 |
Reviewed by: Taylor Coonelly, Elementary School Librarian Title: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: 9-Adult Genre/Type of Book: Fantasy/Science-Fiction
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: N/A
Recommended for a school library: Yes
Reason(s) for choosing the book: I have loved Brandon Sanderson's standalone books, and this was the last one I needed to read
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: A story of two souls bound together in a journey that will change their world forever.
|
Review:
Yumi has spent her entire life in service to her people, only serving as their connection to the spirits in their world without experiencing much else.
Painter is a lone wolf, patrolling the streets of his city looking for ways to paint himself as the hero of his story.
In more ways than one, Yumi and Painter live lives mirroring one another.
When suddenly the pair becomes entwined by the spirits, each much learn to grapple with their differences while also striving to solve the mystery of what brought them together. Each will be forced to come to terms with their deepest fears and desires, while also blindly attempting to change their fates and the fate of their worlds.
(This above synopsis is very barren, I know, but I genuinely feel it is best to go in only knowing what is above in order to fully appreciate what happens in the story).
This is the third standalone book of Brandon Sanderson's that I have read, meaning I have read all of them save for his Cosmere (his fictional world) specific one. I really enjoyed this book, and how Sanderson took influences from Japanese and Korean culture to create a fantasy story that felt ground in historical fiction. This story was slower moving than I would have hoped, but I think that that was the point - watching these two characters interact with each other and grow through the seemingly mundane routines they have. Yumi and Painter's characters grow immensely during this book, forming new connections and unearthing their deepest thoughts of their lives and who they are - while falling in love veeeery slowly (I love a slow burn but this was achingly slow)(also this is a very tame romance where the only thing these characters do is touch hands and kiss once, which is adorable for them). Brandon Sanderson has always been a master of world-building, but I have particularly grown to love how each of his standalone books have such diverse worlds and cultural systems, while still existing in the greater Cosmere landscape.
Whichever cover of the book you have, they are both gorgeous and lend well to being displayed on the shelf and found by a reader. I absolutely think kids would enjoy this read, for all of the different elements it possesses and the engaging story. I couldn't think of anything that this book could be used for educationally, however maybe doing some sort of class/lesson on fantasy world-building, influences of historical perspectives in fantasy, or even just a display/event for the Brandon Sanderson Cosmere (people are obsessed with it).
Number of party hats:
