Ich schwanke zwischen 4 und 5 Sternen - dieses Buch ist WIRKLICH toll! Die Welt, die Brandon Sanderson entworfen hat, ähnelt (wie so viele Fantasy-Welten) unserem Mittelalter, allerdings gibt es - oder gab es - Magie. Irgendetwas ist Elantris, Stadt der Magier, zugestoßen und hat die Magie beschädigt. Seitdem sind Menschen, die von der Magie auserwählt werden und sich in Elantrier verwandeln, Ausgestoßene, die in der magischen Stadt vor sich hin vegetieren. Es braucht (ziemlich märchenhaft) einen Prinz und eine Prinzessin, die sich kennen und doch nicht kennen, um dieses Rätsel zu lösen und Elantris zu retten. Wirklich gut geschrieben und mit einer starken weiblichen Protagonistin.
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This was a tough book to rate, and I considered giving it a 5 for quite a while before deciding on a 4. Perhaps the only reason I didn't give it a 5 was that it wasn't quite as good as Mistborn, and the conclusion was a little confusing (in regards to the Aons). It was a very interesting and well written book, however, and it is a testament to Sanderson's natural writing ability that this was his debut novel.

The only issue I had with this book was that I read Mistborn first, so I was always comparing the two. The books seemed to me to be remarkably similar in a number of ways. Serene seemed like a less fully realized version of Vin, and Sanderson's focus on religion was also similar in Elantris (despite being more important to Elantris' plot than to Mistborn's). Many of the characters were interesting, but his revelations and descriptions of events were also not as good as in Mistborn. In other words, I would have thought the novel phenomenal, had I not already read the full Mistborn series.

So for anyone who liked Mistborn even a little, this book is a MUST. Don't pass it up because I say you it wasn't as good, because you'd really be missing out. ( )

F/SF

Should have been a 3.5 star rating but I do know this Sanderson’s first novel (or one of) and the writing is not as great as his later works. What pushed it to a 4 was how the story wrapped up and the world building. The pace was a little slow and all of the political lost me here and there. Overall, I’m happy I finally read it. ( )

I had to go back and read it because of Arcanum Unbounded. Still as good as ever. The audiobook doesn't disappoint either. ( )