My first Sanderson novel (yes I KNOW) and omg, I was so pulled in and invested in the story. I'm definitely finally checking out Mistborn haha.

DNF’ed around the 30% mark. Nothing inherently wrong with the book - it just fell victim to my mood reader tendencies.

Thank you to the publisher and author for sending me an early copy!

I really thought I was going to love this book, as the premise had all the elements to be a story that would captivate me: a fantasy novel with a strong romantic component about the connection of two people from different worlds. It was a nice surprise that it was narrated by Hoid once again (although I liked the way he told the story in Tress of the Emerald Sea better, even though I didn’t love that book either), and although I liked exploring new worlds in the Cosmere, as well as the originality of the use of painting and art in the magic system, the truth is that I was overwhelmingly disappointed by this book. I didn’t connect with the characters, I thought they were both rather flat and their relationship somewhat rushed. And aside from an interesting twist, the plot around the worlds and the threat of nightmares seemed pretty average to me, making much of this reading experience a bit boring. After my disappointment with Sanderson’s first two secret novels, I think it’s time to return to safer waters and finally resume reading Words of Radiance.

This was a difficult DNF for me. I've just gotten into Sanderson over the past year and had really loved the previous two books of his that I read - Tress of the Emerald Sea, and Elantris. As always his world building is excellent but I got about 50% of the way through and ultimately put the book aside. At that point I would've hoped to have had a clearer idea of what the overarching plot is meant to be but it was still just the two protagonists fumbling back and forth on each other's worlds. I am happy for a character study book with minimal plot but I didn't feel I was getting that either. Half way through and my understanding of the characters still felt fairly superficial and I reached a point where I was going 'I don't care about them'. Possibly it all picks up in the second half but I wasn't going to stick around to find out unfortunately.

I have read many Brandon Sanderson books and I once again fell in love with his story telling. The world he creates is inventive and surprising with Asian influence and culture. Yumi and Painter are very different characters with very different and unique jobs, but through their interactions with each other, fantastic character development, and a common goal they work together and fall for each other in the process. I enjoyed the bit of romance in this and was happy it didn't lead the story or conflicts, but rather was an added bonus to a fantastical plot.

This was such an enjoyable ride!
I love the spirit-swapping and mystery behind it. I really enjoyed the slow-burn romance between Yumi and the Painter. I especially loved the twist at the end!
The only reason for the 3☆s instead of 4☆ was because in places it felt kind of choppy and not as smooth as the most of the book.
But I had such a great time and hope to see these characters again sometime! 💖

Thank you, Netgalley for the ARC!

All of the books from Brandon Sanderson's secret projects are fantastic, and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is no exception. Yumi and Painter are phenomenal characters. You will root for both their personal growth and the growth of their romance as the story continues. The world building is top notch and the twists and turns of the story keep you speeding through to see what happens next.

my first brandon sanderson book and i really enjoyed this. it’s much different to books i usually read but i was impressed. gonna order some more asap!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC! I am very grateful and happy to explore everything this author will write in the future as well!

Like Tress, this book is narrated by the world-hopping Hoid, but unlike Tress, Hoid is an active participant in the story. There are some Cosmere universe connections, but it is much less complex than other books and I appreciated that in this story.
Yumi and Painter are both very well-written characters in my opinion, and I enjoyed seeing how each is shaped by their societies. Yumi in particular is shaped by the fact that she has been Chosen as a yoki-hijo, meaning she must live her life in service and use her power to summon spirits to help other people. Painter’s job is to find and neutralize nightmares that feed on powerful emotions. They both feel isolated and alone until they find each other.
The romance is a bonus, and I appreciated Sanderson’s trying to give it to us in this story. It’s not the best romance ever, but it’s a good attempt at recreating an anime-style romance, complemented by other aspects of the narrative, especially as they come to an understand each other’s unique perspective and experiences, and how they help each other find ways to grow.

This is another fun read from Brandon Sanderson. I enjoyed it and will continue to read his Secret Project books. I would definitely recommend reading them all.

Brandon Sanderson is incapable of writing anything bad. I adored this book. I think it might be my favorite of the secret novels he has written. Absolutely breathtaking world building and a beautiful story. Yumi and Painter are wonderfully different and yet so poetically similar. Loved every moment.

Lets go Brando Sando! He never disappoints

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

“It’s a common mistake to assume that someone is weak because they are accommodating. If you think this, you might be the type who has no idea how much effort—how much strength—it takes to put up with your nonsense.”

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter was a great fast paced fantasy thriller. There were fantastic magic systems and super detailed world-building. There are lot of Cosmere connections that you'll love. Yumi and Painter are both excellent lead characters.

