MISTBORN THE FINAL EMPIRE BY BRANDON SANDERSONBOOK REVIEW + DISCUSSION
Hello! My name is Kat and today I will be reviewing and discussing The Final Empire book 1 in the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson So this is the first book in a fantasy trilogy and it takes place in this world where 1000 years ago there was a hero that was prophesied to stop this great evil and he failed. Nowadays, there's ash just constantly falling from the sky, and at night these ominous mists creep in and this entire desolate empire is ruled by this immortal god-like figure known as the Lord Ruler who makes sure that the lower class, the skaa, are kept enslaved and hopeless. On the other side of the class spectrum, you have the nobles, and some of them have access to this magic known as Allomancy. They can use certain metals to fuel abilities such as super strength, and enhanced senses, and more.
One of our main characters is a 16-year-old girl named Vin, and she is a member of the lower class she's a skaa, and she's a part of this thieving crew but she is not happy there. You know, she's very mistreated and she doesn't trust anyone, especially since her own brother betrayed her But then she meets our other main character, a man named Kelsier, who invites her to be a part of a very different thieving crew. Not only do these crew members seem to like each other and trust each other but the job they're taking on just so happens to be overthrowing the Lord Ruler, which is something that has been attempted many times over the last 1000 years, but obviously no one has been sucessful It's not exactly your typical heist. I wish I'd read this book sooner.
I don't know why I resisted reading it for so long Despite all of the hype and praise from people whose opinions I trusted, I still was worried that I wasn't going to like this. But all of my worrying and resisting was a waste of time and energy because I ended up loving this book! I don't even know how to begin explaining how impressed I was with this book I was especially impressed with the plot and the world building and the character development Like, those were the highlights. The story, the world, the characters. And then the lowlights were probably the...
I don't think there really were any lowlights. Like, Brandon Sanderson knows how to tell a good story. The plot of this book is just so well structured and intricate and woven together in such a way that it just draws you in and then blows your mind Like, I'm kind of a nerd for story structure, so I was just--oh, so impressed with how all these different plot threads were braided into one story. It was--it was beautiful.
And the world building! Okay, let's talk about the world building for a second because not only do we have this really interesting world as kind of a backdrop, like we have the ash falling from the sky and the mists that come creeping in. But on top of that, there is one of the coolest magic systems I have ever encountered. Allomancy is just so cool! And the best part is it's believable it has this established set of rules and limitations that just makes it seem so much more real and possible And then, with the characters, they all had such great backstories and distinct personalities and motivations and fears and the combination of all those things it was just-- Good! Okay? This book was really really good. And that is going to be it for the non-spoilery part of this video, so if you have not yet read this book obviously I do recommend doing so, and then you can come back and watch the rest of this video but for now, you have to go.
Because I have to discuss some spoilery things and you can't be here for that so leave. Go read the book. Come back. It'll be great.
BYE FOR NOW! Okay. Okay. I'm gonna resist jumping straight to the ending and start more at the beginning-ish. So the opening scenes of this book were good.
You know, they got me interested in the world and the characters. But it wasn't until the scene where Kelsier is teaching Vin about Allomancy and like demonstrating the different abilities that I knew I was loving this book, that I was like completely hooked into it, and just didn't want to put it down. And the second moment that just really really cemented my love for this book was when Vin met Elend at the ball. That's when I knew that this was a new favorite.
And I just--it--I--I loved it. I feel like not only did I get a very entertaining and enjoyable read with this book but I also got some great examples of just solid writing techniques. Like the scene of Kelsier teaching Vin Allomancy, it could've been really boring and info dump-y but instead we got to, like, go out and experience Allomancy for ourselves kind of, through Vin and it was fun! And we learned more about the world and the magic system and the character dynamics all at once! It was beautiful! I really enjoyed Vin's character arc throughout this book Like, she starts off so hopeless and untrusting and suspicious and paranoid and she ends the book in such a better place I was so suspicious of her brother. Like, I thought he was going to show up again and do something that would ruin all this trust that Vin had been building up with Kelsier and the rest of the crew but then we find out that her brother is dead, and that he died protecting her and that just broke my heart even more than if he had shown up and been a dick.
