The Fires of December

Hoid's Travails #3

by Brandon Sanderson

In the next Cosmere standalone novel, Hoid has an epic tale to share: In a forgotten land sustained by colorful rivers of demon blood, a young woman named December learns a devastating plague is on its way. But who will believe her? Against impossible odds, she sets sail up the River Violet to warn the king's court, determination—and wisdom beyond her years—burning in her eyes. Along the way she’ll navigate incredulous royal officials, twisted court intrigue, and a roguish count with only her wits and her new friends: a talkative priestess and a fledgling fashion designer.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Adult, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction, Audiobook

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2026

About the author

I’m Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.

The release of Wind and Truth in December 2024—the fifth and final book in the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series—marks a significant milestone for me. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it’s the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be. Now is a great time to get into the Stormlight Archive since the first arc, which begins with Way of Kings, is complete.

During our crowdfunding campaign for the leatherbound edition of Words of Radiance, I announced a fifth Secret Project called Isles of the Emberdark, which came out in the summer of 2025. Coming December 2025 is Tailored Realities, my non-Cosmere short story collection featuring the new novella Moment Zero.

Defiant, the fourth and final volume of the series that started with Skyward in 2018, came out in November 2023, capping an already book-filled year that saw the releases of all four Secret Projects: Tress of the Emerald Sea, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Sunlit Man. These four books were all initially offered to backers of the #1 Kickstarter campaign of all time.

November 2022 saw the release of The Lost Metal, the seventh volume in the Mistborn saga, and the final volume of the Mistborn Era Two featuring Wax & Wayne. Now that the first arc of the Stormlight Archive is wrapped up, I’ve started writing the third era of Mistborn in 2025.

Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, four of the five Secret Projects, and various novellas, including The Emperor’s Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded. If you’ve read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.

I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, which had its final book, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians, released in 2022. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.

Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the three stories in Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. These two novellas are also featured in 2025’s Tailored Realities. There’s a lot of material to go around!

Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor’s Soul, Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you’re already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.

I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan’s notes.

Sample chapters from all of my books are available at brandonsanderson.com—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.

Reviews

[Suzanne]

I was a beta reader for The Fires of December. I loved it and I’ll likely reread it many times.

[Chris McGrath]

I was fortunate enough to beta read this book a couple months before it was announced as Brandon's sixth Secret Project. Normally I don't rate books I've read in beta because the final book will be more polished, but in this case I feel quite confident with the 5-star rating as it is already an incredible read.

Of course I can't say anything about the story as it will not be out for many months, but the opening to the book is the best and most compelling of any Sanderson has written so far, and you can find a video of him reading chapters 1 & 2 at Nexus 2025 to see for yourself.

I am looking forward to being able to hold this book in my hands one day and discuss it with the world!

[Melanie (meltotheany)]

this cover and title >>>

♡ Tress of the Emerald Sea ★★★★★
♡ Yumi and the Nightmare Painter ★★★★★
♡ The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England ★★
♡ The Sunlit Man ★★★★
♡ Isles of the Emberdark ★★★

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan]]

Fires of December does something different and not altogether risk-free: Hoid starts his story by simply telling us about December’s biography, very quietly pulling you into its world until you suddenly realize you’re already completely invested. It’s a surprisingly emotional story and has this perfect mix of adventure, humor, mystery, political intrigue, and romance that I found myself thinking about long after putting it down.

Hoid tells us right away about December, an orphan fostered by the town’s innkeeper and his wife. Beautiful as she is, she is still mostly an outsider, forced to marry an abusive man, whom she fortunately leaves. Now living in squalor, doing odd jobs, she is increasingly ostracized, driven by her husband‘s new status as the town’s mayor. She ultimately marries the town reeve and finds a measure of happiness educating his three sons. During the next decade, December discovers her passion for learning herself and becomes an asset. We learn all this (and more) in the initial pages.

