Mistborn: The Final Empire

I loved the hell out of this book. I loved the characters and the storyline. The only complaint I have is that characters smiled too much and did things maladroitly too much, but I loved everything else.

I loved it and hated certain parts. Well one part in particular. How dare Brandon Sanderson get me attached to a certain character then kill them off.

ALL. THE. STARS.
This was sooooo good! I'm obsessed with Brandon Sanderson's world building, the magic system is amazing and I couldn't stop reading.

INCREDIBLE. I loved it!

Already ordered the second and third book and I'll definitely continue with the series as soon as possible.

He can't help himself
playing at being a god
ego that won't die.

Mistborn: The Final Empire presents us with a world in which the Lord Ruler has reigned for a thousand years. Brandon Sanderson takes us through the efforts of Vin, Kelsier and other oppressed skaa to overthrow the tyrant.

The most compelling part of the novel is definitely the clear framework that the magic, Allomancy, is placed into. Unlike say, Harry Potter, the way in which the characters manipulate the basic rules of Allomancy into brilliant fighting is extraordinarily engaging. I like the way that capabilities are generally limited - you never feel as though everyone is missing some obvious strategy, for example.

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Really great series, with a unique magic system.

I've heard [a:Brandon Sanderson 38550 Brandon Sanderson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394044556p2/38550.jpg]'s book are tomes but this plot was well crafted, moved along without sidetracks, and had many characters that were detailed enough [the narrator did a great job of distinguishing the different characters audibly] I didn't have the usual issues of keeping track.I'll add the next in the series to my TBR$.

I can't think properly

Wow, can't believe it took me so long to find a book that helped me finally get over Harry Potter/Eragon/Aragorn.
My my, no dragons, no elves, no magic yet a work of fantasy that deserves to be right there among the best.
And finally, it feels almost liberating to get a female protagonist like Vin, who unlike Katniss/Tris gets over the daze surrounding the responsibilities handed to her very quickly and takes it upon herself to try her very best.
Phew. Can't wait to see how this ends.

I grabbed this based on many positive reviews from the people that I follow on Goodreads and previous experience of Sanderson's writing with the Stormlight Archive. And I was not disappointed.

Ok, I was, a little. Kelsier feels a little like the first release candidate of Kaladin. There is only really one chick, who admittedly kicks all the arse and takes all the names, but still. The part where I was most disappointed was the lore. Maybe I expect too much, having read the Stormlight Archive books first, but the only real sense I got of the history of the world was with Sazid's religions. Which I loved. It's been mentioned to me that more lore happens in the next two books, so I'm looking forward to that.

Other parts that I liked: the gathering of 'philospoher' nobles were just all talk and not impotently planning a revolution. I kept waiting for Vin's brother to show up and wreck all the plans, and was pleasantly surprised how that turned out. I was pleased it didn't end up being a heist movie plot in the end, because it was looking that way for a good chunk of the book (I didn't actually expect it to continue being a heist movie, I was just curious to see how Sanderson would steer away from it once he'd set it up). The identity of the Lord Ruler. And of course the way in which Kelsier finally gets the skaa rebellion happening.

And, of course, there are more questions raised than answered by the end - the best part of that being that the next two books are already written and I don't have to wait around for years to find out the answers.

Truly a wonderful book! I especially enjoyed the character development and magic system. One of my favorite things about this story was that I expected how it ended, but not at all how it got there. There was also a moment near the end that I thought it wouldn't end that way, and the suspense of how things were going to play out was really quite fun. I expect that to be something I enjoy in a lot of Sanderson's other books.

Something that I didn't really enjoy was the emphasis on the main character's experience with sexual assault and general physical abuse. While I think this is a really important topic and something which would absolutely have a profound impact on Vin and her character, it felt kind of gross for a guy to be writing about this experience so much and putting such a huge emphasis on it. I don't know quite how to express my feelings about this particular aspect of the book, but it just doesn't sit right with me, and that's why I didn't give it five stars.

The prose was so simple and it made all the world building very easy to digest. Vin and Kell were great main characters. The Action was very vivid and well written. Already started reading the second one.

easy to get into & engaging enough to keep me interested to the end. Not especially memorable.

There are books you like.
Some of them you even love.
And then there are books, who hit differently.

Those become your favorites.

Fantasía, Magia, Rebelión, y un poco, pero poco, de religión.

Buen comienzo de una trilogía que promete.

La alomancia se sale.

