Yumi and the Nightmare Painter: A Cosmere Novel

I feel like I am a decent student of the Cosmere. But this story left me baffled at times as I clearly missed subtle references. The book is just so original, and odd, and beautiful, and completely worth reading. Plus, am quite convinced there are some great Cosmere nuggets here I am missing. Enjoy!

this was such a love letter to stories, storytelling, art, creating, and the connections we make because of them. this book really emphasizes why we need stories, why we need books, and movies, and dramas, and video games, and our family to pass down the stories that were passed down to them. this is not only one of my favorite brandon sanderson books, but it is one of the most beautiful things ive ever read. i recommend this with my whole heart.like all the books in this secret project series so far, i personally feel like you can read this without reading any other brandon sanderson book. but you will just appreciate more things if you are caught up with the cosmere, especially if you are a little knowledgeable about his stormlight series…. with roshar and spren and investiture!this is a story about two people, from two very different worlds, who have made a connection against all odds. And when these two meet, via body swapping, they discover the lives of each other alongside the reader. This story is also very inspired from the stories of your name, final fantasy x, and hikaru no go.☆ Yumi - from an ancient historical korean inspired world where spirits are summoned to help from rituals. yumi is a yoki-hijo who can control the spirits with her stone stacking, and since birth her life has been all honor and devotion to the people of her world who need help from the spirits.☆ Painter - from a more modern day japanese inspired world that is set in darkness with neon lights being the light source. nightmares manifest into actual monsters in this world, and nikaro is someone who uses art to banish them and their violence away from the cityi really loved both of these worlds and settings, but the noodle shop in painter’s world was everything. i mean, obviously the owner and the coatrack were perfection on their own, but just that setting was so cozy and warm and perfect to picture in my mind while reading. i really hope we get to see at least a glimpse of it again in the future.okay okay, let’s talk about the romance. i feel like i am a little in the minority with this, but i always like brandon’s romances. (truly, vin and elend are the reason i love bodyguard romances!) but i really loved the relationship in this book - its very slow burn, and it really focuses on their friendship, and them being the people they want to be, not the expectations placed on them by their worlds and circumstances. but oh my gosh i was weeping, truly weeping, at the romance in this book. i loved it completely. and i truly believe the second to last chapter in this book (i am trying to be vague hehe) is one of the best things brandon sanderson has ever written.i was also very moved with brandon really implementing discussions on ai generated art and creation throughout this book. Humans really put themselves, their experiences, the experiences passed down to them, their blood, sweat, tears, their entire existence into their art. Meanwhile, machines just take and take and take and erase and erase and erase. i feel like he incorporated this very loudly and very softly at the same time, throughout this entire novel, and it is an important conversation we all need to be having and actively trying to dismantle.and speaking of artwork, aliya chen has created some of the most beautiful pieces of art throughout this book. these illustrations truly enhanced and elevated this story to a new level and, again, really emphasizes the importance of human’s creating art and forging connections that transcend words.in conclusional gushing, you will see me holding this beautiful special edition up in my end of the year, favorite books of the year picture. i am very obsessed with this and it really was close to perfection for me. truly a reminder why i love art and reading and escaping into worlds with characters like this.

This is one of the best stories I've ever read and the art here is also extremely beautiful.Audiobook narration is great too. (Michael and Kate on 1.5x speed is amazing)

Being a high fantasy writer, Sanderson is obviously not known for the romances on his books.Despite this, all the books I’ve read from him have a bit of romance, and while this is not the reason I enjoyed them, I always find his love stories the best ones.In his easy writing style and magical world, Sanderson always writes couples with an undeniable connection, who support and respect each other, and whom I see working on the long run, no epilogues needed to confirm it - Raoden and Sarene (Elantris), Vin and Elend (Mistborn Era 1), Dalinar and Navani (Stormlight Archive) and, the most recent, Tress and Charlie (Tress of the Emerald See)While <b>Yumi and the Nightmare Painter</b> can be considered his most romantic book, it is much more than a love story, and will certainly be appreciated by all Cosmere fans, while possibly being more attractive to new readers.<i>“I only stare”, he said, “when I see something too beautiful for my eyes to take in all at once”</i>There is much to love in this book:- It was inspired by the anime <i>Your Name</i>, which is absolutely brilliant (among other inspirations).- Relatable characters and problems: both Painter and Yumi struggles will feel close to home for a lot of readers. They are acutely lonely and isolated. More than a romance, I find this book to be about what it means to be human and the need to find connections and to have a purpose. Our ability to learn and start again, and how important it is to accept our flaws and ask for forgiveness (ours and from others)- Heavy on what I think Sanderson does best: Character and relationship development. This applies to both main and secondary characters and it really makes the story shine.- Interesting magic system and world building, with heavy connections with other Cosmere worlds- Well balanced in terms of pace- Gorgeous illustrations by Aliya Chen. I’m definitely going to buy the hardcover as well (and desperately need for someone to bring the original cover from US because the postal costs are insane)Regarding the one million dollar question:<b><i>In which order should I read this book? </i></b>While I’m a strong believer all Sanderson standalones should be good entry points, and that in no way is he expecting people to read almost 10 000 pages (count before secret projects) to pick up this book, I found it more heavily connected with the Stormlight Archive than I was expecting.The connections in this book are not as subtil as usual and don’t feel like the typical Easter eggs he plants in all his novels. I believe I would have preferred to read it after finishing SA. That said, it does not spoil anything of other books, and though I had one theory confirmed in this book, it would be absolutely indifferent if it was my first Cosmere novel.If this is the book that leaves you curious enough to start reading his works, just do it.

great concept, fun plot, a little heavy on cosmere knowledge on points which makes it harder to recommend to first time Sanderson readers, which is a shame because its such a lovely book

You may say whatever you want about Brandon Sanderson, the guy has an impressive imagination, this is a very usual love history about a very usual couple of young people (kind of..), living in a very unusual place with very unusual careers and very unusual problems. Made me laugh, made me cry, it was not very predictable, I enjoyed every minute.

The packaging was perfect and it arrived in excellent condition.

Went into the book expecting a simple romance, but Brandon doesn't just write a romance... It has a marvellous story behind it. And the things that happened were very completely utterly unexpected to me! Great return of loved characters, references of other cosmere works, all that makes this a great cosmere novella. Really great book, I loved it so much.

Though it’s a bit expensive for a paperback; it’s totally worth it! The book was in perfect condition brand new even though there wasn’t any bubble wrap…. Also another thing i loved about this copy is that the book size is big compared to other paperbacks i bought so far.. so the sentences had good gaps in between the lines and words, font size was just right unlike most of the other paperbacks where the words are clustered and no gap in between lines, which are very annoying and such a turn off! Impressive! I was eyeing this book for ages and finally bought it! As for the content inside, it’s a brandon sanderson book…so I completely trust in the quality of the plot line.I just read a chapter and I’m already loving it! The night world is soo 🤌✨ Im so happy! Thank you amazon!🤩