Mari's Reviews > Mistborn: The Final Empire

2.5 stars

I almost gave it 3 stars and I feel that once this one settles a bit, it might reach that level. The issue here, you see, is that first 380 pages were nearly painful to get through. The last part? An above average action packed unravelling of events.

The main problem is in Brandon Sanderson's exhausting and repetitive writing. And don't shout, "HIGH FANTASY!" at me because there is a difference between purposefully describing the flora and fauna or laying out expansive world systems and what Sanderson gives us, which is down right repetition. I highlighted an example of this:

Still, they were marvelous. Instead of mundane browns and whites, the cultivated plants were of deeper, more vibrant colors – shades of red, orange, and yellow, with the colors concentrated in their leaves. The groundskeepers had planted them to make intricate, beautiful patterns. Closer to the balcony, exotic trees with colorful, yellow leaves gave shade protected from ashfalls. It was a very mild winter, and most of the trees still held their leaves. The air felt cool, and the resting of branches in the wind were soothing.

Almost soothing enough, in fact, to make Vin forget how annoyed she was.

Think about paragraphs on paragraphs of this kind of simplicity and sameness of language. IT GRATES.

On top of that, Sanderson had this habit of sharing character thoughts when they were completely useless to the scene. Behold:

We'd have to discuss timing, though," Dockson said. "Breeze is right- killing that many obligators in one evening means making a major commitment. It won't take the Inquisitors long to retaliate."

Kelsier nodded. You're right, Dox. Timing will be vital.

Um, we know timing will be vital because Dox just said that and we know you agree BECAUSE YOU NODDED.

ON TOP OF THAT, there were a lot of plot points that Sanderson just beat over our head. For instance, the main character, Vin, grew up not trusting people, and often thought about the hard knock life lessons her brother Reen taught her. Reen is mentioned 33 times in the first 100 pages and at least 10 of those times, Vin is remembering something he told her with near exact, "Reen had always said," language. Was all that really necessary to establish Vin as an untrusting person? She's already cowering in corners and well, you know, telling us she trusts no one. It was overkill.

Those three things separately might seem minor, but in combination and across hundreds of pages? Struggle bus.

This story is about a long con and sometimes it was so dragged out in getting us to where we were going, in ways that didn't feel necessary to either establish the world or characters or plot. We get the whole plan banged out and presented to us in a few pages and then that plan is repeated time and time again and we approach it at a snail's pace, all the while getting what little character progression we see thrown in our face: "I used to not trust people, but now I kind of do." "I used to be rash and reckless and now I will be... rash and reckless but not that much." (Almost direct quotes.)

As it is, I didn't even feel particularly connected to either the character or the world. To be sure, one of the characters I felt was most sympathetic, (view spoiler)[ends up dead. I thought to myself before that point, "if this person dies, I'M OUT OF HERE." Wouldn't you know it, the death itself happens so quickly and is lost in the rest of the forward motion. (hide spoiler)] It felt off in a way I can't describe better than that.

Vin wasn't my favorite, but that is mostly due to the writing. As I said, within the first 100 pages, I wanted to punch her in the face because she was mostly having conversations in her head with Reen, or whatever. She's of course blessed with super powers the likes of which have never been seen, but she straddles this weird line of not trusting anyone and thrusting herself in places where she isn't always wanted? Like, "I don't trust you BUT YOU MUST TRUST ME AND TAKE ME WITH YOU." Because she's the super special heroine, it works in her favor, but it doesn't work for her impression on me.

Her love interest is established in like three meetings of polite conversation and that's it. I HATED that (view spoiler)[after all this lady does, the book ends with her IN A MAN'S ARMS SAYING THIS WHAT SHE HAD ALWAYS WANTED. Just acceptance from a man, ladies! It's all we ever want! (hide spoiler)]

I know lots of people go crazy for the magic system, but it left something to be desired for me, probably because of that pesky repetition again. Here's something I wrote to a friend via e-mail about 90 pages in: "I've been on the same five pages about this guy breaking into someone's house for like an hour now. It feels like I'm reading someone's mediocre fan fiction intercut with instructions for a chemical reaction." GOOD JOB, ME. ACCURATE.

It seems that Sanderson dedicated so much time to the Allomancy and the feudal system, but that doesn't actually mean he answered many of our burning questions. It seems like things were open to be addressed in the next book or two (why does it rain ash? why is the sun red? why does allomancy exist? why why why why?) and that's all well and good, but does that mean you spent hundreds of pages setting this up ONLY TO DIRECT US TO THE NEXT SET OF HUNDREDS OF PAGES FOR ANSWERS? WHHHHYYY?

Admittedly, it picked up so much at the end as the plan unravels and comes to a head. I suppose Sanderson excels at action scenes and I gobbled up the last portion of it with a speed I hadn't known since basically page 1. I wonder if maybe the high note it leaves you off on helps mask the tedium of the beginning. I mean, it worked on me! I'm considering giving this 3 stars now!

In the end, though, I don't think that ending is enough to make up for the slog we had to get through. Lot of people told me to hang in there because it got better and while I appreciate that, it must at least be acknowledged that that's a problem! You shouldn't have to ENDURE more than half a book for a sprinkling of payoff at the end.

I'm unsure if I'll continue with this series, mostly since I'd like to spare my friends the Twitter ranting.