Seth Wright

A nice expansion to the world of Mistborn. Westerns are a genre I don’t have a lot of experience with, therefore I found this a very fun and engaging read.

What a trilogy.

What I expected vastly paled in comparison to what Sanderson delivered. Each book in this trilogy expanded the world, mythos, characters and stakes in reasonable but exciting ways.

I am heartbroken but satisfied with how Mistborn Era 1 concluded. Our friends do indeed deserve their rest.

Wow.

This book had pacing issues, and even more annoyingly, a big miscommunication trope. However, the last 30% or so saved it for me.

Sanderson continues to deepen the world and establish new and compelling mysteries, while growing his characters in exciting ways. I was hesitant about continuing about halfway through this book, but I’m certainly bought in now.

As an introduction to Brandon Sanderson, I had higher hopes for this book than I think I would have admitted at first. While my final, immediate impressions are not as glowing as I would have expected, I feel very much that Mistborn is an excellent introduction to the potential of a Brandon Sanderson book more than anything else.

Sanderson’s strongest element in this book is, understandably, his magical system. Allomancy is a fascinating concept, one that, if not for the feudal setting of Mistborn, could be right at home among a science-fiction setting. The more you delve into Allomancy in Mistborn, the more you realize that there’s still a lot Sanderson is not revealing which is an immensely satisfying realization. Indeed, a large appeal in continuing this series, for me, would be the discovery of more Allomantic abilities.

The Sanderlanche is not to be underestimated either. I was not expecting to finish 40% of this book tonight, but here we are. Other writers that I have enjoyed in recent years have a similar style or pacing to their third act structure that captivates me, and I was not immune to that pull from Mistborn.

My biggest complaints are in the form of the character work. I like everyone, but I am not enthralled by any character in this book. Vin suffers from “woman written by a man” syndrome, and that leaves everyone else save Kelsier woefully underdeveloped. I want more, and hope there is more to look forward to in the following books.

There it is! First Brando Sando in the log. More to come.

A clear, grounded, science fantasy world with an absolutely stellar twist that left me excited to see what comes next.

I read this book as a media exchange with a friend of mine, and after my wife DNFed it I was not expecting much. Instead, what I got was a story with an intriguing and compelling cast of characters, a unique world, a very well crafted hard magic system, and a story that kept me entertained from the first page to the last.

This book feels like other YA dystopian novels in the genre, while establishing its own unique perspective and conflict. It comes highly recommended by fans of Red Rising, and I both understand and agree.

4 stars, excited to see where the series goes.