The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑

Published: March 30, 2010 (First published July 17, 2006)

Publisher: Gollancz

Format: Audiobook & e-Book

Pages: 672

 

 

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“Anyone can believe in someone, or something, that always succeeds, Mistress. But failure… ah, now, that is hard to belive in, certainly and truly.”

Synopsis:

A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, laboring in the ash fields.

But now a troublemaker has arrived and there is rumor of revolt. A revolt that depends on criminal that no-one can trust and a young girl who must master Allomancy – the magic that lies in all metals.

 

 

Thoughts:

The Mistborn Trilogy is one of the series that was highly recommended when it comes to Brandon Sanderson. I have been hearing a lot of positive reviews about it and ever since I’ve read Elantris, the author’s first book, my expectation for this trilogy was quite high and now, I am quite disappointed with the first book.

The book is not bad. The plot has a slow-burn pacing that helps the reader get familiar with the story, the magic system, and the characters. The politics I would have enjoyed if it weren’t from the perspective of the character that I did not like. But we’ll get to her soon. There is also a world-building that makes the slow-burn pacing work and makes you look forward to what’s going to happen next.

This book was both plot-centered and character-centered. But the reason why the story does not work well with me is because of one of the main characters. We have two main characters: Kelsier and Vin. When it comes to Kelsier’s POV, I enjoyed seeing the politics in his eyes and all the other things that he does for their mission. However, I do not feel connected with him as a character but I still like his POVs. But Vin’s POV is a completely different story. She was introduced as a girl who does not trust anyone because her brother told her so. But then, she gets to me this handsome guy at a ball and all her precaution was thrown out of the window. I might have tolerated that part but some of her actions might jeopardize their plan and she does not care. I dislike her in the beginning because she doubts every single thing and I dislike her even more after she met this guy. And most of the court politics were seen in her POV and I would love to see that but it was always tainted with her undying love for this guy.

Moreover, the ending does not sit well with me. I am still contemplating if I like it or hate it. The plot has a slow pacing as I have mentioned earlier. It does not feel dragging because you have a sense that it was building up for the climax. But then we get to the climax and somehow it felt lacking. You get to see everything come together but I felt unsatisfied. Even the romance between Vin and this guy was somehow justified but for me, it felt forced. The secret that has been revealed in the end has a surprising element to it but how the plot unravels and the scenes after that felt anti-climatic. In a way, I feel like the author was trying to justify some of the elements that I dislike in the story but it’s not that convincing. Hence, I am disappointed.

All in all, the story is not bad. But the elements that made the climax good for others are the exact same elements that I did not like about this book and no matter how much they are justified in the end, I am not satisfied. I would still continue on with this trilogy. I just hope that there is a new character and a new POV to read from.

 

That is all for this review.

Until next time!

Maria❤