Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

19 reviews

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: Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Slavery, Police brutality, Physical abuse, War, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Violence, Torture, Child death, Ableism, and Abandonment

Minor: Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Grief, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Genocide, Mental illness, Sexism, War, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, and Toxic friendship

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.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Murder

Minor: Mental illness and Rape

mkaiww's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

My first Brandon Sanderson book and I ended up reading the entire cosmere up to that point back to back

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Blood, Murder, War, Death, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Rape, Death of parent, and Trafficking

Additional cw for religious abuse

altbinx's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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: Abandonment, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Gore, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Child abuse, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Rape

caitlinkm's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-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

3.75

Lots of effort put into magic system and physics behind it. Story set up for some detailed world building likely in later books. Subplots fed into main plot nicely. Would be interested in more female characters (barely passed the Bechdel test) and a more well rounded protagonist.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, and Police brutality

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Torture, Grief, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Blood, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Mental illness, and War

strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious 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? No

5.0

I loved this book. I have been scared to start Brandon Sanderson’s cosmere books but this was so good! I can’t wait to read the other two books in the trilogy. This book was written in a way that if you ignore the epilogue it could be a stand alone so there isn’t much pressure in starting it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, War, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, and Infidelity

Minor: Mental illness, Misogyny, Cursing, and Torture

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.

---

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.

---

Content Warnings

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

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

Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual violence

seanml's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An enjoyable fantasy novel, and one that I understand the immense popularity of. Sanderson's writing feels fast paced and easily followable. The world is fleshed out and of course there is the magic system, which is the series' principal selling point. Much of the plot focuses on the interactions of this magic system though, and sometimes entire scenes will be dedicated to explaining why a sudden plan works. It means most of the plot is airtight, but the trade-off is that other things don't get the same attention. The setting is a familiar one that we've all seen before - the elite rule over the inferior masses, and only the special few can save them. It's a recognizable structure, but that doesn't at all mean it's bad or poorly done. I liked all of the characters, though I can't say I loved any one. Hopefully the sequels can fix that! 8/10.

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Genocide, Mental illness, Blood, and War

Minor: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Abandonment, and Stalking

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. 

---

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