Mistborn

My one year mark is fast approaching, which makes me infinitely sad.  I have not been able to keep up reading a book a day for a year.  But I do want to continue this blog.  It is nice to have a record of all the books I read.  And it is nice to reflect upon the books - in the end I think it will make me a better writer as I strive to publish my own work.

So today I want to talk about Mistborn.

I have been struggling with writing a review for this book for some time.  I loved it, and yet didn’t LOOOOOOOOOOVE it like I have other Sanderson books.  I love Brandon Sanderson.  The problem is…I read the Stormlight Archives before this one…and now I compare everything to that series.

I can clearly see how much he has grown as a writer.  His “surprises” and “plot twists” were not nearly as masterfully masked as I have come to expect of him.  His characters are not as fully developed, and neither are his relationships.  The characters are good, but not ah-may-zing.

But still.  This is a damn good book.  And I was hooked.  Why?  Well firstly, the bad guy.  No, I do not mean the Lord Ruler.  Yeah, he’s bad.  But I knew he couldn’t be the driving force of a series this long.  But the real evil is only hinted at in his book.  These hints are actually really well done- I have only shadows of guesses as to what awaits.

Magic.  Brandon Sanderson is a BOSS at magic systems.  I bow before his brilliance.  This magic system is no exception.  The beauty of his magic is all the limitations it has.  Reading about someone who can do everything with magic is boring.  Reading about someone who must overcome the gaps in their magic by other means is exciting.  And Sanderson does that really well.

Four stars.  This book was amazing, and I highly suggest reading it.  Just…read it before you get to the Stormlight Archives.