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sashafriese's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Blood, Gore, Slavery, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, and War
leona's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
How do you write a review for a book as popular as Mistborn?
This book is undoubtedly (in my mind) excellent: epic, impactful and entertaining.
Mistborn is my first experience with Sanderson other than Skyward - which I really enjoyed - and it seems like a place that many regular Sanderson readers recommend that you start. To be fair, I have also listened to quite a few Sanderson interviews, lectures, and most of the 'Intentionally Blank' podcast episodes with Dan Wells, so I already felt like I knew the story pretty well. Hundreds of book tube videos, fantasy fans all over the world - all point towards Mistborn as a staple fantasy book, a kind of 'must-read'. I was very nervous going into this, as I've not really read any adult fantasy before, and I'm also not good with excessive gore and violence. In that regard I would say I agree that Mistborn is probably a good place to start with fantasy: engaging but simplistic and easy to follow writing style, great characters, brilliant magic system, and I would probably agree on PG-13 gore / violence. I think this is definitely a good bridging book between YA and Adult (from a reader of mainly YA).
The main things Mistborn has going for it (for me anyway) is the fascinating magic system and world building, as well as the excellent characters and character dynamics - paired with a mostly exciting plot. I never thought I really cared about magic systems or world building, but after this I must say that I do. (Also some of the fan art for this series is incredible, and does such a great job at capturing everything amazing and epic about this book). I love the mist cloaks, the glass daggers, the simple but complex system of allomancy. It's interesting to see Vin look up to Kell for his knowledge in it, and then realise that there is a lot more to the system and Kelsier's knowledge is actually quite limited. I mean I literally love Kelsier and Vin. The whole atmosphere is obviously very dark and gloomy, but the crew really add so much hope and sometimes humour to this bleak world.
I think that Sanderson does tend to info sump, but in a way that is easy to understand. I actually appreciated the repetition of things as it really helped me to understand what is going on. I love Sazed and how he adds many different religions and interesting cultures to the world. It's just so good: different to what I am used to, but so good.
Some complaints / considerations:
I think anyone considering reading this should be aware that there is quite a lot of political intrigue type stuff (especially in the middle). I didn't really realise this, and found the middle with all the balls and dancing and scheming kind of slow and a bit bland. I do think that there is a relative balance with action as well, but I think that pacing may have been a bit of an issue with me (however I still never really had to force myself through it or anything). The plot was very interesting, but it also felt like not much really happened to me.
There are a few more nitpicking complaints I have as well. Firstly, I would like to see a bit more development of some of the other side characters in the next book (mainly Breeze, Ham, Clubs, Spook and also Elend to be honest etc.) They definitely had some development, but not as much as Sazed or some of the main characters have, and I didn't really feel that connected to any of them.
Next would be there is a definite lack of other women in the book that aren't Vin - a complaint I've seen brought up a few times that I think is important, however I know that Sanderson has recognised and agreed with this criticism and improved on this in his later books. My last nitpick is definitely something you can choose to ignore, but that I also saw brought up by another reviewer. Sanderson has a bit of a habit with using a couple of adjectives / adverbs (that aren't used often) but repeating them several times (which becomes kind of noticeable). AKA: the words 'maladroitly', 'idly' etc. were repeated pretty often which was a little bit annoying but eh.
Right now, lets get on to some spoilers (AND THERE ARE SOME MAJOR ONES - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!)
Let's talk about Kelsier and Vin. As aforementioned, I absolutely loved Vin and Kelsier's relationship, and how it's almost like Kelsier is Vin's father figure. I think this may have even been one of my favourite parts of the book, I loved their scenes, especially where Vin tells Kelsier he doesn't know the life of a skaa, then proves to him that copperclouds can be penetrated. But this is also one of my problems - I don't know if I could possibly like the next two installments, when Kelsier was kind of carrying the hole book, and his relationship with Vin was one of the things I enjoyed the most.
And that's where we move on to the big elephant in the room: Kelsier's death!!
