Title: Mistborn (Mistborn Trilogy #1)

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Format: Mass market paperback, 657 pages

If there is one thing I love in books is a kickass female protagonist. And thank God (or the Lord Ruler) for Brandon Sanderson. But lets not get ahead of ourselves.

Lord Ruler rules the Final Empire, a tyrant who has enslaved the Skaa and controls its population by fear. In this world some noblemen, called mistings, have the power to use metals as a source of power. For example, some are able to use brass to soothe the others emotions, whereas others are able to riot emotions using zinc. Then there are the mistborns, the ones who can control all of the 10 allomantic metals, the most powerful of all.

The storyline follows two characters, both mistborns: Kelsier and Vin. Kelsier is a middle-aged man who has experienced a lot of suffering in the hands of the Lord Ruler and therefore seeks revenge. Vin is a badass 16 year-old half-breed, who doesn’t rely on any man. And oh Lord how I love kickass female protagonists. She is a character that experiences a great deal of development throughout the book, thanks to the environment and the circumstances where she is found. The same also happens to Kelsier, though not so notably, but you can feel during the book some changes on his personality and actions, which I believe shows that Sanderson knows how to develop his characters.

Both Vin and Kelsier, with the help of a crew of mistings, have the mission to dethrone the Lord Ruler and free the skaa from their enslavement. I’m not going to tell you much more about the plot, because I don’t want to spoil it for you. What I can tell you is some of the reasons why I absolutely loved this book. First of all, Sanderson has the ability to introduce you to a very well-constructed world without blasting you with information in the first chapters. He builds his world without trying to overwhelm you with is writing, and you feel like the information flows so naturally through the descriptions and the characters that you don’t even feel that it is not your own world.

I will recommend this to everyone who loves fantasy, especially to those who love epic fantasy. This book is full of adventure, intrigue and mystery, and it makes you question a lot about the responsibility that comes with power, and how it can overtake you.

“but you can’t kill me. I represent that thing that you’re never able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope”

P.S.: For those who have already read this book, don’t you just want to be a keeper? Even more than a mistborn?

★★★★★

Rita Viegas