'Yumi and the Nightmare Painter' by Brandon Sanderson | Illustrations by Aliya Chen | Secret Project #3 | A Cosmere Novel | Book Review | The Book Physician
Exploring love, art, compassion, and empathy in Brandon Sanderson's recent "Secret Project" set in his popular Cosmere universe.
Regardless, here’s the thing: art doesn’t need to be good to be valuable. I’ve heard it said that art is the one truly useless creation—intended for no mechanical purpose. Valued only because of the perception of the people who view it.
The thing is, everything is useless, intrinsically. Nothing has value unless we grant it that value. Any object can be worth whatever we decide it to be worth.
And to these two, Yumi’s painting was priceless.
Rating: 5/5.
Disclaimer: The following review contains minor spoilers for this book. Do tread with caution.
Review:
For the last couple of weeks, I have been ruminating on how to write a succinct review for the third of Brandon Sanderson's Secret Projects in a way that would do justice to the wonderful experience I had while reading this book. To state that I loved this story would be a mere understatement. It was an utterly brilliant book filled with gorgeous artwork and illustrations. Inarguably, 'Yumi and the Nightmare Painter' is the best of Sanderson's Secret Projects released so far.
Even among his staunchest supporters, Brandon is often criticized for not writing romance properly in his books. If one might ask me, romances in Brandon's works are a hit-or-miss affair. He does have some incredible pairings like Vin and Elend, Wax and Steris, and Adolin and Shallan, but somehow the inclusion of such romantic aspects have failed to leave a long-lasting impression on the minds of his fans – to an extent that often readers state that "Brandon can't write romance". Now, with the release of the 'Yumi and the Nightmare Painter' book, I can confidently state that Brandon has proved us wrong. This book is Brandon's love letter to his wife, and through her good graces, to his fans as well.
I had been eagerly awaiting the release of Brandon's third Secret Project over the last three months. It had the unique distinction of being the only Secret Project that I had absolutely no idea about. I knew neither its title nor its cover art, so when the book was released, it felt like a one-of-a-kind experience. Unfortunately, on the same day of the book's release, things got too hectic on the professional front, and as a result, I was unable to consume the story in a single sitting. However, there still was a silver lining; by reading a limited number of chapters each day, I was able to savor the story in a manner that made the whole journey worthwhile.
I do admit that I struggled to connect with the story and the characters initially (probably owing to my busy schedule), but once I hit Chapter 5, there was no going back. Taking inspiration from the manga 'Hikaru no Go', the anime 'Kimi no Nawa (Your Name)', and the video game 'Final Fantasy X', Brandon Sanderson has crafted an enviable masterpiece. It is, perhaps, one of the finest books in his entire career thus far. No words are sufficient enough to convey how much I appreciated Aliya Chen's stunning artwork in this book. Her illustrations have enhanced the overall quality of 'Yumi and the Nightmare Painter'.
Whilst reading this book, I came across comments by fellow fans and reviewers calling it to be "cringe" and "too YA". But in the end, these people, too, ended up loving this book. I must admit that I never found any aspects of the book to be too cringe. Sure, there were some embarrassing moments, but we were experiencing them from one of the protagonist's perspectives, and those moments were meant to make them embarrassed. I know I sound like a broken record, but I loved the book from the start to the end. With an intriguing mystery, faced-paced plot, lovable characters, intricate world-building, and compelling writing filled with accessible and vivid prose, this book had all the necessary ingredients for making a great standalone story.
The two protagonists, Nikaro and Yumi, are from two different locations and two vastly different cultures. The themes of duality, contrast, empathy, and cooperation are evident through the interactions of these two characters. Although this book can be categorized as a fantasy romance, Sanderson has proficiently handled the wonderful balance between the world-building, plotting, characterization, romance, and the fantasy elements. The romance never overwhelmed the other aspects of this book. The manner in which Sanderson utilizes the other elements to develop a connection and relationship between the two protagonists is commendable. The gradual build-up of their relationship throughout this book was believable and truly well-written.
It was difficult for me to connect with Yumi at first. She was far too stringent and unnecessarily inconsiderate towards Nikaro's feelings. Her holier-than-thou attitude, too, annoyed me to no end. However, as I read on, I realized she was the product of her upbringing and the culture she was raised in. That she had to give up all materialistic pleasures, and only live her life to serve others made my heart bleed for her. Despite being a revered yoki-hijo, she had no agency in her life. Meeting Nikaro was undoubtedly the best thing that happened to her. The more she interacted with Nikaro, the more she started enjoying life, and the more I started appreciating her as a character.
Nikaro, on the other hand, was one of the most relatable characters. Gloomy, lonely, and friendless, Nikaro has his own demons to face. Painter loved his work but was worn out by the monotony of it. Above all, he is heartbroken for not being able to get his dream job. More often than not, even in our society, we are valued for the services we provide, and once we fail at it, the result can be calamitous. These were the issues Nikaro was dealing with, and that resonated a lot with me. Despite these issues, Nikaro strives to fix things and to be a better person.
