Hello Fellow Journeyers,
Before saying anything else, I have to do a proud shoutout to the author, Brandon Sanderson, simply because he's from Lincoln, Nebraska, where a certain reviewer also resides so it's fantastic to know a New York Times Bestselling Author has graced this city of mine. Mistborn: The Final Empire is the first of a trilogy of three books that may be the most technically flawless writing I've read.
What's the story about: Mistborn is about Vin and a ragtag group of thieves and lesser noblemen trying to complete the impossible task of killing the Lord Ruler, basically a god, who has ruled with an unstoppable regime for hundreds of years. Vin and company risk their lives trying to con, swindle, and learn their way through the upper nobility in order to free the land from the unkillable dictator.
Mistborn has one of the best protagonists in Vin. The main thing to love about Vin is that she is not an especially new character that breaks traditional tropes or is new, she's just written so well and enjoyably. She's shy, but powerful. Self-deprecating, but mostly self-confident. And she's a street rat, who ends up loving high society. She's the perfect protagonist for this heist fantasy and Sanderson writes her narrative to perfection; that being said, the entire ensemble cast that supports her is equally good. Kelsier is an insatiable interesting young mentor with a vendetta. Sazed is also a very untraditionally likeable servant/friend to Vin. And I'd be remiss to say that her counterpart, Elend, is equally fantastic. I won't say much else regarding this character, but the traditional romance imbued in the story is as refreshing as it is familiar.
The next best part to love about Mistborn is how natural Sanderson introduces worldbuilding into the plot. It's not thrown in forcefully nor is there huge sections of exposition or worldbuilding torpor. And since the magic system is as wild and new, the interest there always stays. You want to learn the magic system as indepthly as any of the characters learning them do. It all serves the plot and does so so well that you get lost in the chapters. The good kind of lost, where you're so invested that you can't imagine taking a break.
Brandon Sanderson masterfully crafts an epic fantasy, with the coat of paint of a heist story that works to perfection. And the most brilliant part of it all is that he fulfills almost all the questions and promises from the beginning. It's such a satisfying read, that you don't realize it's even the first of a trilogy that expands the world in awesome ways. It has heartache, plot twists, all of the technical aspects that make for a great story, wrapped up in fantasy goodness with one of the most awesome magic systems ever.
★★★★★ 4.5 Stars - Mistborn: The Final Empire is a nearly perfect fantasy book in almost every category. It has everything you want in terms of a fantasy story and is a rare case of an author knowing what questions to leave open and what answers you need/want to know. Sanderson does a great job dangling those wishes and answering them in interesting and the most satisfying ways. Mistborn: The Final Empire also has a rare trait of being a book that can be read by itself or the first of a trilogy that is equally fantastic. The only thing that keeps it from being all 5 stars to me is that I didn't feel deeply moved by the story; I simply had a ton of fun. Other than that, it is almost certainly Essential Reading!
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was nearly perfect. I really loved almost every aspect of it, but a few things kept it from being amazing.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very worth reading and satisfying; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it was lacking in certain crucial areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads. Also, there is no 1.5 Stars because it does not seem to have enough differentiation.
