Year of Cosmere discussion
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Mistborn
Mistborn: The Final Empire
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Believers in a Forgotten World - END OF BOOK DISCUSSION
I want to give this book ten out of five stars and I am sure I have never felt as strongly about a book. It is just one of those moments when you can't get over how amazing something was and you are left sitting there dumbfounded.
Everything about this book is perfect, even if I point out anything it is for the simple sake of trying to find something to comment on.
I will definitely continue on with the series and I will try to cool off and not jump straight onto the next book. But then again I hadn't planned on reading this one in three days, especially before the read-along even started, but no regrets!
After Kelsier died I succumbed to a feeling for a while that I didn't actually care about anyone else, but then everything was well reasoned and explained and I snapped out of it and couldn't wait to see what would happen with the others.
The plot twists have surprised me so many times I stopped thinking about what will happen next, because I fail at that. I even believed for a second Vin would actually not come back to Elend at the end, while hesitating on the roof. Nonsense! :D
The fights were incredibly intense, my favourite ones were the very first fight with the steel inquisitors and then the fight with Shan.
I can't wait until everyone else reads this.
Diana wrote: "I want to give this book ten out of five stars and I am sure I have never felt as strongly about a book. It is just one of those moments when you can't get over how amazing something was and you a..."
Haha! So glad you loved it. This is one of my all-time favourite books. I've just re-read it for perhaps the 15th time, and I did spot something new (which is Cosmere related) so that's always a bonus!
Here is my video review if anyone wants to check it out: http://youtu.be/bx-F9ssZ5IAWritten review: http://commontouchoffantasy.com/book-...
I really liked it a lot.
I loved this book. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars just because the book would slow down a little bit for me and my mind would wander and then bam be brought right back into it. Loved the fighting scenes. I had been hoping that Vin would meet up with her brother along the way but then to find out he had died but I felt better knowing that he didn't betray Vin. Still sad that Kelsier is dead but knowing why he did what he did made a lot of sense. Can't wait to read the next book.
I gave this book 5 stars, I loved it!! so as the other 2. I'm so exited now that Brandon has continued with the series :) Particularly about this book, I loved the fight with Shan Elariel, and last fight with the Lord Ruler of course. Even if it was a little slow in some parts, I've read this book at least 3 times already.
I loved the twist surrounding Marsh! Did not see that coming, but it was awesome. I also really hope he'll play a part in the sequels!And I agree, the fight with Shan was great. As were the one at the executions and the one with the Lord Ruler. I really like how Vin came to the realization what he actually was. I did connect the dots after that, and thought it was a bit dumbed-down in the epilogue. But thankfully it didn't drag for too long.
I was quite surprised with the choice for the new king. He seems good for the job, but it came out of the blue for me anyway. And it did make for a nice ending that's the perfect starting point for the next book.
Oh, it's going to be hard waiting to read the Well of Ascension in March…!
Wow, absolutely amazing ending. So many surprises, so many epic battle scenes, I enjoyed this world so much. So happy to have been a part of the Year of Cosmere. What an incredible start!
I thought the Kandra in Ventures house was there to just show how much power the Venture house actually held and to stress out how sleazy Straff was. I think it's kinda like with Nagini and Voldemort, sure Nagini played a huge role in the story, but apart from that, they could have chosen some other animal, some that didn't give you the creepy vibe, or the "ah-yes-this-is-the-evil-character" vibe.Plus what I also got from it, Kandra just make hell of a good servants.
We will only have to see in the next book whether it had any real significance on the story.
Morgannah wrote: "Question:Is Vin's earring that was once her mother's more than just a simple silver plated bronze stud?
I think the earring is mentioned too often and in too critical of situations to merely be ..."
I think it's more to urge the reader to get curious about her past, and later to kind of remind you (and Vin herself) where she came from and what she has overcome… And there is some allomancy involving the earring in the end, of course, but that's pretty minimal. Although I wouldn't be surprised if it were to play a more critical part in a later book. (But I've only read Mistborn so far, so I can't be sure about that.)
