Excellent read.

This is an excellent take on a fantasy novel. The mechanics are unique and lead to a very refreshing read.

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Not as good as hoped

very good story, unfortunately although the narrator was good, l suppose after listening to mistborn and stormlight I have been spoilt by the excellence of M K and K R. I wish now I had read it instead. Maybe will in the future.

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For fans of Mistborn - very good narration

I bought this book after listening to, and enjoying, the Mistborn trilogy. Brandon Sanderson has yet another unique magic system - but this time it is less prominent, only really showing it's full extent towards the end

Story – 4/5

Another unique magic system from Brandon Sanderson (although I guess this was his debut novel - therefore his first magic system). It was more subtle in this book than others, but still very interesting. This far exceeds many other debut's out there, but Sanderson definitely improves as he goes along.

Characters are very interesting and you are genuinely concerned for a lot of them. The story dragged on at times, and became predictable - but the last 2 hours of it really blew me away. The ending I had predicted didn't happen, and it was absolutely action packed. I would say it was a slog to the end, but it was well worth it so I highly recommend this novel for Mistborn lovers.


Performance – 4.5/5

Jack Garrett is very good - very similar to Michael Kramer actually, so if you like the narrator for Mistborn or Wheel of Time you will get on well with Jack.

His deep voice was very good at creating an atmosphere in the big scenes - and he also did an excellent job at making all of the characters subtly distinctive.

Overall – 4/5


Apologies for the star ratings not matching the written review, I am forced to round halves on Audible.

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5 people found this helpful

A good listen, predictable in places

Most of the "twists" can be seem coming, but not all off them. It's an entertaining listen, and it's a pity there is no follow up novel to continue the Elantris story.

Jack Garrett's narration is pretty good and is a real breath of fresh air, compared to the mechanical, poorly edited narration of Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, who normally do their best to ruin other Sanderson books.

Well worth a listen.

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1 person found this helpful

Masterpiece

This book is a masterpiece. Everything was done exactly how it should have been. The plot was original, the characters were great and I honestly couldn’t stop listening.

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Amazing and unique!

Narration 9.5/10
The narration is really good and I really wonder why some people criticize it and think it's slow. Even if someone considers it a bit slow they can just pump up the speed to x1.2 and voila it's not that slow anymore. Personally I find it spot on, it brings the characters to life breathing some soul into them and adding to the personality of the characters.

Story 9.5/10
I have to admit I was probably sleeping under a rock for several years now when it comes to Elantris. I have read other Sanderson's more popular books like Mistoborn and Stormlight Archive but I never got to read this even though it was recommended to me at several points in time. It seems to be a polarizing book but consider me a big fan of it. The story is pretty unique and at the same time it's different from other Sanderson's books but the captivating way it's written and the story progression show how it's another one of his masterful creations.
Once more he introduces a new magic system for the story and he builds an amazing world full of mystery, yet he ties everything up by the end of the story giving an answer to everything and presenting us with an amazing finale.
The story begins with Prince Raoden of Arelon waking up only to find himself affected by the "Shaod" (a condition where the mind lives but the body seems to be dead, with the heart stop beating and wounds not healing) and thrown into the city of Elantris with other affected people, while his wife to be arrives at Arelon to be told that the price has passed away.

Overall this was a really good book that everyone should get their hands on to. It leaves you wanting for more and I do hope that the planned sequels do get released sometime in the near future.

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Pauses when changing POV

The lack of pauses between the POVs of the different characters can make it confusing. Otherwise good

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Good story let down by amateur voice acting

It's a real shame that the voice actor used for this story didn't do a good job. There wasn't enough tonal variation, and when listening to fantasy with a lot of complex new words that blend together in your mind, the voice actor needs to be able to bring clarity between different characters.

As for Sanderson, not his most polished work. Which is unsurprising, given that it was his first publication. But I still really enjoyed it, and I can forgive some niggling issues with coherence and plausible character choices/experiences/actions.

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Let down from a legend

First of all, Brandon Sanderson is a legend. The Way of Kings is inspired and his lectures on writing online are a treasure. Despite all this though, i don’t get the appeal of this book. Little happens save dull political intrigue and the MCs are major mary sues. Will not be rereading and it was a slog this time around. Sorry Brandon!

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Elantris

This book was amazing and is well worth a credit. I've read it several times and now I have many books by Brandon Sanderson and I have found most excellent books from this author. Definitely recommend.

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