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smol_bunny's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Alcohol, and Domestic abuse
spellygirl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The first half.. I liked some parts, and got invested in the characters. But I also found it unnecessarily descriptive, and pretty slow going. I strongly considered dnfing it multiple times for the first 300 ish pages.
The last ⅓ to ½ I had trouble putting the book away, and I absolutely loved that part of the book, although sad. I loved that part enough for the high rating, as I actually got emotional at some parts, and that doesn't usually happen for me.
The last ⅓ to ½ I had trouble putting the book away, and I absolutely loved that part of the book, although sad. I loved that part enough for the high rating, as I actually got emotional at some parts, and that doesn't usually happen for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Sexual assault, Violence, Slavery, Classism, and Death
kirbylover16's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-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
After years of people telling me to read a Brandon Sanderson book and the whole Kickstarter fiasco, I have finally got around to it. Thus this is my first book ever by Sanderson; I don't know how this book score could change based on the rest of the series or the rest of the Cosmere. (yet) My overall feeling is mixed. It was a good read, and I did relate to the main character, Vin. Most of my problems are just nitpicks and my preferences for faster, more romantic, and shorter stories. However, the plot suffers from a very repetitive and slow style that can really be insufferable.
Vin is practically illiterate, as are most skaa, and it comes off quirky? Especially with Vin and Spook, and that rubs me wrong. The whole free will theme and religious tones are huge turnoffs. (apparently, Sanderson is a Mormon) Vin's mentor Kelsior is supposed to be charming, but he's not. He got worse as the story goes. Maybe I'm biased tho? Every mentor, grandfather/or father figure in media tends to be manipulative.his fight dragged on way too long. When Vin and Elend showed up, I thought it would finally end, but nope it dragged some more. I am more invested in all the other characters. Which there are too many. I kept going back and forth on if I liked Sazed but I think I warmed up to him.
What made me want to read this book was the idea that the prophetic hero fails and the evil rules, but that's all in the background. The bad guy won centuries ago! We slowly get the hero's journal, but the story would be the same without it. (shorter at least) The better description is a magical heist with politics and slavery thrown in. I enjoyed the romance and sexual tension, but I don't think he met latter.even tho there are not many interactions between Elend and Vin or Spook. The sexual tension I meant with Ham and Bree. Perhaps he realized that in the editing phase, and that's why towards the end, they make Ham have an off-scene wife and kids he hasn't seen in months. :( The world-building is the best part of the book. For example, the different ways metal and magic interact, the flying by dropping coins, and people looking like hellraisers walking around. The last 20% is fantastic.
Vin is practically illiterate, as are most skaa, and it comes off quirky? Especially with Vin and Spook, and that rubs me wrong. The whole free will theme and religious tones are huge turnoffs. (apparently, Sanderson is a Mormon) Vin's mentor Kelsior is supposed to be charming, but he's not. He got worse as the story goes. Maybe I'm biased tho? Every mentor, grandfather/or father figure in media tends to be manipulative.
What made me want to read this book was the idea that the prophetic hero fails and the evil rules, but that's all in the background. The bad guy won centuries ago! We slowly get the hero's journal, but the story would be the same without it. (shorter at least) The better description is a magical heist with politics and slavery thrown in. I enjoyed the romance and sexual tension, but I don't think he met latter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Abandonment, and Body horror
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, and War
Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
There isn't really any sex/skin, just one brief kiss described, some mentions of rape, whore houses, and underage sex. Vin does run around in boys' clothes and in her undergarments. Mostly for comic effect. Also, mental health/postpartum depression/suicide as Vin's mother kills her baby sibling and herself. Oh, and lots of murder, which we get to see very graphically. A shocking amount of beheading.ecorpzz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Domestic abuse
lidia138's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Slavery, Torture, and War
ocean_the_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, and Violence
mayr3adsab00k's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Slavery, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Violence, and War
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, and Physical abuse
looking4thedr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
It definitely took a while to get to the end of this book, but I found myself getting attached to the characters (Sazed in particular, he’s great) and enjoyed seeing their flaws as they went about their plan, especially Kelsir. I throughly enjoyed the occasional playful banter, which helped to alleviate the darkness within the main story.
Sanderson, I feel, always does world-building quite well, slowly revealing more about the world and it’s magic system through the eyes of the characters, especially the main ones of Vin and Kelsir in this case. Kelsir is experienced with the world’s magic system, as are the rest of his crew, and we listen to their explanation as Vin does, as a new comer to this part of the world.
Vin’s character is definitely interesting. Her growth through the storythat she gradually begins overcomes her fear of abandonment and betrayal is definitely satisfying to watch, as is Kelsir’s main flaw his hatred of noblemen that Vin sort of helps him to overcome too, to see them as actual people .
The descriptions conjured up a very clear image in my mind, as though I were watching a movie, although at some points it became almost a little cliche, at some points being like a YA film (and not in a good way)especially at the end when we find out who the Lord Ruler really is and what his weakness is. That went quite fast my mind was a bit boggled. That may have been how it was supposed to be, but it still had me confused. A moment that stuck out was when his bracers flew out the window when the sun rose was very cinematic, I still can’t decide whether I liked it or not, but it was still satisfying. .
Apart from that I throughly enjoyed this book and will continue to read the rest of the series to find out what happens next.