I gave this book 4 stars only because I was incredibly underwhelmed. I did enjoy the book, don't get me wrong, but compared to the other Sanderson books I've read so far, this one just didn't do it for me...even though I cried like a baby when Kelsier died. Hopefully the next one will draw me in a bit more!
That ending was pretty fantastic, I think. I definitely didn't like the book much at the beginning, and I even contemplated not finishing it, but I'm glad I stuck with it to the end. Marsh, at the end, was an awesome surprise. And I'm glad it wasn't just Vin there by herself at the end. It seemed fitting as she definitely couldn't have done it all by herself. I love that Sazed was with her. Sazed continued to be my favorite character throughout the whole book. I still don't think I like Vin much but I understand her a lot more now. The only thing I'm not completely sure about is how fast they were to make Elend King. That seems a bit premature to me. But I'll guess it'll be interesting to see how that works out in the next books. idkAnyhoo, I gave the book four out of five stars. And I think I will be reading the next book.
Like Sarah-jane I was just finishing a chapter for the night when I finish the book and was almost 5:00am!I really loved this book and I think the scenario that Sanderson created with the first part of the story is more than incredible! Don't you think the Lord Ruler was indeed protecting the human race and by ending with him they simply open the way for a greater evil? What about Vin's ability to do the same as the Lord Ruler? I have my suspicion that Vin is also an Alomancer and a Feruchemist, besides that I believe her mother was a Terris and the earring she gave Vin contains some knowledge that Vin can access.
Well, I'm way too much excited with possibilities right now so I think I'll have to just jump on the next part of this story :)
James wrote: "It's going to be hard to wait until March to continue on with the series."Agreed! (But, I will wait.)
Hyacinth wrote: "The only thing I'm not completely sure about is how fast they were to make Elend King. That seems a bit premature to me. But I'll guess it'll be interesting to see how that works out in the next books."
Something tells me Straff (among others) will have be a pain in the side concerning this.
Thiago wrote: "Don't you think the Lord Ruler was indeed protecting the human race and by ending with him they simply open the way for a greater evil?"
Kind of makes you wish we knew more about the defeat of the Deepness, eh? I love how Vin suspects the Deepness is a scam.
Just finished this a few moments ago and I am completely baffled. The ending was absolutely incredible--though it was a little ruined for me because I was buying the second book and accidentally glanced down at the blurb and the first sentence was a HUGE spoiler. So I already knew that Kelsier and the Lord Ruler died. I avoid spoilers like the plague and that was devestating.But, even knowing what I did, there were still so many surprises at the end! I was completely shocked at how easily Kelsier died and then to find out why. I couldn't stop reading after that point.
I liked Vin from the get-go, even though a lot of people seem not to, and I wasn't always terribly found of Kelsier, but I think it might have less to do with how great of a character he is and more to do with the stress he put me through with all of his crazy escapades.
I had some thoughts about the earring as well towards the end when we found out how the Lord Ruler got his power, but I'm not so sure if it's going to go anywhere. I wouldn't be sad if it didn't. But it is mentioned multiple times that Vin is unusually strong and adept to be so new to really using her allomancy.
So many more thoughts but I won't turn this into a novel. I can't wait to read the second book!
Oh my goodness. I am normally quite hesitant with hyped up books but this one is totally justified. Five out of five stars.There was literally nothing I didn't like about this book, though Kelsier dying did kind of break my heart. The fact that his death meant something and was vitally important to the overall plan succeeding made it easier to deal with.
I think if I had to pick my favourite thing about this book it would have to be the cast of characters. I feel in love with all of the characters in this book. I honestly can't wait to continue because I wanna surround myself in their lives again.
I'm interested in where the series will continue, especially because at this moment, it kind of feels that Vin is the new Hero of Ages and will maybe have more work to do maintaining peace in the Empire. My current theory is that the Lord Ruler had been keeping the Deepness at bay for the last thousand years and now that he is dead, it will start to creep back and Vin will have to go through the path of the previous Hero of Ages and go to the Well of Ascension. Possibly even have access to whatever power the Lord Ruler had. Just my thoughts.