Then disaster strikes: A mysterious plague begins spreading through the kingdom of Mountaincrest…

If you want more insight into what happens then, up until the end of chapter 1, go ahead and read the next paragraphs. If not, please skip this next section.



—————————-
SPOILERS ABOUT CHAPTER 1 BELOW!!!!

This arcane plague turns the demon-blood rivers poisonous, which in turn kill almost everyone, not just in Rivershore; December, now in her 50s, remains unaffected by the disease. She finally gains some acceptance by the remaining populace, but is devastated by her losses. In the following decades, she is again truly lonely because she is generally blamed for the town‘s misfortunes. She dies at the age of 80.

Now the real story starts.

After December dies, she wakes up fifty-nine years in the past. Now she gets the chance to live her life a second time, armed with foreknowledge and the opportunity to stop the plague.

END OF SPOILERS
—————————-



December herself is a fantastic protagonist. I immediately found myself rooting for her and I loved seeing how she dealt with everything life threw at her. She isn’t flawless, which made her feel relatable to me; she is also determined, kind, and occasionally vulnerable. All of that makes for a compelling character, who emotionally drives the story.

I also enjoyed the friendships December makes on the way. Most notably Amaal, the young priestess, and Tamantha, the young dressmaker. Amaal is a bit quirky, yet somewhat innocent, endearing and also charmingly enthusiastic about the Prophet’s teachings. Their friendship adds humor and warmth to the story. Tamantha brings a completely different energy to the group. Outgoing and socially confident, she serves as a source of information to help December navigate a foreign city and its society. There is also a love interest for December whose importance isn’t limited to romance – he becomes connected to December’s larger plans. Also, there is Beautiful, a talking demon cat, which just delighted me. (I just love animal companions, though this one didn’t didn‘t get nearly enough page time.)

As far as Sanderson’s world building is concerned, it is as creative as ever, and also as visually impressive. The town of Rivershore is situated beside one of three rivers fed by Demon‘s blood, which has magical properties and quite unique characteristics – like not leaving behind any type of residue when immersed in one of the rivers. Sanderson comes up with some wonderfully weird ideas here, and I had a lot of fun discovering how everything worked. There’s enough mystery surrounding the world to keep you curious without becoming overwhelming.

I also found Hoid‘s narrative voice very engaging, though his tone is not whimsical as in Tress of the Emerald Sea, for example; it’s more intimate and sometimes melancholic. We also get a bit more insight into the Cosmere implications that apply to the planet Miral.

All in all, I had a wonderful time with this book. It is naturally more intimate than Sanderson’s huge epics, and I found myself enjoying that a lot. It’s imaginative, heartfelt, occasionally funny, and ultimately a story about someone trying to make something better out of the life they’ve been given. A "Sanderson light“ experience I thoroughly enjoyed.

Side note: This is a standalone novel you can read as a Cosmere newbie. Some references will undoubtedly go over your head, but you will still be able to enjoy the story itself.

[Joy Allen]

Fantastic story. I laughed. I cried. I felt seen, somehow. If you liked Tress and Yumi you’ll like this too. When it comes out at the end of the year.

[Ashley]

I loved this. Favorite Secret Project. And the kinkiest thing Brandy Sandy has ever written. Yes, I'm serious*. Will definitely be on my favorites of the year. I cried. And there is a cat. What are you waiting for.

*to be very very clear this is still a Brandon Sanderson book, so keep your expectations on the tame side

[Drew McCaffrey]

Not my favorite from Brandon or the Cosmere, unfortunately. There is some very cool Cosmere lore here, and cool worldbuilding ideas, but I just can't get on board with the central romance of this story. It's...weird.

December herself is a pretty fun character, kind of reminds me of some stuff Diana Wynne Jones did in Howl's Moving Castle, but yeah. For a book that really centers a romance, the romance here didn't work for me at all.

[Grant Doolin]

I can't believe he (brando) is hornyposting on main (cosmere extended universe) again.

[Katherine]

this man doesn’t sleep what the fuck

[Matthew Lauderdale]

Sometimes, things suck. Yes, Sanderson, this is true. And unfortunately that seems to be the trend for his most recent books.

