The Final Empire: Mistborn Book 1

Brittany

Simply fantastic. Loved falling into this fantasy

"Review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide 9/26/14: I’ve been getting a lot more into adult fantasy — little by little — and the more I heard about Mistborn, the more it sounded pretty amazing. Then Nikki (There Were Books Involved) basically told me it WAS amazing and I should read it immediately. I needed a new audiobook and since this was a longer one, I decided it would be great for audio since I was a bit behind on my print copies. Anyway… enough about me. Let’s talk about MISTBORN. So admittedly… it started of juuuust a bit slow for me. I haven’t delved into a ton of adult fantasy yet (honestly all I’ve read as far as adult fantasy goes is A Game of Thrones and The Lies of Locke Lamora) but since I’ve really been getting into young adult fantasy lately, I was guessing that love would transfer no matter what the target age was but I still wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I think the reason it went slowly at first was merely because my most recent read with the Genteman Bastard series (that’s Locke Lamora for those of you unfamiliar) was so pleasant because there’s so much comedy strewn throughout and I love a good heist book. While MISTBORN has similar themes with thieves and a general fantasy world, they’re definitely two very different books so my expectations were just a bit off. Once I adjusted my perspective in the book, things really started to come together. Firstly, the characters are fantastic. It took me a while to get acclimated to Kelsier and Vin and exactly what roles they’d play in the book and how they relate to each other. Once I got in the groove, I absolutely loved it. Vin and Kelsier have an amazing relationship in this book and no, it’s not a romantic one. Kelsier is much older than thankfully it wasn’t romantic. No, they had a relationship that I find even more special sometimes than watching two characters fall in love — Kelsier really became a mentor to Vin and even a father figure at a time in her life when she had no one to trust and no one to rely on. He not only helped her come into her own, but also helped her learn how to trust again and provided her with a group of people who became her new family. As much as I love all the feels when witnessing a romantic relationship, I got a different set of feels from watching these two characters form an amazing bond of friendship and trust. The secondary characters were also wonderful. I feel like I only got to know them a little bit but I think in future books, I’ll get to know them even better. The way Sanderson shapes characters was so impressive. There are so many times when you see both the light and dark sides of each person — even with the side of evil, there are still hints at the more humane aspects and how even when two sides are warring, the lines start to blur every once in a while. The world building was absolutely fantastic. I feel like I created a picture in my head cobbled together from other fantasy worlds I’ve read but it was still very much its own place and its own story. The explanations and integrations of Allomancy and Feruchemy were amazing and as complicated as Allomancy can be with the number of metals involved and how they work, I never really felt overwhelmed or confused trying to understand which did what. Everything was explained in context as Vin was learning and as other characters were using their Allomantic powers so it was easy to follow along, and this continued throughout the whole book — not just as each one was introduced. I’m SO happy that Brandon Sanderson chose to keep naming the metals as they were being used because I could have easily gotten lost and forgotten the properties of each as I read. It was handled just perfectly, not to mention what an amazing magic system this is. I feel like the closest I’ve read is elemental powers but I absolutely love the concept and originality of “burning” metals that allow extra abilities. The whole plot for the book was just excellent and it’s amazing how things can get set up so early on the story and yet the reader has no realization of hidden motives or intentions (no spoilers. Some things you just can’t guess) as well as setting up the story line for future books. I was already hooked by the time I finished MISTBORN but now I really can’t wait to dive into book two as soon as possible! There were quite a few surprises and the ending was positively shocking so I can’t wait to see what else Brandon Sanderson has in store for readers with the rest of the series. This is one I don’t want to delay! ["

Show more

October 6, 2014 Verified Purchase

Donna J.