I will not be dedicating any reviews to Brandon Sanderson after learning about his continued donations to anti-lgbtq associations of massive amounts of money. A gay character here and there does not excuse you from funding hatred.

Sanderson has created a compelling universe with likable but imperfect people. Although I admit there were moments when I was bored, the payoff of discovering what was happening was so amazing that it quickly erased any dull parts of the book from my memory. The romance plot line is the only thing keeping this from receiving a perfect five stars from me. Yumi and Painter never struck me as having chemistry, and their conclusion was not the one I would have selected. These criticisms, in my opinion, pale in comparison to the fantastic tale Sanderson has crafted in this book. I would suggest this to readers who are new to Sanderson as a stand-alone.

4.5 / 5 stars

Yumi and The Nightmare Painter is a refreshing fantasy romance from the talented author, Brandon Sanderson. Sanderson states in his postscript that this is his favorite Secret Project book and I can’t help but agree. I gave this book a 4.5 star rating for 3 reasons, world building, character development and story telling.

World Building:
The world building is absolutely stunning and a fresh take on fantasy worlds. The story is split up into two worlds, the world of Yumi and the world of the Nightmare Painter. These environments could not be further apart in appearance and create a striking comparison. Both beautiful in their own right. The world of Nightmare Painter and full city in forever darkness with electric light illuminating the world. Yumi’s world with a large sun overheating the ground causing plants to float in the air.

Character Development:
Yumi and Nikaro are complex characters. At first each character seems to be one dimensional, Yumi is a strict rule follower and Nikaro is a lazy lone wolf. As they spend time with each other and open up their personalities are shown to be complex and full of depth. Yumi is able to loosen up and grow to value herself outside of her duties. Nikaro learns a bit of self discipline and tackles his past to become a better person. Their relationship blossoms throughout the novel and it was a delight to read.

Story Telling:
Any reader of Sanderson knows he is a professional at building a story. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is no exception. The story flowed smoothly with mystery elements uncovered throughout the plot and plenty of twists and turns. The conflicts were engaging. The ending surprised me and I was not expecting how everything would be resolved.

I was SUCH a huge fan of The Mistborn Series. Truly telling all of my fantasy loving friends to read it.

Though the character building and intriguing plot had a similar feel, the story telling in Yumi felt a little more lyrical!

I cannot wait to read Tress next!

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is the third secret project from Sanderson's record-breaking Kickstarter campaign. This story follows Yumi and the Painter who have an almost Freaky Friday-esque experience... Painter wakes up in Yumi's body as Yumi, and Yumi wakes up in Painter's body... also as Yumi. The situation flips every time the pair sleeps.

I put off reading this story because I was really scared I wouldn't like it, especially after not super enjoying The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England. I didn't need to worry though - in this story, Sanderson has crafted an interesting world and flawed but likeable characters. Finding out what was going on was such a great payoff that it made any boring part of the book instantly fade from my mind, though I know I was bored at parts. The only reason this would not get a full five stars from me is the romance plot line. I did not ever feel chemistry between Yumi and Painter, and the ending they had was not the one I would have chosen. However, I think these complaints are minor compared to the great story Sanderson has told in this book.

As a standalone, one might want to recommend this to new Sanderson readers; however, I would not do so. I think that Design and one other side character (who I won't name to avoid spoilers) would be confusing for new readers. However, I would heartily recommend this to fans of other Sanderson works.

Brandon Sanderson never disappoints. I always know when I pick up one of his books that I am going to get amazing characters and a 5 star read. This book was no exception. Loved it.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is a standalone within the grand universe of the cosmere. However, there are elements to this story that leave the reader on the outside if they're not avid Sanderson readers who have already met the storyteller character named Hoid. This story is imparted quite largely as though through oral recitation, which has the effect of a third person narrative with a shifting POV, except every now and again, Hoid has some quip he intersects into the story.

Aside from that personal gripe, I found the plot and character progression to be compelling, so much so I went from finding both main character obnoxious and mildly grating, to full of heart and rich for their varying motivation.

Additionally, the world building was quite intriguing, if largely relayed through Hoid (who may be quite endearing for cosmere readers, but I found to be an interruption to my immersion in the story). There's floating flora, living nightmares, painters who do battle with their art, and an element of body swapping that hold some surprising trans connotations. (Though I can't be sure if Sanderson intended for this as he is well known for his conservative faith base. Even so, his writing has never felt overtly "religion is cool too, let me convert you with fantasy" to me, so I choose to see the gender swapping as progressive for him haha.)

If you're a fan of Makoto Shinkai's Your Name. you'll love the themes of this story.