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cerina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
These characters are complex with many subtleties, and there is definitely great character development. I love Vin. She embodies women as I know them so well. Wanting to love, but scared to trust; intelligent, but careful; highly empathetic, able to see through how people present down to who they are. I both love and hate that this girl needs to be the more level-headed one that gets things done while the men are brash and fool-hardy. It feels representative of real-life, and I don’t like that that’s how things are. Though, as I write this, I’m realizing it might just be those parts of the book that resonate with me, which is why they stood out. The book might actually be more balanced, more nuanced, than that.
When Kelsior’s big plan came to fruition, it felt so hollow. Like, that’s it? I understand the purpose of it, giving everyone something to believe in. I just didn’t feel anything when it happened. I didn’t cry. I can’t remember if I cried during the first Red Rising book. I know I cried during the third, and that the scene that made me do so is part of why it’s my favorite series. I’m holding out hope that a similar thing will happen as I continue reading this trilogy.
The world building in this book is fantastic. It’s a combination of the depth of the world building, the relationships between the characters, and the twists that I didn’t see coming but that fit seamlessly into the story that makes me love this book.
Graphic: Slavery and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Rape, Torture, Vomit, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
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.
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
- 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
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.
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.
Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, and Alcohol
shadow_cat94's review against another edition
- 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 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
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.
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
diazona's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
sierra5304's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Suicide, and Torture
Minor: Medical content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
interrolipse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Slavery, Kidnapping, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
kayabaj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Infertility, Racism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Rape, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
oxfordcommas91's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As with any high fantasy series, this book had a good amount of world building with a fairly large cast of characters with a variety of roles to get to know. That part can feel like a bit of a slog, even in the best of novels, but Sanderson does it well. It feels natural and he builds on the information in a way that is digestible and intriguing.
I really like the magic system - it doesn’t feel too overdone - and the flaws of our heroes feel “real” instead of manufactured as they sometimes do.
I was kept fairly on my toes about what would come next and appreciate the fact that Sanderson doesn’t shy away from putting his characters in tough situations - or killing then when necessary (I love an author unafraid of hurting his audiences heart with a good murder, what can I say?).
I was seriously hooked the last 40% especially where I found it hard to put down as I waited to see if our band of rebels would be successful in pulling off this huge feat. While the writing is nothing spectacular, Sanderson can keep his readers hooked and the writing style worked for me surprisingly well.
It was a satisfying ending and I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the Mistborn series!
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent