The Final Empire

"The Final Empire," the first book in the Mistborn saga by Brandon Sanderson, is a captivating tale of trust, friendship, and leadership. I've wanted to explore Sanderson's work for a while, and I finally picked this book, hoping to recapture the wonder that fantasy once gave me.

The story follows an elite crew determined to challenge a world ruled by misery and political intrigue for over a thousand years. The oppressive reign of the immortal Lord Ruler has crushed any thought of rebellion, until Kelsier emerges as a beacon of hope. At its core, this book delves into themes of trust, leadership, hope, and the courage to face the impossible. It reminds us that even a small act of defiance is better than no action at all.

The crew quickly became one of my favorite aspects of the story. Vin grew on me with every page, and Kelsier captured my attention right from the beginning, while Ham, Dockson, and Breeze brought a fun energy to the group's dynamic. I came to really appreciate the seemingly mundane conversations around the table, which I initially dismissed as "useless." I also realise that those moments were important for Vin, who struggles with trust, to witness and experience camaraderie.

While I didn’t care much for the combat scenes, which I found difficult to follow with all the "steelpushes" and "ironpulls", that may have been due to reading in English, which isn't my native language. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the character-driven moments between the action, perhaps because I'm naturally drawn to stories centred around character development rather than purely plot-driven narratives.

5 stars aren't enough for this book. It's so good that it breaks my heart when I finished it.

I really wish i would be able to give this more than 2 star review but i can’t. I wasn’t interested in characters nor plot - well besides the fact the were slaves and at first i was curious to see what will happen with all those people. But even this didn’t make me like this book. First book i read from Sanderson was Warbreaker and it was something completely different. Written in such an interesting tone i really couldn’t put it down till the end, however this wasn’t the case. It was complete misery for me throughout whole book literally wishing for it to end and when it did i’m not even sad. Sad to say this but this will simply be one of those books which i really don’t wish to go back to past just so i could read it again for the first time.

Wow.

| 4.75
I love Vin with all my heart.

Utterly incredible I'm not sure I'm surprised that this book is so incredible as this is the reason I chose to read it - the reviews, lists and articles all mentioned this book (and series) as a must for all fantasy fans. This may well be one of my favourite magic systems in any book I've read so far. Any good magic system has logic and it's fallbacks and those are really felt within this book. On top of that we see the book constantly keep to these rules by telling us how the characters are performing each feat, rather than just expecting us to presume that's a form of a certain type of magic. On top of the amazing magic system, there's a very solid group of characters who are very likeable. A main character who shows development, another protagonist who just keeps throwing surprises and a support character whom you can't help but love and feel is very similar to that of a certain large lovable Harry Potter character. The story is typical of fantasy stories (there's a big baddy who rules the land and they want to kill him) but it throws in enough lore and interesting curve balls to keep you reading and want to understand more and find out the answers to questions. All fantasy fans should read this book.

lost its juice in the middle somewhere so i forgot to care

➺ 4/5 🌟 This book is incredibly action-packed! With Allomancy and Feruchemy as the magic system and with how Sanderson made it easy for the readers to follow how the magic system works, it created each battle sequence as vividly as I would have expected. I think the fights, and how they could use their power in many different ways, are my favorite parts of this book. I have mixed feelings about the plot, if I'm being honest. Maybe because the events near the last part caught me off guard so much not just once, not twice, but multiple times, my mind is still lingering in that point of time that I still couldn't extricate myself from it, hence I still couldn't broaden my perspective enough to analyze the overall situation. The last part happened so fast that I'm still not okay. I once fleetingly considered the possibility of some of these happening, but not in this first book! There are two more books in this trilogy and I don't know where else to go from here. What am I to do with these information? I certainly don't expect myself to pick up the next book soon, though. It's been a day since I finished this book and I still need more time to process this for a while. Just know that nothing about this is within my expectation and I consider that a great thing!

oh my god this is The Fantasy Book. i can’t believe I didn’t read any brandon sanderson until my 24th year of life? my 20th some year of being a reader?

