What I read in December 2025
Tress of the Emerald Sea (Secret Projects #1) by Brandon Sanderson, 442p: This book has fascinating world building with a sea made of deadly spores, instead of water. I liked the whimsical, fairy tale tone and the independent female character. It plays with the trope of the damsel-in-distress trope by flipping it: the male protagonist is imprisoned and needs to be saved by the woman. I had some issues with the narrative voice. It was fine at the beginning, even with the forth-wall-breaking bits, but it felt strange that the narrator (Hoid, a character who appears in other Cosmere books) seems omnipresent even during events he couldn't have witnessed, and then recounts them anyway. That bothered me. Also, his mismatched-clothing jokes get old pretty fast. The villains (including the dragon) were weak overall. I think the best “villain” in the book is the sea spores themselves, they are terrifying! The plot twist was cool! It was a light read and fun read, but I wasn't very invested in the characters.
Komarr (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #11) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 384p: This is the first book with Miles Vorkosigan fully steps into his role as Imperial Auditor. We get to see this other planet, Komarr, with its domes and an ongoing terraforming project. It's an investigative procedural that builds toward bigger political implications for the next book in the series. This one is the book where Miles starts to fall in love. Some new characters are introduced!
A Civil Campaign (Vorkosigan Saga (Publication Order) #12) by Lois McMaster Bujold, 534p: What an amazing read! This book happens around the time of Emperor Gregor's wedding, and there is a lot going on. It's full of juicy political intrigue and romance shenanigans. It's a great reunion of characters on Barrayar: we get Miles, Ivan, Aral and Cordelia, Koudelkas, Ilyan, Mark, Kareen, the whole gang. It's super fun! I laughed out loud several times while reading this one. There are engineered bugs for the food industry, but also gardening, multiple romantic entanglements, internal politics and an awesome transgender man who defies all traditional Barrayaran beliefs. In summary, fantastic! This series doesn't stop to get better.
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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.