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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, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, and War
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: Death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Racism, Slavery, Torture, and War
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: Slavery, Blood, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Rape, and Violence
schoha01'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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Abandonment
knunderb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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? No
5.0
A really fun read! I predicted the twist at the end, but it was so well written that.i didn't mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Murder, and War
jayinbee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
My husband has been on me to read these books for years and I don't know why I didn't cave sooner. I absolutely loved this- the thieves elaborate planning and plotting of the revolution, the magic systems, the transformative story arc of Ven, the characters and their dynamics within the group, the fact that they all had things to learn and room to grow and it just developed so well- plus the writing style was great too. I can hardly wait to dive back into this world with the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Gore, Murder, and War
jonwood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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
4.0
Really enjoyed this. It's the best first book in a fantasy series I've read, as it gets the plot moving (driven by characters) fairly straightaway and acts as its own self-contain story (sure, there are a few threads to yes-and to in the future). Gripping adventure as characters look to see if they can make a difference. I might actually read book 2 less than a year from now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Sexual assault
mads_reads_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
sad
slow-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
3.0
Does not pass The Bechdel Test
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Genocide, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and War
ctara2123's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture
kiwij96's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Having heard many positive reviews about this series and of Brandon Sanderson's writing, I thought I'd start here, as was suggested. Maybe I went into this with too high an expectation, but this didn't really capture my attention past the fifth chapter, but I stuck with it in the hopes that the story would progress or improve. It didn't for me.
There were chapters upon chapters of filler, and seemingly important pieces of plot or development often happened off-page. My favourite characters were the supporting cast pretty much, because they were the only ones with any personality (Dox, Clubs, Spook, Breeze, Ham, Sazed). The whole book was just a grown adult man relying heavily on the capabilities of a 16-17 year old child, and often putting her in harm's way for no reason whatsoever.
Some parts of the story felt either info-dumpy or unfinished, and, at a couple of points, repetitive. There was also the mini romance plotline which was just completely out of place.
Also the ending happened too quickly. After reading 500 pages on what was essentially dialogue (don't even get me started on the amount of times the word "said" was used), politics and "oh woe is me", the ending felt very rushed and as though even Sanderson wanted the story to be over.
However, the magic system was interesting and a great concept, and there was some good camaraderie between the crew members. But that was essentially 100 pages of enjoyment really so idk, maybe I should have DNFed, I'm sorry.
There were chapters upon chapters of filler, and seemingly important pieces of plot or development often happened off-page. My favourite characters were the supporting cast pretty much, because they were the only ones with any personality (Dox, Clubs, Spook, Breeze, Ham, Sazed). The whole book was just a grown adult man relying heavily on the capabilities of a 16-17 year old child, and often putting her in harm's way for no reason whatsoever.
Some parts of the story felt either info-dumpy or unfinished, and, at a couple of points, repetitive. There was also the mini romance plotline which was just completely out of place.
Also the ending happened too quickly. After reading 500 pages on what was essentially dialogue (don't even get me started on the amount of times the word "said" was used), politics and "oh woe is me", the ending felt very rushed and as though even Sanderson wanted the story to be over.
However, the magic system was interesting and a great concept, and there was some good camaraderie between the crew members. But that was essentially 100 pages of enjoyment really so idk, maybe I should have DNFed, I'm sorry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Mental illness and Rape