I've been a diehard Sanderson fan for about 10 years now. I've read every single thing he's written and enjoyed to loved almost everything, with only a tiny minority of books that I didn't like (looking at you Frugal Wizard). For a long time, I considered him to be my favorite author and I thought he could do (almost) do no wrong. But man, I have been really disappointed with his most recent offerings. Wind and Truth, while still decent, had more flaws than every other Stormlight book combined. I had a ton of issues with Isles of the Emberdark. And now The Fires of December joins the same ranks for, crazily enough, many of the same reasons that I griped about those other books.

Let's address the fundamental issue I have here before addressing the specific issues I have with this book: I hate that the Cosmere has been feeling more and more like the Marvel Cinematic Universe: I hate that what once felt like a realistic and sometimes gritty (but albeit hopeful) universe now feels like every person is a sarcastic and witty comedian, and they make comments that feel wildly out of place to the circumstances at hand. I hate that the stories are starting to feel like the stakes don't matter since the heroes have plot armor, or it's another end-of-the-world/kingdom/universe scenario. I hate that instead of the quality going up, the quality seems to just keep going down because things are oversaturated and it seems like it's more about quantity over quality now. I hate that it seems like things are being produced to appeal to the largest possible demographic, and things just generally feel more stupid, basic, and vanilla. I *really* hate that all of these things are in a shared universe, so while we wait for the next major release, there are a million other products to consume and the reader feels pressured to check them all out because they don't want to miss any Cosmere connections (sounds a lot like all of the crappy Marvel TV shows right?). I recognize that this is all a bit of a tangent, but I think it's important to address these things because it affects the lens through which I read these books.

I'll also preface my criticisms of this book by saying that when I read the plot blurb for this book, I was not interested in the slightest. I thought it sounded dumb and I'm only reading this for completionist's sake. So let's get going. Here are things that I didn't like in this book:

1. The extremely contemporary dialogue. This wasn't present all the time, but when it was it made me wince. Multiple characters saying "um" and "literally" doesn't work for me.

2. The romance. Gonna be honest here, it seems like Sanderson is using the same creepy framework that some anime weirdos use; "no no it's okay that the guy is attracted to the extremely young girl because she's *actually* a 500 year old demigod". Obviously this is an extreme example and the book isn't this egregious, but it's still pretty friggin weird. There is a 40 year age gap between the characters but it's justified because of plot reasons that I'll avoid due to spoilers. That being said, I didn't buy it and I thought it was very weird to see an old guy running his eyes over a 21 year old's scantily clad body.

3. The quirky girl trope. What is with Sanderson writing every single young woman the same way? They're always quirky, they talk to much, they say things at inappropriate times, make inappropriate jokes, blah blah blah this is one of my LEAST favorite things that Sanderson does and he does it not once, but twice here. Amaal and Tamantha have a lot of crossover behaviors here. It's very reminiscent of Syl, Shallan, Lift, and Starling. I didn't like it with any of them and I don't like it here.

4. The humor. Sanderson is not a funny person. VERY rarely does he write something that even gets a slight smile out of me. The humor here is absolutely wretched. When the Prophet's words are revealed to be "Sometimes, things suck" and "Don't be a dick" I was on the verge of setting myself on fire and jumping in front of a train. I was nearly paralyzed from my spine breaking because I cringed so hard. And I'm sorry, but that's the best way I can think of describing Sanderson's humor here: cringey. I don't think reading about the king dressing up as a table or an egg or whatever is funny. I don't think sexual innuendos here are funny. I don't think characters all of a sudden losing their clothes is funny. I don't think a ton of dick jokes are funny. When I read the Prophet's words I was ready to dock the book an entire star from the rating for each one.

5. December's stare. Did Sanderson just watch Jurassic World Dominion? Because everytime I read about December's ultra powerful stare and how it worked on people, I couldn't help but think of Chris Pratt always holding up his hand to stop dinosaurs from attacking for no reason.

