Mistborn – The Final Empire

MISTBORN – The Final Empire (Mistborn #1)

Written by Brandon Sanderson

Published by Tor Books, July 25, 2006

My star rating – 5 stars!

THE SYNOPSIS:

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with color once more?

In Brandon Sanderson’s intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage — Allomancy, a magic of the metals. FIND IT ON GOODREADS

MY REVIEW:

I did it! FINALLY! For years, fantasy readers have been screaming at me to read this. If you love fantasy, this series seems to be the “must read series” of all time! And now I know why 🙂 For one of the most epic books i’ve ever read, I will say that the synopsis does nothing for it lol! So, let me tell you a little more. Vin is an orphaned street urchin. Her father denied her existence, her mother wasn’t stable, and her brother tried to save her by taking her on the run. But now she’s completely alone as her brother abandoned her. She’s a skaa – lowest in the social class and are typically servants or slaves. But not Vin. To survive, she joined a thief crew who cons and steals to get by. She’s kind of important within the crew as she has something she calls her “luck” which is a misunderstood ability for things to always go her way. That luck, however, starts a chain of events that connects her to Kelsier, a full and powerful Mistborn, in a job that will risk her life and thousands of others. There, that sounds more interesting doesn’t it?

This book was a brilliant masterpiece! The writing was slow burning and flawless. There was always something happening (either through plot or characters) which made the action a constant low hum from cover to cover. There were so many minute details that would be brought to your attention at all times! There was always characters being built upon, a world that was steadily growing larger, and a magic system that would make more sense and get more complex with every chapter. I can honestly say that I was never once bored in these 700 pages!

Speaking of the magic system – holy shit! I live for everything about this magic system! Yes, it’s totally complicated, but is so well written that it never gets confusing or overwhelming. The basics of this magic system? Metals. There are 8 basic metals that an allomancer can consume which will give them different abilities. These metals all have specific functions, and can be combined with other metals that acts like a sister metal to another, for added effect. A person who can use and control ALL metals are Mistborn. I strongly urge you to take notes! It helps keep the magic system straight and makes it easier to read as if you are an expert in the way things work. There’s a glossary in the back if you aren’t into note taking though! This was hands down the most unique and incredible magic system i’ve ever read about!

The characters (to which there are a lot!) are all so well written! Each has their own personality and are so easy to tell apart. Since this is a thieving crew, each person has their own part of the job. They also have their own ties to the Empire and their own personal abilities. As much as I love Vin, and the changes that her character goes through after the experiences of this job, I have to say that Kelsier is my favourite! He is hands down my favourite male character of all time! Yes, he totally beat out Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows (in fact, he is so smart and brilliant, if they were placed in the same world, Kaz wouldn’t stand a chance!) Kelsier was a bloody damn genius! He was kind and caring, but cold and brutal. He was so calculating and smart with every move he made. I want Kelsier as a best friend!

Now since this deals with a crew of thieves, if you like books that revolve around politics, cons, heists, and rebellions – THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!! I loved every single element about this. We see small time jobs and big jobs that seem impossible. We see how these plans are thought out and then executed. But, most of all, we see a class of people who are held down (the Skaa) and a class of people who rule the Empire (either the Noble houses, or Lord Ruler himself). The politics are a steady force that weave in and out of the story and call the shots and direction of the crew. We see how the tiny pieces of the puzzle are just as important as the larger pieces. Watching all of those pieces move around is just incredible!

Safe to say, if you love fantasy, rebellion, magic and fantasy, this is a book you NEED to read!!! But be warned – your jaw will drop and you will be on an emotional rollercoaster in the last 100 pages!

Until next time, happy reading!