Brandon is one of the best authors when it comes to characterizations, and this book further strengthens that claim. As mentioned above, I had a hard time connecting with the story and the characters at first, but once things were set in motion, Sanderson made sure that I was fully invested in the story. The more these two protagonists interacted, the more I started getting attached to them. At the halfway point, I was actively rooting for them. And when I was nearer to the end, I was scared of their fates. I was afraid that Sanderson had something sinister planned for them that would break my heart.
As one would come to expect from Sanderson, he outdoes himself when it comes to introducing a new magic system. The magic system, as established in this story, is based on artistic skills (virtuosity). This, in turn, ties the book deeply with the lore of the Cosmere. New worlds, shards, and splinters are revealed in this book, and there are some subtle references to the other Cosmere works. Despite it all, I'm happy to say that 'Yumi and the Nightmare Painter' can be read and enjoyed without reading previous Cosmere works. First-time readers of the Cosmere might miss out on understanding the Cosmere references and who Design is if they start from this book, but these are very relatively minor spoilers that won't spoil major events of the other Cosmere works. Sure, you will benefit from reading other books set in the Cosmere first, but let it not deter you from picking this book up first as a teaser to Sanderson's writing. It is a standalone novel set in the Cosmere, and Brandon Sanderson intended for it to be accessible to many readers. So, yes, do give this book a try even if you don't want to commit yourself to the entirety of the Cosmere.
Since we have broached the topic of the Cosmere, how can we forget about our dear old friend Hoid? Just like the first Secret Project, Hoid is the narrator of this book, too. The events elaborated in these books have transpired in the Cosmere, but since this is Hoid's narration of these events, do expect a slight departure from the usual narrative structure you would have come to expect from Sanderson's Cosmere works. This book, just like 'Tress of the Emerald Sea', is filled with interjections from Hoid – either it is him addressing the narratee or it is him taking a break in the story to insert his profound thoughts about a subject.
The climax, or what the Sanderson fans often refer to as the 'Sanderlaunche', was another highlight of this book. It wasn't as action-packed or magnificent as the other Cosmere works, but it did its work in a magnificent manner. It was around Chapter 34 (84% mark to be precise) when Sanderson started hitting us with mind-blowing revelations one after the other that had me had me both excited as well as worried about our protagonists. Hoid does interrupt the climax to explain the Father Machine situation in the end, but most of it can be extrapolated from Yumi and Nikaro's earlier interactions with the Four Scholars. I know this might have soured the reading experience of some readers, but this is totally in line with what Hoid would do. Furthermore, I have seen some readers still being confused about the Father Machine, so I'm glad for Hoid's interruption to give a detailed explanation instead of letting the readers extrapolate the history from the clues scattered in the earlier interactions. And, I believe his interruptions were timed well as they made us feel strongly about certain things – Painter grieving for Yumi's fate and Yumi constantly living the same day again.
While Hoid is the main narrator of this story, he has a limited role to play. And that's what makes this book's ending stand out as compared to Brandon's first Secret Project. The main protagonists in 'Yumi and the Nightmare Painter' played an important role in the climax, while in 'Tress of the Emerald Sea', the main characters had limited agency – it was Hoid who swooped in and saved the day. I greatly appreciated this story's ending. It was emotional, heartwarming, and perfect. And the two epilogues were the icing on the cake!
The themes of love, empathy, compassion, and coordination, as mentioned earlier, are quite evident in this book. How discontent, loneliness, disinterest, rejection, and self-loathing may stifle one's creativity is conspicuously explored through Nikaro's character arc. The story also delves a lot into art, its value to the artist as well as to its audience, and how art can affect someone fundamentally. I do believe that Sanderson has attempted to make a social commentary on the issue of AI art through the introduction of the Father Machine in this story. The Father Machine performs the same function as the yoki-hijo, but without any inspiration or creativity, and it is detrimental to its audience. I'm not sure whether this analogy with AI art was intentional on Sanderson's behalf or if it was merely a subconscious decision, but he has handled the issue in a respectful and satisfactory manner.
In conclusion, I had a great time reading this book. Everything about Yumi and Nikaro's adventures clicked with me. 'Yumi and the Nightmare Painter' was a thoroughly compelling read that left me mesmerized with the buildup of the story, its execution, the riveting climax, and a hugely satisfying ending. The Asian-inspired setting, inspirations from anime, manga, and video games, Aliya Chen's gorgeous artwork, and Brandon Sanderson's brilliant storytelling fuse in a cohesive manner to create this wonderful masterpiece.
Together they enjoyed the silent presence of one another, drinking in the moment. It’s said that everything you eat, even the air you breathe, becomes part of you. The axi that make up the matter you take in come to make up you instead. I, however, find that the moments we take into our souls as memories are far more important than what we eat.
We need those moments as surely as the air, and they linger. Potent. Yes, a person is more than their experiences, stacked up like stones. But our best moments are the foundations we use to reach for the sky.
I loved it too. And your review is great. :D The romance was the best Sanderson has ever written. It was exciting, and Hoid's insights were so poignant. I think Sanderson's writing is getting more and more profound the more he writes. <3 The only thing is, I had absolutely no fear for the sad ending. BrandoSando couldn't do that to us! I think I've read too much happy ending fantasy. :D
I am so behind on all the SP books 😅