The characters are so compelling they have flaws but they’re so Amazing and you get so attached to them. Kelsie and Vin my two beautiful lovely favorites but I loved each member of the crew.

THE WORLD BUILDING??? How does he DO IT?? I’m racing to read the second book right now I can’t be separated from this world.

If you like fantasy you will love this book. The magic is SO cool and it’s such a compelling world. People being oppressed and those that would wish them to rise up. a king who is god but is evil and a theocratic martial law society. heists! magic! incredible incredible incredible.

Just like people have said, the magic system is really good. It's different from other things I have read and I think the author explains it very well. The magic system is the best thing about the book.

That being said, the characters were not as good. Keiser was good and interesting, but unfortunately I can't say the same thing about Vin. She starts strong, but I think she gets worse as she starts to fall for Elend. Her actions become a bit contraditory with him. I know she is a teennager, but I didn't like their romance. I didn't like Elend at all, so I'm sure it affected my enjoyment of the romance.

Sazed and Marsh were cool and I enjoyed their presence. However, at chapter 13 I realized there was no other female character aside from Vin. A few chapther later another one is introduced, but she is just a minor villain and isn't developed. It was a shame.

The story also drags a bit. Almost nothing happens during the balls, and Vin and Elend talking wasn't interesting. The ending was more fast-paced and exciting. It was cool. I'll probably read the second book, hopefully it will be better.

So The Final Empire turned out to be nothing like I imagined it would be. Fantasy novels I read in the past just seem to pale in comparison now. I don't think I could write a review that could give this book the justice it deserves. So all I will say is if you have not read this you are missing out on a hell of an experience. Read it!

4.5* And so it begins

My first brandy sandy and I think I have a new favourite book! I love the characters, the magic system, the intrigue, everything. I adore all the characters and shed some tears. It had to have been good for me to get through 640ish pages in 3 days :)

I loved the intricacy of the magic system. It seemed so carefully thought out and unique. I find it so rare that magic systems do not borrow a thing here or there from another prominent series, but these were all new. That being said, it took some adjusting at the beginning, because you are plopped into the thick of the a developed plot line (to the point where I think this book could have been preceded by a massive prequel). The world building and magic system unfold at the same time that you are trying to figure out the different perspectives' relationships and just generally what the hell is going on. Not going to lie, it was a little difficult. But once you are set in the world, the story is great.

I would give this book a thousand stars if I could. It gave me hope and broke my heart and made me care for every single one of the crew members. It's so original and beautiful and the world was astoundingly well built; I can't help but want more. The suspense, political intrigue and friendships and values in general were just amazing. Fantasy at its finest.

