai's world and her desire to complete the ultimate forgery. 

THINGS I LIKED

The story flowed well and after figuring out a few things (some tell not show) I was able to keep up. 

I enjoyed Shai who was a very strong and capable female who could think and knew what to use of her skills and when to use them. 

I enjoyed that there wasn't a love story it was refreshing that Shai didn't need a man nor did she want one.

I liked that the culture was different than what is normally considered a fantasy middle ages story line 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

This is a novelle so it is very short. It is part of a world in another series so while we will never see or hear of this character (I believe) it was a separate story so it was hard to graps the world the fullest extent. 

Other than that I have to say that it was rather enjoyable.

FINAL GRADE: 4 out of 5 stars

Would you recommend this story? Yes

Is this a part of a reading challenge? New Author’s Challenge