I can't remember where I had been spoiled for Kelsier's death, I probably heard it on youtube somewhere, but I thought it wouldn't matter because I thought I would have forgotten before I finished it. I think this may have somewhat impacted my enjoyment, as I probably would have found this much more impactful and emotional if I hadn't already known about it. However, I think his death made me sad by just the fact that Kelsier doesn't even try to fight the Lord Ruler, he just lets himself be killed, and I agreed with Vin at first, it did feel like a betrayal. Kelsier had planned this from the start, but let Vin get close to him anyway. It also makes him more morally grey in some ways I think, because Kelsier does end up being the new 'God', worshipped by everyone, just as the rest of the crew had been fearing for the entire book. Kelsier had the potential to go bad, and I thought that some of the diary entries were actually from his point of view. This could have been an interesting story line, but I am glad that Kelsier does end up dying for the 'greater good', despite the fact that he is my favourite character (I literally can't express how much I like Kelsier as a character).
I think my comments here also bring into question whether Kelsier acts for the 'greater good' and if he actually loves his frinds, or whether his actions are all selfish. To some extent Kelsier definitely acts selfishly in some situations. There are also instance like when the army are being killed by the Garrison (I think) and Vin stops him. Readers are left to question whether Kelsier actually cares for these men or if he just wants to further his own reputation by saving everyone. After thinking about this quite extensively, I think I did underestimate Kelsier: the guilt he feels after this, the genuine care he seems to show for Vin (when she is abused by Camon, or when she is stabbed, or even after his death in the letter) to me confirm that he does genuinely care, however his ego often gets in the way.
You know, I think the most disturbing thing from this book for me was actually the kandra (they made me feel a bit sick to be honest) despite some of the other violence. That chapter after Kelsier dies, where it has become him and skulking around in the shadows with his body. That was spooky.
I also think I am coming to like Marsh as well, and I was surprised that he came back as an inquisitor (although again, this time it was my fault, I got spoiled for Marsh still being alive, as well as the Lord Ruler being a furechemist (sorry can't remember how to spell that one) and an allomancer.)
Quick mention to Elend and Vin. A lot of people dislike the romance (or so I've heard), and I do like Elend and Vin and don't think it was *that* insta-lovey. I think Vin has more of a crush on him at first to be honest, and they just flirt for most of it. I liked their relationship, but I also don't think it was really that well developed, or that they really had much 'chemistry', and I think Elend was a bit of a flat and kind of underdeveloped character. I would say Sanderson is generally thought not to be strong at writing romance, however I think the romance in Skyward was one of my favourites (so far) and I don't know about the other books.
I should probably wrap this up now. In general, I really enjoyed Mistborn, especially the world building and magic system and Vin and Kelsier's relationship. I wanted better pacing (but maybe I just struggled because I am an adult fantasy newbie and I 'don't understand the complexities... yada yada yada'. I'm glad I stopped putting this off and finally delved in to this, and I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy and some of his other books (Warbreaker looks brilliant!) I rate this first installment 4 stars!
This book is undoubtedly (in my mind) excellent: epic, impactful and entertaining.
Mistborn is my first experience with Sanderson other than Skyward - which I really enjoyed - and it seems like a place that many regular Sanderson readers recommend that you start. To be fair, I have also listened to quite a few Sanderson interviews, lectures, and most of the 'Intentionally Blank' podcast episodes with Dan Wells, so I already felt like I knew the story pretty well. Hundreds of book tube videos, fantasy fans all over the world - all point towards Mistborn as a staple fantasy book, a kind of 'must-read'. I was very nervous going into this, as I've not really read any adult fantasy before, and I'm also not good with excessive gore and violence. In that regard I would say I agree that Mistborn is probably a good place to start with fantasy: engaging but simplistic and easy to follow writing style, great characters, brilliant magic system, and I would probably agree on PG-13 gore / violence. I think this is definitely a good bridging book between YA and Adult (from a reader of mainly YA).
