Brandon Sanderson

Experiencing an epiphany within the most daunting prison of the monstrous Lord Ruler, half-Skaa Kelsier finds himself taking on the powers of a Mistborn, and teams up with ragged orphan Vin in a desperate plot to save their world.

The Final Empire

Mistborn

Omar Fernandez

Sazed smiled. "That depends. The right belief is like a good cloak I think. If it fits you well, it keeps you warm and safe. The wrong fit, however, can suffocate."

"No need," the old man said. The last time I tried lords' food, I had stomach pains for three days. New tastes are like new ideas, young man-the older you get, the more difficult they are for you to stomach.

Inés

"Yes," Sazed said. "Tell me, Mistress. What is it that you believe?"

Vin frowned. "What kind of question is that?"

Marisa S. Pan 

Megan

I wanted to DNF this so bad for the first 200 pages, but I knew the setup would all be worth it in the end. It was.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, the Mistborn series is a heist story of political intrigue and magical, martial-arts action. 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, heart-broken 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. Only then does he reveal 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, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed. This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails? Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson The Cosmere The Stormlight Archive The Way of Kings Words of Radiance Edgedancer (Novella) Oathbringer (forthcoming) The Mistborn trilogy Mistborn: The Final Empire The Well of Ascension The Hero of Ages Mistborn: The Wax and Wayne series Alloy of Law Shadows of Self Bands of Mourning Collection Arcanum Unbounded Other Cosmere novels Elantris Warbreaker The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians The Scrivener's Bones The Knights of Crystallia The Shattered Lens The Dark Talent The Rithmatist series The Rithmatist Other books by Brandon Sanderson The Reckoners Steelheart Firefight Calamity

So well written but it started to lose me when I was 3/4 of the way through.

LOVED the world and LOVED the heist feeling of it all.

Sometimes the magic system was a big confusing and frustrating. I reread how push and pull worked a bunch of times because the phrasing was so confusing. (And NO ONE knows how gold works?? I even searched for more information because I wanted to understand it better only to find out it's used twice and half in the WHO SERIES?)

I also envisioned Kelsier as Hawks from MHA 💀

Don't tell me this man is blonde, has birdlike features, is handsome, and has all that charismatic pizazz and have me NOT think of that man. All the other characters I had vague ideas of how they looked in my head and then Kelsier would come to a scene and I'd be like "Ah, yes! Hawks!"

Shoutout to Kelsier you're kinda the goat

Reagan

So well written but it started to lose me when I was 3/4 of the way through.

LOVED the world and LOVED the heist feeling of it all.

Sometimes the magic system was a big confusing and frustrating. I reread how push and pull worked a bunch of times because the phrasing was so confusing. (And NO ONE knows how gold works?? I even searched for more information because I wanted to understand it better only to find out it's used twice and half in the WHO SERIES?)

I also envisioned Kelsier as Hawks from MHA 💀

Don't tell me this man is blonde, has birdlike features, is handsome, and has all that charismatic pizazz and have me NOT think of that man. All the other characters I had vague ideas of how they looked in my head and then Kelsier would come to a scene and I'd be like "Ah, yes! Hawks!"

Shoutout to Kelsier you're kinda the goat

Christine

4.5*

hey i'm shook
(view spoiler)[kelsier... ah, kelsier; the one i both hate and love... why? just, whY? (hide spoiler)]


y'all, can i be an allomancer? please??

Even thought I took forever to read this, such an amazing story. I don't think I'm ever gonna get over how good this was. I'm excited to dive more into Sanderson's books.

Quinnie

Vicky  Nuñez 

I feel like traveling back through time and telling younger me to pick this book earlier than I did. 
Books like this are the reason why I love Epic Fantasy, it has it all: romance, intrigue and complex plots that make sense until the last few pages.
For those not reading Brandon Sanderson, you are missing out big time.

