Mistborn

CAN wait to read the next one…

This was one of the most frustrating reading experiences I’ve had in a while… and somehow I still want to read the next book.

The first 80% of this book took me literal months to get through. The setup is so long, and the pacing feels painfully slow at times. Brandon Sanderson clearly loves building systems, politics, strategies, and explaining how everything works, but sometimes it feels like he explains too much. Every emotion, every reaction, every shift in trust or fear is spelled out for the reader instead of letting you sit with it naturally. There’s very little subtlety. The book tells you exactly how to perceive almost everything.

And honestly… Sanderson does not really know how to write teenage girls. Vin constantly felt younger than 17 to me, almost childlike in ways that pulled me out of the story. Considering her background, some of her reactions and behavior felt oddly naïve or exaggerated. I never fully connected with her the way I wanted to.

That said, the actual story underneath all the slow setup is incredibly intriguing. The world is interesting, the magic system is creative without being confusing, and the overall “long con” political strategy is clearly the main appeal here. This is absolutely a book for people who enjoy schemes, manipulation, rebellion-building, and watching plans slowly unfold over hundreds of pages.

And then there’s the ending.

The last 20% was INSANE. I read it in two hours after struggling through the rest for months. Once the dominoes start falling, the book suddenly becomes impossible to put down. All the setup finally pays off, and even though I complained the whole way through, I was still desperate to know what was going to happen next. That alone says something.

What I appreciate most is that the ending is satisfying enough to stand on its own. There isn’t some massive cliffhanger forcing you into the sequel immediately. You could honestly stop here and feel relatively fulfilled unless you’re genuinely invested in Sanderson’s writing style and the larger story.

For me, this book came dangerously close to the DNF pile more than once. I’m interested enough to continue the series eventually, but I definitely need a break first. If the next book spends another 80% moving this slowly, I don’t know if I’ll survive it twice.

Overall: frustrating, overly explanatory, unevenly paced… but undeniably compelling once it finally gets going.