I am absolutely ecstatic that I decided to do this readalong and that I finally got around to reading this book.
My video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKT1Y...I LOVED IT SO MUCH and I'm so glad I am participating in year of cosmere because if Brandon Sanderson's other books are as wonderfully enthralling as The Final Empire was, I am going to have a glorious reading year.
The plot and the characters were my favourite part about this book. I constantly was wondering what would happen next, and more importantly how the characters dealt with it all personally.
yes yes yes
I am completely and utterly in love with this book! I realised what the Lord Ruler was before it was revealed as he was seen as both old and young and it completely blew my mind as did so many other things that happened in this book. I'm so glad that Sazed survived and the Marsh is still alive as it feels as though there is a little bit of Kelsier left. I can't wait for the next book to read more about Elend and Vin's relationship and learn more about the information hidden about alomancy during the rule of the Lord Ruler!
I loved the book, it was brilliant. The detail that went into the book from the magic system to the foreshadowing was amazing. I especially love the parallel between Kelsier and the writer of the journal, when they thought it was the Lord Ruler's journal Kelsier's behaviour was suspicious, but when his true intentions were revealed we learn that the Lord Ruler was not the writer of the journal. I also love how every little aspect of the story was connected from the mistwraiths/kandra to Reen's disappearance and Vin's father . I also think that Kelsier planned from the very beginning, from the looks of it, for Lord Renoux to get captured, since Marsh was still alive and I'm pretty sure he was the one behind Yeden's actions since he never planned on using the army in the first place. I was really suspicious of Kelsier from the beginning since I had a feeling that he was keeping a secret, but after finishing the book I really appreciate how complicated of a character he really was and how intelligent and selfless his actions were. I love how Sanderson used Vin's suspicions about Kelsier keeping a secret to foreshadow what was coming.
Overall it was amazing book, and I can't wait to find out more about the deepness and the well of ascension. Like others said i think the earring is important, I also think Vin might be able to use Feruchemy and Allomancy like the Lord Ruler.
Awesome! 5 star it is. I loved almost everything about this book. The characters are so amazing, the plot is cleverly forshadowed and yet still unpredictable, the magic system is great, the battle scenes are so intense. That last part? Wow - I read it in one sitting. I'm so excited to read even more Brandon Sanderson books. Yay!
I loved this book, again.I knew what was going to happen, but was still surprised that I enjoyed the twists as they came. I had forgotten about the end...about the Emperor's powers.
I will be reading all the books this year with you all. In fact, I was going to read the Stormlight Archives...early, but I think I may wait...to read it together with others.
I wish I could post more, but I am not near the internet...so it will be intermittent, at best.
I loved this book, again.I knew what was going to happen, but was still surprised that I enjoyed the twists as they came. I had forgotten about the end...about the Emperor's powers.
I will be reading all the books this year with you all. In fact, I was going to read the Stormlight Archives...early, but I think I may wait...to read it together with others.
I wish I could post more, but I am not near the internet...so it will be intermittent, at best.
This book was awesome. Sanderson is a bloody genius. I'm gonna miss Kelsier (I still keep secretly hoping he'll somehow come back to life in the next book). I'm reading the second part now...I just HAVE to know what's the purpose of all the Atium that was mined and was not found in the lord Ruler's treasury. I HAVE to know everything!!!
Darcy wrote: "My video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKT1Y...I LOVED IT SO MUCH and I'm so glad I am participating in year of cosmere because if Brandon Sanderson's other books ar..."
I loved this book soooo much, but I have to say that Elantris' "social" system felt more complex and breathtaking, so yea, I think you (we)'ll have a great year.
Everything good about this books is already said... I loved the resolution of the story, Marsh is still alive that's great, but Kell, I missed him. Vin is becoming one of my favorite heroines, she's a badass and I really want to know what's going to with her abilities. What will happen now that the Lord Ruler died? and Elend is king, hope he won't betray the crew... so many questions
This is a 5 stars book! Really good. I can't wait to read the next one and looking forward to everyone's opinion on the books too. This group is great!