(3.75/5) sinceramente, cuando comencé este libro, mis expectativas eran bajísimas. después de todo, la trama de un pequeño grupo revolucionario intentando derrocar al omnipotente y tiránico emperador no es nada nuevo en libros de fantasía/ciencia ficción; pero debo admitir que a medida que pasaban las páginas, me iba enganchando más y más con la trama, mientras que la misma iba girando hacia lugares inesperados.

mi principal problema con el libro, y que me impidió darle una puntuación aún más alta, es que el inicio es demasiado lento. el autor necesita demasiados capítulos para sentar las bases de su mundo, una cantidad de páginas innecesaria a mi parecer, pues a pesar de que el libro plantea un sistema de magia bastante complejo, siento que podría haberse explicado mucho más rápido. además, siento que el libro no está muy bien estructurado, pues en la primera mitad del libro no ocurren problemas, ni peleas, ni nada que te enganche y te haga querer seguir leyendo, y luego en las últimas cien o doscientas páginas el autor te bombardea con miles de situaciones y plot twists.

a pesar de esto, debo admitir que desde el momento que me enganché no pude parar de leer, pues la trama se vuelve bastante interesante. además, creo que uno de los puntos más fuertes del libro son sus personajes, que se hacen querer casi inmediatamente. eso sí, me quedé esperando una relación de maestro-aprendiz (o padre-hija) mucho más desarrollada entre Vin y Kelsier, o al menos más momentos en los que nos mostraran el aprendizaje de Vin.

Nick Perronteau

akynn 

Ana Luiza

Demorei um mês para ler esse livro, principalmente porque tinha milhões de outras coisas acontecendo na minha vida, além de outras leituras paralelas. Mas mesmo com o tempo que demorei não estava em momento nenhum desconectada dessa história. No momento que abria o livro eu estava vivendo intensamente nesse mundo. 
Esse foi meu primeiro contato com Brandon Sanderson, e não poderia ter sido melhor. Uma fantasia de excelência, com um worldbuilding sem igual. Os personagens são construídos de maneira impecável. Me apaixonei pela Vin e pelo Kellsier. Pelo Sazed, Breeze, Ham, Spook, Clubs... O Brandon conseguiu dar peronsalidade única para cada personagem, era fácil distingui-los mesmo no começo da leitura.
Nos primeiros capítulos já estava fascinada pelo mundo distópico e seu sistema de magia. Nunca tinha lido algo igual. Fora isso, o plot de destronar um imperador corrupto eu já li diversas outras vezes, mas nunca dessa forma. O desenvolvimento do plot foi feito de forma impecável. E depois, nas ultimas 100 paginas tomou um rumo que eu não esperava totalmente. O livro se tornou 100000 vezes melhor na minha concepção, se tornou minha fantasia favorita.
Mal posso esperar pelos próximos :D

ps: pro completar tem um vislumbre de um romance muito lindinho, que fez meu coração de leitora de romance ficar ainda mais feliz

This is my first read by Brandon Sanderson and even though I have heard him be called the father of fantasy, I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy his books. Although this story was dense in the beginning and the heavy world building and new terms made it hard to consume a lot in one go, this has turned out to be one of my favorite high fantasy books I've read. Vin and Kelsier are the perfect duo to take us through this new inventive world, one a seasoned vet, and one an amateur. The twists, battles, lessons, and found family trope really tie this together to be well rounded. Sazed is my favorite character of all time and I wish we got more of him in this book, but hopefully we get more of him in the rest of the Trilogy. This book is original, powerful, tense, sad, funny, and more. If you are a high fantasy lover I highly recommend this book!

Macy M

Tatiana

The Final Empire: 3.5/5

“But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that one thing you've never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope.”

I finally crawled out of whatever hole I was living in to read this book. 

This was originally a five-star prediction for me. I was so positive that I would absolutely love this book based on reviews, but it didn't quite live up to all my expectations. Overall, I feel really torn about it.

