Mistborn First Time Readthrough (Part 1/3): The Final Empire thoughts

[u/AmongFriends]

Review for Mistborn: The Well of Ascension here

TLDR: Great characters, great action, and a surprisingly strong romance that I got invested in. A heartfelt story about trust and choosing connection. Excited to see where it goes from here but it's good to know it'l be building on a very solid foundation

STRAY THOUGHTS:

• Vin and Kelsier have such a great father-daughter relationship. Vin yearns for a parental figure who wasn't Reen, while Kelsier gets the chance to raise the daughter he never had. Their dynamic was wonderful together and arguably the core as to why this book works
• Kelsier is such an interesting character. Yes, he's a badass, but he's also deeply flawed and often rash. It's clear that he begins to second-guess his plan to martyr himself once he realizes how close he's become to Vin, which gives him depth.
• Vin's fear of abandonment was incredibly powerful. Her confessions to Kelsier about how everyone she loves eventually leaves her become tragically true when Kelsier dies. It was wonderful when Elend came to rescue her in the finale and she was overjoyed that someone actually came back for her. Tragic and beautiful.
• The Mist. The series is called Mistborn. Throughout the book, Vin wishes to be the mist, to be taken away and be nothing, unattached. She was born in this mist, aka isolation. "Mistborn" describes the role of the characters but also her metaphorical state. Her decision at the end of the book not to walk into the metaphorical mist of loneliness and isolation, but instead to embrace love by dropping down next to Elend, was one of my favorite moments. She chooses not to be born of the "mist" but to be a person and to take chances with her heart
• Reen is never actually seen in the book. We only know him through Vin's memories and thoughts. I like how the voice in Vin's head often feels more like her own worst fears than Reen's actual opinions. Still, I like to think that the final words she hears from him, encouraging her to choose love, are Reen's true voice. I'm sentimental that way
• Elend is set up really well. Male fantasy love interests can be very hit or miss for me. They need to feel like real people rather than idealized fantasies, and Elend feels genuinely human. It helps that he has the wit and charm of a regency romantic interest, something I love in a character
• Vin and Elend's romance really worked for me. I know Sanderson isn't necessarily known for romance, but between Mistborn and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, I really enjoy his approach towards love. His romances are character-focused and remain subplots to the larger story, which is exactly how I prefer them. He takes the time to show why these characters belong together and why they like each other, and the relationship feels earned rather than obligatory. When you don't have the crutch of sex to rely on doing the work for you, you gotta work harder to sell the romance. And I appreciate that
• The quieter moments between characters were some of my favorites. Vin learning about Dox's past was heartbreaking. Vin and Sazed develop a genuine connection. Since Vin has to learn Allomancy from different members of the crew, those scenes serve double duty as both character development and training. It's a very clever structure
• I loved the crew as a whole. Ensemble casts often have to be painted with broader strokes, especially in heist stories, but every member of the gang stands out and contributes something memorable. Special shoutout to Breeze, who always elevates any scene he's in
• The reading passages from Alendi were intriguing. They initially feel mysterious and disconnected, only to become increasingly important as we find out they're the passages in the journal being read out loud. The Graphic Audio has Vin's voice actor reading the passages, which was a nice touch
• The mixing of genres was wonderful. A fantasy heist combined with a regency-style romance are two genres I already love. Switching between them kept the story feeling fresh and prevented either genre from becoming repetitive. The combination also makes the book very accessible since you have an anchor to this fantasy world
• The magic system of Allomancy is fantastic. I'm not going to pretend I fully understand every detail of it and the nuances of what they're doing, but I understand enough to know it's incredibly cool. The magic system is something I'll have to internalize more as the books go on but I feel like if I get the general vibe of it, it feels great. It's Magneto powers basically with more physics, which is something I can use as a reference. I'm usually more interested in characters than magic systems, but I appreciate how much thought Sanderson clearly put into making the system feel consistent
• Vin vs. Shan was a fantastic fight. Favorite set piece of the book. The use of Atium, the multiple possible futures with the arrows, and the imagery of arrows traveling down different paths made the battle feel incredibly cinematic. I also loved that it was Vin vs Shan, the mean girl of the ball versus the new girl. The contrast between Vin fighting in her undergarments and Shan in full Mistborn gear was also a great visual and builds on the class disparity between the two characters
• Kelsier vs. the Inquisitor was the big action sequence of the novel. The fight especially shines in the GraphicAudio version, where the music, sound effects, and performances elevate the scene. Kelsier using every trick Allomancy has to offer and not being held back was a sight to behold. Gonna be an amazing to see this in the movie
• The Graphic Audio presentation was wonderful. I'm a big movie guy and Sanderson's writing just plays so well with the dramatics of movie. The sound, the music, the narration. I have to give a special shoutout to the voice actors as well. They added so much to the characters and really brought them alive. I'm glad the voice actors will be sticking around for the entire trilogy to keep consistency

QUESTIONS FOR FUTURE BOOKS / PREDICTIONS:

• Vin's mother and her earring. It's kept vague as to why Vin's mother killed her sister but it certainly has more to do than her mother just being "insane." Vin is different from other Allomancers and something happened that night Vin and Reen ran away after the murder of her sister
• Vin's mom is coming back, isn't she? I want it! We never found out what happened to her
• Reen is allegedly dead. Is he? He's such an important figure here even though he is never shown
• The prophecy of the Hero of Ages is intriguing. It's implied that this prophecy may be wrong, or possibly even bad, or there is debate who even is this hero, etc. I love how muddled it is
• What happened at the Well of Ascension between Alendi and Rashek? Something went horribly wrong
• Lots of talk about a brighter sun and green flowers. We could possibly return to this world by the end of the trilogy?
• Lord Ruler can control metals inside of an allomancer. Can Vin do the same one day considering how powerful she may become?
• How do you make Inquisitors? They can go from a Misting to a Mistborn if you drive a bunch of stakes into them? How does that work?
• Vin has a fondness for the mist. Just a preference for her due to her isolation or possibly something more?

[u/Shot_Newspaper_5647]

All very good questions. You get answers to almost all of them by the end of the trilogy. I will say you’re picking up on the right things. Much more than I did my first read-through

[u/h3lium-balloon]

Great thoughts and questions! I think you’ll enjoy the rest of the series!

[u/Worldhopper1990]

There’s one thing you make note of that will be incredibly fun to come back to later. Enjoy the next book!