6. December's age. Sanderson wants us to think that December is this very wise woman because of her lifetime of experience, and sometimes I totally bought that. But there were a ton of other moments where the things she said or the way she acted seemed to go completely against this. It just didn't feel consistent.

There are some things the book does well. The worldbuilding is interesting, which is not surprising since this is one of Sanderson's greatest strengths. The beginning of the book was particularly strong; I really enjoyed the initial parts of December's story when you go through her life, especially because it was something Sanderson hasn't explored before. But that also contributes to my disappointment when the story shifts. There were some well done plot twists and interesting visuals (the giant demon and the rivers).

I think the hardest part about this (and the reason I had so many issues with this book) is that it feels like Sanderson is no longer writing for people like me and is heavily catering to a YA audience. It's almost shocking that the same person who wrote The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance wrote this book and that they're in the same universe. And at the end of the day, I don't think The Fires of December is a genuinely bad book with no merit, but I certainly think that it is not for me.

[Hannah]

The romance definitely ruins this book. A very good premise and I loved the first half and the lore, but please never write romance again. So terrible and very very weird. I can’t look past it.

[caro]

DECEMBER HOLIDAY??? HELLO??

[Dai Simwa]

GoddamnitSanderson! Dec 2026 is a year away! I need this now, pls!!!

[Jime]

Ya no sé si estoy siendo biased leyendo a Sanderson pero todo lo que escribe me encanta y este libro me fascinó.

Una de las cosas que más disfruto de este autor es poder ver cómo sigue experimentando con el género de fantasía y en diferentes formas de stortelling sin dejar de transmitir su esencia. Después de tantos libros, todavía logra sorprenderme con su worldbuilding y la construcción de sus personajes.

El inicio de esta historia es intenso y luego el ritmo slows down a bit pero este mundo es tan interesante y único, que desde el principio tuve mucha curiosidad sobre lo que iba a pasar, sobre quien era cada personaje, etc. A parte siento que Sanderson sabe como sacarle provecho a un slower pace sin que te aburras.

Este libro tiene romance y leí a mucha gente quejarse (están en todo su derecho) pero creo que hace falta entender que no vas a leer un romantasy, que Sanderson no te va a escribir el romance cursi y mainstream, seguramente va a ser a little cringe y un poco incómodo (aunq la verdad yo no lo sentí tan así).

Y sobre el libro, la historia que Sanderson construye alrededor de December es suuuuuper intrigante. Una jovencita que descubre que una plaga se acerca pero nadie parece creerle, decide hacecr un viaje prácticamente sola para evitarlo.

Este viaje la lleva a un pueblo bien curioso (que en la ilustración me dio vibes a Shiganshina District de Shingeki). Sus compañeros de viaje terminan siendo parte importante de la aventura y cada uno es único y bastante peculiar también. Son personajes bien interesantes, diferentes entre ellos pero que encajan perfecto.

No importa cuando veas esto, quiero más cosmere loreeeeeeeeee.

[Eli Shelton]

It’s been a minute since ember dark came out and I really enjoyed that one but there is something so truly amazing about a book narrated by hoid. He’s so wonderfully sarcastic and rude but at the same time so empathetic and understanding, I love his live commentary on the events and the fact that we get drip feed details of the greater cosmere. This book is already 4 stars just because it’s a hoid story but the last star is because I am coming to realize that I love a sappy romance in my stories and Brandon is just so damn good at them.

[Migiel]

Mooi! Sanderson's schrijfstijl is luchtiger, mooier, meer ontspannen. Ik snap wel dat hij iets leuks wilde schrijven na een gedrocht als "Wind and Truth". Het is niet een heel bijzonder citaat, maar desalniettemin vond ik onderstaande toch heel mooi;)

"I don't think they understood. Changing the world is easier to do than they think."

"...It is?"

