Sanderson is making waves in 2023 by slowly releasing his secret novels from the "Year of Sanderson" project. "Tress of the Emerald Sea" is the first of these novels, set in the known Cosmere Universe. The story follows Tress, an ordinary girl living on a rocky island, who enjoys a simple life of collecting cups and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie, the son of the Duke. When Charlie is taken by a sorceress, Tress is determined to save him.

Although people advised against reading this book as your first BrandoSando novel, I ignored that and read it as my first book. I can now understand the advice. Despite the well fleshed out characters and cozy atmosphere, I struggled with the narrator, Hoid (a returning character from earlier books). Hoid's perspective, often jokingly speaking towards the reader, felt somewhat flat to me. However, the moments where the narration switched to Tress were captivating, and I enjoyed those parts.

Nevertheless, the book has a whimsical feel to it, with incredible worldbuilding that included deadly spores, twelve moons, talking animals, pirates, and sorceresses. The characters were funny, quirky, and adorable, and it had my favorite trope of found family. It's a charming story of a shy girl who transforms into a fierce woman, and it has everything to keep readers captivated. However, I may start at "the beginning" next time.