Like, ahhhh. I can't wait to see what happens with Vin in these next two books, because something is going on with her Like, not only do we have the Vin and Elend relationship, which I adore, But she is also, like, unusually good at Allomancy. Like she was really fast at picking it up, she's very strong, and something has to be going on there. Like I don't think that Brandon Sanderson would build her up to be so powerful and, like, naturally good if there wasn't some kind of reason or, like, story behind that.
So I'm very eager to see how that plays out. I think what I loved most about this book is that we got a very satisfying complete story arc in this installment But there's also still all these loose threads hanging, and I am dying for answers. Especially that bit at the end where the Lord Ruler is, like, talking about how "you won't survive without me, all the things I've been doing to protect you" WHAT is happening there? Like, I have a feeling that something big is a brewing and I can't wait to see it all explode in the next two books I kind of think it's gonna have something to do with the lack of Atium Like, Kelsier destroying that mine was a great moment for him as a character You know, it's something that he had to do. He was enslaved there, it scarred him figuratively and literally on his arms, and so, you know, it was good that he destroyed it for himself But I'm pretty sure we need the Atium for something important, and we are going to experience some repercussions from that in the next two books.
Okay. So... Kelsier's death. Let's talk about that for a minute, because I kind of saw it coming but I kind of didn't.
Like I wasn't spoiled on that, thank god, but you know, there are the little clues building up and I had a suspicion that he might be like, planning to take the martyr route But it was a suspicion in like a "no, he wouldn't do that" kind of sense Like, it was a fake-out. Like he's not really dead, right? When that happened, that was my reaction. I was like, "but he had a plan! His plan is to fake his death, right?" Except, no. It was not a joke.
It was just sad. You know, the other crew members kind of worrying about his motives made me worry a little bit Like I entertained the idea that Kelsier might go evil as much as I entertained the idea that he might get himself killed for the cause. Like I wasn't spoiled on specifics, but of course I knew that people talked about the ending of this book, and how it went in a surprising direction. So I was thinking there's a good chance Kelsier could die, or there's also a chance he could turn evil and become like the new villain! I'm glad I guess, I mean that sounds kind of bad to say but I would rather have Kelsier be a martyr than be, like, the new villain That would've hurt more than his death, I think.
I just wish he could have been alive long enough for them to defeat the Lord Ruler and for him to see, like, how possible change really was. I also wish Kelsier had lived long enough to learn that his brother is still alive! I feel so bad for Marsh, and what he went through both himself with the stakes through his head and whatnot and his brother dying and just... Oh, I am glad that he was there at the end, and like became a total badass The entire ending of this book was just so epic and there were so many thrilling scenes Of course the scenes where Kelsier died and where Vin defeated the Lord Ruler and the whole reveal about the Lord Ruler and the confrontation with Vin's father. Finding out that Shan was a Mistborn assassin trying to kill Elend.
Like obviously, I never liked her but I underestimated her. I did not think that she was a Mistborn, and even if she was a Mistborn I wouldn't have guessed that she was such a badass. But she was, however, fortunately, Vin was even more badass. It seems like Elend is going to be an important character in these next two books, and I love that And I love the relationship with Vin and Elend, I'll say it again, I just, I really enjoy it.
Some of my other favorite parts include the scenes where Vin is, like, spending one-on-one time with the other crew members to learn about their specific abilities. I loved Sazed, he was such an interesting and compelling character. I loved how he was always trying to get Kelsier to convert to these random forgotten religions. His magic system, Feruchemistry, is also super cool and fascinating, I loved how it's like similar to Allomancy, like, it makes sense that they're both within the same world, but they're different I am so excited to see where this story goes, like I have a lot of faith in Brandon Sanderson's storytelling abilities now.