This book is nothing short of Shakespearean, and I mean that in the best possible ways. It's in five acts, sure. It features characters with tragic flaws that play out over its course and reach their logical conclusions, sure. But what really floors me about this book is that Sanderson conveys an entire country's world and political intrigue, along with the main cast's place within it (and goodness, that magic system too), sets up multiple interlaced plot events, and manages to stick the landing with just about all of them in a way that seems both organic and inevitable–inevitable in that, again Shakespearean, sense that you know that something's going to happen, it's been foreshadowed for chapter after chapter, but when it finally does happen, it still manages to punch you straight in the gut.

And I'm looking forward to the next book at the end of it. A goddamn masterpiece.

8/10

Wow it was great. It fixed my main complaint about era 1. I think it enhances the original trilogy and has some nice character moments. And all that cosmere lore. I want more of this!

Amazing book! One of the best fantasy stories I've read in a long time.

The main characters are well though out and show quite a bit of depth. Sanderson gives them just enough weaknesses in their character flaws and abilities to keep you on edge and always wondering just how they will make it out the next predicament they find themselves in.

The pacing of the book was also excellent. The action in the book generally takes a slow, gradual pace until it reaches something of a boiling point. Then many things can happen in quick succession. After it's all done, you're left feeling a little out of breath, usually at the end of one of the book's major parts. Then Sanderson picks right back up, slowly building pressure and suspense in the same roller coaster fashion. It kept me hooked into the book right through the end and I'll definitely be looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

dnfed @ 52% because why must i torture myself reading a book that makes me yawn and get the urge to read something else. plus, Brandon Sanderson turned out to be problematic and he doesn't deserve my time or effort

This one has everything you love from Sanderson: an amazing world, a system of powers that is complicated and clever, relatable characters, and lots of action.

Even better on a reread! I decided to listen to this book, as I had already read it physically a few years ago, and it only gets better on a reread :)

THAT TWISTTSTSTSTTS ARE YOU KIDDING ME. Brandon Sandersons brain

Very mixed feelings about this book. At times I felt like I was reading a teenage love novel, which left me feeling uncomfortable and bored. Then suddenly the the book turns hard core adult fantasy and is 5-star enjoyable. However, the love story parts of the book leaves me feeling this could have been quite a lot better.

Still debating myself whether to give book two a go or not.

Wowie, mannekes. Ik kan geen coherente zinnen schrijven die voldoende juist kunnen uitdrukken wat ik vond van dit boek. Zooooo goed!

Het duurde wel eventjes voor ik erin zat, maar bij mij is dit altijd zo met high fantasy, want je wordt geïntroduceerd in een compleet nieuwe, unieke wereld met zijn eigen regels en organisatie, dus natuurlijk is het wat wennen. Maar dan, echt, wat een verhaal weer! Zo rijk, zo gedetailleerd, zo speciaal. Wow!

Ik was ook verbaasd over de schaal van dit eerste boek. Het verhaal dat ik verwachte gespreid te zijn over drie boeken, komt al tot zijn climax in dit eerste boek. Zo nieuwsgierig naar wat zal gebeuren in het vervolg en ik wil nog veel leren over de wereld en magie!

The Skaa have been beaten into obedience, serving the nobles as slaves and seen as less than human. Rebellions have come and gone, snuffed out by fear and brutality. Until Kelsier rises from the pits, surviving what everyone knows as a death sentence. Having snapped under heartache and abuse, Kelsier has become a Mistborn allomancer. Able to give himself enhanced powers over his mind and body by ingesting metal. And he’s ready to recruit a crew of Skaa to rise up against the Lord Ruler.

The Final Empire spends much of its time developing the world and metal magical system called allomancy. While this slows down the plot, there is a lot of information needed to paint the world in the reader's mind. Each piece of worldbuilding is easy to understand and enhances the reader's experience as they are drawn into the story. And when Brandon Sanderson flips the switch, bringing the characters into the climax of the story, it will be challenging to put it down.

Character dynamics are integral to the story. Kelsier is a complicated character, one who wants what’s best for the Skaa and has a burning hatred for the Nobility and the Lord Ruler. He takes a huge amount of risk, yet has an intricate plan for how the current rebellion can succeed. But he isn’t perfect, and some mistakes will cost him dearly. There are times he’ll overplay his hand, and unforeseen circumstances will startle even Kel.

Then there is Vin, a fellow mistborn discovered by Kel. While she starts off as a meek girl hiding in the shadows to survive, Kel and the crew’s influence allows her to blossom. Seeing how far along Vin develops by the end of the novel is amazing. Vin counters Kel’s risky behavior by questioning everything. As the two interact readers will see how they each help the other grow into a better person.

Given the amount of twists and turns the first book in Mistborn revealed by the end, I am eager to see where else this story goes. There is so much left for the crew to accomplish. I can’t wait to see how they further develop and the new challenges ahead. I highly recommend this for fans of high fantasy.