The main things Mistborn has going for it (for me anyway) is the fascinating magic system and world building, as well as the excellent characters and character dynamics - paired with a mostly exciting plot. I never thought I really cared about magic systems or world building, but after this I must say that I do. (Also some of the fan art for this series is incredible, and does such a great job at capturing everything amazing and epic about this book). I love the mist cloaks, the glass daggers, the simple but complex system of allomancy. It's interesting to see Vin look up to Kell for his knowledge in it, and then realise that there is a lot more to the system and Kelsier's knowledge is actually quite limited. I mean I literally love Kelsier and Vin. The whole atmosphere is obviously very dark and gloomy, but the crew really add so much hope and sometimes humour to this bleak world.
I think that Sanderson does tend to info sump, but in a way that is easy to understand. I actually appreciated the repetition of things as it really helped me to understand what is going on. I love Sazed and how he adds many different religions and interesting cultures to the world. It's just so good: different to what I am used to, but so good.
Some complaints / considerations:
I think anyone considering reading this should be aware that there is quite a lot of political intrigue type stuff (especially in the middle). I didn't really realise this, and found the middle with all the balls and dancing and scheming kind of slow and a bit bland. I do think that there is a relative balance with action as well, but I think that pacing may have been a bit of an issue with me (however I still never really had to force myself through it or anything). The plot was very interesting, but it also felt like not much really happened to me.
There are a few more nitpicking complaints I have as well. Firstly, I would like to see a bit more development of some of the other side characters in the next book (mainly Breeze, Ham, Clubs, Spook and also Elend to be honest etc.) They definitely had some development, but not as much as Sazed or some of the main characters have, and I didn't really feel that connected to any of them.
Next would be there is a definite lack of other women in the book that aren't Vin - a complaint I've seen brought up a few times that I think is important, however I know that Sanderson has recognised and agreed with this criticism and improved on this in his later books. My last nitpick is definitely something you can choose to ignore, but that I also saw brought up by another reviewer. Sanderson has a bit of a habit with using a couple of adjectives / adverbs (that aren't used often) but repeating them several times (which becomes kind of noticeable). AKA: the words 'maladroitly', 'idly' etc. were repeated pretty often which was a little bit annoying but eh.
Right now, lets get on to some spoilers (AND THERE ARE SOME MAJOR ONES - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!)
And that's where we move on to the big elephant in the room: Kelsier's death!!
I can't remember where I had been spoiled for Kelsier's death, I probably heard it on youtube somewhere, but I thought it wouldn't matter because I thought I would have forgotten before I finished it. I think this may have somewhat impacted my enjoyment, as I probably would have found this much more impactful and emotional if I hadn't already known about it. However, I think his death made me sad by just the fact that Kelsier doesn't even try to fight the Lord Ruler, he just lets himself be killed, and I agreed with Vin at first, it did feel like a betrayal. Kelsier had planned this from the start, but let Vin get close to him anyway. It also makes him more morally grey in some ways I think, because Kelsier does end up being the new 'God', worshipped by everyone, just as the rest of the crew had been fearing for the entire book. Kelsier had the potential to go bad, and I thought that some of the diary entries were actually from his point of view. This could have been an interesting story line, but I am glad that Kelsier does end up dying for the 'greater good', despite the fact that he is my favourite character (I literally can't express how much I like Kelsier as a character).
I think my comments here also bring into question whether Kelsier acts for the 'greater good' and if he actually loves his frinds, or whether his actions are all selfish. To some extent Kelsier definitely acts selfishly in some situations. There are also instance like when the army are being killed by the Garrison (I think) and Vin stops him. Readers are left to question whether Kelsier actually cares for these men or if he just wants to further his own reputation by saving everyone. After thinking about this quite extensively, I think I did underestimate Kelsier: the guilt he feels after this, the genuine care he seems to show for Vin (when she is abused by Camon, or when she is stabbed, or even after his death in the letter) to me confirm that he does genuinely care, however his ego often gets in the way.
You know, I think the most disturbing thing from this book for me was actually the kandra (they made me feel a bit sick to be honest) despite some of the other violence. That chapter after Kelsier dies, where it has become him and skulking around in the shadows with his body. That was spooky.
