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A review by sueread2030
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The following is a conversation between Me if I read Mistborn in 2006 and Me when I read it in 2024
Me-in-2006: Oh My God! This is the best fantasy ever! Vin is such a badass!
Me-in-2024: Meh!
Me-in-2006: What do you mean Meh??? This is amazing! I have never read anything like it! The magic system, the world-building, the character development, the Good vs Evil theme, the….
Me-in-2024: All right! Let me stop you right there. I agree that the magic system is nothing I've seen before. As a matter of fact, it is the best thing about the book. It shows cleverness and originality. But the building is lacking, and many things are left open-ended, probably it is a trilogy and we are supposed to know more when we continue reading them. Character development??? Where? They are the same from page one to the end! And I would understand the Good vs Evil theme if I understood the Evil part. We get nothing about the Lord Ruler except for what Kelsier and Vin tell us. If you asked me, the Heads of the Noble Houses were the true Oppressors.
Me-in-2006: But, But, it had a female protagonist which I haven’t seen a lot in fantasy before. And there was romance 💜💜💜
Me-in-2024 (rolling eyes): seriously! Up until p:588 Vin’s role in the sequence of events was uninfluential. Take her POV away and give it to anyone else, or just make the book from Kelsier's sole POV and nothing would change. She was like Indian Jones, just there to create a false sense of importance. Like tell me one thing she did that was significant! She was practically handed out everything at the end. AND THE ROMANCE??? WHAT ROMANCE? She gets, what! Like 3 pages worth of time with Elend and fell madly in love with him to risk it all and him to go after her!!!! Brandon Sanderson should stick to writing Male characters. Just you wait sweety! Better fantasy books with female leads will come up.
So here are the questions I asked myself, should I review this for a book published in 2006 and preceded many better, structured fantasies? Or review it based on its ongoing status as one of the best fantasies of the 21st century so far?
I think I’ll play the devil’s advocate here and go with how I perceived this book while reading it
And please note that I annotated the shit out of this book. I went into descriptions, and information, and characters, and events….tabbed from above, side, corners and side. So, just know that I bring receipts.
Let’s start with the positives
1- The magic system was outstanding. It was nothing I’ve ever read before. The closest I can think of is the one in Babel by RF Kuang, but since BS came way before Kuang, he gets the credit. Using the metals to manipulate outside and inside powers was craftly done. I am thankful for the glossary at the end. It saved me from doing my own journal on what copper or pewter or iron does. I also appreciated the slow introduction of every power each metal did. This made me enjoy the battle scenes. I was like “ooh he’ll use iron now, or burn copper”
2- Kelsier, by far, was the most interesting character in the book. He is charming, strong, knowledgeable, cunning, and schemer, but above all morally grey. You get immediately the hurt that lurks underneath.
”Sometimes we need to to do things that we find distasteful, Ham. Plots behind plots. Plans beyond plans. There was always another secret”
With Kelsier, Sazed is the opposite of him. He is the sound of reason. The Keeper of all knowledge. I liked the overprotectiveness he developed for Vin, almost like a father.
And that’s it! I didn’t care one bit for the other characters.
What I did not like or enjoyed
1- Vin was a plant. And I don’t mean that in the way that she was a literal spy. I mean that she had the personality of a plant. Was she the prototype for Bella Swan? The petite, fragile, brunette? I don’t know. She was “Wow is me! Everyone leaves me! No one loves me”. At one point she says ”If you let someone get close to you, it will only hurt more when they betray you Three times in one page!
The story was progressing and all the while I was asking myself, “what is her purpose? Why is she there?” I get that she is a Mistborn and that Kelsier was training her. But nothing she did brought anything to the plot. They put her to spy and she failed to produce anything significant. And the one time something important came up, she held the information because SHE FELL IN LOVE! She gets this AHA moment right around page 600, and even then she needs someone to help her.