Can God be Destroyed

"This is a very well written story that makes you want to keep reading to find out what will happen. Each chapter starts with a quote from an unknown character. For example, " If men read these words, let them know that power is a heavy burden. Seek not to be bound by its chains. The Terries 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." As the story progresses, you start to realize who is saying these words. The mystery tantalizes the reader and half way through, the reader stops and wonders, who is this person. The final chapter reveals all, with a twist. This is very skillfully developed and it does draw the reader into the story. In this fantasy/science fiction story there is a world where the majority of the people, the Skaa, are enslaved and thought to be even less than human. It's a story about survival and hope and attempts to free themselves, and brutal suppression of any sign of rebellion. The Lord Ruler is God. No one can resist him or destroy this creature that is immortal. Who is he, really, and can he ever be stopped from his evil killing of the Skaa? Any disobedience or resistance results in public executions, where hundreds of random villagers are rounded up. Excerpt: "Four axes fell and four heads were sheared free. The bodies, still held by soldiers, were allowed to spurt their last lifeblood into the fountain basins. . . .Spook looked away sickly. Kelsier, however, Kelsier was angry. . . . Four more deaths, one of them a child. . . . This is our enemy. . . . Four more deaths. . . . Look at them!" Kelsier demanded, pointing at the bleachers full of nobility. . . . Four more deaths." And so it has been for thousands of years. The many characters are introduced at a controlled pace and you soon begin to know them. It's great character development, and there are multiple main characters. This is difficult for many authors to do, but Sanderson does a great job with his characters. Kelsier appears as one of the Skaa who has somehow broken free from the enslavement. He travels from plantation to plantation trying to encourage people to join him in resisting, and the fantasy part of the story appears as you soon realize he has what can only be called super powers. Kelsier is a likeable character, flaws and all. The 16-year old girl Vin joins him as a main character, and we see her manifesting super powers she did not even realize she had. Is she perhaps stronger than Kelsier? I like the writing style that builds and builds in intensity and ends with a hint of what's to come at the end of each chapter. It's paced, builds on the mystery and reveals the answer at the appropriate time. The reader wants to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next. The style is very similar to author Kat Jaske who writes historical fiction and science fiction and who develops stories and multiple characters so expertly that the reader feels that she actually knows the people. Mistborn is a great story, really deserving of a 5-star rating, that will grab you at the beginning and keep you reading until the twists and turns reveal the final outcome. Righting Time: Book Three of By Honor Bound Out of Phase: A Time Traveler's Chronicle (By Honor Bound) ["

Show more

October 30, 2013 Verified Purchase

Kindle Customer2

A thrilling blend of rich world-building, unique magic, and unforgettable characters

"Stars: 🌟 🌟🌟🌟 Title of Review: Amazing Title: Mistborn: The Final Empire Author: Brandon Sanderson Series: Book 1 - The Mistborn Saga Date(s) Purchased: Kindle (K) – December 15, 2024 Paperback (P) - December 20, 2024 Audio (A) – August 13, 2024 Amount Paid: K – $7.99 P - $23.00 A – 1 credit K - Page number: 558 P - Page number: 578 A - Length: 24 hours, 39 minutes Genre: High or Epic Fantasy Date Finished: March 17, 2025 Date of Review: March 26, 2025 Book Review: Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn: The Final Empire, the first book in the Mistborn trilogy, is a stunning blend of world-building, character depth, and gripping storytelling. From page one, it pulls you into a bleak, ash-covered world ruled by the immortal Lord Ruler, where the oppressed skaa barely scrape by under his brutal reign. What makes Mistborn: The Final Empire truly stand out is its ingenious magic system, Allomancy. Certain people can ingest and "burn" metals to unlock unique abilities, leading to some of the most thrilling, strategic action scenes in fantasy. Sanderson crafts this system with such precision that it feels both natural and exhilarating—never overpowering, always cleverly used. At the heart of the story is Vin, a tough yet wary street thief who discovers her hidden Allomantic gifts. Watching her transformation from a distrustful survivor to a formidable Mistborn is both powerful and rewarding. She’s joined by a cast of unforgettable characters, especially Kelsier, the bold, charming leader of the rebellion. His relentless optimism and audacity make him impossible not to root for. But Mistborn: The Final Empire is more than just magic and action. It’s a story about hope, rebellion, and the true nature of power. Sanderson weaves tension, humor, and emotion seamlessly, keeping you hooked until the very last page. The plot twists are genuinely jaw-dropping, and the ending packs an emotional punch. If you love epic fantasy, this book is a must-read. Whether you're new to the genre or a longtime fan, Mistborn: The Final Empire delivers an unforgettable adventure that will leave you eager to devour the rest of the series. ["

