Long read, spoiler sections clearly marked under subtitles.
Alongside Elantris, Tress of the Emerald Sea, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man, Warbreaker is one of Sanderson’s Cosmere properties that is currently a standalone adventure.
This seemingly makes Warbreaker an easy entry point for someone who is just starting out with Sanderson’s works, although it isn’t usually recommended as a first read above Way of Kings, Mistborn, or Elantris. This might be because, like Elantris, there’s a notable difference in the writing style compared to some of his later works. It might also be because Warbreaker’s tone is a little different to Sanderson’s usual.
How is Warbreaker Different from the Usual Cosmere Book?
The tone of Warbreaker is downright steamy. Now, I don’t read pure romance, and I don’t go anywhere near erotica (usually, I made an exception for Under the Oak Tree), and while Warbreaker is still easily a PG-13, it’s really quite raunchy. There’s a lot of sexual tension in there which, for repressed souls such as mine, was deliciously unbearable.
For context—I watch a lot of anime, where the sexual climax often doesn’t go further than the couple’s ability to hold hands after fifty episodes. I’m looking at you, Kaguya Sama anime…
There’s speculation from fans of Warbreaker that this might be because Sanderson wrote this book during his engagement to his wife, and even took it with him on their honeymoon (fact check this at Warbreaker’s dedication)!
So, although Warbreaker might be a wonderful standalone book to begin your Cosmere journey, you should be aware that not every Cosmere romp focuses on the rumpy pumpy as much as this one.
Warbreaker Explained
Minor Spoilers in this section.
Warbreaker is a sexy novel, but perhaps that is to be expected when the heart of the novel’s plot is an arranged marriage. A princess is promised to wed the God King of a foreign land; he’s a monster by all reckoning and requires an heir to secure his lineage. It’s about sacrifice, desire, trust, and politics.
While the concept of sex is always at the front of the book, there are no explicit sex scenes. This isn’t something that readers of erotic fiction will necessarily be satisfied by. The closest we get to ‘the deed’ are some sweet kisses, but the desire and expectations written into this book are what makes it feel so hot.
Even when we’re not actively on the topic of sex or producing an heir, we have sexually repressed characters describing their surroundings as ‘an orgy of colour’. I’m not kidding you:
‘Merchants yelled out what they sold, banners waved in the wind, and entertainers vied for attention. It was an orgy of color and motion.’
(p.103, 2011, Gollancz)
Amidst the intense sexual undercurrent that sweeps through this novel, we have three important POV characters: Vivenna, Siri, and Lightsong.
Vivenna and Siri are sisters, one of which is sent to become the God King’s bride, the other which aspires to rescue them. Lightsong’s chapters are a little more distanced from the two sisters and provide insight to the Court of the Gods—Hallandren’s estranged House of Lords who pass or deny political requests, despite being kept prisoners in their own epicurean gardens.
The three perspectives intertwine beautifully to eventually provide a cohesive picture of a complicated plot.
Is Warbreaker Good
I would give Warbreaker a 9/10 rating. It was nearly a 10/10 from me, but its ending lets it down. I’m not the only book blogger with this opinion, either. Spencer’s Bookcase felt ‘the ending was kind of rushed and quite a bit of it […] happened off-screen’.
For me, while Vivenna was my favourite character, Siri and Lightsong’s chapters were the real reason why I kept reading the book. For Vivenna to get an epilogue but to see nothing of the aftermath left behind in the places that the other two occupied was a huge let down.
The concept of the ending is good. Most of the questions I had over the course of the novel had good answers, and I was satisfied with the overall direction, but the ending still somehow felt empty. Others have suggested that a second Warbreaker novel might rectify this distinct feeling of lack, but Warbreaker is currently a standalone novel.
Leading me to my next point…
When Is Warbreaker 2?
Sanderson himself has confessed a desire to write a sequel to Warbreaker (Will You Write More Warbreaker), and a Goodreads page already exists for a potential Warbreaker #2! That said, Warbreaker isn’t expected to become a series until the fifth book in the Stormlight Archive has been published, at the very least.
This isn’t even a concrete promise that a Warbreaker 2 will ever come to pass. Meaning that for now, Warbreaker is a standalone novel in the Cosmere franchise.
If you can’t get enough Warbreaker and have cash to spare, you could always check out the Warbreaker swag box in the meantime…
I can’t afford it right now…
The Future of the Cosmere…
If you’d like to read more posts about the Cosmere, check out our section of Brandon Sanderson reviews! Both Argo and I are extremely excited for the release of Stormlight Archive #5, Knights of Wind and Truth so make sure to subscribe to get our thoughts, hot off the press!
If you’d like to join a Cosmere Discord fan server with lots of welcoming, active members, I can heartily recommend Mistborn Unofficial!
Beyond The Spine Reviews 