The Final Empire 

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The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson

Words of Radiance left me craving more Sanderson and as being new to reading his works, I still had the Mistborn series to start.

Mistborn 1 definitely has a different feel that the Stormlight Archives series. It immediately brings you into the world which feels very “British-esqu” during the industrial revolution. This immediately gripped me because I have never got to be immersed into a setting like this. It is a very nice change of pace from the usual fantasy that we see. I was also reminded of the video game Dishonored.

The magic system that was created for Mistborn is top notch. This might be the magic I have ever read. The way Sanderson weaves the system together is beautiful. It is nice to see a system that has strengths and weaknesses. Too many magic systems out there only focus on the strengths and while cool (sometimes awesome) as that may be, it lacks in the ways it could be used to push many types of development.


Starting the book, I was apprehensive about if I was going to be able to get into the characters. I don’t enjoy the young adult  genre very much and with the main protagonist being a teenage girl…Well let’s say I was pleasantly relieved. Vin is a wonderful character with actual depth. The other characters are all well rounded and leave memorable impressions. Sazed could well be my favorite character from the entire series and the lord ruler was great too.

This was written to be the first book of a trilogy and also as a standalone novel. This means that you can get a very satisfying ending and if you want more there are more books to read afterwards. Sanderson is renown for his incredible plotting and it is no different for The Final Empire. The last sections of all of his books always keep your heart racing and the pages flying. The foreshadowing that is hidden leaves you very satisfied when all the loose ends get tied up.

I highly recommend checking out the Mistborn series if you are into fantasy at all or even if you are just looking for something new to read. It’s a quick read and very also very worth the time put into it.

Check out the trilogy here! – Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set (Mistborn, The Hero of Ages, & The Well of Ascension)

13 comments

  1. I couldn’t agree more about the magic system, and how Sanderson treats it.
    I think it’s very sharp how he first shows us magic through the eyes of an uninitiated observer. All we see is how powerful the magic user is.
    Then, gradually, we learn the rules and limitations, and gain a new appreciation for the skill required to accomplish such feats.
    I was also very impressed by the tone of the story. The main plot is so grim, but the cast add a much needed and yet very natural levity to the story. There’s something admirable about one character’s insistence that they smile, even in spite of all the dark things they have to witness and endure.
    This is probably my favorite volume in the series, but I highly recommend reading the entire trilogy.
    The second book in particular does some very interesting things with character development and character relationships.

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  2. Ditto on the magic system. I also really love that Sanderson wrote a follow-on series, where the events here are ancient myth – I don’t think I’ve ever seen that done before!

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  5. I looove this book so much. Although why I haven’t finished the second one yet I can’t tell 😂 this was a nonstop read for me because he never got boring throughout the whole book surprisingly especially because sometimes that happens with fantasy books where the authors get a bit.. rambly lol I should probably check out his other books though or I can’t call myself a true fan haha

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