“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.” You know those books you're sure you're going to LOVE before you ever read them? That was The Final Empire for me. Hints? It was pitched to me as High Fantasy Harry Potter, and as adult Six of Crows (and we all know how I feel about both Harry Potter and Six of Crows). Also, I just love Brandon Sanderson. It was win win win. Despite that I went into this book knowing .... not much? I knew about Kelsier (thanks goodreads!) and I knew vaguely of the magic system but it was so much more then I'd been led to believe For those of you who, like me, know of this book but not ABOUT this book -- he's some information. It's a high fantasy world, where thousands of years ago a man known now as the "Lord Ruler" defeated what myth calls 'the deepness' and thus became controller of the world. In this world, there are two classes of people: The skaa, the oppressed lower class who work the plantations, mills and mines and generally do all the hard word and he upper class of "nobleman", who's ancestors supposedly supported the Lord Ruler's campaign winning them favour in the immortal leaders eyes. Some of these noblemen have gifts, a power known as "Allomancy". People with allomantic abilities are able to perform extraordinary things using the power of metal - there are 10 allomantic metals, and each gives a different power if an Allomancer swallows metal. People who can control one are known as Mistings, and anyone who can control more then one will also be able to control all 10 and are Mistborn. The main character of this story is Vin, a sixteen year old girl who's part of a thieving crew of skaa and also, Mistborn. She meets Kelsier, another Mistborn and a leader of a different thieving crew - a crew attempting to overthrow the Lord Ruler and end the oppression of the skaa. When I think of the things I love about this book, many quickly spring to mind: the characters, and their development, the amazing worldbuilding and detailed magic system, the plot, the plot twists, the amazing writing style, the character relationships, the important themes and messages and so much more. And when I think of the things I didn't like as much ... well not as much comes to mind (I suppose thats why it's a 5* book for me!) → WORLDBUILDING For me, the absolute standout of The Final Empire is the worldbuilding. Understand the world in this book is vast. It's intricate, there's alot of backstory to how the world came about - and that's not even touching on the magic system. The way Allomancy works is so well explained, so interesting and extremely well thought out. This whole world is masterfully developed and built and so easy to "understand" despite how detailed and expansive it is. There are dozens of elements and layers that make up this world, from the different cultures, to the religions, the histories, the class divides, the magic, the way magic is treated, and so much more. The Allomancy is a well developed and established magic system, with clearly set boundaries and rules that make it believable. It's not 'common', but it's not too uncommon the main characters possessing it is unbelievable or like, seems "too lucky". It's just a really cool system of magic, and makes so much sense and is well executed I loved the magic system It's all incredibly well developed and built and probably the highlight of this story. The atmosphere, the descriptions of the mist floating around and the constant ash raining from the sky and everything else just makes it such an incredibly complex and well constructed world → CHARACTERS These characters are easy to love, and none of them are even good people !! (well, they are. But they've done things) Anyway, each character had such unique character and development. The central characters, Vin and Kelsier have so much development and are complex characters each with flaws and strengths that made them believable. They were really well written, and I loved their individual arcs. I LOVED Vin's development arc and while I won't spoil anything, where she came from to where she is now makes me so proud and happy. I also loved the side characters, especially Sazed! I loved him so much, and I really hope he's in book 2. I also totally enjoyed Elend Venture as a character by the end, and I'm not disgruntled about how things have worked out for him. Breeze, Ham, Dockson and Clubs were interesting characters as well, but I loved the dynamic between them all and how they all interacted. → PLOT This isn't an extremely fast paced book (until the last 200 pages) but it didn't matter. Even thought it's "slower" the way things develop and move alot do not make it boring for a second. One thing I loved about the plot is that I was constantly guessing and the plot twists blew me away (view spoiler)[I DID NOT EVEN SUSPECT the lord ruler could be Rashek !! that bit totally got me oml (hide spoiler)] One thing I like about this is you're never sure of anyone's motives, and you question people and actions as much as the characters. In this sense I felt it similar to Six of Crows - as a reader you're also being played. (view spoiler)[ I was so unsure about Kelsier for so long. I entertained the idea he was going evil and would be the next Lord Ruler (even though spoilers I'd seen told me he was dead) but I never even considered he'd die deliberately that bit had me shook (hide spoiler)] Anyway, it's hard to say too much without spoiling it, but I loved the plot so much!! And the ENDING was so epic !! the last 250 pages or so was just wow wow wow → WRITING Brandon Sanderson's writing is incredible, and the way you're told so much information without it seeming info dumpy is the best! His writing is atmospheric and compelling and I think his writing and the arc of his storytelling is just really well done. He's a great writer, and a talented writer. “He smiled despite the grief he felt at the deaths of his men; he smiled because that was what he did. That was how he proved to the Lord Ruler-and to himself-that he wasn't beaten.” → REASON'S PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T READ MISTBORN YET SHOULD ---Some of the best worldbuilding I've read in ages ---Harry Potter meets Six of Crows/Grisha meets Game of Thrones ---Kelsier goddamn my son ---Badass female characters !!! ---Characters you will initially underestimate and then be blown away by their badassery ---Such cool fight scenes SO GOOD ---Epic plans that take a realistic amount of time to achieve ---Some hilarious dialogue ---Interesting variety of characters ---Complex and well written magic system(s) ---Detailed high fantasy but goes by really fast and doesn't seem long at all! ---Honestly so much more I'm just weak ACTUALLY. Actually on second thoughts this book is SAD and will hurt your heart even though it's really amazing and cool so maybe don't read it or at least go in prepared it will smash ur heart tho rip Anyway, I loved this. And I'm so glad I finally read it (and thankyou to everyone who pushed me to). I already ordered the next two .... I loved this.