This is a 5 stars book! Really good. I can't wait to read the next one and looking forward to everyone's opinion on the books too. This group is great!
Wow, what a crazy ending. I'm pretty bad at picking up on clues, so I didn't figure out the Lord Ruler's true nature until it was explicitly revealed. That was definitely an awesome twist - I had to put the book down for a second to take it all in, haha.Not sure how I feel about the Reen twist. I understand that he was Vin's brother, but if he was such a physical and emotional abuser (as the story has you believing all along...) I have trouble finding compassion for him later on when we find out he tried to protect Vin from the Inquisitors.
I gave the book 4 stars just because the writing style distracted me quite a bit, but maybe my expectations were too high as a result of the hype. I'm really excited to see how Eland's reign as king continues, how Marsh deals with being an Inquisitor, and (hopefully) how the mistwraith works for Vin. I think now that I have a good grasp of the characters and the magic system I'll enjoy the next books even more (though of course I miss Kelsier already and secretly hope he'll come back!).
Kellseigh wrote: "Wow, what a crazy ending. I'm pretty bad at picking up on clues, so I didn't figure out the Lord Ruler's true nature until it was explicitly revealed. That was definitely an awesome twist - I had..."well, I like to believe that Reen was so incredibly hard on Vin to get her ready for the world they lived in. I think Reen knew there was a chance he wasn't always going to be able to be there with her so he had to get her ready for how other people would treat her. I think he honestly believed no one would have her back like he would and he had to toughen her up for that. I think he loved her in his own way, obviously it wasn't the best way but it's the only way he knew how. Or why else would he have saved her from their crazy mother and bothered to drag her along with him when it would have been easier to leave her to die. Protecting her from the inquisitors, I think, is a testament to that love.
4.5/5 stars! Really liked this, and will definitely be joining next month to continue to series. I thought the beginning was a bit slow, but the pacing improved throughout the middle, and the last 10% was super thrilling! I did not see any of the twists coming! I kept expecting Reen to show up in the castle somewhere as a "traitor" to the Lord Ruler! I'm still not convinced he's gone... I'm sad about Kelsier, but it makes sense, and is understandable as part of the plot development.
Check out my full (spoiler free) review at:
https://bookishtendencieskatie.wordpr...
Hyacinth wrote: "well, I like to believe that Reen was so incredibly hard on Vin to get her ready for the world they lived in. I think Reen knew there was a chance he wasn't always going to be able to be there"I guess I kind of understand what you're saying - it makes sense for Reen's comments to Vin about preparing for people to abandon her. But I don't think it's any excuse for beating his sister, or manipulating her to the point where her self-esteem and trust were as low as they were and she was essentially just letting other people beat her so she could stay in the crew.
I agree perhaps that was the only way Reen knew how to "protect" his sister, but he was still wrong. Maybe in the next books we'll learn some more about Reen and his true nature now that Vin knows the truth.
Thanks for comparing perspectives!
The first 300 pages took me three weeks to get through...the last 250 took me one day- I could not put it down. Overall the book was fantastic. The aspect of religion and how the people are turning Kelsier into a god bothers me not on a writing/literary sense but a personal sense. That being said I thought it was done brilliantly and the ending held just enough to satisfy but left so much mystery that I cannot wait to continue.
I gave it a 4.5. It was amazing, but I wasn't personally affected enough. I agree that Elend becoming king came out of nowhere. Even if he is a good man, he's not the most experienced. I miss Kelsier!
I am curious as to what the rest of the series will be about now that the Lord Ruler is gone. I can't wait until next month!
I gave this book 3.5 out of 5This was my first Sanderson book and I had heard nothing but praise for his work so was keen to check him out.
Thought it was a good book
- Clever magic system. Although somewhat a little too over explained for my liking (You could make a card game out of all those rules) thought it was an interesting take
- Loved the side story of how the Lord Ruler came to power and how it was presented through the diary (and the twist at the end).
