Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Elantrians were like gods before an event known as the Reod changed everything. The beautiful creatures became cursed wretches despised and hunted; their powers, which were known the world over, vanished; and the once beautiful Elantris became a home for the outcasts cursed by the Shaod, the process which turns a person into an Elantrian, years after the Reod.

It is in this backdrop that Raoden, Sarene and Hrathen must try to survive and outwit the people and forces that try to threaten the already tense Arelon which is situated near Elantris.

Raoden is a prince of Arelon who one morning discovered he had become an Elantrian. To the rest of the world he is considered dead and is secretly dumped in Elantris. Sarene of Teod was supposed to be Raoden's bride. But with the "death" of Raoden, Sarene's position in the political affairs of Arelon and Teod changed. She suspects however that there's more to Raoden's death than what the people are willing to reveal. The Derethi gyorn Hrathen arrives in Arelon to fulfill an important mission. In three months he has to convert Arelon to Shu-dereth before the armies of Fjordell arrive with a different method of conversion. His intervention might be the only way to save the people of Arelon, but with Sarene trying to interfere with the plans, the princess might be helping to speed up the coming of a disaster instead.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is the means by which magic are performed. It is well-thought out than most and it's impressive how everything was shown to be connected in the end.

The three main characters are easy to like. It's been a while since I've encountered a female character who is not portrayed as another sex object or of less import than the male protagonists. The book just shows that you do not need a lot of sex scenes and brutality to make it effective. There are parts in the book where the pace seems quite slow and you're just wishing that something big might happen. Otherwise this is an impressive debut and I salute the author for a satisfying novel.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10