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A review by destdest
White Sand by Isaac Stewart, Brandon Sanderson, Rik Hoskin
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was engaged with the story. This is my first time reading from Sanderson, and I was able to keep up with the world-building. There are 3 main stories here: Kenton’s, Aisha’s, and Khrissala. I think I liked all three, but Kenton and Khrissala ranked higher.
Kenton has been the underdog for so long that it takes tragedy for things to change. I liked him realizing the inner turmoils of the diem (sand master guild). He has the “chicken, wolf, riddle” with trying to navigate politics.
I liked Khrissala’s style and the fact that she was a scientist. No comparison, but I love Shuri (Black Panther), so I warmed to her quickly. Still, she was very bratty and unreasonable in the beginning. But I enjoyed her tactical nature and cleverness throughout.
I would have rated this higher, but I didn't like the artwork overall.
There are multiple artists here. Some of the characters are a little strong in the face to put it nicely. Brooding Batman shadows and scruffy lines. Each artist seemed to excel with a particular character or certain thing more than others. Due to multiple artists, some of the characters looked drastically different (ex: Aisha’s skin tone, Khrissala’s hair, Baon’s face, etc).
Kenton looked torn up in every iteration, sorry. His design is meant to display the mixture of his Darksider and Daysider heritage. But, he looks like he overstayed his welcome in the tanning bed. He’s giving a gingerbread man with a bad blond dye job. I don’t think his color scheme was in harmony.
Anyway, I enjoyed the reading experience. It wrapped up every loose end. Nothing was introduced that was not resolved, and it subverted my expectations with Kenton's power. his whole thing was mastering one rope of sand before he eventually gained the ability of more. But the final battle has him go back to his roots. Full circle and clever! Also liked that Drile and he worked together I also enjoyed a religious character that wasn't extreme/one-dimensional.
A complaint? I wanted more romance, but the little embers here are well-paced. And I couldn't bring myself to read the journal notes in cursive. Just no.
3.5
Kenton has been the underdog for so long that it takes tragedy for things to change. I liked him realizing the inner turmoils of the diem (sand master guild). He has the “chicken, wolf, riddle” with trying to navigate politics.
I liked Khrissala’s style and the fact that she was a scientist. No comparison, but I love Shuri (Black Panther), so I warmed to her quickly. Still, she was very bratty and unreasonable in the beginning. But I enjoyed her tactical nature and cleverness throughout.
I would have rated this higher, but I didn't like the artwork overall.
There are multiple artists here. Some of the characters are a little strong in the face to put it nicely. Brooding Batman shadows and scruffy lines. Each artist seemed to excel with a particular character or certain thing more than others. Due to multiple artists, some of the characters looked drastically different (ex: Aisha’s skin tone, Khrissala’s hair, Baon’s face, etc).
Kenton looked torn up in every iteration, sorry. His design is meant to display the mixture of his Darksider and Daysider heritage. But, he looks like he overstayed his welcome in the tanning bed. He’s giving a gingerbread man with a bad blond dye job. I don’t think his color scheme was in harmony.
Anyway, I enjoyed the reading experience. It wrapped up every loose end. Nothing was introduced that was not resolved, and it subverted my expectations with Kenton's power.
A complaint? I wanted more romance, but the little embers here are well-paced. And I couldn't bring myself to read the journal notes in cursive. Just no.
3.5