Monday 31 July 2017

Book Review: The Final Empire; Brandon Sanderson.

Finally! My first ever Brandon Sanderson book! It's been a long time coming, and I will be thanking the friend who bought this for me a million times over (as well as apologising profusely for taking so many years to actually read it) because it was so good!

SOURCE: Present
TYPE: Paperback

TITLE: The Final Empire
AUTHOR: Brandon Sanderson
SERIES: Mistborn (#1)
PUBLISHER: Orion Publishing Co
PAGES: 647
GENRE: Epic Fantasy, Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Dystopian?

RATING: 5/5 Stars

Blurb:
In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. 

The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with colour once more?



What I Liked:
  • The characters were probably my favourite thing about this book, because Sanderson writes them really well. I really wasn't expecting most of the POV to be from a group of con-artists/thieves but I fell in love with their personalities instantly. Kell was a great perspective to read from because even though it's his thoughts, you still aren't sure what he's thinking. Vin was my favourite however as, like the reader, she is discovering everything at the same rate. She was badass and had trust issues, but everything was heartfelt and she was so clever. Other members of the crew I liked too: Breeze, Ham, Sazed and Dockson all captured my hearts. Even Marsh! The interactions between them all were both hilarious and natural too, so great job there!
  • I don't normally advocate too much romance in a book as often it takes away from the main plot and doesn't really appeal to me. But here, I 100% shipped the growing attraction between Elend and Vin. I wanted them to find happiness! I never really expected to encounter something like that, especially between an eccentric, philosophical fop and a street-urchin pretending to be nobility. Their interactions were really well laid-out. Well done to Mr. Sanderson for making me believe in the power of love again!
  • The lore in this book was wonderful. Truly wonderful. Sanderson is clearly a master at his craft, especially when it comes to building a good world! He did it with such ease, but it felt very fresh and original and surprised me in a lot of ways. It struck the perfect balance of being exciting and new, yet comfortingly familiar. I fell in love with this book from page one because of the way this book was written and the amount of work that had clearly gone into envisaging it.
What I Disliked:
  • Coming up with a major dislike for this book was basically impossible. I loved it all! The length was certainly not something I'm used to, as usually I read books under half it's size. That being said, it gave me the right amount of depth without info-dumping and I felt that 650ish pages was really enough considering the amount that happens. 
Overall Conclusion:
This book had it all. A well-written and fresh story, beautiful world-building, interesting and unique characters and a whole dose of charm. It was funny and emotionally engaging, and I don't think I've raved about a book like this in a long time. This is how epic Fantasy should be done! Yes, it's long and some people might not enjoy dedicating so much time to it, but if you're an avid fan of fantasy mixed with a slight sci-fi/dystopian feel then look no further because Sanderson has it covered. 

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