The Mistborn series has stayed with me since I read them in 2010. It’s difficult to fully articulate the impact it had on me then, but it was a series I enjoyed immensely and, although I have yet to do so, I look forward to rereading it sometime.When I read the first book of the Mistborn Trilogy, The Final Empire, I found that I could not put it down, as not only does it have an intriguing plot but it is also well-written.
The story initially follows a young urchin named Vin who has been using magic while being almost unaware of the fact - something that others have taken advantage of, in the past.
Later on, a gang of thieves employ her specifically for her skills, as it turns out she is a Allomancer - a person who is able to "burn" ingested metals to enchance his/her abilities.
The main focus of the first book is that this particular gang of thieves seek to overthrow the Lord Ruler's thousand-year regime, a time during which many generations have suffered.
What I really enjoyed about the book was that the magic (for want of a better term) certain people were able to perform, was somewhat different to the conventional kind of magic used in most fantasy novels.
Out of the three books, I enjoyed the first one the most, but I would definitely still recommend the other two.
The trilogy comprises of:
1. The Final Empire
2. The Well of Ascension
3. The Hero of Ages
I’ve since read the sequel The Alloy of Law, which is set 300 years after the events of the original series, and I would definitely recommend it.
I’m normally quite sceptical of sequel series, but Sanderson did a fantastic job with The Alloy of Law — not only has the world itself evolved with the advent of electricity and other technological advancements, but so too has the magic system, which is something I find doesn’t happen as often as it probably should with other sequel series.
The Alloy of Law did take a bit of getting into at first, as it follows a completely different set of characters. References are occasionally made though to the now legendary figures of the previous series. The story centres around Waxillium (or Wax), who tries to uphold the law in the Roughs through the use of his rare abilities, and his adventures (or, rather, misadventures).
I’m currently reading Shadows of Self, which is the sequel to The Alloy of Law, and it's easily one of the best books I've read in a while (it's tough having to try to strike a balance between savouring the book and not putting it down >>). It probably is a bit too early to say, but I think the second book (or technically the fifth book) is better than the first/fourth one.