"Yes! the Prophet said it, and they tend to forget. You help one person, and you've changed the world. Because the world is people, Lady"

[lhb]

misschien meer 3.5 sterren maar kut goodreads kan dat weer niet aan

[Maëlys]

Tress of the Emerald Sea (Hoid's Travails, #1): 4/5
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (Hoid's Travails, #2): 4/5

happy to have something other than Secret Projects to classify these books with! can't wait to see what troubles Hoid will find himself in in this one and explore this new world

[Chloe Frizzle]

I would have liked this significantly more if there was less theme-dumping. Yes, we can understand subtext. No need to spell out every point.

Also, if Sanderson has just committed to the salaciousness of an age gap being The Entertainment Appeal of the romance, instead of trying to excuse and justify it so hard, which just made it stick out more.

That being said, I loved binging this one.

[C.G. Frances]

Ordered B&N
December 2026

[Drew Osburn]

I loved this so much

[Noah Ruby]

Please pretend this review was inspiring

[Alyx]

Was wondering if id dislike the book after the first chapter. Was I wrong. Loved it 4.8 out of 5. Some wonderful characters and a fun premise.

[vaishnave]

i don't even think i'll get to this book when it gets released with all the sanderson i still have to read but it's alright, i'm gonna give myself until the paperback of this comes out next year to catch up

[Kevin]

The Fires of December is the third standalone story in Hoid’s Travails, set in a Cosmere world where the land is sustained by the rivers of a dead demon’s lifeblood. After a quirk of fate, fosterling December, who has lived a life of loss and isolation, learns of impending disasters that will destroy the world including a succession war, the blood rivers drying up, and a cataclysmic plague. She sets out from her small town to warn the king, but who would trust the word of a young woman, even one with the spark of wisdom behind her eyes? Armed only with her knowledge and aided by a chatty priestess and a fledgling designer and seamstress, December decides to take matters into her own hands and avert disaster herself.

This book absolutely wowed me, and it may be my favourite Secret Project yet. I have said that nearly every time a new one comes out, though, so perhaps some recency bias is at play. Still, I was stunned by the storytelling and by how different this feels from Brandon Sanderson’s usual work. The world-building is pure Sanderson: intricate, imaginative, and thoughtfully constructed. Yet the magic system is not as typically hard, even while remaining very Cosmere-aware.

The book somehow feels distinctly Brandon Sanderson while also being something different, with what I can only describe as a more feminine touch. It shows just how broad a range he can write and how effectively he has used Hoid’s Travails to explore different styles and stories—from the whimsical fairy tale of Tress of the Emerald Sea, to the Asian-inspired body-swap romantasy of Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and now to a female-led regression fantasy. I really should not still be surprised by the range and variety.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

The Fires of December book had me from the first chapter. I did not read the early teaser, so its opening “melancholic storybook” tale and the way it subsequently turns that story on its head came as a complete surprise. I had no idea this was a regression story. What follows is an intimate tale of resilience, persistence, and self-belief, anchored by December, a young woman who has already lived a whole life once before. December is magnetic and electric. Her old-soul spunk, surprising grit, and deep relatability drew me in immediately. The trauma of her past life colors her present, while also giving her the confidence and grace to keep moving forward.

Fortunately, December is not condemned to be alone in this new life. The talkative priestess Amaal is a fun and innocent presence, contrasting with the more worldly December while providing an entertaining conduit to the history and religion of their world. Meanwhile, designer Samantha brings city-girl know-how to December’s small-town sensibilities. Even Dmitrovik, despite his relatively small role, was memorable enough to deserve a mention. Their companionship gives December something to hold on to, as well as the friendships she has never been allowed to have.

There is also a surprising, and dare I say subversive, take on an age-gap romance that twists the brain a little. I loved Flint, though I would not consider this a romance-forward story despite how it may initially come across. I can see the romance being divisive for some readers. Lastly, there is the cat companion Beautiful, who had a small role that I do think could have been drawn out more given how significant a part she plays.

