Background
Published in 2009, “Warbreaker” follows the intertwined fates of two princesses and sisters from the kingdom of Idris, Siri and Vivenna, as they become entangled in political and divine conflicts in the city of Hallandren. Siri, younger and more rebellious than her sister, is sent in place of Vivenna to marry the God King, a mysterious and seemingly all-powerful ruler. Meanwhile, Vivenna, the dutiful and trained heir, embarks on a mission to rescue her sister but finds herself drawn into a rebellion and forced to question everything she believed.
My Thoughts
This really was a fun read. Sanderson has a gift to bring the reader into the story no matter what is going on in the plot. This book presents a different type of “investiture” in the form of “breath.” Treated as the soul of a person by the homeland of Siri, it is a commodity to be bought and sold in the world she comes to live in. This form is unique in the greater Sanderson Cosmere and made for some interesting plot points. Characters such as Vasher and Nightblood show up in later Sanderson works and it was fun to see their origins.
The door was left open for more books to be written, but 17 years later, I don’t know they will be coming.
Recommendation
Great book and a good read