The Great Mistborn Read Along | The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (*****)

A very good afternoon to you readers! Today I have a very exciting post for you- the wrap-up of the first part of The Great Mistborn Read Along.

For these next few months, I am lucky enough to be participating in the Great Mistborn Readalong, to celebrate the publication of the 5th book in the Mistborn series- Shadows of Self- in November. Since 3rd August and running until 4th October, every Monday is donned #MistbornMondays, and you may have noticed that I have been tweeting a lot on Mondays, keeping you all up to date on my progress with the first book: The Final Empire. Well, it has come to the end of the first three weeks of the readalong, and so it is time for the first of three reviews for this Mistborn Readalong- a 5* review of The Final Empire by the amazingly talented Brandon Sanderson!

When I was first approached and asked if I wanted to be part of this readalong, I didn’t know a huge amount about Brandon Sanderson or his work, but I’m always eager to take part in readalongs and delve into new series, as I’m not very good at completing series on my own- it’s much easier when you have an enthusiastic group of your blogger friends encouraging you! Although when I get stuck into a fantasy book I always end up enjoying it, it definitely isn’t my favourite genre, and I wouldn’t ever pick up a random fantasy in a bookshop. I also had no idea that each of the Mistborn books were 600+ pages each! When a book in your least favourite genre is more than 600 pages, it can be quite daunting to pick that book up and get into the story straight away.

That being said, I experienced no such problem with The Final Empire.

As soon as I began on the first page, I was automatically immersed in a world so distinctly and beautifully described I could envision every single detail in my mind. It reminded me of Medieval England, with the mass of peasants and the jaunty nobility; the two groups so strictly divided they are like two different worlds. In between this dividing line, however, are thieving groups that act as middle fingers stuck up to the Establishment and the Lord Ruler- a terrifying tyrannical that legend dictates is immortal and cannot be defeated. Thus the reader is introduced to Kelsier and his loyal crew, and Vin, the orphaned Skaa child who trusts no one. Combine this all together, and you have the perfect fantasy novel that kept me hooked from the very first page until the very last.

Aside from the beautiful and detailed scenery descriptions and the witty narrative that unarguably drove the plot forward, the strongest aspect of The Final Empire were the characters. There were no needlessly created characters or plot fillers; each served a purpose and they made the book less of a fantasy ordeal for me, and more of a well-rounded good story. Vin was the perfect protagonist who was brave and loyal in equal measure, and her relationship with the other characters in the story made the whole read immensely enjoyable. Kelsier was one of the best heroes I have ever come across- funny, kind, courageous. This goes for the rest of the crew- they were such a well-crafted group of characters and I loved the part they played in the story.

So, overall, I absolutely adored The Final Empire. I’m so excited to start the second book, The Well of Ascension, tomorrow on the 24th August. 

If you're participating in the readalong- let me know below!




Buy The Final Empire here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/books/dp/0765377136
Check out Brandon Sanderson here: http://brandonsanderson.com/books/mistborn/the-final-empire/
Check out my announcement of The Great Mistborn Read Along here: http://delightfulbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/mistbornmondays-readalong.html

Until next time :)