Mistborn: The Final Empire

Mistborn: The Final Empire  - Brandon Sanderson Review from 2014 after third reading:

Even better than the first two readings. This book is perfection.

Review from 2012 after second reading:

When I first bought Mistborn, it was from the Waldenbooks store in our local mall back in Ohio. I was about nineteen years old, and it was common in my life at this time to take a weekly trip to this store and pick up a handful of books for $20 or so. I found Mistborn sitting on a bottom shelf in the Sci Fi and Fantasy section, and it was the only copy of Mistborn on the shelf. In fact, it was the only book by Brandon Sanderson in the whole store that I could see. I remember picking up the book and thinking to myself that it looked really great, but I also wondered why I hadn't heard of this book or even the author in my ten odd years of reading sci fi and fantasy novels. I brought the book home, and from the moment I opened the front cover of that book, Branden Sanderson has become my favourite author of all time.

I decided back in December some time that I was going to reread all three of the Mistborn trilogy in preparation for Sanderson's new Mistborn novel The Alloy of Law. Also, these novels were just so kick ass that I wanted to reread them just to take the adventure again. So, that is what I have done.

There are so many reasons why I love this book. To put the reasons why I loved this book in a very tiny nutshell, it just frankly has everything that I have always wanted in a science fiction/fantasy novel. But since I have made the decision to reread these novels, I should go into more detail about why I love this series so much. So without further wasting time, here are reasons why I loved Mistborn.

The Amazing:

The Magic System

The magic system in this book is unlike any other novel/story I have ever read. It's refreshing and unique, and it incorporates a good balance between providing powerful abilities to those who use it and having a lot limitations to that power. Another aspect of the magic system that I enjoyed reading about was the idea that the characters don't know everything about this magic. There is no one really who does, and it's Vin and her companions who have to make these new discoveries. And the one aspect of this magic system that I appreciate the most is the fact that the magic used is not gender specific. I am getting bored to tears with finding these novels and stories that have to distinguish between male and female magic. I'm not interested. Thanks.

Characters

The characters in this novel feel like living, breathing people. In fact, while rereading Mistborn, I was quite surprised at how much I had forgotten as the years have passed... but the things that I didn't forget were the characters. Vin, especially. Vin is such a great character! She is what I want my main heroine of a novel to be. Exactly. I wouldn't change a thing about her.

The characters go through a surprising amount of development through the book. In particular, the reader can really go on a journey with Vin as a street child to what she becomes by the end of the book. Kelsier's story is the same way, but even more shocking. Marsh and Sazed.... even Elend. These characters are cemented in my mind for years to come, if not even for the rest of my life. These characters' stories are beautiful, and I wouldn't change a thing about them. And I just want to thank Sanderson for making Vin one of the main characters of this book and for making her the way she is. It was a pleasure reading about her.

The World

Anyone who has read any of Sanderson's books will know that one of his best skills is his world building, and it never falls short of amazing. The world contained within Mistborn is no exception. I will not go any further into this as I do not want to ruin the experience for any potential readers, but, believe me, you won't be disappointed.

The Story

The story is really great. Never once was I bored and thinking that I wanted to get to the next chapter as soon as possible. I am no writer... and I am not even a good reviewer or critical reader, but I felt the story was well paced, had it's rises and falls in the right places, and overall, the story was entertaining. I felt emotional during the story, and I know that that is when a story is really great for me.

The Could-Have-Been-Better

There really isn't anything about Misborn that I thought could have been improved upon. The biggest issue with me, as is an issue with most books I read, is that I wish there were a few more female main characters. Vin is amazing... she is what I have always wanted as a female main character, but I just wish instead of the crew being filled with men or only having men as main characters and supporting characters, there was a women or two. Really, Vin is it. It's disappointing in a way. However, it's the only issue I have with Misborn.

Overall, I think that this book is amazing. It's beautiful, and I am so happy that it has become a part of my life.