I also think I am coming to like Marsh as well, and I was surprised that he came back as an inquisitor (although again, this time it was my fault, I got spoiled for Marsh still being alive, as well as the Lord Ruler being a furechemist (sorry can't remember how to spell that one) and an allomancer.)
Quick mention to Elend and Vin. A lot of people dislike the romance (or so I've heard), and I do like Elend and Vin and don't think it was *that* insta-lovey. I think Vin has more of a crush on him at first to be honest, and they just flirt for most of it. I liked their relationship, but I also don't think it was really that well developed, or that they really had much 'chemistry', and I think Elend was a bit of a flat and kind of underdeveloped character. I would say Sanderson is generally thought not to be strong at writing romance, however I think the romance in Skyward was one of my favourites (so far) and I don't know about the other books.
I should probably wrap this up now. In general, I really enjoyed Mistborn, especially the world building and magic system and Vin and Kelsier's relationship. I wanted better pacing (but maybe I just struggled because I am an adult fantasy newbie and I 'don't understand the complexities... yada yada yada'. I'm glad I stopped putting this off and finally delved in to this, and I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy and some of his other books (Warbreaker looks brilliant!) I rate this first installment 4 stars!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Genocide, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: Vomit
There is quite a bit of violence, blood, and death, but Sanderson doesn't focus on this particularly and doesn't glamourise or make it overly gory (this is coming from a 15 year old who is really bad with gore). There were one or two parts I just skimmed slightly because they were a tad much for me. There is no explicit sexual content, but there are many mentions of skaa women being 'bedded' or raped by noblemen then killed after. Again, this is only mentions and there is nothing explicit here. Language is mainly fine, (for those concerned) with the odd 'bloody hell' and 'bastard' once or twice.annikareads_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Torture, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
Minor: Child death
kashby's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, Violence, and War
Minor: Alcohol, Child death, Child abuse, Gore, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
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
zoe_archambault's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I was a bit hesitant going into it, but I absolutely loved it. Didn't get a 5 star cus the cast was really not that diverse and mr sanderson as a white man doesn't need any more help tbh
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Slavery
Minor: Sexual assault, Abandonment, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape
slavery of lower-class people within this world, not based on racemymumwouldbeproud_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I shall never know peace. I had a fucking mental breakdown after part 4 and still read part 5 while uncontrollably weeping.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Death, Cursing, and Slavery
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual assault
burnedstory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
This is a longer book than I'm used to but it was a good read and not worth the hype it gets.
One thing I absolutely hate about the book is that it dropped so many subplots, which had a lot conviction. Another thing is, some scenes at the moment I read them seem fine but afterwards when I think about them, they are the biggest wtf, like they don't make sense at all.
One of the biggest wtf moment for me was Kelsier's death. It wasn't that he died that didn't make sense to me but the way it was written is completely absurd. The ruler or God as they call him would never do such a thing (atleast i don't think he should) it's petty and lazy of the writer to write it that way.
There is not a lot of character development. The characters are lovable but not layered, kind of cliché but not too much.
Some things don't make sense at all, they are downright absurd, they would make sense if their was more explanation about them instead of excruciatingly long fight scenes.
To summarise, an average, medium-paced read. If you are ok with not a lot of focus on character development then you could consider picking it up. Too many incomplete storylines (Yes, I know thay there are two more books but some storylines should have finished in this one only). Would not consider re-reading it.
One thing I absolutely hate about the book is that it dropped so many subplots, which had a lot conviction. Another thing is, some scenes at the moment I read them seem fine but afterwards when I think about them, they are the biggest wtf, like they don't make sense at all.
There is not a lot of character development. The characters are lovable but not layered, kind of cliché but not too much.
Some things don't make sense at all, they are downright absurd, they would make sense if their was more explanation about them instead of excruciatingly long fight scenes.
To summarise, an average, medium-paced read. If you are ok with not a lot of focus on character development then you could consider picking it up. Too many incomplete storylines (Yes, I know thay there are two more books but some storylines should have finished in this one only). Would not consider re-reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual assault and Death of parent
looking4thedr's review
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
andreia's review
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