Mistborn: The Final Empire

This book does a lot of heavy-lifting, world-building in the first third with massive exposition about things learned organically later in the book.

There are also a lot of named characters that disappear including Mr. Easter Egg himself, Hoid. Then, the the perspective shift from Kelsier to Vin eased me into the rest of the story.

I also really appreciated how well-fleshed out Vin was by the end. Men writing women in sci-fi can be a tough but Sanderson pulls it off. Vin's arc takes off as she matures and starts to confront her abandonment issues as the story goes on. I'm so very glad the Vin-Eland <spoiler>meet-cute </spoiler> didn't take away Vin's agency or take over the entire story too. Dress descriptions were a little overdone but forgivable as Vin settled into her role.

The court espionage was a fun yet sometimes slow runaway train as Kelsier's plan against the Lord Ruler spiraled. Kliss and Shan were especially a delight. I didn't see the ending coming and was able to just enjoy the reveals.

I'm not generally a high fanatsy or hardcore sci-fi reader, but this book was an easy and fun entry point into those genres. If anyone is on the fence, this is your sign to give Mistborn a try.