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A review by dragonbornsandwaffles
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
It lulls for the first third of the book or so while he's worldbuilding, but once things started to pick up, I quickly couldn't put it down. It's a very intense gritty fantasy (see content warnings for details - it's...a lot), and the characterization is so good that they feel like old friends. It does have a shock twist at the end, so if you don't like those, I'd stay away. It made me absolutely bawl like a baby for a good hour after I finished it. Fantastic book!
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Minor: Addiction, Confinement, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, and Alcohol