Show more

March 26, 2025 Verified Purchase

Neil Hepworth

Worth Every Page

"Do you have that fourteen year-old in your life that really wants to watch Game of Thrones? He (or she) has seen commercials for it, loves swords and dragons, and there’s probably that one kid in his (or her) class (you know which one) who not only watches the show, but walks around school reading that brick of a book. Of course, there’s no way he should be watching that show or reading those novels: faaaaar too much sex, violence, nudity, swearing, sex and sex. Unfortunately, your fourteen year-old is too sophisticated for other fantasy novels written for his (or her) age, like, say, Eragon (though, to be fair, my cat is too sophisticated for Eragon). Oh, the fantasy angst! What is such a tweenager to do? The answer: Mistborn. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s a great book for adults, too, but don’t be expecting the super gritty dark fantasy that has taken over Barnes and Noble lately. Joe Abercrombie this is not. At the same time, it’s not a wimpy book, either. Mistborn has plenty of dark, disturbing moments, it just doesn’t dwell on them (which is too bad, ‘cause I really wanted it to go in a darker, grittier direction). Mistborn is also one hundred percent free of bad language and sex. Really. As a teacher, I have no problem tossing this book off to any student who wants it. I don’t have to worry about having some angry mother come charging into my room wondering what filth I had her son (or daughter) read. (The reason I keep inserting the (ladies) into this review is because, unlike some other fantasy books, my female students really like this book, too.) (How many words in this review will I put in italics? The answer seems to be a lot. Sorry ‘bout that.) Why is Mistborn such a great book? First, the plot is action-packed and moves well. There are the occasional twists (some of which I did not see coming). Second, the characters are snarky without being annoying (which is no small feat of writing skill), and the world Brandon Sanderson has created is deep and well drawn. Finally, the magic system is really cool and quite original. (I made the mistake of reading The Alloy of Law first without understanding the magic system. Mistborn explains it much, much better. Obviously.) I love reading the scenes where two powerful Mistborn duke it out. It’s kinda like Stars Wars, but better. For all of the love I have for the book, I spent quite some time deciding between the four- and five-star rating. I wanted this book to be a four-star rating, but I just kept reading and reading and wanting to read more. By the time I was finished, I realized that I had been reading as I only read five-star books. Also, I’ve been a bit stingy with my stars, lately. I’ve got a few to spare, and so Mistborn gets the BIG FIVE. It also struck me that, as a guy, I actually liked reading the chapters when Vin, our intrepid heroine, attended the balls. Yup. Dancing and dresses and gossip and boys. That kind of ball. I’m not supposed to like those sorts of scenes, and yet I did. Just one more reason this book gets five stars. While this a great book, it’s not a perfect book, and it’s really hard for me to write a review without pointing out some of the flaws I found.. If you don’t want to read about its flaws, then stop reading. Here’s why I was tempted to give the book a four-star rating: plot holes, and the over-zealous inner monologue comments. For a book with such a big plot, that was otherwise very well put together, there were a few plot holes at the end you could drive an elephant through. Also, as several other reviewers have pointed out, the inner monologue of the characters got really old. Far too often they would make the most painfully obvious observations. At times it bordered on insulting. The other reason I wanted to give the book four stars was because I really wanted it to be a darker, grittier, gorier, darker book. But it just wasn’t. There was grit in the book, I just wanted to wallow in it. I wanted to see the evil, nail-eyed Inquisitors tutoring their prisoners for information and then hanging them from meat hooks. (Wow, that just made me sound like a total psychopath. I’m not, I swear. It’s just that I read a lot of Stephen King, too, so...yeah. I’M A GOOD PERSON!) Normally issues like those would keep me from giving a book five stars. So if it’s got those problems and I still gave a perfect rating, then it must be a pretty dern good book. Yes, it is. ["