This book was not what I expected it to be. Honestly, I don't even know what I expected but it really blew my mind. 1. The politics May I say, amazing? The plotting, the scheming, the lies and plot twists... uh, it fueled my brain like gasoline to a fire. 2. The magic system I reaaly enjoyed what Sanderson did with the magic system. Some may say it was basic or simple but I think he took something and ran with it. And the fact that not even the characters knew how it all worked? Even better. I felt like I was guessing along with them. 3. Religion Throughout the book, religion was mentioned and discussed in a very interesting way. I found that fascinating and I think it could open a bigger discussion around it. Even if we don't wish to draw parallels between the discussion of religion in the book and reality, i think this added element was a very enjoyable aspect of the book. 4. Characters Though I liked all characters and what they did for the story itself, Vin and Kelsier were just chef's kiss. Both of their developments as characters were incredible. Especially, Vin's. Overall, I read this book at an incredible pace. It made me laugh and even cry. (view spoiler)[ Kelsier's death? The note he left for Vin calling her a daughter? Fuck, I was sobbing after that one. (hide spoiler)] Now, onto the next ones so I can reread them in the future.

4.5* Took me a while to get into the book (first 200 pages felt like a bit of a slog pacing-wise) but it's ultimately well worth it for well thought out characters. Pleasantly surprised by Sanderson's writing of the main protagonist, Vin. The lore of this world that he's has created feels really fresh and has so much breadth. I'm regularly disappointed by the BADDIES in a lot of books but the Inquisitors really slapped, not gonna lie.

** spoiler alert ** third read: june 11, 2021 the way i still cried during *’s death scene even after everything i know now 😐😐😐 second read: april 24, 2020 FUCKING WILD first read: february 26, 201703/ 04/ 2017 "Belief isn't simply a thing for fair times and bright days...What is belief - what is faith - if you don't continue in it after failure? Anyone can believe in someone, or something that always succeeds. But failure, ah, now, that is hard to believe in, certainly and truly. Difficult enough to have value. Sometimes we just have to wait long enough, then we find out why exactly it was that we kept believing. There's always another secret.” There's always something about Brandon Sanderson's series that makes it unique from each other. I've read 3 of his series and all have not failed to amaze me. There is so much originality put into his works. Everything is widely in-depth and you can really see how much thought Sanderson gives to his books. I've said it before and I'm gonna say it again- Sanderson is one of the best writers in our generation today. Why do I always come out surprise whenever I finish reading a Brandon Sanderson book??? I should be expecting it, but no, I always end up astonished each time I finish a book of his. He's always been a consistent writer- writing style, plot, setting, characters, fantasy elements- there's always a uniqueness to it. “That's kind of what trust is, isn't it? A willful self-delusion.” The magic system in Mistborn was absolutely brilliant. Although it was quite confusing at first, but as the story went on, we got to know so much more about it. The world was interesting. There's so much going on and there's so many things to be curious about. The history and religion discussed in this book were the most intriguing. We only got the tip of the iceberg here and that makes me so excited to discover more about those things. The characters were amazing. Everyone, and I mean from the protagonist to the villain, was fantastic. Kelsier has to be my favorite. He's badass and very wise at the same time. He did things in a very non-stupid way eventhough the plans itself were absolute foolhardy (lol, does that even make sense). "But, do you stop loving someone just because they betray you? I don't think so. That's what makes the betrayal hurt so much - pain, frustration, anger, and I still loved her. I still do." The pacing started off kinda slow. He took his time in this book to introduce the world, history, and magic system. I'm not really complaining though, because the slow parts never bored me and I think it was great to take the time to explain stuff since this book isn't even that big (only at least 600 pages. TSA is like twice the amount of pages). And the worldbuilding was very interesting. I loved discovering so much about the world and gaining knowledge about what happened in the past, what's happening in the present, and what they wanted to happen in the future. I know there's more to it and just the thought of that completely amazes and intrigues me. Everything was, without a doubt, both epic and superb! I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE NEXT BOOK! 02/ 25/ 2017 Sanderson's books are never a disappointment. Review to come.

