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A review by palinss
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
5.0
I just KNEW I would love this, and IT ABSOLUTELY DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I am just constantly blown away with Sanderson's writing, and I'm going to have to break down this review into several parts.
Characters - I love Vin, so god damn much. She fits into a very repeated troupe in YA- young, orphaned, thieving girl finds out she has a hidden power that makes her super special. I eat it up every time. This story is no exception. Every character is so full of life, though. They have significant strengths that are confounded with well-defined flaws as well. They each have a past and a stake at hand in the world. I cared for everyone introduced and found myself rooting for them from the very beginning.
Plot - I think I got whiplash from how fast things moved! There was some downtime in the middle of the story, but it absolutely served a purpose and was a necessary piece to the whole story. In true Sanderson fashion, though, the final 150 pages were absolutely wild, and I could hardly predict what was going to happen next. The heist plot was well crafted and easy to understand while still being complex.
World - no one creates a world better than Sanderson. I do not say that lightly, nor do I believe it to be an exaggeration. I truly believe Sanderson is writing some of the most lush worlds written with exquisite detail. The way in which these worlds are introduced really makes it feel like they have the potential to be real. The magic system is unlike I've ever read, and it is well thought out, has clearly defined rules and parameters, finite sources, and (for the most part) an almost scientific explanation as to how it works. Sanderson keeps you strung along, feeding you just enough information to understand the circumstances of the world, but also withholding enough to keep you guessing. The world building is absolutely what blew me away, and I found the world exciting and fascinating to read about it!
On top of all of that, Sanderson somehow also mixes in discussions of morality, philosophy, religion, god-hood, and oppression that I found to be extremely impactful and thoughtful. Cannot recommend this book more highly!!
Characters - I love Vin, so god damn much. She fits into a very repeated troupe in YA- young, orphaned, thieving girl finds out she has a hidden power that makes her super special. I eat it up every time. This story is no exception. Every character is so full of life, though. They have significant strengths that are confounded with well-defined flaws as well. They each have a past and a stake at hand in the world. I cared for everyone introduced and found myself rooting for them from the very beginning.
Plot - I think I got whiplash from how fast things moved! There was some downtime in the middle of the story, but it absolutely served a purpose and was a necessary piece to the whole story. In true Sanderson fashion, though, the final 150 pages were absolutely wild, and I could hardly predict what was going to happen next. The heist plot was well crafted and easy to understand while still being complex.
World - no one creates a world better than Sanderson. I do not say that lightly, nor do I believe it to be an exaggeration. I truly believe Sanderson is writing some of the most lush worlds written with exquisite detail. The way in which these worlds are introduced really makes it feel like they have the potential to be real. The magic system is unlike I've ever read, and it is well thought out, has clearly defined rules and parameters, finite sources, and (for the most part) an almost scientific explanation as to how it works. Sanderson keeps you strung along, feeding you just enough information to understand the circumstances of the world, but also withholding enough to keep you guessing. The world building is absolutely what blew me away, and I found the world exciting and fascinating to read about it!
On top of all of that, Sanderson somehow also mixes in discussions of morality, philosophy, religion, god-hood, and oppression that I found to be extremely impactful and thoughtful. Cannot recommend this book more highly!!