Show more

March 7, 2014 Verified Purchase

Sam King

A philosophical and engaging fantasy trilogy

"Mistborn is a trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, and I really enjoyed it. There are several compelling protagonists in each book, plenty of philosophical questions, and an interesting world. The setting is a broken world. Ash rains from the sky, mists shroud the world at night, and a tyrant of a thousand years subjugates some people and controls others. Throw in a group of rebels who can burn metals to use magical powers, and we have our premise! One of the initial problems that I had with the book was that it loaded on the worldbuilding very quickly. In some books, things are fairly similar to the world we live in, and even then there's a detailed (but interesting) description of what makes the world special. In Mistborn, the reader is dropped in to the middle of everything. As such, I felt lost for the first few chapters since I didn't know what parts of the world were broken and what was just a fluke (was the ash just falling from the sky that day? What does it mean to burn a metal?), and I felt overwhelmed when I was learning about the magic (Sanderson talks about all of the magic in a short period of time). However, after the first few chapters, everything is fairly smooth. There is still more world building (special powers, special metals, different types of magic users and magic, why that magic comes, new cataclysms, new societies), but it is paced well since most of the characters are learning about these things over time as well. What makes the book, though, is not the world, but the characters. Each of the characters is passionate, but they're all passionate in different ways. Several characters want to liberate the proletariat in a bloody revolution that kills as many bourgeoisie as possible, but several people want a peaceful revolution. One character champions trust, whereas another is an untrusting recluse. One character is prone to philosophical musings, and another is a religious scholar. Let me focus in on the religion for a moment. The tyrant has quashed most of the world's religions, but their memories live on, and throughout the series, we learn about some new ones. Part of this revolves around the characters -- some are religious adherents, and some have a crisis of faith. This allows the books to explore questions of faith, of logic, and of why bad things happen to good people. Underlying all of that is a set of prophecies that led the tyrant to take power in the first place. Rather than presenting them as a fixed text, the books show many different perspectives on them and how they change over time and depending on who is reading them, providing a nice view of the subjectivity involved with many belief systems. It also made the religious mythology described in the novels more compelling. When I read Genesis, it feels very static and terse. The Mistborn series, on the other hand, is an engaging and dynamic account of why the world is how it is in the book's universe. The book's philosopher also asks a question about epistemology and ethics. He says, "God is the creator of all things, right? He is the force that dictates the laws of the universe, and is therefore the ultimate source of ethics. He is absolute morality." He then goes on to ask if the tyrant, a god for most intents and purposes, could do evil (since he's a tyrant) or not (since he's the ultimate source of ethics). This is a question that I often wonder about progressive religious people. Many of them will overlook certain parts of the Bible (or other religious text) because it conflicts with their notion of morality (eg, condoning slavery or not supporting the rights of women). However, if that religious text is supposed to be the word of God, then what basis would a mere human have of disputing its ethics? If it isn't the word of God, then what basis would that person have identifying with that religion? The second and third books also contain contrasting descriptions of an individual becoming a leader. One person becomes a leader by studying, practicing, and putting themselves into situations where they have to be a leader. Another becomes a leader through force of will and desperation. In both cases, leadership is more about accepting responsibility and trust and having confidence in one's own decisions than it is about any particular title. Underlying these discussions of leadership is a question of human autonomy. Some of the magic users in the book can use magic to manipulate people's emotions. One magic user asks, "is it really that much more 'powerful' than having a charismatic personality or a fine set of teeth?" We, as humans, like to regard ourselves as rational and think of external influences (eg, chemical substances that affect our emotions) as having a small effect, but pretty much every piece of social scientific research shows just how false that assumption is. Some big determiners of success and charisma are how tall you are and how deep your voice is. In addition, some people know just the right words to say to get what they want. That is inc"

Show more

July 11, 2013 Verified Purchase