Tharatariel10 Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 So! I am new here and I JUST read Elantris for the first time. (I realize, most of you have probably read it years ago and are on your 5th or one-hundred and fifth reading :-P) I have searched this forum topic and have not found a single thread pertaining to the romance in this book (if I missed it, please excuse my rookie mistake ;-) ) Let me just say how much I loved Sarene and Raoden's love story! It was refreshing and enjoyable throughout the book. Perhaps my favorite aspect of their romance is that you see both sides - particularly Raoden's perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed the little gem of him confessing to Galladon that what he wanted most in Elantris were Sarene's letters. I think this could have been cheesy if it didn't feel like a victory moment for Sarene. The fact that she battles with feelings of self-reproach, despair and being unwanted by men made his confession that much more powerful. It made me happy to think that - even without meeting her - he really did like her. I enjoyed that Raoden's identity was hidden from Sarene; the mystery was fun. I think typically, (maybe just in cheesy, chick-flicks) when one character is trying to keep his true identity secret from the other, it is usually that he has initial reasons for "spying" on the person in question. He is doing so to settle a bet, help a friend, win a trophy...whatever. And then, in the process, despite himself, he falls for the person he was deceiving. I thought it was a nice take that Raoden wanted to watch Sarene and be close to her because he liked her. (His reasons for keeping his identity secret were also more of a defensive nature, wanting to protect New Elantris, his people and her.) And thus we get all those beautiful little moments of him being proud of her intellect, her political skills, her courage, her kindness and really coming to love her even when she doesn't really know who he is. I absolutely loved seeing his side of the story. I also enjoyed the fact that it was not an "opposites attract" romance; everything about Sarene complimented Raoden. You can see that from when she first reorganizes the group of noblemen. You can see before they officially meet, how they would naturally love each other and work together. Even when Sarene is suspicious of Spirit while distributing food in Elantris, instead of frustration and annoyance on his side, he is amuse and proud of her. Her caution makes him love her more, even if it is directed at him. At the same time, his openness and honesty with her eventually opens the door to a more natural attraction when she enters Elantris as an "Elantrian." No battle of wills, no false-hatred, no question of does he like her? Does she like him? It just kind of happens. I think that's much more true to life. I could go on, but this post is getting really long...:-P Suffice it to say that overall, I thought it was a beautiful romance and it made this book that much more enjoyable. Thank you, Mr. Sanderson :-) Feel free to share your favorite Sarene & Raoden moments :-D 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainRyan Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 One of my favorite moments is when Sarene forces Raoden to duel her when Raoden is impersonating a person from... erm, I forget the name of the country. Hilarious mix-up haha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouiseSparrow Posted July 14, 2016 Report Share Posted July 14, 2016 I agree with you completely, it's brilliantly done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landis963 Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 10 hours ago, CaptainRyan said: One of my favorite moments is when Sarene forces Raoden to duel her when Raoden is impersonating a person from... erm, I forget the name of the country. Hilarious mix-up haha Duladel is the name of the country, and Kaloo is basically the funniest idea Raoden comes up with over the course of the entire book. Also, he had more personality as a Dula, than he ever did as an Elantrian, IMO. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormgate Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 I enjoy the games Sarene plays with giving them terrible colors of cloth, bent nails, and more. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radiant Returned Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I love the romance in Elantris, it's probably the most directly correlating to the actual plot romance story Sanderson has written. I don't know what other Sanderson books you've read since you said this is the first time you've read Elantris, but Mistborn and Warbreaker both also have great and interesting romance stories, though they differ in many ways from Raoden-Sarene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landis963 Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 On Friday, July 15, 2016 at 11:59 PM, Stormgate said: I enjoy the games Sarene plays with giving them terrible colors of cloth, bent nails, and more. Speaking of characters with personality... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botanica Posted July 17, 2016 Report Share Posted July 17, 2016 Ahhh Raoden/Sarene is still my Cosmere OTP!!! I loved every scene where they had interactions. Raoden impersonating Kaloo just made me laugh so hard. When he finally said to Sarene, "To find you." My heart melted Spoiler I would draw them forever XD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tharatariel10 Posted July 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2016 On 7/16/2016 at 3:52 PM, Radiant Returned said: I love the romance in Elantris, it's probably the most directly correlating to the actual plot romance story Sanderson has written. I don't know what other Sanderson books you've read since you said this is the first time you've read Elantris, but Mistborn and Warbreaker both also have great and interesting romance stories, though they differ in many ways from Raoden-Sarene. Well, I started with The Stormlight Archive, then White Sand, then Elantris and now I've just begun Mistborn. I thoroughly enjoyed the little love story between Dalinar and Navani, and of course the events of WoR with Shallan and Adolin . But, as you said, romance was very secondary to the overall plot in SA. I wasn't sure what to expect with Elantris, or how Brandon would do writing a more central love story. I went with: well, I haven't been disappointed yet, so I'll be hopeful. And I'm still not disappointed! @Botanica - beautiful picture!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts