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mes0pelagic_fan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
this was definitely a page turner for me— i basically read it in less than 10 sittings! the amount of content covered was bonkers and i was never bored. the characters were fun and the world building was very neat (allomancy! who knew?) and the ending came together super nicely.
hoping future installments have more girls; too many men for my taste. im pretty sure this bad boy does not pass the bechdel test
hoping future installments have more girls; too many men for my taste. im pretty sure this bad boy does not pass the bechdel test
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Classism, Gore, Physical abuse, and Slavery
mae_is_trying's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
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: Classism
Moderate: Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Racism, Rape, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Torture, and War
serena_hien's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, War, Slavery, Abandonment, Classism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Blood, Grief, Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Torture
Minor: Rape
lukasskywalker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Physical abuse
mallorypen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Okay, so I liked it ... but that first third of the book was a CHORE to get through. I understand why there was so much exposition - there was a fairly complicated magic system to explain, as well as a need to set the class system and history of the Lord Ruler - but by the forgotten gods it took a looooong time.
That said, once the plot really started to get going after the end of Part 1, this was a fantastic political thriller and mystery. Vyn as a protagonist was NOT a Mary Sue - which was great - and I got so frustrated with her lack of empathy in some situations, her selfishness in others, and her decision-making pretty much across the board. I don't know if I liked her character (and I'm pretty tired of the Chosen One trope) but I did root for her. Her inner monologues were ... a bit wooden, for my tastes, but they got the job done.
Once we got into the story and the others were able to develop their personalities a little more, I generally liked all the various members of the crew. They all became distinct from one another, and when the Ska rebellion leader died after making his terrible decision with the army, I was sad for his death. When Marsh was thought to have been killed by the Inquisitors, I was sad for his death, too. And Sayzid? He was the best character out of them all.
I agree wholeheartedly with the general consensus that Brandon Sanderson writes a FABULOUS fight scene. The action is written so clearly, and even with a complex magic system making up 80% of the sequences, I really felt like I was there in the moment fighting alongside the characters.
I'd also posit that Brandon Sanderson writes a mean twist. <spoilers> Marsh actually being alive, and having gone through the process to be an Inquisitor ... I totally didn't see that coming. Or, Kelcier's overarching plot to make himself a legend and then let himself be killed? Mind. Blown.
A few things that gave me pause:
That said, once the plot really started to get going after the end of Part 1, this was a fantastic political thriller and mystery. Vyn as a protagonist was NOT a Mary Sue - which was great - and I got so frustrated with her lack of empathy in some situations, her selfishness in others, and her decision-making pretty much across the board. I don't know if I liked her character (and I'm pretty tired of the Chosen One trope) but I did root for her. Her inner monologues were ... a bit wooden, for my tastes, but they got the job done.
Once we got into the story and the others were able to develop their personalities a little more, I generally liked all the various members of the crew. They all became distinct from one another, and
I agree wholeheartedly with the general consensus that Brandon Sanderson writes a FABULOUS fight scene. The action is written so clearly, and even with a complex magic system making up 80% of the sequences, I really felt like I was there in the moment fighting alongside the characters.
I'd also posit that Brandon Sanderson writes a mean twist. <spoilers> Marsh actually being alive, and having gone through the process to be an Inquisitor ... I totally didn't see that coming. Or, Kelcier's overarching plot to make himself a legend and then let himself be killed? Mind. Blown.
A few things that gave me pause:
- A white CIS man writing a female protagonist who comes from an enslaved people subjected to torture and subjugation for a thousand years ... I don't know. It hit me in a weird spot how similar some things were between the nobility/Ska and white/Black people; the abuses felt VERY familiar and I'm not sure how I feel about it coming from who wrote it. I don't know. It will take further rumination on how exactly it bothers me.
- The instalove between Ellend and Vyn. Tired, boring, blegh. Why did we need a romance, here?
Anyways. I will read the next two books, but I will be giving myself a break.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, Slavery, Sexual violence, War, Murder, and Violence
peasandpancakes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
5.0
I LOVED this book! It immediately grabbed me. The way you’re introduced to the magic system is very well paced. It had some nice world building, but action was properly spaced as well. Near the end it got so tense that my smart watch told me that I needed to relax because my stress was unusually high 😅 Can’t wait to read the other mistborn books!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Death
Minor: Racism, Torture, War, and Slavery
bel017's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Murder, and Slavery
Moderate: Death, Rape, Violence, Body horror, and Child abuse
aeternus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Rape
jelkebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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
4.0
Okay, yup, I totally get the hype behind Brandon Sanderson. No one needed to hear this, as everyone knew this already. I've just had his books (and this one in particular) on my TBR for AGES, and the hype has had me scared but I totally did not need to be. I do have to say that this took me a little bit to get into. Not nececarily because it was hard to get into, but as someone who doesn't read a lot of high fantasy it just took me a little bit to get into things, get used to the writing and everything.
However, after the first 100 pages or so I REALLY got into this book. The story was really compelling, the world incredibly interesting, and the characters were great to follow. I do have to say that Vin got on my nerves a little bit at times, but she did go through a lot of developement throughout the book, and I'm excited to see her journey throughout the rest of the series. Kelsier was absolutely unhinged, but in the best way possible, and I really loved our crew of side characters. I was quite gripped by the entire book, although at times it felt like not much was happening. However, I feel like every word is purposeful for this book, or the rest of the series. I just feel like even though I had a great time reading this book, mostly it just felt like a four star to me, with potential of a five star later on in the series.
Then those last 150 pages or so happened and they BLEW MY MIND. Oh my god, things started happening, were extremely action packed, and there were just so many twists and turns I just absolutely did not see coming but still felt like a natural progression of the story. My heart was just absolutely racing, and it just was easy 5 star material. Honestly, finishing this book gave me such an adrenaline rush. I absolutely can't wait to continue on with this story because this was such a solid foundation for things, and it can only go up from here, and it is already at a really high point for me. So yeah, it didn't end up being a 5 star in total, but it's really fucking close. If I did decimal point rating this would 100% be a 4.75.
However, after the first 100 pages or so I REALLY got into this book. The story was really compelling, the world incredibly interesting, and the characters were great to follow. I do have to say that Vin got on my nerves a little bit at times, but she did go through a lot of developement throughout the book, and I'm excited to see her journey throughout the rest of the series. Kelsier was absolutely unhinged, but in the best way possible, and I really loved our crew of side characters. I was quite gripped by the entire book, although at times it felt like not much was happening. However, I feel like every word is purposeful for this book, or the rest of the series. I just feel like even though I had a great time reading this book, mostly it just felt like a four star to me, with potential of a five star later on in the series.
Then those last 150 pages or so happened and they BLEW MY MIND. Oh my god, things started happening, were extremely action packed, and there were just so many twists and turns I just absolutely did not see coming but still felt like a natural progression of the story. My heart was just absolutely racing, and it just was easy 5 star material. Honestly, finishing this book gave me such an adrenaline rush. I absolutely can't wait to continue on with this story because this was such a solid foundation for things, and it can only go up from here, and it is already at a really high point for me. So yeah, it didn't end up being a 5 star in total, but it's really fucking close. If I did decimal point rating this would 100% be a 4.75.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Grief
Minor: Physical abuse and Rape
axonjay5's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Torture, Child abuse, and Rape