I already had a very elevated opinion of him due to his lectures on writing craft and now that I've seen that in practice by reading one of his books, I'm just impressed with him as a storyteller and I can't wait to read more of his stuff! Anyways! That is gonna be it for this video today. Thank you so much for watching, I hope you enjoyed this video, I hope you have a great night and I will have another vlog up soon, so I will see you then. GOODBYEEEEEEE..
One of our main characters is a 16-year-old girl named Vin, and she is a member of the lower class she's a skaa, and she's a part of this thieving crew but she is not happy there. You know, she's very mistreated and she doesn't trust anyone, especially since her own brother betrayed her But then she meets our other main character, a man named Kelsier, who invites her to be a part of a very different thieving crew. Not only do these crew members seem to like each other and trust each other but the job they're taking on just so happens to be overthrowing the Lord Ruler, which is something that has been attempted many times over the last 1000 years, but obviously no one has been sucessful It's not exactly your typical heist. I wish I'd read this book sooner.
I don't know why I resisted reading it for so long Despite all of the hype and praise from people whose opinions I trusted, I still was worried that I wasn't going to like this. But all of my worrying and resisting was a waste of time and energy because I ended up loving this book! I don't even know how to begin explaining how impressed I was with this book I was especially impressed with the plot and the world building and the character development Like, those were the highlights. The story, the world, the characters. And then the lowlights were probably the...
I don't think there really were any lowlights. Like, Brandon Sanderson knows how to tell a good story. The plot of this book is just so well structured and intricate and woven together in such a way that it just draws you in and then blows your mind Like, I'm kind of a nerd for story structure, so I was just--oh, so impressed with how all these different plot threads were braided into one story. It was--it was beautiful.
And the world building! Okay, let's talk about the world building for a second because not only do we have this really interesting world as kind of a backdrop, like we have the ash falling from the sky and the mists that come creeping in. But on top of that, there is one of the coolest magic systems I have ever encountered. Allomancy is just so cool! And the best part is it's believable it has this established set of rules and limitations that just makes it seem so much more real and possible And then, with the characters, they all had such great backstories and distinct personalities and motivations and fears and the combination of all those things it was just-- Good! Okay? This book was really really good. And that is going to be it for the non-spoilery part of this video, so if you have not yet read this book obviously I do recommend doing so, and then you can come back and watch the rest of this video but for now, you have to go.
Because I have to discuss some spoilery things and you can't be here for that so leave. Go read the book. Come back. It'll be great.
BYE FOR NOW! Okay. Okay. I'm gonna resist jumping straight to the ending and start more at the beginning-ish. So the opening scenes of this book were good.
You know, they got me interested in the world and the characters. But it wasn't until the scene where Kelsier is teaching Vin about Allomancy and like demonstrating the different abilities that I knew I was loving this book, that I was like completely hooked into it, and just didn't want to put it down. And the second moment that just really really cemented my love for this book was when Vin met Elend at the ball. That's when I knew that this was a new favorite.
And I just--it--I--I loved it. I feel like not only did I get a very entertaining and enjoyable read with this book but I also got some great examples of just solid writing techniques. Like the scene of Kelsier teaching Vin Allomancy, it could've been really boring and info dump-y but instead we got to, like, go out and experience Allomancy for ourselves kind of, through Vin and it was fun! And we learned more about the world and the magic system and the character dynamics all at once! It was beautiful! I really enjoyed Vin's character arc throughout this book Like, she starts off so hopeless and untrusting and suspicious and paranoid and she ends the book in such a better place I was so suspicious of her brother. Like, I thought he was going to show up again and do something that would ruin all this trust that Vin had been building up with Kelsier and the rest of the crew but then we find out that her brother is dead, and that he died protecting her and that just broke my heart even more than if he had shown up and been a dick.
