Yumi and the Nightmare Painter Review

One of my goals for the year is to complete the first four Secret Projects. Well toward the end of December, I got in a bit of a reading funk. Ninety percent of the time a Brandon Sanderson book can pull me out of said funk. I decided I would get a jump start on my goals and start Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. It was a long book, and I figured I would finish it after the first of the year. I devoured that book. It was finished before 2025 was up. Let’s get to my review.

Synopsis

Yumi has spent her entire life in strict obedience, granting her the power to summon the spirits that bestow vital aid upon her society—but she longs for even a single day as a normal person. Painter patrols the dark streets dreaming of being a hero—a goal that has led to nothing but heartache and isolation, leaving him always on the outside looking in. In their own ways, both of them face the world alone.

Suddenly flung together, Yumi and Painter must strive to right the wrongs in both their lives, reconciling their past and present while maintaining the precarious balance of each of their worlds. If they cannot unravel the mystery of what brought them together before it’s too late, they risk forever losing not only the bond growing between them, but the very worlds they’ve always struggled to protect.

My Thoughts on Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

I don’t have a ton to say on this one. As always Brandon Sanderson is the king of character work. I loved both characters apart and together. It makes sense that he can write an epic romance. I know this is a little outside of his normal scope, but he did an awesome job at it.

While this is predominately a romance, I loved the world this story was set in. I enjoyed the contrast between the bright, hot world Yumi lived in and the dark, nightmare plagued world that Painter lived in. And I think he pulled them together beautifully.

The only teeny tiny thing I noticed is that it could probably have been a few pages shorter. It had a few moments where it lulled a bit. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this.

And if you do read this, be sure to read his postscript/acknowledgements in the back. It was super interesting to see where his inspiration comes from.

My Rating: 4/5