Mistborn: The Final Empire Book Review

2 MAGIC SYSTEMS?! WHOA! This book took me by complete surprise.

Vin

A really well written female lead. She's great, her story is exciting and interesting, her attitude is really likable and completely believable and Sanderson has really done an amazing job with Vin.

Her powers are incredible, I love all the aspects of Allomancy - it is really cool to see.

I mean what an arc really, from start to finish we see a complete change in her character, in both magic as well as personality and it was amazing to see. She really developed in this book. Where I imagine some series take books to have this much character growth, Brandon was able to encapsulate this arc in one book... INCREDIBLE!

Kelsier

I'm really happy to have read this character. This is great, and this is a great character. I'm really amazed by this character. I love his attitude towards smiling - means he's not beaten yet!

Okay, wow, an awesome character. He's funny, he's smart, and he's great a plans. What an awesome character.

Sazed

AN AWESOME CHARACTER, he might be my favorite. I love reading him and how he interacts with all characters in this book. He's so smart and I love the awesome aspects of Feruchemy... so cool!

My favorite side character for sure, I got so excited when Sazed entered a scene.

Lord Ruler

I knew he was a Terrisman.. my notes from Chapter 9 - Sazed is a Terrisman and so is the Lord Ruler.. maybe. Sazed has a way of remembering this.. like the Lord Ruler has infinite memory or however it was said. And woo! Love this book.

His whole introduction and his whole presence was just amazing in this book. I was impressed at how Brandon wrote him to be so terrifying and to final meet him was awesome - a good payoff as well.

Very interesting that he could use both Allomancy and Feruchemy.. hmm.

Steel Inquisitor

Okay these are absolutely terrifying. Wow. I'm so interested to learn more, and I hope we do, it sounds like (based on the Epilogue) that we'll have to fight a few more! Sweet!

Allomancy

Okay, how to even describe this incredible Magic system. It's difficult. It's like nothing I've ever heard of before, and at first (since I'd read most of the Stormlight Archive) I was trying to compare this to that Magic system, and they're very different. Obviously. But this really is something special. You're just going to have to read and find out..

Feruchemy

This seemed like a less powerful version of Allomancy, and that was probably because we didn't get to see as much of it as Allomancy. And that might've been the point. This is a different aspect of the Magic system while being a completely different Magic system in and of itself. Because Feruchemy is based on Allomancy.. gosh, so good! You're going to have to read and find out!

Review Score

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Total Score

Tally it all up!

Prologue

Oh whoa! This is cool! So, previously I've read The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (only up to Oathbringer), and I loved how Epic the story was! I loved the huge world and the huge cast. Now this, this is a fun prologue... I'm intrigued by Kelsier burning tin from inside his stomach, that's very.. interesting. I look forward to see what happens next!

Ash from the sky, Mist coming in at night.. men who venture into the mist go mad.

Chapter 1-2

I tell you what, I'm really interested now. This is some good worldbuilding so far. I like the idea of these people drinking/eating these metals and giving them abilities. I truly want to know more. I hate having to watch Vin get beat or hearing about it. I hate that for her, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I really like this Kelsier, I'm interested to see how he interacts with Vin. And I'm just enjoying the story, there was a tense scene and now there is a chase with these Steel Inquisitor things with literal spikes pushing into their eyes... whoa!

Chapter 3

"You Vin, are what is generally called a Mistborn." Okay, that's awesome! Alright, let me see if I can get this straight.

8 Allomantic Metals - Zinc, Copper, Tin, and so on.. lol. This is neat! A little confusing at first of course, that'll happen with magic systems being explained. I am very interested to learn more. Also, Kelsier is awesome, and so is Vin wow - she's great!

Chapter 4

Obviously we do not know barely anything about Allomancy yet! Wow!

The Crew is going to try to create a riot and get everyone to Riot and steal atium from the Lord Ruler.

Okay wow, Breeze, Ham, Kelsier, Yeden, Dox, and Vin! This is great! A little bit more of Allomancy. Now there is Snapped, Kelsier Snapped when he was in the Pits. Now there is this Eleventh Metal. And there are ten metals. Eight basic metals, two high metals, and the Eleventh metal. And Kelsier wants to kill the Lord Ruler for killing his wife, Mare.

Wow!

Chapter 5

Oh wow, here we go! We're getting some of Kelsier burning his metals and using Allomancy and Pushing and Pulling. This was so cool! What an awesome scene, and I definitely agree with those people that say Mistborn would be a great on-screen adaptation. This is AWESOME! I appreciate how different this magic system is from any other magic system I've ever read! I've read the Stormlight Archive (up to Oathbringer) and that magic system is so much different than Allomancy! And I've read Wheel of Time (up to The Shadow Rising) and that is completely different from Allomancy. THIS IS AMAZING.

