Reviews tagging 'Grief'

O Império Final by Brandon Sanderson

113 reviews

ehoustonmyatt's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

moonbunny34's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love this book so much and it is definitely one of my comfort reads. I’m a sucker for found family and this story just hits the spot for me. I love Vins journey and self growth in this book and the rest of the of the series. She is so badass and I love her! I think this book is full of just the right amount of warmth and love but also pain and grief. I definitely recommend it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Classism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement and War

fishiiii's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A book that lit my dormant flame for reading again. Wow. The start felt a bit strange, but soon it had my undivided attention! Love the characters, their personalities, the chosen family bonds feeling, the twists and plot relevant seeds that get planted early on.... *Chefs kiss* The last two parts I read in about a day, I couldn't even sit still as the end drew nigh. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abandonment, and War

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

cool magic system. the rest... ehhh

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Grief, Abandonment, and Colonisation

Minor: Ableism, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, and Alcohol

queermothman's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

2025 Reread:

I enjoyed this much more than I did almost 10 years ago. Brandon, when I catch you. 

I still think this thing is slow as hell, especially the first 50%, but I understand why it was written this way. The Jesus/religious paralleling was a little too on the nose by the end, but I can appreciate how it was handled overall. Especially since I found out that Sanderson is a Mormon asdfghj; 

I did get kind of lost trying to keep track of side characters, but that could also have been bc I was listening to the audiobook this time around. 

One major ick for me is Vin and her love interest. I just don't like age gaps, especially when one is a teenager. I'm interested to see how they're handled in future installments, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Grief, and Abandonment

Minor: Infertility and Alcohol

jawclencher's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

It was a quick read, though it took about 130 pages for me to really get into it. The magic system is creative and intriguing. Very unique. It could have been introduced more effectively, though. At first it kept me guessing and I struggled visualising important scenes, afterwards some of the information kept on repeating itself.

I wasn’t a fan of how Vin is thrown into high-stakes missions with Kelsier so early on—it felt unrealistic given the risks involved. Similarly, some events seemed improbable, with characters taking on extreme dangers and walking away (nearly) unscathed. The balance of detail was uneven; some aspects were overexplained, while others lacked sufficient depth.

That said, I still found myself drawn into the world. While the book isn’t without flaws, it was engaging, and the ending had enough intrigue to make me want to continue the series. Certain characters I really liked, they grew on me. There are genuinely heartwarming moments throughout.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves heists, colorful characters, and magic that are okay with a YA-but-with-gore writing style.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, and Alcohol

beau_b_reading's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was the second book I've read by Brandon Sanderson (The standalone Elentris was first), but I loved every bit of it. Very interesting magic system and deep lore, which somehow still come natural to the story. Also, love a good revolution story with a fair amount of mystery and tension.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, Violence, War, and Classism

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Racism, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

thjelmar's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

First Brandon Sanderson book I've ever read and I must say I understand how he has such a large following as he does.

Mistborn consumed me from start to finish. Finding some chapters slower than others but once you dig into it it's hard to get yourself out of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

shadow_cat94's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you love outcasts banding together to plot a revolution with a dash of magic, then have I got a fantastic book recommendation for you!

I am so excited to learn that there are 7 - technically 8 - books in this series currently, because I just can't wait to see what happens to Vin and our crew. I have so many questions, but mainly

is Kelsier really dead or was that all a plan of his for inspiring his troops with a fake-out

?

Not everyone in the crew has deep backgrounds, but they feel fleshed out enough to where I didn't feel bothered by it and it made sense with the 3rd person style of writing Sanderson used.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Torture, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Infertility, and Death of parent

becinneverland's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I watched an ad to get free wifi on the plane to be able to text my friend that I loved this book, that’s how good it was. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about this whenever I put it down, longing to finish it and know what would happen to the characters. I was scared by how many books are in the Cosmere Universe, but if they’re all like this? Worth it. So. Worth. It.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Body horror, Rape, and Sexual assault