- Felt the book created that perfect sense of mystery that keeps you wanting to turn the pages at 3am in the morning.
The reason I gave 3.5/5 is I just felt the ending seemed to wrap up all too fast. I Was getting all excited for this massive 3 book quest for the heroes to upend the Lord Ruler, who I thought was an awesome nemesis with the perfect shroud of mystery surrounding him and this awesome almost unstoppable power that needed to be overcome. And then just like that bam! Hes down for the count:( Oh well maybe after reading books two and three it will all tie in nicely and could even change my rating. I guess I was just a little let down.
Looking forward to the next two to see where it all goes.
I read The Final Empire way back July 2013 and I still remember vividly how I have completely broken down when Kelsier died. Although I suspected that Vin will be the one at the end who will defeat the Lord Ruler, I wasn't prepared to deal with Kelsier's death. And this I believe is testament to how well Sanderson creates his characters that I felt it so deeply just in the first book of a trilogy. The Final Empire was my favourite book among all that I've read in 2013. And thus started my journey into the wonderful universe of the Cosmere and the awesome mind of Sanderson.
Paul wrote: "Here is my video review if anyone wants to check it out: http://youtu.be/bx-F9ssZ5IAWritten review: http://commontouchoffantasy.com/book-...
I ..."
So glad you enjoyed this Paul! I can't wait to see your thoughts on the next one, and especially the final one (my favourite in the series!)
Diana wrote: "I want to give this book ten out of five stars and I am sure I have never felt as strongly about a book. It is just one of those moments when you can't get over how amazing something was and you a..."
It's great that you managed to get back to thinking how awesome the book is and wondering what will happen next. I remember being so upset when Kelsier died too! It's so unfairrrrrr :D I love his character!
However, I will say that the next two books are phenomenal and I loved them all :D
Douglas wrote: "Diana wrote: "I want to give this book ten out of five stars and I am sure I have never felt as strongly about a book. It is just one of those moments when you can't get over how amazing something..."
I really wanted to take part with you all on this as a reread too so I could pick up on all the Cosmere stuff but I just didn't have the time. It's been great seeing all the comments though as that has made me remember the awesomeness of this series and I'm so excited for the month I'll be hosting :D
Shelleen wrote: "I loved this book. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars just because the book would slow down a little bit for me and my mind would wander and then bam be brought right back into it. Loved the fighting sce..."I totally agree about the fight scenes. Whilst Sanderson doesn't seem like the type to do large scale warfare and show you every detail his fight scenes are dramatic, awesome and exciting and I always love it whenever we see a Mistborn fight :)
Laura wrote: "I loved the twist surrounding Marsh! Did not see that coming, but it was awesome. I also really hope he'll play a part in the sequels!And I agree, the fight with Shan was great. As were the one a..."
I agree that Marsh is amazing, and yeah, he may play a part in the next books for sure ;)
Sarah-jane wrote: "I ended up just continuing on once I finished the penultimate part and now it is 4 am, so that says a lot about how much I enjoyed this book.I gave it 4/5 stars because 5 stars tend to be reserve..."
Marsh and Inquisitors are definitely something to look forward to in the next books so I hope you like finding all of that out!
I do agree that Elend is a strange choice at first, but you'll see him grow over the next book :D
So glad you liked it :)
Diana wrote: "I thought the Kandra in Ventures house was there to just show how much power the Venture house actually held and to stress out how sleazy Straff was. I think it's kinda like with Nagini and Voldemo..."Certainly these things both have an impact later on and as you go through the books you'll get to see more about what it all means and why it's mentioned a few times.
There's some very cool stuff which happens with both of these things!
Laura wrote: "Morgannah wrote: "Question:Is Vin's earring that was once her mother's more than just a simple silver plated bronze stud?
I think the earring is mentioned too often and in too critical of situat..."