Writing & Plot:
I am familiar with Brandon Sanderson's writing due to the Skyward series, one of my favorite YA series of all time, so this style was not new. Sanderson's writing is straightforward to follow. He uses simple words that we use in everyday speech, making the books more approachable, and I appreciate that.

I have to praise the magic system in this book as well. It is unique, and like nothing I have encountered before. It makes action scenes very enjoyable and adds a lot to the basic nature of the plot.

I definitely also enjoyed this plot. It was more linear than I originally anticipated (classic small quests until the boss fight plot). This is not necessarily bad since Brandon Sanderson executes this plot really well, but I think it was much longer than it needed to be. I felt like this book took me 100 years to finish. Most reviews say this book picks up after the 100-page mark, and I have to disagree. The trouble I had with The Final Empire is that it felt stagnant for 3/4 of the book. I realized in part four that the reader still only knows the information given initially, and nothing really progressed until the final 100 pages. 

Characters:
I actually really loved the characters within The Final Empire. Every character has a specific purpose, and I think Vin is one of the coolest and strongest female protagonists I've read in my life. I definitely got attached to the relationships in the book, and Brandon Sanderson does a good job of making each one unique, even though there are many names.

Conclusion:
Now you may ask me, "Tatiana, this all sounds very positive; why a 3.5 rating?" And to that, I have to respond that this book didn't click for me. I liked the plot, I like the writing, and I like the characters; I think it was too long and too slow for me.

I don't know, maybe it's because I am still hung up on Chain of Iron, but I seriously had to push myself to finish this book. Since it has such incredible reviews (which I think are all justified), I will be reading the final two books in this series, but maybe after a few weeks.

Nate Niederkorn

Cody Degen

nina 

4.5 stars 

 “The trick is to never stop looking. There’s always another secret”

Sophie Wang

(dropped jul 31st 21)
this book is incredibly meandering.
the world structure is complex, with multiple distinct factions, but the writing is hopelessly plaintive even considering genre tropes. the story's premise simultaneously requires immense concentration to (arbitrary) details and significant suspension of belief to follow. the cast is full of half-baked, inconsequential characters, and interactions are mind numbingly repetitive, unnatural (esp dialogue), and neither the protagonist or antagonist have convincing raison d'etres. it took 1/3 of the book to leave the introductory phase, but even at that point I still had no compelling impression of the characters and conflicts. 

in a dystopian society as oppressive as the book's, the (rly not subtle-y racially coded) slave skaa class' defining characteristic is having none at all — they don't believe in the current power dynamics, but believe in living by it instead of changing it. the protagonist's lived her whole life trusting nobody and being solely self serving, but joined the serf rebellion out of curiosity to see how it would turn out. (as one does.) the other protagonist is a backstabber, but also his team is supposedly built on loyalty. he's the selfless symbol of strength to a rebellion that nobody believes in, not the serfs, his team, or even himself bc he has his own reasons for rebelling. 

the ambiguity isn't intriguing when it's about the central premise of the plot, it's shapeless and infuriating. 

on top of all the puzzling characters and weak conflict establishment, the magic in the book comes from 8+ metals with different powers that are utilized by kelsier/vin and a whole roster of one dimensional supporting characters (who exist solely for logistic purposes) — who are all named random inanimate objects... breeze, clubs, marsh... HAM?? made me feel like I was in one of those psych experiments where you have to memorize a list of unrelated nouns while tuning out super loud music to test your short term memory amidst distractions. 

but people seem to like the magic system, and rave that the way its grounded in familiar actions/items lends itself to vivid actions scenes, but you rly just had to keep one eye shut abt the whole premise and execution of it. the metals are organized in metal-alloy pairs whose powers "oppose" each other, and balance of the alloys is important so they have to take care to source and prepare metals for themselves and not use unknown mixtures of metals. but then half the alloys are made up of two different pure metals (brass copper/zinc, bronze copper/tin). and the push/pulling mechanisms was just whatever the author fancied. 

all these complaints and I was still going to keep reading for the promised twists, but then they added a side character who spoke in a convoluted "dialect" nobody else in the book spoke and I just gave up on trying to parse through the disconnected dialogue to understand a new grammar. 

maybe some of the things I had problems with were done intentionally, and would eventually have significance for the plot, but at that point there was so many questionable things that it just wasn't worth the effort.

