The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place, sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?

This was my first Brandon Sanderson book, and it was quite delightful. Not being familiar with his Cosmere, I did feel a little lost, like I was missing some small details. It didn’t impede my reading experience with this book, but I felt like my knowledge was lacking, and I was an outsider looking in. But otherwise, this was an enjoyable coming-of-age story. It was very whimsical, silly, and outlandish, but in a really fun, sweet way. It was well-written and pretty clever.

However, I thought it would be more fantastical than it was; it felt more sci-fi for the majority of the story for me. I’m not a seasoned reader of the sci-fi/fantasy genre, so it took me by surprise, but it was rather interesting. There were some science-related details that I didn’t care about knowing, so I became bored in those areas, and I wish more had happened with the fantasy parts of the book. The middle was a bit slow. I wish there were more action and different locations explored during the journey through the spore oceans. The majority of the book is on a pirate ship, and not a lot happens. The story about the spore seas was interesting, but then I got bored hearing about them. The last quarter of the story picked up, and I wish we had more of those types of action sequences earlier. The ending took me by surprise. I didn’t expect the big reveal, which was a nice touch. It all came together seamlessly and had a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, it was a fun, exciting adventure with some humor, touching friendships, heartwarming characters, and found family elements. It also felt a bit cozy at times and very charming. I think it was a good introduction to the Cosmere, and now I want to read more and explore this world further. 

The author said that he watched The Princess Bride with his family during the pandemic and had the idea – what if the story was told from Buttercup’s perspective? He wrote this story just for his wife, but she loved it so much that she encouraged him to publish it.