The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson
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I really enjoyed the world building and the laid out magic system which is of course what usually gets praised and for good reason. I do also enjoy magic that isn't explained or have any system but I really appreciate it when it does and really thinks about those "but what if" situations that come with them. The characters were great too. I thought some of the best parts were when the crew were just bantering with each other.
I think my favorite part was when Vin was fighting the inquisitors towards the end and threw the pewter(?) dust in the air at one to confuse him. I thought that was really smart. Also, I can't help but imagine the inquisitors kind of looking like The Mouth of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings, at least the smile part.
Really the only minus for me, and this is more of a preference, is that it kinda leans into the "chosen one" archetype which I'm not too big on anymore. Well, it does and it doesn't. I'd rather a person just rise up to action rather than following some destiny/prophecy. And I don't want to totally discredit Vin, she's definitely put work into developing her powers, but she's also just naturally powerful. I guess she does rise up to the occasion, especially after Kelsier dies, but there's still that backdrop of the hero of time. Of course I could be wrong and the rest of the series might disassemble the whole hero of time prophecy.
I'm wondering if the lord ruler was able to completely delay the deepness as long as he was alive or if he only slowed it down, which would help explain the world being the way it is today with ash fall. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