Kath

First of all, I really wish that I read this when I was 16. TFE isn't clearly intended as YA but having a character (Vin) that's a teenager who's full of self-doubt and extremely stubborn and skeptic (I was Vin when I was a teen, and half of my soul is still am) makes it YA-friendly. Also, the fact that Vin, coming into terms with reality didn't happen so superficially fast - it was a slow process and I think that towards the end of the book, she's still in the middle of this self-discovery which makes it more realistic, just makes me want to shove this down my 16-year-old self's throat.

 and now for some bulleted thoughts about this new favorite of mine 
- Wonderfully written world and magic system - metabolizing metals or even ingesting a particular essence is something that I've never come across before.
- Its complex world and magic system didn't stop Sanderson from delivering a masterful story. I can clearly see everything in my head while reading. The descriptions of the facial tattoos, the soot, the mists - I felt like I was enveloped by them.
- The humanity of the characters! I always find myself loving the secondary characters - but I don't even want to call the crew secondary. They all played an important part in the rebellion and without them, the movement wouldn't exist. I loved Ham and Breeze to death, their banters gave the crew so much character. Even with Lestibournes' scenes - they all seem small but his work adds to the completion of it all. (Also, speaking of Spook, I remember laughing so hard when they gave him a nickname and when everyone suddenly spoke to each other in Slang). 
- The action scenes!!!!!! The complicated nature of `the external and pushing metals weren't a hindrance in delivering powerful fight scenes. Vin's & Shan's is definitely one of my favorites. Vin's fight with the Inquisitors also made me feel out of breath with the rain pouring over me; and of course, Kelsier's fight with the Inquisitor - short yet sharp.
- Speaking of Kelsier, he is such a charismatic character and I really enjoyed how Sanderson made me want to doubt Kelsier's intentions, just like Vin. 
- Also, I want to add that whenever I see Odval from Disenchantment, all I can think of is Sazed.

  Some questions and thoughts that lingered in my mind while and after reading:  
- Kelsier's resort to fanaticism as the light to the revolution: at that moment, that was great and smart but given Saze's teachings about religions of the past - how hundreds of them existed but all failed to survive, doesn't this pose a problem in the future? With Kelsier declared as a Savior, creating a whole new religion that is, I predict, doomed to fall - okay well this isn't really a question but more of a prediction & commentary.
-  Belief is important in humanity:  be it with a particular God or even the simplicity of believing in one's self
- Learning about the past is important in preserving one's collective identity. 
-  Push yourself from the boundaries of this world and from your own boundaries.  If no one questioned the state of their society, Kelsier's rebellion wouldn't exist. If Mare wasn't so driven to see the verdant past of the empire in the present, Kelsier's rebellion wouldn't exist. If Kelsier didn't see himself more than a skaa, evil would've prevailed and of course, this book wouldn't exist.

ALSO A LITTLE UPDATE! So I read this in February and then in March, I read Dune and there are some similarities which were just right under my nose and I'd like to share them here:
- Remember my first statement here that I've never encountered a magic system before where one has to ingest a particular essence to elevate one's abilities?? Well, after reading Dune I kept asking - was TFE influenced by Dune directly (ingestion of the geriatric spice - melange to do all these crazy things) or was Dune just so influential that it all trickled down indirectly into Sanderson creating Allomancy and the ingestion of metals?

dune & tfe parallels (or is this just me ovethinking??)

