BOOK REVIEW: Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon SandersonMistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1)
by Brandon Sanderson
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

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 colour 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.

Buddy read with my darling, Anna-She wrote her review in a gaming form…so fun!!! ♥

He forced himself to smile-not out of pleasure, and not out of satisfaction. 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.
No, he wasn’t going to walk away. He wasn’t finished yet. Not by far.

Wellllll guys, I did it. I finished this amazingly awesome, exceedingly complex, and altogether EXTREMELY LONG novel. I can’t say I didn’t have to push myself-that would be false. But, the fact remains, I knew if I trudged ahead that there was epicness ahead…I just had to get there. I have been trying to break into high fantasy for FOREVER and just can’t seem to get over that hurdle. I may be able to goof around on Goodreads during the day sometimes at work (okay, I MAKE that time, sue me) but that doesn’t mean I’m not here every day during the week from 8-5. So, that means that it’s EXTREMELY difficult for me to read a book that is eons long with loads of world-building if it’s not on the weekend. For example: I started this book on Friday…..but I JUST BARELY finished at midnight last night, and that’s because I read THE WHOLE NIGHT AFTER WORK to jump that hurdle. I think that’s the main reason I’ve never been able to break into this genre…it just takes A LOT of time. But, for Brandon Sanderson, I’m so so happy I took that chance. I finally did it-and I enjoyed it. Immensely.

Plots behind plots, plans beyond plans.
There was always another secret.

I also won’t lie to you all (or whoever reads this) about how hard this was for me: It was very hard lol. Not because I am dimwitted or daft…I just have a very short attention span. Frankly, I have NEVER been a fan of plotting or organizing rebellions if they take more than a few chapters. I think this stems from my dislike for lengthy conversations and planning in books. It’s just. Too. Much. But, and I’ll probably say this one hundred more times before I die, if there is/are action, betrayals, fight-scenes, peril, LOVE-INTERESTS, flirting, battles-galore….I will MAKE myself enjoy those strategy scenes. I will MAKE myself push through those difficult and infuriating descriptions of lengthy world-building. I truly believe that the end justifies the means, and I WANT to be a part of this beautiful, vivid, and extremely well-crafted world. If I can just get past those scenes, I’m golden.

“The best liars are those who tell the truth most of the time.”

I must admit that having read Steelheart and Firefight from this author helped me along the way. I knew that, in the end, I would love what he did with this world and this story. I did trudge through because of that common familiarity that made me more comfortable in my own skin, impostor that I was. When I was apart of this book, it made me happy. Sanderson creates some truly imaginative worlds that make us all want to delve deeper and break through the barriers of their lies, secrets, and betrayals. He makes us want to be apart of the story and he takes us to a level where, for one peaceful moment, we are smiling and laughing at his jokes and the closeness of the people on those pages before us, and then tearing up and gasping in the next, if only because, not just a moment before, these friends were hanging out and having a good time and now two of them have ceased to exist. It’s madness, but it’s the kind of madness that makes you want MORE, makes you happy in spite of it’s cruelty. Sanderson is exactly the kind of author I have been looking for-he can do it all.

“Yes,” Kelsier said, “it’s probably best that you avoid Venture completely. Try to offend him or something. Give him a couple of those glares you do.”
Vin regarded Kelsier with a flat look.
“That’s the one!” Kelsier said with a laugh.

And here’s my favorite thing of all: I love the characters he creates. He makes me care about them on a visceral level, no matter their intentions. Even the villain I found myself connecting to. Is that weird? It feels weird to say that-but it’s true. I was so deeply attached to Vin, to Kelsier, to Elend….I loved them all. Dockson, Breeze, Spook….you name them, I most likely loved them for specific reasons. But, obviously, my most tried and true connections were to Vin, Kelsier and Elend. Vin was just so hard NOT to connect to. She felt unloved, unwanted, and she has always known people to leave her. No one has ever made her feel wanted or like they care about her, so seeing her turn into a badass was something to behold. Even more than that, though, it was so heart-warming to watch Kelsier coax her into their group, to finally help her feel like she belonged. I loved him and I loved what he stood for….even when everyone made him feel like he was a loon for trying to achieve something virtually impossible.

“True,” Elend said. “I do, however, recall telling you that the Ventures were an annoying lot. I’m just trying to live up to the description.”
“You’re the one that made up the description!”
“Convenient, that,” Elend said, smiling slightly as he read.
Vin sighed in frustration, scowling.
Elend peeked up over his book. “That’s a stunning dress. It’s almost as beautiful as you are.”

And, being the girl that I am, I do have to mention…OMG the romance was ADORABLE. I know I know….I’m like….the only person to mention romance in a review about this novel but UGH-


 photo so-cute_zpszflrpynl.gif

COME OOOON it was SO cute to see Vin, the fierce little Mistborn, falling for a noble of all things! Who READS, no less! That shit is just too cute, sorry not sorry. Anywho…I HAD to mention that while my mind was completely satisfied by all the awesome battles and fight scenes, my heart was soaring, too. And I’ll just leave it at that, I think.

“My behavior is, nonetheless, deplorable. Unfortunately, I’m quite prone to such bouts of deplorability-take, for instance, my fondness for reading books at the dinner table. Excuse me for a moment; I’m going to go get something to drink.”
He stood, tucking the book into his pocket, and walked toward one of the room’s bar tables. Vin watched him go, both annoyed and bemused.

So, all in all, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I am SO glad I finally picked this up and, frankly, I feel like I’ve made it loads easier to pick up the next one in the future. It’s like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can finally just…breathe. I know that when I want to pick up the next I must simply slot in enough time for it and I better NOT have any other books on my mind for after. It effects my enjoyment of the book and makes me feel like pacing around my house because I just know I have to get that ARC done by a certain date and blah blah-it’s not good lol. So, despite how long it took me to read and how I might have had to push myself a little at times, I really did love this book. One of my GR friends, Robin, said in her review that at the end of the novel you felt like you were really a part of the world and that despite all you learned, Sanderson paced it so that you pretty much had a handle on everything (the magic) by the end of the story-and I agree. I feel like I learned SO MUCH….but I don’t feel bogged down, now. I feel great. I’m happy. And I’m ready for book two-I can’t wait.

Stay up to date on our latest book posts

They contain Reviews, Recommendations, Upcoming Releases & Giveaways! We don't want you to miss anything, so signup below!

I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( more information )

I will never give away, trade or sell your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time.