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A review by ellenareads
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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 loved this book so much. This is my second attempt at reading it. The last time I tried it I got so bogged down with the magic using explanations. I just wasn’t gripped by the characters as I expected so when I was confused by all of the explanations of how the magic works I just gave up.
But, this time around it was such a different experience. I’m much more familiar with Brandon's work and writing tendencies because I read more of the Cosmere since then. I was so overwhelmed on where to start the Cosmere and since I didn’t vibe with Mistborn the first time around and it was the number 1 recommended place to start. So, I just chucked the reading order recommendations out the window and picked the books that called to me. So far my Cosmere journey is all over the place and honestly, I’m not mad about it. I’ll probably have to reread to catch all of the minor crossovers but there are so many guides online that I’m not too bothered by it. It seems like it got to teh point in the Cosmere where you are required to have read more and more to read the new books so I decided to go back and read Mistborn.
Back to the Final Empire. If I were to pitch this book to anyone right now, all I would say is ‘found family’. While yes, Sanderson's elaborate and complex magic system is still his most unique skill as an author, I would say that the found family aspect of this book will stay with me the most. I don’t usually highlight sections in my books, and I’m too scared to write or draw in my books so I hopped when I got my Kindle the process of highlighting would be so much easier and less nerve-racking but I still wasn’t using it. This book changed that. I marked many lines and conversations that felt so real and touching. I loved Vin's development and constant struggles to move past her trauma. It was shoving up even on the last page of the book despite all of the development she went through.
I will say that even this time around I found that it still took me about 40% to get fully invested. It’s understandable considering all of the things that had to be set up at the beginning but it all paid off in the end. The ending was a bit underwhelming but by that point of the book all I cared about was that they get out of there alive since I got so attached to the characters.
While there were definitely more things that I had issues with right after reading the book, I put it through Cassidy’s rating scale it ended up as a 5-star read. And at the time, it didn’t feel like it because all of the minor issues I had with it were so fresh in my mind. But, writing this review a couple of days later I can say that it definitely feels like a 5-star read. I was so stingy with my 5 star last year to the point where I wasn’t even able to make a top 10. So this year, I still wanna be critical with my reads but I’m gonna try to convey that more in my reviews and use Cassidey’s rating system that ways enjoyment a lot more which just works far better for me as a long-term scaling system.
I will say that even this time around I found that it still took me about 40% to get fully invested. It’s understandable considering all of the things that had to be set up at the beginning but it all paid off in the end. The ending was a bit underwhelming but by that point of the book all I cared about was that they get out of there alive since I got so attached to the characters.
While there were definitely more things that I had issues with right after reading the book, I put it through Cassidy’s rating scale it ended up as a 5-star read. And at the time, it didn’t feel like it because all of the minor issues I had with it were so fresh in my mind. But, writing this review a couple of days later I can say that it definitely feels like a 5-star read. I was so stingy with my 5 star last year to the point where I wasn’t even able to make a top 10. So this year, I still wanna be critical with my reads but I’m gonna try to convey that more in my reviews and use Cassidey’s rating system that ways enjoyment a lot more which just works far better for me as a long-term scaling system.