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A review by nataliestorozhenko
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
4.0
This book is quite different from "The Way of Kings." TWoK set a high standard for me also being the first book in the series, which made it challenging for this book to live up to that. It took me a while to get absorbed in the world of Scadriel. The world is a complete contrast to the vibrant and well-developed world of Roshar. The main setting of the book is Luthadel, a dark city covered in ash and soot, with mist that supposedly contains mystical creatures called mistwraiths. The buildings are spiked to prevent ashes from piling up on rooftops, and the architecture includes huge spear-like keeps with stained glass windows. If not for the writing, the setting could almost have a gothic feel. The streets are full of dying and starving people from the oppressed skaa nation. The premise is almost urban in a way. The world-building does not introduce many new aspects; we can see that fashion resembles something similar to the Victorian era, people use wristwatches, drink ale, noblemen go to balls, and customs are similar to ones we already know. Overall, it is evident that this is an earlier work of Sanderson.
However, the magic system in this book is amazing. It's one of the best I've ever seen. In this book, we are introduced to two magic systems: Allomancy and Feruchemy. But I already know that it's not all. I loved every aspect of it, the logic, the variety, and the abilities. The Ironpulling and Steelpushing used in a way to essentially fly like Spiderman was a genius idea. And the fact that it is all based on burning metals fits perfectly with the aesthetics of this world associated with smoke and ash. So, Metallic Arts is the main strength of this series, and it's an absolute blast.
The characters' work was beautiful, although I must confess that I did not feel the same emotional connection to them as other Sanderson characters. However, I loved Vin the most. Her background of constant abuse and abandonment has led to a personality with a lot of trust issues, hopelessness, and a constant desire to isolate and hide in the shadows. The person we encounter at the end of the book is vastly different from the one we meet in the beginning, and I loved it. The romance subplot showcased her character too - she's not a person of extremes, unlike Kelsier. She does not categorize people according to their status and nation but tries to discern something good in both noblemen and skaa. I also loved Kelsier; sometimes, he can be annoying and arrogant with his positivity, but it's hard to overlook the sacrifices he made to overthrow the Lord Ruler and raise the nation that has long been beaten down and oppressed. Honorable mentions are Sazed and Elend, and I look forward to learning more about them in the next books. And yes, it's undoubtedly a found family trope situation, and I'm here for it.
"Belief isn't simply a thing for fair times and bright days, I think. What is belief —what is faith—if you don't continue in it after failure? Anyone can believe in someone, or something, that always succeeds, Mistress. But failure... ah, now, that is hard to believe in, certainly and truly. Difficult enough to have value, I think."
The plot is essentially about a wake amidst the rebellion of the skaa nation that lost to the abusive power of Lord Ruler for thousands of years. The way the skaa are treated is very similar to parshmen; they are servants and slaves, worked to death by taskmasters and lords. But the way our main characters plan to defeat the tyranny is more like planning a massive heist. That's where the writing failed me a little, and those somewhat stiff dialogues and actions regarding the planning were not very interesting to me. I mostly enjoyed following Kelsier and Vin in training, their fighting scenes, Valette's part as a spy with the nobles, and of course, the ending sequence.
I absolutely enjoyed this book and the world presented in it and will read the next book right away. However, I cannot rate it five stars. It was super entertaining, but I did not connect to it as strongly as TWoK. These four stars are different from the other four stars I usually give out to books because I can't help but see it as part of The Cosmere and compare it against "The Stormlight Archive," and it is a massive competition.
P.S. HOID WAS HERE
However, the magic system in this book is amazing. It's one of the best I've ever seen. In this book, we are introduced to two magic systems: Allomancy and Feruchemy. But I already know that it's not all. I loved every aspect of it, the logic, the variety, and the abilities. The Ironpulling and Steelpushing used in a way to essentially fly like Spiderman was a genius idea. And the fact that it is all based on burning metals fits perfectly with the aesthetics of this world associated with smoke and ash. So, Metallic Arts is the main strength of this series, and it's an absolute blast.
The characters' work was beautiful, although I must confess that I did not feel the same emotional connection to them as other Sanderson characters. However, I loved Vin the most. Her background of constant abuse and abandonment has led to a personality with a lot of trust issues, hopelessness, and a constant desire to isolate and hide in the shadows. The person we encounter at the end of the book is vastly different from the one we meet in the beginning, and I loved it. The romance subplot showcased her character too - she's not a person of extremes, unlike Kelsier. She does not categorize people according to their status and nation but tries to discern something good in both noblemen and skaa. I also loved Kelsier; sometimes, he can be annoying and arrogant with his positivity, but it's hard to overlook the sacrifices he made to overthrow the Lord Ruler and raise the nation that has long been beaten down and oppressed. Honorable mentions are Sazed and Elend, and I look forward to learning more about them in the next books. And yes, it's undoubtedly a found family trope situation, and I'm here for it.
"Belief isn't simply a thing for fair times and bright days, I think. What is belief —what is faith—if you don't continue in it after failure? Anyone can believe in someone, or something, that always succeeds, Mistress. But failure... ah, now, that is hard to believe in, certainly and truly. Difficult enough to have value, I think."
The plot is essentially about a wake amidst the rebellion of the skaa nation that lost to the abusive power of Lord Ruler for thousands of years. The way the skaa are treated is very similar to parshmen; they are servants and slaves, worked to death by taskmasters and lords. But the way our main characters plan to defeat the tyranny is more like planning a massive heist. That's where the writing failed me a little, and those somewhat stiff dialogues and actions regarding the planning were not very interesting to me. I mostly enjoyed following Kelsier and Vin in training, their fighting scenes, Valette's part as a spy with the nobles, and of course, the ending sequence.
I absolutely enjoyed this book and the world presented in it and will read the next book right away. However, I cannot rate it five stars. It was super entertaining, but I did not connect to it as strongly as TWoK. These four stars are different from the other four stars I usually give out to books because I can't help but see it as part of The Cosmere and compare it against "The Stormlight Archive," and it is a massive competition.
P.S. HOID WAS HERE