Sanderson, I feel, always does world-building quite well, slowly revealing more about the world and it’s magic system through the eyes of the characters, especially the main ones of Vin and Kelsir in this case. Kelsir is experienced with the world’s magic system, as are the rest of his crew, and we listen to their explanation as Vin does, as a new comer to this part of the world.
Vin’s character is definitely interesting. Her growth through the story
The descriptions conjured up a very clear image in my mind, as though I were watching a movie, although at some points it became almost a little cliche, at some points being like a YA film (and not in a good way)
Apart from that I throughly enjoyed this book and will continue to read the rest of the series to find out what happens next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Body horror
Minor: Sexual assault and Xenophobia
daniellecheri's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
A slow start, but the pace picked up about a quarter through. Very solid ending. Could easily stand alone, but sets up for the rest of the trilogy well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, and Slavery
andreia's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i did it! finally! i've had this book sitting in my shelf for a while, i was afraid to pick it up because i thought it wouldn't live up to the hype. i think it did, although it definitely wasn't perfect.
this is one of sanderson's earlier works, published in 2006, which is now a long time ago when we consider how the fantasy genre has evolved in recent years. in the context that this was published in, i'd say this is a pretty great story, with a very satisfying progression of events, interesting enough characters, and it even holds up well as a standalone book. in short, it's understandable why it's one of sanderson's most beloved works. the complexity of the world-building is fascinating and i know there's still so much more to discover about this world in the next books.
although i haven't read anything else by him, i'm sure sanderson has improved a lot as a writer since publishing this, as he's claimed himself. so for now i guess i can excuse the things i didn't love about this. i also know that most people seem to prefer his more recent books, so i'm excited to keep reading!
things i didn't love so much (with some mild spoilers):
- vin's character was infuriating at times and the worst part was how painfully clear it was that some of her actions / thoughts were just poor writing choices and not actually a reflection of her character. how is it believable that someone who suffered so much all her life, is constantly battling her instinct to not trust anyone (not even people who clearly want to help her), suddenly goes to a ball, has some meaningless superficial conversations with people who would literally kill her without batting an eye, and decides that the nobility are good and deserve redemption? just because they have pretty dresses and houses? it's just so contradicting to the basis of her character that reading her inner monologues when it comes to the nobility feels like a completely different character.
- in general, the other characters don't really stand out much aside from kelsier and sazed. and this is a big cast of characters. the rest of the crew, although lovable, were honestly very forgettable at times. also, the fact that vin is basically the only significant female character in a cast of 8+ important characters is very, well, 2006-fantasy-written-by-a-man, i guess. not to mention the only other women (2) who occasionally make an appearance, are all antagonists.
- this definitely didn't need to be 600+ pages long. it was a little repetitive at times, with the characters having the same inner monologues time and time again. also, i didn't feel that there was much info-dumping, but there were definitely moments way past half of the book where we were revisiting concepts of this fantasy world for the second, third time, as if to make sure the reader didn't forget it.
- some small cliche moments likethe villain turning in his chair to face the protagonist, the villain being defeated and having one last speech about how he was "saving everyone" and "you don't know what you've done"
i'm hoping these are all aspects that will be improved in the next books or, at least, in other sanderson series. other than that, i'm very excited to read the next one since i have no clue where it's going!
this is one of sanderson's earlier works, published in 2006, which is now a long time ago when we consider how the fantasy genre has evolved in recent years. in the context that this was published in, i'd say this is a pretty great story, with a very satisfying progression of events, interesting enough characters, and it even holds up well as a standalone book. in short, it's understandable why it's one of sanderson's most beloved works. the complexity of the world-building is fascinating and i know there's still so much more to discover about this world in the next books.
although i haven't read anything else by him, i'm sure sanderson has improved a lot as a writer since publishing this, as he's claimed himself. so for now i guess i can excuse the things i didn't love about this. i also know that most people seem to prefer his more recent books, so i'm excited to keep reading!
things i didn't love so much (with some mild spoilers):
- vin's character was infuriating at times and the worst part was how painfully clear it was that some of her actions / thoughts were just poor writing choices and not actually a reflection of her character. how is it believable that someone who suffered so much all her life, is constantly battling her instinct to not trust anyone (not even people who clearly want to help her), suddenly goes to a ball, has some meaningless superficial conversations with people who would literally kill her without batting an eye, and decides that the nobility are good and deserve redemption? just because they have pretty dresses and houses? it's just so contradicting to the basis of her character that reading her inner monologues when it comes to the nobility feels like a completely different character.
- in general, the other characters don't really stand out much aside from kelsier and sazed. and this is a big cast of characters. the rest of the crew, although lovable, were honestly very forgettable at times. also, the fact that vin is basically the only significant female character in a cast of 8+ important characters is very, well, 2006-fantasy-written-by-a-man, i guess. not to mention the only other women (2) who occasionally make an appearance, are all antagonists.
- this definitely didn't need to be 600+ pages long. it was a little repetitive at times, with the characters having the same inner monologues time and time again. also, i didn't feel that there was much info-dumping, but there were definitely moments way past half of the book where we were revisiting concepts of this fantasy world for the second, third time, as if to make sure the reader didn't forget it.
- some small cliche moments like
i'm hoping these are all aspects that will be improved in the next books or, at least, in other sanderson series. other than that, i'm very excited to read the next one since i have no clue where it's going!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Abandonment