Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson is a young adult fantasy novel following a teenage girl named Vin and an empire that seems like it will last forever. Vin is a street urchin who meets a unique cast of characters who end up changing her life. While reading the book, I had many moments where I was on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. There were a lot of interesting and emotional moments, ranging from hilarious to horribly somber. The author made a lot of interesting points about governments and monarchy, while at the same time presenting the book as a hypothetical on religion. Some of the commentary is shown in the character’s thoughts, and especially during arguments. The author expresses equality and the separation of church and state, while providing an entertaining and thought-provoking read. The author’s worldbuilding is captivating and unique, giving the book the feeling of discovering a whole new genre. The system of government, the religion, the societal classes, and the added fantasy aspects are all so unique and different from many books I’ve read. The magic in the world is all followed by logic, well explained and interesting. The characters present different perspectives on the issues in the book, but are also seen as real people with flaws and with virtues. The main antagonist in the book is a character, but also seems like a representation of tyranny. The author seems to have a large belief in how religion can affect a person in many ways, and can either give or take hope and happiness. After reading, I saw the hypothetical presented about what could happen if people believed in governments as they do religions, and how it could affect people. It really gave a lot of thought and perspective as to why we do certain things that we do, and what could happen if we didn’t do them. The characters and plot twists in the book had me in tears, and the emotions of the characters felt real and relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as it had a large amount of social commentary while keeping a fun fantasy feel.
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