I predicted a few twists very early on, but that ending was incredible, and I did not see it coming at all. This was already a solid five-star read for me, but the final act launched it beyond the stratosphere. It was unexpected, powerful, and moving, and its sweet, sentimental conclusion felt fully earned. I loved it, and it very nearly brought me to tears.

The Fires of December is a powerful and intimate regression fantasy led by a fiery, unforgettable heroine.

[Danielle T]

I have no chill and stayed up to finish, partly because the classic Sanderlanche really started kicking off in the last 50 pages or so, and partly because I'm eager to dive into fan discussion and didn't want to get left behind.

Overall, I liked this- it feels like a more mature (in terms of tone and character) version of Tress of the Emerald Sea, in that it's a standalone Cosmere novel with a female protagonist, but also darker and older, less whimsy and more melancholy. Narrator's observations and asides felt very pointed to me, like the most outward social critique I've seen from Brandon (this is a good thing, in my opinion, though I personally would prefer stronger stances). FoD is fairly self-contained in that you can read it without needing nerd homework to get through the plot; Hoid does throw in explanations for the arcanists in the audience who want to know mechanics but because it's not the point of the story, he moves it along quickly instead of getting bogged in the details. To me, it's a better balance than some of the infodumping in Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (which I adore otherwise!) so again, I think he's succeeding in refining Hoid's voice as a narrator.

As usual, Brandon's romance is one of the weaker aspects but I do think his writing of them has improved over time (and dare I say, finally a book with a smidge more horniness than Warbreaker? Though, Brandon will only ever be as spicy as a midwest casserole alas).

An aside: I read the epub version, but the pdf shows how the page layout in the physical edition will be and it is GORGEOUS. Looking forward to seeing the physical book. The illustrations are gorgeous, but the epub version doesn't have the chapter title/end caps. Tran Nguyen does a phenomenal job.

[Edo]

Sanderson con questo libro decide di sradicare completamente le critiche sulla sua abilità e versatilità come scrittore, scrivendo un primo capitolo che è veramente eccezionale, indubbiamente il suo pezzo di prosa più riuscito e più articolato. Questo distacco stilistico tra il primo capitolo (e anche un altro pezzo verso la fine) e il resto del libro è provocato da eventi di trama, quindi permette al lettore di spezzare il flusso del libro per immergersi in questi sprazzi di artisticità. December è veramente realizzata benissimo come personaggio, le sue esperienze di vita anche spesso traumatiche l'hanno segnata, e ciò si vede in ogni interazione che ha. Il worldbuilding questa volta l'ho trovato forse il punto più debole, in quanto per essere un autore che ci ha abituato ormai con idee veramente originali e mai viste qui il mondo e il sistema magico sa un po' di già visto, anche solo all'interno dello stesso cosmoverso. L'esplorazione tematica di scoperta di se stessi, cosa significa essere definiti dagli altri per ciò che non siamo e quanto sia restrittivo descrivere una persona solo con ciò che vediamo si aggiunge in maniera molto naturale all'evoluzione di December, che quindi eleva l'intero personaggio. Qui torna anche "l'horny sanderson", che non si vedeva dai tempi de il conciliatore ed è una ventata d'aria fresca nel panorama mormonico e casto dei suoi libri. Le connessioni con il resto del cosmoverso sono ben gestite, in quanto al contrario di Sunlit Man o Isles of the Emberdark questo libro può essere letto anche come standalone, e anzi è uno dei punti d'ingresso migliori da questo punto di vista, in quanto introduce Hoid e Roshar in maniera sottile che si lende naturalmente alla lettura della Folgoluce. In conclusione uno dei migliori libri standalone di sanderson, con un esplorazione tematica e dei personaggi veramente ottima e uno stile fresco e diverso dal resto dei suoi libri.