I didn’t understand her character or her background. We don’t know who her brother was, as a character I mean. We don’t know why he was abusive to her but chose to sacrifice his life for her! We don’t know why her mother was mad or how she came with a relationship with Vin’s father. She had Reen, then got with Vin’s father, then she got with another man while being mad and had a girl whom she killed. OK, and this served the plot how? Was I supposed to feel sorry for Vin??? Well it didn’t
2- The plot itself was lacking. You were built up from the beginning that an epic battle was going to happen. Half the book was Vin attending balls and an insignificant storyline that led to nowhere. Then suddenly you are surprised with a POV switch to Elend, which brought nothing, and a character named Wilan, who is that????? The conflict between Vin and that lady whom I forgot her name reminded me of Catfights between two women over a guy in romances. Also, many characters and scenes were done to give you the sense that they are important only for Sanderson to cut them short. This Yeden fellow probably will have a hand in the final scheme of things! Oh look! He’s dead. We gathered almost 10,000 skaas for our army. Huh! Dead also! We are going to gather all the atium! There are none! The Eleventh Metal will destroy the Lord Ruler. No it didn’t !!
3- Did you know that there are tens of posts of Tiktok discussing the enemies to loves trope in Mistborn? I kid you not. Someone please explain to me the significance of having Vin fall in love with Elend? Don’t say “wait for the 2nd book”, I don’t care. I want this book
4- The “White Savior” Syndrom was so blinding in this book you cannot miss it
Kelsier with his tall, blond blue eyes and smartness comes to rescue the Skaa from their submissive mundane oppressed life caused by other whites. He even sacrifices himself for them and from his sacrifice they rise because, you know, they needed to see the White Survivor to acknowledge that their life is shit and they should fight back.
”This is how he is! he loves people. loves the Skaa, but it's more like the love of a parent for a child than it's like the love of a man for his equals”
5- With all the hyped-up God-like power given to the Lord Ruler, you would expect to have this epic battle and worthy ending. But we get the Lord of the Rings ending. Throw in the ring in the fire and the Evil Eye Sauron controlling the world for years will perish
So you’re telling me all you had to do, was remove the Lord Ruler’s bracelets and he’ll be Mother Gothel? Huh!
6- What else? The writing was ok. It wasn’t complex. Nothing special. I think it was intended for all ages to read this book. The dialogues were uninteresting. As a matter of fact, Sanderson tried to introduce humor to conversations by some of the characters but they were bland. The quotes were very minimal.
Overall, what I enjoyed most about this Urban Fantasy is the magic system. Would I continue the second book? Probably. I am curious to see if there would be more explanations.
Me-in-2006: Oh My God! This is the best fantasy ever! Vin is such a badass!
Me-in-2024: Meh!
Me-in-2006: What do you mean Meh??? This is amazing! I have never read anything like it! The magic system, the world-building, the character development, the Good vs Evil theme, the….
Me-in-2024: All right! Let me stop you right there. I agree that the magic system is nothing I've seen before. As a matter of fact, it is the best thing about the book. It shows cleverness and originality. But the building is lacking, and many things are left open-ended, probably it is a trilogy and we are supposed to know more when we continue reading them. Character development??? Where? They are the same from page one to the end! And I would understand the Good vs Evil theme if I understood the Evil part. We get nothing about the Lord Ruler except for what Kelsier and Vin tell us. If you asked me, the Heads of the Noble Houses were the true Oppressors.
Me-in-2006: But, But, it had a female protagonist which I haven’t seen a lot in fantasy before. And there was romance 💜💜💜
Me-in-2024 (rolling eyes): seriously! Up until p:588 Vin’s role in the sequence of events was uninfluential. Take her POV away and give it to anyone else, or just make the book from Kelsier's sole POV and nothing would change. She was like Indian Jones, just there to create a false sense of importance. Like tell me one thing she did that was significant! She was practically handed out everything at the end. AND THE ROMANCE??? WHAT ROMANCE? She gets, what! Like 3 pages worth of time with Elend and fell madly in love with him to risk it all and him to go after her!!!! Brandon Sanderson should stick to writing Male characters. Just you wait sweety! Better fantasy books with female leads will come up.
So here are the questions I asked myself, should I review this for a book published in 2006 and preceded many better, structured fantasies? Or review it based on its ongoing status as one of the best fantasies of the 21st century so far?
I think I’ll play the devil’s advocate here and go with how I perceived this book while reading it
And please note that I annotated the shit out of this book. I went into descriptions, and information, and characters, and events….tabbed from above, side, corners and side. So, just know that I bring receipts.
