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Tress of the Emerald Sea

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Reviewer

Rachel Pfeiffer

Book Review

Tress is an unremarkable girl who lives on an unremarkable island. It’s situated in the middle of a sea of green spores that fall from the moon. She washes windows, collects cups and cares for her family. But what Tress doesn’t want to admit, even to herself, is that she is in love with the duke’s son, Charlie. And he reciprocates those feelings.

When Charlie’s parents whisk him away to choose a bride, Charlie vows he will never love anyone but Tress. As the weeks pass, Tress begins to hope Charlie has figured out how to escape an arranged marriage. Then she receives terrible news: Charlie has been captured by the evil sorceress.

The sorceress’ island lies the Midnight Sea, a treacherous place where few dare to travel. But Tress is determined to rescue the man she loves.

And so she embarks on a journey filled with danger, loss and friendship that will challenge her as nothing ever has. Charlie’s fate rests in her hands alone, and she can only hope that she won’t let him down.

Plot Summary

Tress lives on a small, dismal island in the midst of a sea of green spores. All of her planet’s oceans are made of these spores, tiny particles that sprout when they come in contact with any liquid. This is all good and fine—until you inhale one and have to contend with a vine growing inside of you.

But those vines don’t come close to being the most dangerous or deadly of the spores. Those exist in oceans far from Tress’s home, an island she doesn’t plan to ever leave. After all, the king forbids any peasant to depart the little piece of land.

However, Tress’s world gets turned upside down when Charlie, the man she loves, departs the island destined for an arranged marriage. As nobility, he is expected to marry nobility as well. Tress soon learns that when Charlie resisted one marriage after another, his father, the duke, decided to simply be rid of him. The evil sorceress now holds Charlie captive on her island in the middle of the treacherous Midnight Sea.

With the help of her family, Tress departs the island. Her ship is soon attacked by pirates, and she finds herself swabbing the decks on the ship to avoid being tossed into the Verdant Sea. However, Tress is a practical person and not one to panic. She slowly makes friends with the crew and finds that the ship has an important position vacant—that of the sprouter.

Sprouters manipulate spores to patch holes in the ship, fire the cannons and much more. This is dangerous work, but Tress takes on the role. How she will get a ship of pirates to sail into the Crimson and Midnight Seas is anyone’s guess, but going home isn’t an option. She’s Charlie’s only hope.

Christian Beliefs

None.

Other Belief Systems

On this planet, people worship and pray to the moons. A clergy exists to supervise this religion. A sorceress lives on an island, and the cabin boy, Hoid, is also a sorcerer under a curse.

A character named Huck is a talking rat. Evolution is mentioned. Shards are mentioned as the creators of people. A wizard gave another character his electronic board to communicate with others.

Ulaam is similar to a human being, but actually another species. A dragon lives in the Crimson Sea. Legends and myths are mentioned.

Hoid mentions he was part of a plot to kill a god. Pagan sermons and holidays are mentioned. One sailor thinks birds are the souls of the dead. Someone is described as being “demonic.”

Authority Roles

Charlie’s father, the duke, is an arrogant and cruel ruler. He gets rid of Charlie so he can have his nephew become his heir instead. The duchess eventually leaves the duke for attempting to send their only son to his death. The king and the duke only focus on the war. Captain Crow forces her crew to become pirates. She gets them to obey only through fear.

Tress’ parents are hardworking and supportive. They know she loves Charlie, so they come up with a plan to help her leave the island. Her dad calls in favors to get Tress past the port inspector.

Profanity & Violence

Spores that are swallowed will sprout inside a person and kill them in painful manners. This process is described for several types of spores. Sailors are speared by crimson spikes. The duke and his nephew kill many people in wars. The king is at war with the sorceress. Charlie practices sparring. Tress knocks someone out with a cup. Funerals are mentioned. Several battles at sea are described. Crews fire cannonballs and shoot each other with other firearms on hand. One entire crew dies. Crow shoots herself but doesn’t die because the spores in her blood protect her.

A character named Laggert shoots another named Salay in the thigh. Crow fights Fort; punches Tress and Salay; and shoots Ann with a flare gun. Ulaam eats body parts and constantly offers to purchase various people’s body parts. One of the sailors on The Crow’s Song dies and is buried at sea. Slavery is mentioned.

Alcohol, a tavern and drunkenness are mentioned multiple times. A sailor makes a rude gesture at Tess. Language includes “d–n,” “bada–” and “h—.”

Sexual Content

Virgins are mentioned. Ulaam speculates that Ann loves cannons because they are phallic shaped. Nipples are mentioned, and prostitution is alluded to.

One character is briefly naked when being changed from a rat into a human.

Discussion Topics

Instead of trying to leave the island on her own, Tress discusses the idea with her parents first. Do you discuss important choices with your parents? Why or why not?

What qualities make Tress a good friend and daughter? What qualities do you think make a you a good friend and son/daughter? What is an area where you could grow?

Read Psalm 119:33-40. Crow and the duke are so selfish they’ll stop at nothing to get what they want. In what ways do you notice selfishness in your life? What do you think it takes to overcome character weaknesses like this one?

Additional Comments

Author Brandon Sanderson has built a world ripe for adventure. Tress is the rare hero who looks before she leaps and has enough sense to avoid the common traps most characters fall into. Many fantasy books full of adventure are fraught with toxic relationships, but in Tress of the Emerald Sea, Sanderson proves broken families and unhealthy romance aren’t necessary for a good story.

A few content concerns turn up along the way, but they’re far fewer than many similar YA-themed fantasy and sci-fi stories aimed at young audiences these days.

You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected].

Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

Rachel Pfeiffer

Rachel Pfeiffer serves as Editor of Focus on the Family Clubhouse magazine, where she acquires and crafts stories to entertain and disciple children. She graduated from Taylor University with a degree in professional writing and Moody Theological Seminary with an MA in Biblical Studies. When she’s not curled up with a good book, she can often be found hiking the beautiful Colorado Rockies.

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