This has become one of my favorite books if not the top 1. The setting, the plot, the characters, the MAGIC... it's all interwoven so well that it makes you devour the pages like crazy. The best thing is that this opens the path to the rest of the Mistborn saga and the Cosmere, which excites me even more!

I finally finished! It took me almost 4 months to get through this, which is completely weird, considering I have gotten through about 30 other books in the meantime. You see, I’m a mood reader. And I am not always in the mood to read epic fantasy. However this is the one book that, even when I stopped reading, I wouldn’t put back on the shelf or DNF. This is the first book I’ve ever taken a break from that I knew I would go back to, and in fact looked forward to being in the right mood/frame of mind to continue reading. Brandon Sanderson’s books tend to have a long take-off period, for me. They roll on the runway for a while, and sometimes the anticipation turns to frustration, and occasionally to slight boredom... before the story finally lifts off and you are carried up, up, up with it. Ok, maybe this airplane analogy is lame, but it’s the best one I could come up with off the top of my head, to explain why it takes me so long to get into his books. BUT... having read other books of his and knowing that they are worth the wait and patience, I always stick around. This book specifically, came highly recommended by a multitude of people. The son of a friend asks me EVERY SINGLE TIME he sees me if I’ve started the Mistborn trilogy, and then adds a new encouragement to do so on top of the many many many he’s spoken before. It is a very beloved work. There is no doubt as to why: the themes are eternally relatable — fighting oppression and injustice the most prominent — and the plot sees individual characters with different histories and traits coming together and trying to solve a mystery, as well as fighting the good fight (albeit perhaps sometimes coasting the line into anti-heroes). The world-building is masterfully executed, as we have come to expects of Brandon Sanderson, and the magic system is simply incredible: original, peculiar, intriguing, and used to create scenes that I don’t believe any other author alive today has ever come close to writing. There are some pacing issues and I wish some of the characters were a little more fleshed out; but this is a trilogy, so hopefully there is more for me to find out. I’m having trouble picking a fair rating, because it’s such an incredible book, but at the same time its failure to hold my interest isn’t just coming from my moods, and I like books that keep me glued to the page. I don’t use quarter points, so I’m going to settle on 4 1/2 STARS and I’m going to recommend this to fans of epic fantasy and original magic systems who are looking for something new and different, and are willing to be patient when the narrative slows down — the books is its own reward, so to speak.

