Freaky Friday meets Lost in Translation meets Studio Ghibli.
The worldbuilding was very Sanderlike. However, I found myself intrigued with Painter’s world far more than Yumi’s. The imagery of the pink & blue neon painted the picture (pun intended) in my head brilliantly. And the typical Sanderlanche had me enthralled in the last 80 pages!
Sanderson does a fantastic job of building side characters that almost overshadow the main characters (Mistborn & Stormlight especially), but this was a book that focused solely on the two leads’ inward journeys. The development & the romance both felt so natural that these characters became real to me.
The magic system wasn’t the focus, but it moved the plot along & was interesting enough. It’s a world I’d love to visit again, but I’m also satisfied with just this one story.
Hoid’s narration didn’t feel as Hoid-like as it did in Tress. Not a complaint. Just an observation.
Overall, I’d say Tress was a better book, but I personally enjoyed Yumi & the Nightmare Painter more. I’ll be moving on to The Sunlit Man next!