[Dana]

Boooooy, Sanderson, did you toe the line of my Age Gap Trope Ick. I wish I could say my vacillation between discomfort and acceptance of the romance didn’t occupy a fair amount of my attention while reading this but…that’s a blatant lie. It really did occupy too much of my attention. Sometimes I was okay; then other times I cringed and wished I could dig myself into a hole and stay there. There was no in between or middle ground at all. I wish I could pinpoint why I had more issues with accepting the age gap in this book than I had in, say, ACOTAR (or even in Stormlight itself, with Jasnah and Hoid) but maybe I just wasn’t expecting to wrangle my ick to such a degree. It did feel like a full on smack in the face when I realized we were heading to romance. I did TRY. Sometimes it almost felt like a successful subversion of the trope.

All that being said, some of the snippy commentary made me smile. LOVED Vasher just casually creating a religion too. These things made me happy. His mandata made me happy, as did Beautiful.

Overall, however, I don’t think this has the power or presence of Sanderson’s earlier works nor does it have the same inherent charm that Tress and Yumi did, despite its reminiscent style. It feels a mite recycled—see: Yumi’s dress-up scenes and December’s swim suit ones. The style and quirkiness worked well for Tress and Yumi, maybe in part because of the characters’ ages, and as much as I can enjoy seeing it employed for December’s story, it didn’t *quite* hit right, considering her lives lived and overall summed age. There was something of a dissonance there.

So. Criticisms abound but largely influenced by taste? Idk. I would definitely say this was far from my favorite Secret Project.

[Eric Mesa]

I think this book is my second-favorite of the Secret Novels (or Hoid novels), after Tress, and potentially tied with Yumi or just ahead of it. Like many of the Secret Novels you can get through most of it without knowing too much of the Cosmere, although, like many of the Secret Novels, portions of the climax and falling action might sound like nonsense to you if you aren't caught up with The Cosmere. Although if you've read up to Stormlight 5 you've likely read all the rest of the Cosmere, if you're one of those Cosmere readers that reads each series in order rather than in publication order, Stormlight 5 has the many relevant connections to what's going on in this story. I would also say that Isles of the Emberdark would also be highly relevant to this story.

Unlike the other Secret Novels, this one is not quite so whimsical. It has quite a heavy tone throughout most of it. It's not without jokes, which saves it from being too depressing, but it's definitely more along the tone of a Stormlight book.

Since it's mostly a mystery, I prefer not to say much more for fear of spoiling something. I think, given what I said above, that if you're not already invested (no pun intended), in the Cosmere, you probably won't enjoy this book. It's not quite as free of references as the other Secret Novels or the early Cosmere books. (As I said in my review of the final Wax/Wayne book, it's getting harder and harder to enjoy the books without being deep into the Cosmere lore) But if you like the Cosmere you'll most likely at least enjoy the book, even if you don't enjoy it as much as I did. (I think that's at least a function of my age at the time of reading)

[Hisgirl85]

5 stars. I LOVED this story. It felt like a story of my heart and was still uniquely Sanderson. I have also thought a lot about this kind of story, and in Sanderson's (and Hoid's) voice, it was magic.

I loved the female friendships, the demons (especially Beautiful), Flint, and December. The descriptions of place and people were so great and robust. There was so much to enjoy.

Spoilers ahead on the love story:

I appreciated aspects of the living life again, but younger in how things played out. I, personally, at just 41, was talking about how I watched a certain film with a friend. She mentioned how the lead was yummy and I about gagged in disgust. He was a baby, at barely 21, meaning he was even younger in the film. To me, he is off-limits (regardless of him being over 18...yuck to those who think one day older means maturity when they could still be in high school). If I woke-up tomorrow at the age of 21, remembering my past life, I don't think I would be able to date near my new age. I would probably look for someone older...creating that ick from a different perspective. Though, I may only go as young as 30 rather than 64, but I am not currently 80 (like December was). So, to me, this makes sense from the lead's perspective, as I would feel icky dating a 20 year old with the memories and experience of a 40 year old. Sanderson, imo, made the match work in that the romantic love interest also missed out on a life and now finds himself alone. They are both los, lonely, and old souls, wanting to hold onto hope and goodness.