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A review by jayseejewel
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
5.0
9/10
A really immersive read with enough mystery in its worldbuilding to keep me coming back for more
Pros:
- The magic system is great. It's explained in a way that's easy to understand and the fight scenes feel insanely cinematic
- The worldbuilding was my favorite part, as questions were answered and led to even more, deeper questions about the world, people in it, and history of the setting. It was the main reason I got through the third book
- Characters are solid. I didn't love anybody in it but they were good enough to keep me in suspense when they were in trouble
- I loved the villain in this the most out of the three. His reputation preceded him and when he did show up, he lived up to it
- I like that the story had a conclusion and felt self-contained but left room for later stories
Cons:
- I noticed throughout all three books that filler was a bit of an issue. It wasn't a deal breaker but I do think the books should have been shorter. I know he's famous for his long books but for me, longer doesn't always mean better if things feel dragged out at points. This was more of an issue for the later books, though
- (spoilers) I don't like that the mentor's death became somewhat meaningless with his sequel add-on where it turned out he didn't completely die. His story felt nicely wrapped up so I was annoyed that he was brought back
- The MC could be annoying at times (whiny, going against her established backstory. Don't tell me a character is shy and good at navigating around social situations, then have her constantly speak up and counter people when the setting established she wouldn't do so). This issue disappeared in the second and third books, luckily
Overall: A really immersive and fun story that sticks with me even a year later.
A really immersive read with enough mystery in its worldbuilding to keep me coming back for more
Pros:
- The magic system is great. It's explained in a way that's easy to understand and the fight scenes feel insanely cinematic
- The worldbuilding was my favorite part, as questions were answered and led to even more, deeper questions about the world, people in it, and history of the setting. It was the main reason I got through the third book
- Characters are solid. I didn't love anybody in it but they were good enough to keep me in suspense when they were in trouble
- I loved the villain in this the most out of the three. His reputation preceded him and when he did show up, he lived up to it
- I like that the story had a conclusion and felt self-contained but left room for later stories
Cons:
- I noticed throughout all three books that filler was a bit of an issue. It wasn't a deal breaker but I do think the books should have been shorter. I know he's famous for his long books but for me, longer doesn't always mean better if things feel dragged out at points. This was more of an issue for the later books, though
- (spoilers) I don't like that the mentor's death became somewhat meaningless with his sequel add-on where it turned out he didn't completely die. His story felt nicely wrapped up so I was annoyed that he was brought back
- The MC could be annoying at times (whiny, going against her established backstory. Don't tell me a character is shy and good at navigating around social situations, then have her constantly speak up and counter people when the setting established she wouldn't do so). This issue disappeared in the second and third books, luckily
Overall: A really immersive and fun story that sticks with me even a year later.