Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

101 reviews

calmcozycorner's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

What a ride. So many nights I made the grave mistake of reading this book “to fall asleep” and ended up still awake, heart pounding, on the edge of my seat (bed) until 2 AM. 

The magic system? *chefs kiss* so unique and refreshing. The pacing was excellent and the story was wonderful. I have a lot of questions, but I suspect that’s because this is only the first of the series. I will definitely be continuing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, Emotional abuse, War, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Body horror, Rape, and Torture

Minor: Mental illness

hectoralvf_'s review against another edition

adventurous hopeful 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

4.25

This is the second time I've read The Final Empire (well, the third, but the second was an audiobook and I didn't get much out of it), and I enjoyed it even more than the first time. Although the plot isn't anything new, the characters and worldbuilding are excellent. Moreover, having read the entire Cosmere, I've found many references and foreshadowing both from the book itself and the universe in general that greatly enhance the reread.

The structure is very simple and clear, but I have some issues with the "Sanderlanche." The beginning of the book is too slow, and the climax could be faster. The "Sanderlanche" of the last 15-20% is something I really enjoy, but it leaves the rest of the novel hanging, with the focus solely on building up the ending without any major moments of tension.

The characters and worldbuilding are outstanding. You empathize a lot with the characters, and the different points of view are very well done. Although I wish I knew more about some characters like Dockson.

The world is very well constructed, both in terms of natural and cultural aspects. The decay of Scadrial is conveyed very well in the narration ("Ash fell from the sky"), and the magic system is very easy to understand without losing depth and establishing limits and costs. "Every action has consequences".

Sanderson's prose is simple and easy to read. This is something that is often criticized, but I don't agree. It makes the stories very accessible and immersive, especially in long novels. In my opinion, writing is fundamentally about delivery, about appropriately conveying a story, and Sanderson excels at this. His straightforward writing style helps the reader focus on the characters and the plot without being distracted by pretentious language. However, my only complaint is that he tends to repeat certain words or expressions too frequently. 

As for the theme, I believe the story is about trust, in oneself but above all in others. I don't want to spoil anything, but this is very well represented.

In summary, it's a must-read. Despite some slow moments in the plot, the novel is very accessible, and the characters and world are wonderful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Classism, Death, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Mental illness, Gore, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual violence

destiny_jay's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Genocide, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Death, Violence, War, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Slavery

Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Physical abuse, Torture, Child abuse, and Grief

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape

siglerbooknook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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

This book is a reread, and it's still a favorite. Brandon Sanderson has such a unique, beautiful way of telling a story. The details twist together so well. The ending is so satisfying. Characters feel like real people you could meet. Everything has a purpose. Definitely worth the read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, and Slavery

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Rape, Death, Alcohol, Classism, Sexual assault, and Torture

arytia's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

My first glimpse into the cosmere and Sanderson‘s work in general and I absolutely loved it! I was a bit worried as it was my first high fantasy novel as well but I got right into the story. I can’t wait to see how the story will continue and how Sanderson, as an author, has grown over the years. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, and War

Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, and Mental illness

Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

headinthepages's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Abandonment, Vomit, Body horror, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, War, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, Grief, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Slavery, Child death, Infidelity, and Medical trauma

dragonbornsandwaffles's review against another edition

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!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Murder, Gore, Police brutality, Grief, Genocide, Violence, Abandonment, Death, Body horror, and War

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, and Racism

Minor: Alcohol, Racial slurs, Rape, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Addiction, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Vomit, Torture, Cannibalism, Confinement, and Stalking

raesansom's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, War, Abandonment, Slavery, and Death

Moderate: Gore, Classism, Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, and Racism

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape

aerisaturner's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful fast-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

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Content Warnings

Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

maulikki's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

The whole time reading this book I had a sense of regret for not finding this when I was in my most active reading years, around 12 or 13. It would've made a larger impact of me, even as I think as an adult I can definitely get more out of it now than I would've as a teenager. I see why this has been recommended to me, the book and the storytelling felt real in a way I seldom encounter. Of course it's very subjective, and I understand why to someone this might fall into the "yet another female protagonist's adventure with magic and learning lessons" category of books saturated with the ACOTAR-like books many of us don't enjoy in the slightest. This books has the it factor of fantasy books. No idea how to describe how and why, someone way smarter than me has probably put it in words somewhere on the internet. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Slavery, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Murder, Racism, Genocide, and Grief

Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, War, Bullying, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Cursing, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, and Torture