Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

20 reviews

emma_pemma's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Slavery, Murder, Body horror, and Torture

Minor: Death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Death of parent, Genocide, and Sexism

boglord's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Slavery, Torture, Violence, War, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, and Genocide

Moderate: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child death and Vomit

kirbylover16's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny slow-paced

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

4.75

After years of people telling me to read a Brandon Sanderson book and the whole Kickstarter fiasco, I have finally got around to it. Thus this is my first book ever by Sanderson; I don't know how this book score could change based on the rest of the series or the rest of the Cosmere. (yet) My overall feeling is mixed. It was a good read, and I did relate to the main character, Vin. Most of my problems are just nitpicks and my preferences for faster, more romantic, and shorter stories. However, the plot suffers from a very repetitive and slow style that can really be insufferable.
Vin is practically illiterate, as are most skaa, and it comes off quirky? Especially with Vin and Spook, and that rubs me wrong. The whole free will theme and religious tones are huge turnoffs. (apparently, Sanderson is a Mormon) Vin's mentor Kelsior is supposed to be charming, but he's not. He got worse as the story goes. Maybe I'm biased tho? Every mentor, grandfather/or father figure in media tends to be manipulative.

his fight dragged on way too long. When Vin and Elend showed up, I thought it would finally end, but nope it dragged some more.

I am more invested in all the other characters. Which there are too many. I kept going back and forth on if I liked Sazed but I think I warmed up to him. 
 What made me want to read this book was the idea that the prophetic hero fails and the evil rules, but that's all in the background. The bad guy won centuries ago! We slowly get the hero's journal, but the story would be the same without it. (shorter at least) The better description is a magical heist with politics and slavery thrown in. I enjoyed the romance and sexual tension, but I don't think he met latter.

even tho there are not many interactions between Elend and Vin or Spook. The sexual tension I meant with Ham and Bree. Perhaps he realized that in the editing phase, and that's why towards the end, they make Ham have an off-scene wife and kids he hasn't seen in months. :(

The world-building is the best part of the book. For example, the different ways metal and magic interact, the flying by dropping coins, and people looking like hellraisers walking around. The last 20% is fantastic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Abandonment, and Body horror

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, and War

Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

There isn't really any sex/skin, just one brief kiss described, some mentions of rape, whore houses, and underage sex. Vin does run around in boys' clothes and in her undergarments. Mostly for comic effect. Also, mental health/postpartum depression/suicide as Vin's mother kills her baby sibling and herself. Oh, and lots of murder, which we get to see very graphically. A shocking amount of beheading.

monica98's review

adventurous emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexism, and Abandonment

Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

delfinmac's review

adventurous dark hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Classism, Grief, Murder, Torture, Abandonment, Blood, Death, and Slavery

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and War

poppyersej's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror and Violence

Minor: Sexism

margueritestjust's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense 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

5.0

This book felt like it melted my brain a little, in a good way.  I haven't read much of recent adult fantasy, and this was an amazing introduction to it!  My friend Ashley convinced me to read this book, and I'm so glad that she did!

This book is really interesting, because Sanderson has a very plain writing style, but this is not a bad thing and it doesn't mean that he's not a skilled writer (I did give this book 5 stars, after all).  His writing style is very reminiscent to me of the way that literary short story writers approach their craft.  Sanderson creates such a vivid world and vivid characters, and manages to evoke a wide range of emotions from his readers.  His strength lies in his specificity, both in his character work and his world work, but most especially his magic system.  He writes fantasy in a very realistic lens, which I appreciate and commend.

I loved Kelsier (another my type character for the books, lads), and I was really invested in his backstory and in what he represented thematically. 

  Also I will freely admit that I cried when he had died.  I didn't quite believe that he had, but the letters that he left for Vin?   “Remember to smile” and “I’ll tell Mare about you.  She always wanted a daughter." legit had me in tears

  I think Vin is really well developed through the course of the story, which was so nice to read.  She and Kelsier manage to be dual protagonists that equally hold their own, and watching the way that she grows was honestly a wonderful journey.  I loved all of the crew, especially Marsh (

When I thought he had died I was honestly so upset.  And then it turned out he was made into an Inquisitor?  It didn't ease the pain of Kelsier dying but it did help to significantly buoy my spirits.

)  

Also, I was fully on board the Elend and Vin train!  They were so adorable and honestly, I hadn't been expecting a romance at all in this book, but I wasn't mad about it.  The first time they met, I was immediately interested in their dynamic and chemistry, and that just lasted for the entire rest of the book.  

Sanderson also created a wonderful ending. 

  The reveal that the Lord Ruler wasn't the hero that had failed but instead was the one who had hated him was honestly not what I had been expecting.  But I think even more unexpected and surprising was the reveal that Reen had died trying to protect Vin, even when he sad that everyone would betray her.  It doesn't excuse who he was as a person, but it added complexity once again to this world.

  Sanderson really has a wonderful way of making everything come together during the final act of the story, and revealing new things in a way that is unexpected but makes total sense within the story that he's created.  

I would definitely say that this book is darker and more tense than I had been expecting, but perhaps that's just me in my first foray into the genre.  A lot of the plot is character-based - especially during the long con that they set up - but things quickly pick up during the middle to end of the story, and it doesn't really ever stop.  I definitely will be reading a romcom or two after this.  But I can't wait to continue on with the series and check out other things that Sanderson has done!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gore, and Death

Moderate: Sexism, Torture, and Grief

Minor: Rape and Adult/minor relationship

Execution and prison labor camps feature heavily, especially beheadings. There are also many times where corpses are described graphically.

blynecessity's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.25

Y'all, this read felt reeeal tone-deaf when it came to the topics of poverty and dealing with trauma. Also, very clunky writing. And why was there basically one woman in this whole book? Outside of random socialites, a couple of unnamed maids, and a girl who was about to be assaulted (who was also not named, just referred to as so-and-so's child), there are basically no women in this book. And the main woman was inexplicably and instantly in love with a mediocre and kinda rude man, who btw was a 21 years old to her 16 years old. Anywaaaayyy, non-noble women also seem to have almost no role in society aside from literally popping out "a dozen children"??? Where were they all the rest of the time?? Every background character seemed to be a man, and (with one exception) every foreground character was a man too. I just did not love this book, tbh. Maybe this was really progressive to the cis-het white men who were looking to expand their grimdark fantasy reads when it first came out, but this has nooot aged well!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Death of parent, Infidelity, Stalking, and Trafficking

gracecrandall's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Torture

lucimolri's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful reflective tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Trafficking, and Violence