The earring is certainly a really interesting thing and as you learn more about various powers of this world etc you'll see why. Good picking up on this :D
Also reminding you of Vin's past etc is probably another reason for the inclusion :D
Kaila wrote: "I gave this book 4 stars only because I was incredibly underwhelmed. I did enjoy the book, don't get me wrong, but compared to the other Sanderson books I've read so far, this one just didn't do it..."Kaila wrote: "I gave this book 4 stars only because I was incredibly underwhelmed. I did enjoy the book, don't get me wrong, but compared to the other Sanderson books I've read so far, this one just didn't do it..."
I don't know which other books by Sanderson you've read, but I will say book 3 in this series is one of my all time faves by him (and I've read everything by Sanderson) so it certainly builds :D
Hyacinth wrote: "That ending was pretty fantastic, I think. I definitely didn't like the book much at the beginning, and I even contemplated not finishing it, but I'm glad I stuck with it to the end. Marsh, at the ..."I LOVE Sazed.... He's by far my favourite character for the whole series and he's one of my all time favourite characters ever :D He's great, so great!
Thiago wrote: "Like Sarah-jane I was just finishing a chapter for the night when I finish the book and was almost 5:00am!I really loved this book and I think the scenario that Sanderson created with the first p..."
Very good thoughts :D Keep thinking like that as you go through the series and discover more awesomeness :D
Erika wrote: "Just finished this a few moments ago and I am completely baffled. The ending was absolutely incredible--though it was a little ruined for me because I was buying the second book and accidentally gl..."I really liked Vin and she grew on me over the books so that's something to look forward to for sure. I do think a lot of people connect with Kelsier at first as she's a little more guarded, but if you like her now wait until you see her develop over the series :D
Elizabeth wrote: "Oh my goodness. I am normally quite hesitant with hyped up books but this one is totally justified. Five out of five stars.There was literally nothing I didn't like about this book, though Kelsie..."
Really interesting thoughts about the book for sure :D I'm so glad you liked it :D
Darcy wrote: "My video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKT1Y...I LOVED IT SO MUCH and I'm so glad I am participating in year of cosmere because if Brandon Sanderson's other books ar..."
OH YES, nearly all of his books are awesome, some are amazing, and some wonderful. For me I can always find a great character or cool magic etc which makes me want to keep on reading long into the night!
I loved your review too :D
Khadijah wrote: "I loved the book, it was brilliant. The detail that went into the book from the magic system to the foreshadowing was amazing. I especially love the parallel between Kelsier and the writer of the j..."Interesting thoughts and I have to say I am so glad so many people have enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one! I love these books and I think they only get better!
Kellseigh wrote: "Wow, what a crazy ending. I'm pretty bad at picking up on clues, so I didn't figure out the Lord Ruler's true nature until it was explicitly revealed. That was definitely an awesome twist - I had..."I think you'll like the other books as you continue on as I believe they just get better and better! I really love them and I hope everyone else does too :D
I also think Sanderson's writing style improves as you read more of his works, and generally I just love him :P
I also didn't realise the full extent of the Lord Ruler's powers and it was mindblowingly awesome to have it all laid out :D
Dale wrote: "I gave this book 3.5 out of 5This was my first Sanderson book and I had heard nothing but praise for his work so was keen to check him out.
Thought it was a good book
- Clever magic system. Al..."
Interesting that you didn't love it as much as most others but I totally get your reasoning. The funny thing you mentioned was that you could make a game out of it and there is actually a Mistborn Role Play Game: http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/15... which does exist (although I haven't played it myself).
I think it's certainly a series which gets much better and that the writing is certainly not the most beautiful or poetic etc so once you know what to expect by having read this one hopefully the next two will be more to your liking.
I think you're supposed to believe that The Lord Ruler is the bad nemesis, but there's always a lot more at work in a Sanderson novel than first meets the eye and maybe there's something out there that's worse... wait and see :D
What did you think of the crazy adventure that is Mistborn: The Final Empire? What star rating did you give it? What was your favorite moment and what surprised you the most? Are you planning on finishing the series?
If you loved this book, you should definitely join us next month for Well of Ascension!!!