Like, ahhhh. I can't wait to see what happens with Vin in these next two books, because something is going on with her Like, not only do we have the Vin and Elend relationship, which I adore, But she is also, like, unusually good at Allomancy. Like she was really fast at picking it up, she's very strong, and something has to be going on there. Like I don't think that Brandon Sanderson would build her up to be so powerful and, like, naturally good if there wasn't some kind of reason or, like, story behind that.
So I'm very eager to see how that plays out. I think what I loved most about this book is that we got a very satisfying complete story arc in this installment But there's also still all these loose threads hanging, and I am dying for answers. Especially that bit at the end where the Lord Ruler is, like, talking about how "you won't survive without me, all the things I've been doing to protect you" WHAT is happening there? Like, I have a feeling that something big is a brewing and I can't wait to see it all explode in the next two books I kind of think it's gonna have something to do with the lack of Atium Like, Kelsier destroying that mine was a great moment for him as a character You know, it's something that he had to do. He was enslaved there, it scarred him figuratively and literally on his arms, and so, you know, it was good that he destroyed it for himself But I'm pretty sure we need the Atium for something important, and we are going to experience some repercussions from that in the next two books.
Okay. So... Kelsier's death. Let's talk about that for a minute, because I kind of saw it coming but I kind of didn't.
Like I wasn't spoiled on that, thank god, but you know, there are the little clues building up and I had a suspicion that he might be like, planning to take the martyr route But it was a suspicion in like a "no, he wouldn't do that" kind of sense Like, it was a fake-out. Like he's not really dead, right? When that happened, that was my reaction. I was like, "but he had a plan! His plan is to fake his death, right?" Except, no. It was not a joke.
It was just sad. You know, the other crew members kind of worrying about his motives made me worry a little bit Like I entertained the idea that Kelsier might go evil as much as I entertained the idea that he might get himself killed for the cause. Like I wasn't spoiled on specifics, but of course I knew that people talked about the ending of this book, and how it went in a surprising direction. So I was thinking there's a good chance Kelsier could die, or there's also a chance he could turn evil and become like the new villain! I'm glad I guess, I mean that sounds kind of bad to say but I would rather have Kelsier be a martyr than be, like, the new villain That would've hurt more than his death, I think.
I just wish he could have been alive long enough for them to defeat the Lord Ruler and for him to see, like, how possible change really was. I also wish Kelsier had lived long enough to learn that his brother is still alive! I feel so bad for Marsh, and what he went through both himself with the stakes through his head and whatnot and his brother dying and just... Oh, I am glad that he was there at the end, and like became a total badass The entire ending of this book was just so epic and there were so many thrilling scenes Of course the scenes where Kelsier died and where Vin defeated the Lord Ruler and the whole reveal about the Lord Ruler and the confrontation with Vin's father. Finding out that Shan was a Mistborn assassin trying to kill Elend.
Like obviously, I never liked her but I underestimated her. I did not think that she was a Mistborn, and even if she was a Mistborn I wouldn't have guessed that she was such a badass. But she was, however, fortunately, Vin was even more badass. It seems like Elend is going to be an important character in these next two books, and I love that And I love the relationship with Vin and Elend, I'll say it again, I just, I really enjoy it.
Some of my other favorite parts include the scenes where Vin is, like, spending one-on-one time with the other crew members to learn about their specific abilities. I loved Sazed, he was such an interesting and compelling character. I loved how he was always trying to get Kelsier to convert to these random forgotten religions. His magic system, Feruchemistry, is also super cool and fascinating, I loved how it's like similar to Allomancy, like, it makes sense that they're both within the same world, but they're different I am so excited to see where this story goes, like I have a lot of faith in Brandon Sanderson's storytelling abilities now.
I already had a very elevated opinion of him due to his lectures on writing craft and now that I've seen that in practice by reading one of his books, I'm just impressed with him as a storyteller and I can't wait to read more of his stuff! Anyways! That is gonna be it for this video today. Thank you so much for watching, I hope you enjoyed this video, I hope you have a great night and I will have another vlog up soon, so I will see you then. GOODBYEEEEEEE..
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