Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

Romantasy is definitely very much in the zeitgeist at the moment and I am really not sure what to make of it. It is far from my favourite sub-genre. That being said I certainly was intrigued to see what the Sanderson could bring to it so I was intrigued by this latest Cosmere entry. And ultimately I am not disappointed - this was definitely one of the better attempts at this trope, and whilst I would not call it his best it certainly far from his worst work.

As the title suggests, we are following two MCs - Yumi and Painter. When some spiritual connection links the two together they are thrust into each others radically different worlds, bringing one of the classic romance tropes into play with this forced connection. The differences between these worlds are fascinating, with Painter existing in a semi-modern world driven by some mysterious power source, but where the world is veiled in permanent darkness. His job is to fend off nightmares, painting them so that his will confines them to non-threatening things. Yumi comes from a more primitive world, where she is revered as a link to the spiritual - she summons spirits who are bound to tools to allow the world to exist. Her world is one of a hot bright sun and floating plants.

This kind on yin/yang pairing is quite central to the story. Everything here is a study in contrasts. As always, Sanderson's world building is top class. This is another story told through the voice of Wit, so there is also a fun voicing to the story with a decent level of humour. There are some clever links to current issues in play here as well. The idea of a machine replacing a human to create art feels very current with the current discourse on AI art (perhaps there is a good parable to the hubris around this at the moment).

The prose is eminently readable as always, the book definitely flowed well for me. There is some quite nice art as well included in this, which I definitely appreciate. Of the secret project books released so far this is solidly in the middle for me.

"Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a place with no nightmare painters. Then the people got eaten. It’s a short story."

I thought Tress of the Emerald Sea was going to be my favorite of the secret projects, and was not prepared for the ride this book took me on. I’ll be up front in saying that I don’t obsess over the Cosmere, and in fact have read things all out of order from “The Proper” reading order. This book absolutely can stand on its own, no Cosmere background necessary, but there are small details (and probably more than I noticed since I don’t retain small things book to book all that well) if you know where to look.

This book connects two people, Yumi and Painter, from two very different backgrounds. One grows up under strict guidance, her day dictated moment to moment, with no place for frivolous thoughts or actions. Her place in the world is to be the yoki-hijo, the one chosen to speak with spirits and get their cooperation in helping the people of her world. The other also dedicates himself to his people, but his service takes the form of being a Nightmare Painter—one who banishes dark spirits that materialize in his city and feed on the bad dreams of its residents. The more dreams it eats, the stronger it gets. A plea from a spirit brings Yumi and Painter together, where they each experience the other’s life in their body and have to figure out the what and the why of things before it’s too late.

In true Sanderson fashion the “what” and the “why” do a lot of the heavy lifting in this story, and things are kept appropriately mysterious until near the end. I loved the continuing discussion about the value of art, the power of friendship (in a not overbearing way), and how two opposites can come together and make something special together. There’s also quite a bit of irreverent commentary (from our narrator telling the story, someone you’ve met before if you’ve read other Sanderson books), some very touching moments, and a romance that didn’t have me rolling my eyes. That, dear reader, is kind of a rare thing for me.

It (obviously) has strong Japanese roots in the story, which is acknowledged by Sanderson in the afterward (mild influence spoilers) (both Final Fantasy 10 and Hikaru no Go are sampled from here, but twisted enough to be satisfyingly different), so if that feel of story isn’t your thing, you might be disappointed. I, on the other hand, was engaged throughout the whole book (even Tress had small sections that felt a bit drawn out to me), to the point of waking up two hours before work so I could finish it.

Highly enjoyed this one. Super, mega, totally recommend it.

3.5 stars.

Premise:
I wanted to love this book so badly because I was enchanted by the premise, but here we go.

Plot and pacing:
So, what I liked was the part 1 and 4. In the first part, we get to know our main cast, Yumi and Painter, and their respective world. It took me some time to put all the information pieces together due to the constant change of point of view between the two of them. Brandon did his best to make the descriptions rich and vivid, though. I adored the japanese/korean spiritual vibes.
Part 2 and 3 cover the story that sees Yumi and Paint connected to each other, trying to figure out the reasons. The pacing here was off for me. The plot did not hold a grip on me and I had difficulties to see where the clues would lead. I am not sure if it was just me or was meant to be like that because in part 4 we have Hoid explaining how everything precisely went from beginning to end. One reason I loved this final part was all the juicy cosmere information, but on the other hand, it left me with the feeling I didn't really need to read parts 2 and 3. I was not happy with how all the plot, clues, and mystery were handled.
I felt like the stakes were never high enough. I did not feel any suspense or the dark atmosphere that I was expecting from a planet surrounded by a black layer and walking nightmares.

Characters:
The main cast was very well developed but the side characters were just forgettable, besides Design and Hoid, whom we meet in other Cosmere books as well. I loved Yumi's development, where she starts learning what freedom means. Their romance was very cute.
The noodle shop run by Design was everything, haha :D

Conclusion:
Design and Hoid saved this book for me.


Credits for the template below go to Melinda

CHARACTERS