Book Review: Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

 

Goodreads Summary: What if the whole world were a dead, blasted wasteland?

Mistborn
For a thousand years, the ash fell, and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years, the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heartbroken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Then Kelsier reveals his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets. She will have to learn trust if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

Brandon Sanderson, fantasy's newest master tale-spinner and author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the prophesied hero failed to defeat the Dark Lord? The answer will be found in the Mistborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises that begins with the book in your hands. Fantasy will never be the same again.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.49 stars with over 820,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Magic

Goodreads/ Storygraph Challenge: 9/30 books

2025 Reading Challenge: #6 Read a book recommended to you by a friend or Social Media (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review: 

Hello, Readers! As always, I hope everyone is doing well. As I write this post, I am curled up in a blanket, watching the snow and cuddling with the dog. It's pretty cozy, as seen in the picture below. 

Anyway, on to talking about Mistborn. I've heard great things about Mistborn for a few years now. Per my typical ways, I'm slow to get around to things. However, when I saw it on Audible, it felt like time to start it. I'm happy that I did. Mistborn: The Final Empire hooked me from the start, and I had difficulty pausing the audiobook to do other things. I was supposed to be studying today, but I played video games and worked on a puzzle because I didn't want to pause the book. 

I really liked Vin as the main character. The girl who stays in the shadows but ultimately just wants to be accepted really appealed to me. I liked how she had two personas and that she had trouble discerning which was the real her. I felt like she sort of grew to become both. I enjoyed many of the characters and thought their set-up for the roles they were to fulfill was interesting. I really liked the role of the Keeper. I'd read an entire story on the keepers if it was available. 

Overall, the story was exciting, and there wasn't a dull moment. I loved the magic system that Brandon Sanderson created. The way each metal had a balance was fascinating. I'm curious how it evolves in the rest of the series. I don't have anything bad to say about the book. The audiobook narrator did a great job telling the story and keeping me engaged with the different voices. I'd highly recommend MistBorn: The Final Empire for anyone who likes high fantasy.