I really appreciate the way Brandon writes his stories and I appreciate building the world and it unfolding as we see from a newcomers perspective.. the unreliable narrator (right?)

SO GOOD!

Chapter 6

"Though if you think about it, hostile, dethroned pseudodeities probably make disagreeable neighbors." AWESOME LINE.

This was a great chapter. I'm really digging this planning that is going on. It actually seems to be making a lot of sense and this is really setting up a fun plot! I'm excited to see what happens next. Also, when do I get to meet Hoid??

Chapter 7

What an awesome magic system! This is another great chapter where Kelsier is great - I appreciate his taking Vin under his wing. I am really enjoying these info dump chapters.. wow they're actually great!

Chapter 8

Sazed. We meet Sazed, and we see a mistwraith. I've heard that name a lot and I'm happy to say that I'm excited to learn more about him and the Terris people!

End of Part One

Chapter 9

Sazed is a Terrisman and so is the Lord Ruler.. maybe. Sazed has a way of remembering this.. like the Lord Ruler has infinite memory or however it was said. And woo! Love this book.

Chapter 10

Another good chapter! This is such a fast paced and fun book! WOO!

Chapter 11-14

This is great stuff. I really love this book so far, and I'm happy to read this magic system and this story. I'm really interested to see what happens next and what is going to happen in this book. I can't believe there are 6 more books after this book in the series. That is great!

Chapter 15

Whoa, I didn't realize we were so close to the end of Part Two.. wow. This is going fast. I'm loving it. And I'm really interested in this book that Vin found and Sazed might be able to translate. Here we go!

End of Part Two

Chapter 16-18

Okay, okay, I see you Mistborn: The Final Empire. This is good stuff! I feel like we are building to something BIG and I can't wait! I'm loving all the dynamics here, and I see absolutely nothing changing this book for me. This is SO GOOD!

Love Sazed - he's great! I am interested in Elend, and I'm really interested in all these books that he was reading... hmmm. Also, what on Earth is going on the Lord Ruler and what is the Accension... so many questions!

So good!

Chapter 19-22

Some of these chapters stuck out to me as slow and I was trying to get through there, but there is just a lot of great world-building and plotting in this story. These characters are deep and flawed and atypical.

We've learned a lot about Allomancy - and we still don't know it all! And now there is a SECOND MAGIC SYSTEM?! Feruchemy - something that also uses metals and storing things in metals as used by Sazed and the Terris / Keepers. This was a great plot point! I'm really excited to learn more about this.

I'm really interested to see what is going on with Vin's earing. I don't know if that has anything to do with this Feruchemy or what - but I'm interested.

I also can't believe only on page 376.. there are 272 pages left?! SO MUCH LEFT!

Chapter 23

Vin using Allomancy! if only for a little bit. Glad to see that.

Also, I was very scared for Vin as she was talking to Elend about the skaa, I was very afraid that he was going to betray Vin to someone who could hurt her. I don't want that to happen and I really don't know who to trust!

Chapter 24 - 25

Okay... here we go! Book is picking up again! Got some great character communication and some more worldbuilding on Allomancy. Great stuff. AND.... THE ARMY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED WHAT?!?!

Kell and Vin go so fast to find out what happened and they've nearly all been killed including Yeden.. aw. That stinks! We also get to see Mennis again - that's awesome, he was from the Prologue.. that's cool!

Okay, we're at a good place - exciting things to come it seems! 216 pages to go.

End of Part Three

Chapter 26-34

Dear Lord! This is amazing.. I have to keep reading. Kelsier is dead!!! OH NO! The fight with the Inquisitor was amazing, I love this magic system. The Lord Ruler IS SCARY! The Renoux kandra is dead - I'm not even sure if that's the proper way to phrase that, but he's dead - I think.

This was amazing. AMAZING.

The Brandon Avalanche is here!

End of Part Four

Chapter 35

Belief isn't simply a thing for fair times and bright days, i think. What is belief - what is faith- if you don't continue in it after failure? - Sazed.. whoa!

Chapter 36-38

Okay, I devoured these last few chapters. I couldn't put the book down. This was an excellent ending to an already excellent book! Fast paced, cinematic, and all around huge for worldbuilding and magic system and character development. Plot twists left and right, with failed plans and succeeded plans. All that you'd want to end a fantasy story.

Epilogue

Okay Brandon, we get it, you're an incredible storyteller.. no sarcasm here - this epilogue was full of more and more worldbuilding and more story - it was incredible!