Quem me acompanha sabe que Fantasia é um dos meus géneros literários preferidos. Nem toda a gente gosta, o que me leva a pensar que a literatura fantástica é ao contrário do sol, quando nasce não é para todos. Não é para todos os leitores mas também não é para todos os escritores. Um bom livro de fantasia cria um mundo completo, com a sua própria geografia, a sua linguagem, regras sociais e, nalguns casos, até extractos sociais. Ler um bom livro de fantasia é como entrarmos num filme estranho. Diferente em tudo do nosso, onde as árvores podem ter a cor cinza e as flores não deitam cheiro algum. Um bom escritor de fantasia conquista os seus leitores pela forma como torna credível tudo o que é de mais estranho, levando-nos a pensar, ainda que por breves segundos, se não será verdade o que é descrito nesse livro. Já o disse várias vezes, para mim, Anne Bishop é o expoente máximo nesta arte, e poucos lhe chegam aos calcanhares. É o caso de Brandon Sanderson, cuja escrita tem a qualidade que quero encontrar num livro de fantasia. O Império Final, o primeiro livro que leio deste autor, é a prova disso. E a boa noticia – para mim – é que, sendo o primeiro dele que leio, não será o último porque a Saída de Emergência editou já os outros 3 volumes da saga Mistborn, e eu tenho esperanças que editem também os outros livros dele. Império Final conta-nos a história dum mundo dividido entre nobres e Skaa e governado, há mais de mil anos pelo Senhor Soberano, num ambiente de terror – para os Skaa – e de riqueza – para os nobres. É precisamente neste livro que encontramos Sazed, uma personagem, diria que secundária, de quem já falei aqui. Tal como Varyz, Sazed é fundamental para o desenvolvimento da intriga, e eu acabei por sentir um especial carinho por ele. Vin – a nascida nas brumas com uma capacidade alomantica acima da média – tem os sentimentos habituais duma adolescente, trazendo, a este livro, o romance intersocial e a amizade profunda. Tenho muita vontade de ler, de imediato, o segundo volume que já tenho lá em casa. Só que são quase 710 páginas e a minha cervical não vai gostar. Como não tenho dias de férias em breve, vou fazer algo que não gosto. Vou ler dois livros em simultâneo. Um, mais pequeno, andará comigo na mala. O Poço da Ascensão, segundo volume desta saga, será lido em casa. É que não me apetece mesmo nada ter de esperar pelas férias que ainda vem demasiado longe para ler um livro que, tenho a certeza, valerá a pena. Outra coisa que valerá, com certeza, a pena, é ir à Fnac do C.C.Colombo (em Lisboa), no dia 7 de Novembro, às 19h30 para conhecer o autor e pedir-lhe que autografe os meus dois livros. Ou os quatro que desconfio que vou comprar o volume 3 e 4 em breve.

This book made me feel things..

If men read these words, let them know that power is a heavy burden. Seek not to be bound by its chains. The Terris prophecies say that I will have the power to save the world. They hint, however, that I will have the power to destroy it as well.

4 ⭐s

In a world that is barren and desolate by day, shrouded in terrifying mists and creatures by night, ruled by an all powerful, oppressive dictator who calls himself "God", a mysterious and ominous 'Deepness', in a place where everyone is split into a class system that favours the rich and mistreats the poor, with people of varying levels of magical ability - there is hope!

Vin and Kelsier are a dynamic, interesting, charismatic 'father/daughter-esque' duo - their relationship is one of the best things about this novel other than the incredible magic system. Vin is a skaa street thief who has been abandoned or betrayed by everyone in her life, struggles to trust people, doesn't truly know who she is and has lived a life as a slave to others. Kelsier is the 'Survivor of Hathsin', a man of myth and legend who is striving to beat the odds and overthrow The Final Empire - both 'Mistborn' and working with a crew of 'Mistings' plotting to make the world a better place for the low class skaa and stamp out the nobility who rule their realm.

“They don’t have faith in the Lord Ruler, they simply fear him. They don’t have anything left to believe in.”

This was a real slow-burner of a story line, and unfortunately that made parts of this book incredibly tedious to read. For a book that is described as medium-paced and over 600 pages - it really does drag in some places. There are phases where there is really good momentum, some interesting and well planned fight scenes and action, a nice hint at teenage romance and a really nice story about learning to trust people and friendship - but in others place it lacks a bit. The story spans over a long heist which takes months of planning, maneuvering, scheming and spying, eventually unfolding with a bit of a twist. You would think that the intrigue would keep you hooked but unfortunately I felt it fell a little flat in places. Even when the twists happened I didn't really feel connected, shocked or upset, which disappointed me after being raved to about how good this series is.

The characters themselves are fun and well written, the story line is good and it is a really unique idea, which in a lot of ways is really captivating - I really did enjoy reading this by the end of it - but I feel like the writing didn't support it well enough. The overuse of certain words, such as "maladroitly", plus the very basic language and descriptors made the book feel a little bit simple or perhaps intended for a lower reading level. In contrast, the descriptions of the magic system and the snippets from the Lord Ruler's logbook at the top of each chapter were really good (I absolutely love the idea of swallowing certain metals to burn within yourself to give superhuman abilities), they make me hope the story only gets better from here on out. I do have a nasty tendency to find the first book in a series a bit of a disappointment.

Looking forward to finding out where this series leads, more so than a few other series I have started recently, which is a good sign!

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