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'The Final Empire' by Brandon Sanderson

FTC disclaimer: I was not sent this product. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own.



My Plot Summary:

Vin has been part of thieving gangs for as long as she can remember. She’ll join one, stay for a year, then move on. Like clockwork. Because everyone betrays you eventually.

Kelsier has always wanted more than what life offered him. Not part of the aristocracy, yet not quite Skaa (the slave race) either, he’s known for having more ambition than any in The Final Empire.

Kelsier's aim? To overthrow the Lord Ruler, who has reigned as tyrant for over a millennium.

How will he do it? With the help of the best criminal crew the world has ever seen.





Overall Rating: 3.8 / 5


All in all, a mostly exciting introduction into the High/Epic Fantasy genre!


The magic system (Allomancy) is the most unique and imaginative I’ve ever read. To be brief, Allomancy is a magical ability shared by noblemen, or people with noble blood in their ancestry. How it works, is that these people swallow metals in solution, which when burnt give them a mental or physical attribute. For example, swallowing then burning pewter makes them physically stronger. If I’d thought of that concept, I would have called myself Einstein till my death bed.


Sanderson depicted his settings well - ballrooms, slums and creepy castles were all painted crystal clear in my mind.


However, as a character gal, I was not completely enamoured. Vin was quite inconsistent, and I would have liked a little more development beyond their stereotypes for the side characters such as Clubs and Breeze. However, Sazed was just a g. Think Fairy Godmother crossed with Guardian Angel crossed with Yoda.


If action is your jam, look no further. Better than any Hollywood studio could have created. Pacing was my main issue with the novel: we moved much too slowly for most of it. Only by the last quarter did the pace pick up (and the twists started).


Finally, ya’ll know I’m a romance guru and the love interest just did not cut it. He gave me Marius from Les Mis vibes – the white dude whose only interesting character trait is that he’s half a revolutionary….

Also, the characters had less than five interactions before one of them realised they were in love –what happened to the slow burn? People who love this book would argue that it was more about plot and court intrigue than romance. This is what I’d say to that: If you’re going to do romance, make it good!



Review Written on 04/01/2022


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