A review by nclcaitlin
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson

4.0

Shai is a Forger, a magical practise deemed illegal and abhorrent. She is set to be executed when caught in the act of robbery. 

However, the Emperor's advisors offer her freedom if she forges a new soul for the Emperor who has been left brain dead by an assassination attempt. Without much choice, she agrees, planning to escape.

Shai is a master trickster, liar, and thief. She is charming and knows how to play people, how to read them and know how to win them over. This makes her such an intriguing character to be in the mind of. Always at work with both her hands and her mind. 

“People", Shai said, rising to fetch another seal, "by nature attempt to exercise power over what is around them. We build walls to shelter us from the wind, roofs to stop the rain. We tame the elements, bend nature to our wills. It make us feel as if we're in control. Except in doing so, we merely replace one influence with another. Instead of the wind affecting us, it is a wall. A man-made wall. The fingers of man's influence are all about, touching everything. Man-made rugs, man-made food. Every single thing in the city that we touch, see, feel, experience comes as the result of some person's influence.”

Sanderson knows how to create magic systems. This is mastery is shown with such genius in the novella that I am astounded. It should have been confusing - Forging someone’s soul, rewriting the history of objects, using seals to keep things that way? Yet, Sanderson manages to completely immerse yourself in this without ever relying on information dumping. 

I normally don’t like books under 400 pages as there’s never enough depth and I left feeling bereft and needing more. This is a novella I feel satisfied with. I recommend.