Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson Review

 Title: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Cosmere, Book 29

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

I’ll be honest: I haven’t read much of Brandon Sanderson’s work before now. But after perusing a couple of book groups on Facebook, I was browsing at one of my libraries and decided to give him a shot. I picked up Yumi and the Nightmare Painter and Tress of the Emerald Sea, but I decided to read Yumi first. This book was funny, strange, heartening, and fulfilling. I loved it, even though it took me a while to wrap my head around the concept. Was it hard to follow at times? Absolutely, but maybe that’s my fault because I started in the middle of the series. Nonetheless, I adored this crazy, wacky wild ride of a book. This may be my first Brandon Sanderson novel, but it will certainly not be my last!

Yumi and Painter are from two entirely different worlds. Yumi’s world consists of spirits, prayer, and being the yoki-hijo: the person chosen from birth by the spirits to help them. Painter’s consists of hion lights, staving off Nightmares who feed on people with strong imaginations, and technology. When their worlds collide, Yumi and Painter must join forces to save both of their worlds, even if it’s the end of them both. Forging a connection across the planets, the shy, meek yoki-hijo, and Painter, the boy who has made many mistakes and longs to be a true hero, they must work together, even if it means uncovering a dark secret that could unmake both of their worlds…

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was breakneck, the narrator was funny, sharp, and wry, but what really sold this book for me was Painter and Yumi. It took a while for me to get into the rhythm of the novel, but once I did, I couldn’t stop reading. I loved both of the worlds that Yumi and Painter inhabited, but what really made this book shine was the characters in both. I was laughing, crying, kicking my feet. This book is a fantasy, true, but to sum it up with just that word would be a huge disservice. This had romance, monsters, deadly secrets, killer humor, and great pacing. However, I don’t think I’m going to be diving into the Cosmere series just yet; that’s just a huge commitment that I’m not ready for. The bottom line: Rich with detail, funny and sharp and romantic, I loved Yumi and The Nightmare Painter! Next on deck: The Ogress and The Orphans by Kelly Barnhill!