Mistborn: The Final Empire [Mistborn #1] by Brandon Sanderson

The Final Empire [Misborn, #1]
by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Adult high fantasy

My Rating: ★★★★★

Description: 
Can an evil that has ruled for a thousand years be defeated? 
A thousand years ago, a hero was supposed to save the world. He failed.
Now, the Lord Ruler dominates the crumbling ruins of the Final Empire -- a land of ash, blood, and decay. The only hope of bringing his tyranny to an end lies on the shoulders of a former thief and his young apprentice, the street urchin, Vin.
Where a hero fell, can a heroine rise?

Overall Thoughts

I really loved this book. I came to it with high expectations, as I've been impressed by more than one novel by Brandon Sanderson and have also heard glowing praises from other readers about it. I was not disappointed. The worldbuilding, the characterization, the plot... all worked together to create an absolute masterpiece of fantasy fiction.
The theme was probably, in a word, "trust." I loved to see the way it played out in the plot, and I definitely believe it gave the book a whole new layer of emotion. This is not your typical shallow fantasy in that regard.

The Characters

The characters were all well-developed, including the secondary characters. I loved the contrast between Kelsier's care-free attitude and his own internal struggles, Vin's quiet but intelligent personality, and Elend's idealism combined with his bookishness (what reader can't relate to a fellow bookworm?) I also really liked the secondary characters, particularly Ham, Spook, Marsh, and Sazed. I liked how they all had their own unique and contrasting personalities, and that each of them had their own viewpoints on the mission and their own reasons to be there. Vin's character arc was also incredibly well thought out. I won't say more because I don't want to get into spoilers, but it was very satisfying, and I'm looking forward to seeing how her character will go from here.

Plot/Pacing

The plot was excellent. Despite following a rather typical concept (defeat the evil overlord who's taken over the world), Mistborn does an excellent job in keeping the book original and engaging. Some of the plot twists were enough to take my breath away. The one at the end... oh my goodness. It's very hard to talk about plot twists without giving away spoilers, so suffice it to say that they were pulled off with true Sanderson expertise. 

My only issue with the pacing was the somewhat slow beginning. However, if you can get past it, I assure you the rest of the book is enough to make even the most picky reader forgive the opening.

Worldbuilding

The storyworld is basically a fantasy dystopia or post-apocalypse. The beginning lines of the prologue, which describe an "ash fall" (this world's equivalent of rain), were enough to set the tone for the rest of the book -- it's a bleak, harsh world, broken and burning. 

The magic system -- based on consuming different metals and "burning" them to gain superhuman abilities -- is well-developed and intriguing.

Content

Recommended for ages 16 and up.

This book was originally marketed to adults, so there is a bit of content. I don't recall any specific instances of cursing, though I believe there may have been one or two minor swears. In terms of sexual content, there are several mentions of noblemen "bedding" women and then killing them afterwards. It's not described past that. There are several mentions of prostitutes. Vin remembers being afraid of being raped by members of her thieving crew. 

Violence is moderate, bordering on gory at times. Steel Inquisitors are men who have metal spikes pounded through their eyes, and descriptions can be disturbing. Description of a man who has been killed by shoving a hook down his throat. Descriptions of blood. There is a scene where hundreds of people are beheaded by Inquisitors. Another scene where Vin witnesses the aftermath of a slaughter, semi-detailed. Descriptions of allomancers using their powers, including using coins as projectiles. Characters are wounded. Several scenes of combat involving the use of weapons. A character kills members of the nobility and seems to have little to no regret over his actions. There are slightly disturbing descriptions of fantasy creatures.