 Ingestion of a "power" source 
- Dune: Melange; TFE: Metals
 Gatekeeping of a source of power and wealth 
- Dune: Melange; TFE: Atium
 Prisoner slaves 
- Dune: Salusa Secundus; TFE: Pits of Hathsin
 Savior Complex 
- Dune: Muad'dib; TFE: Kelsier (although, in TFE, this is only a light theme in the end while in Dune it's one of the overarching themes)
 Selected breeding & servitude 
- Dune: Bene Gesserit; TFE: Terrismen

Experiencing an epiphany within the most daunting prison of the monstrous Lord Ruler who has enslaved his people for a thousand years, half-Skaa Kelsier finds himself taking on the powers of a Mistborn and teams up with ragged orphan Vin in a desperate plot to save their world. By the author of Elantris. Reprint.

Jaden Nelson

4.8 First book review using my new book rating system that is in the working. I loved the creativity(especially of the magic system), the characters, the references to other parts of the book(showing attention to detail), the action scenes were heart racing and I loved getting back into fantasy, especially with this book. Also, BEST ENDING I’VE READ IN A WHILE. Sanderson wrapped the book up in a way that you could just read this book in the series and not be left completely wondering without reading the next books, which I liked. That being said, it wasn’t quite 5 stars for a reason I can’t explain, but I am totally reading the next however many books as soon as I can get my hands on them. I will probably end up buying this series too, if that shows my feelings on it. Highly recommend. PS I am putting the stars at 5 because I want to get this books rating up to encourage people to read it:)
Update: I have bumped the star rating from 5 to 4 stars. I am still sticking with the 4.8 actual rating but that is mostly just a because my rating system is still working out it’s kinks. I don’t think it quite lived up to my 5 star books, so it felt more like a 4.5ish. Whatever, it was still very good:))

This is my first book in the Sanderson Cosmere. I will admit, the sheer amount of world building and knowledge you need to acquire at the very start of this book meant that this book took me longer to really get in to. But once I did, I couldn’t put it down. And allomancy might be one of my favorite magic systems. Each metal is so unique and the way in which they function together is fascinating! 

However, writing a spoiler free review is turning out to be…incredibly difficult! I have so many thoughts and even more questions that I can only hope will be answered in the next books.

Definitely worth a read (or a listen in this case! Highly recommend) if you love complex magic systems, found family, and unexpected twists in a fascinating story.

Tace

This is my first book in the Sanderson Cosmere. I will admit, the sheer amount of world building and knowledge you need to acquire at the very start of this book meant that this book took me longer to really get in to. But once I did, I couldn’t put it down. And allomancy might be one of my favorite magic systems. Each metal is so unique and the way in which they function together is fascinating! 

However, writing a spoiler free review is turning out to be…incredibly difficult! I have so many thoughts and even more questions that I can only hope will be answered in the next books.

Definitely worth a read (or a listen in this case! Highly recommend) if you love complex magic systems, found family, and unexpected twists in a fascinating story.

fiona

My first Brandon Sanderson book and I cant even believe how in love with it I am. The characters were amazing, the side romance was beautiful, the magic system was interesting and new, the plot was great. I am obsessed with this book. I even had 2 dreams about it last night, that’s how much I liked it. Cant wait to read book #2!

More fast-paced than the Way of Kings, an enjoyable read with genuinely funny moments and an interesting magic system. The twist at the end was foreshadowed a bit heavily imo, which made it a bit unbelievable to me that no one in the story would have thought of it before the final fight. Definitely curious to see where the next book goes. 

B. R.

I’ve been converted. Brandy Sandy till the day I die 

Elisabeth Thoresen

I did not see any of that coming. Elend my beloved 🫶

Annabelle Gauthier

Rohit Arondekar

One of the best books I've read in 2017. The world reminded me of the anime Attack on Titan and I imagined a similar setting but only darker. The setting is superb with the always present ash, detailed & believable magic system and most importantly the political & social system. When reading the synopsis of the book before starting I was sceptical about the magic but it's explained and used beautifully. Highly recommend this book.

Mistborn The Final Empire

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