Tress is a commoner, a window-washer living on a remote island in the 12 seas, who falls in love with the rather dull Charlie, a Duke’s son. Tress stows away on a pirate ship to rescue him when Charlie is captured by the Sorceress in the dreaded Midnight Sea. She meets a crew of pirates including the deaf Fort, a talking rat called Huck, and the frightening Captain Crow. Tress also learns to survive seas made of dangerous spores.

The story starts off sweet and whimsical, but I must confess I tired of the odd humour after a while. The narrator was revealed part way through the novel to be Hoid, some sort of mysterious transgalactic creature, who seems to be held in great affection by other readers who have met him in previous books. Not having done so myself I just found him to be an irritating imbecile, and kept waiting for a great reveal to explain his presence and his powers, which never really happened. There was also the slightly odd mesh of fantasy and sci-fi, a jolting shift from dragons and pirate ships to iPads and laptops.

Tress was a likeable character who rose to the challenges before her. The romance was very vanilla, and I felt like an adult reading a child’s story. A pleasant enough story spoilt by an obtrusive, conscious narration specialising in kookie Dad jokes. ( )

Great book. Wonderful story. Loved the world and characters. ( )

Tress has only known life on the Rock, an island in the Verdant Sea. But when she hears that Charlie, the man she loves, has been taken captive by the Sorceress in the Midnight Sea, she is determined to rescue him. She manages to board a merchant ship, which is soon attacked by pirates; however, Tress is determined not to let either blood-thirsty outlaws or deadly spores stand in her way.

I picked up Tress of the Emerald Sea not only because of the intriguing synopsis (I love heroines that don't need to be rescued but instead do the rescuing themselves), but also because I was curious to see how much Brandon Sanderson's writing had improved since I read Elantris shortly after it was first published. While this standalone is certainly an improvement, I still can't say that this was a resounding success for me. The world building is exquisite, as you'd expect from Sanderson, and there is no doubt that Tress and the officers on the Crow's Song are wonderful creations, whose character developments really resonated with me, especially Tress's; however, I had trouble with Hoid's narration when he brings himself into the story or passes comment on the events. Hoid (for those who don't know) is a recurring character in the Cosmere universe, according to the author's postscript, with a voice that I felt owed a lot to Terry Pratchett. Not all of Terry Pratchett's books are my cup of tea: I don't like books where the author feels that every second paragraph or so must contain a gag, funny play on words or pun, which gets rather unfunny after a while – I always feel that the author is trying too hard. The same is true for Hoid, unfortunately, which is why I found certain passages in the book grating. Taken together with an uneven pace, I sadly can't award this book more than four stars. ( )

I love the concept of the spore seas - particularly the imagery of Tress carefully pacing her way across the Emerald Sea. But I'm steadily finding YA less enchanting. ( )

What an absolutely amazing book! Tress goes off in search of the guy she loves after he is taken by an evil sorceress. This book has everything: adventure, romance, swashbuckling on the high seas (or spores), and a loveable cast of characters that keep you entertained from the very first word. I've never been one for pirate stories or sci-fi. But I am all in for this one.

A stellar introduction into the world of Brandon Sanderson. ( )