Let’s start with the positives
1- The magic system was outstanding. It was nothing I’ve ever read before. The closest I can think of is the one in Babel by RF Kuang, but since BS came way before Kuang, he gets the credit. Using the metals to manipulate outside and inside powers was craftly done. I am thankful for the glossary at the end. It saved me from doing my own journal on what copper or pewter or iron does. I also appreciated the slow introduction of every power each metal did. This made me enjoy the battle scenes. I was like “ooh he’ll use iron now, or burn copper”
2- Kelsier, by far, was the most interesting character in the book. He is charming, strong, knowledgeable, cunning, and schemer, but above all morally grey. You get immediately the hurt that lurks underneath.
”Sometimes we need to to do things that we find distasteful, Ham. Plots behind plots. Plans beyond plans. There was always another secret”
With Kelsier, Sazed is the opposite of him. He is the sound of reason. The Keeper of all knowledge. I liked the overprotectiveness he developed for Vin, almost like a father.
And that’s it! I didn’t care one bit for the other characters.
What I did not like or enjoyed
1- Vin was a plant. And I don’t mean that in the way that she was a literal spy. I mean that she had the personality of a plant. Was she the prototype for Bella Swan? The petite, fragile, brunette? I don’t know. She was “Wow is me! Everyone leaves me! No one loves me”. At one point she says ”If you let someone get close to you, it will only hurt more when they betray you Three times in one page!
The story was progressing and all the while I was asking myself, “what is her purpose? Why is she there?” I get that she is a Mistborn and that Kelsier was training her. But nothing she did brought anything to the plot. They put her to spy and she failed to produce anything significant. And the one time something important came up, she held the information because SHE FELL IN LOVE! She gets this AHA moment right around page 600, and even then she needs someone to help her.
I didn’t understand her character or her background. We don’t know who her brother was, as a character I mean. We don’t know why he was abusive to her but chose to sacrifice his life for her! We don’t know why her mother was mad or how she came with a relationship with Vin’s father. She had Reen, then got with Vin’s father, then she got with another man while being mad and had a girl whom she killed. OK, and this served the plot how? Was I supposed to feel sorry for Vin??? Well it didn’t
2- The plot itself was lacking. You were built up from the beginning that an epic battle was going to happen. Half the book was Vin attending balls and an insignificant storyline that led to nowhere. Then suddenly you are surprised with a POV switch to Elend, which brought nothing, and a character named Wilan, who is that????? The conflict between Vin and that lady whom I forgot her name reminded me of Catfights between two women over a guy in romances. Also, many characters and scenes were done to give you the sense that they are important only for Sanderson to cut them short. This Yeden fellow probably will have a hand in the final scheme of things! Oh look! He’s dead. We gathered almost 10,000 skaas for our army. Huh! Dead also! We are going to gather all the atium! There are none! The Eleventh Metal will destroy the Lord Ruler. No it didn’t !!
3- Did you know that there are tens of posts of Tiktok discussing the enemies to loves trope in Mistborn? I kid you not. Someone please explain to me the significance of having Vin fall in love with Elend? Don’t say “wait for the 2nd book”, I don’t care. I want this book
4- The “White Savior” Syndrom was so blinding in this book you cannot miss it
Kelsier with his tall, blond blue eyes and smartness comes to rescue the Skaa from their submissive mundane oppressed life caused by other whites. He even sacrifices himself for them and from his sacrifice they rise because, you know, they needed to see the White Survivor to acknowledge that their life is shit and they should fight back.
”This is how he is! he loves people. loves the Skaa, but it's more like the love of a parent for a child than it's like the love of a man for his equals”
5- With all the hyped-up God-like power given to the Lord Ruler, you would expect to have this epic battle and worthy ending. But we get the Lord of the Rings ending. Throw in the ring in the fire and the Evil Eye Sauron controlling the world for years will perish
So you’re telling me all you had to do, was remove the Lord Ruler’s bracelets and he’ll be Mother Gothel? Huh!
6- What else? The writing was ok. It wasn’t complex. Nothing special. I think it was intended for all ages to read this book. The dialogues were uninteresting. As a matter of fact, Sanderson tried to introduce humor to conversations by some of the characters but they were bland. The quotes were very minimal.
Overall, what I enjoyed most about this Urban Fantasy is the magic system. Would I continue the second book? Probably. I am curious to see if there would be more explanations.