I’ll try to keep this spoiler-free, but the books have been out for fourteen years. So, honestly, it’s your fault.

The Final Empire, book one of the Mistborn Trilogy, is my first introduction to Brandon Sanderson. I started reading this on my Kindle and found myself not enjoying it. The writing lacked the usual prose I am accustomed to from the likes of George R. R. Martain, Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory, Trudi Canavan, etc. I view reading much like wine drinkers, both are pretentious in their niche. I digress.

About that time, I became aware of Audible from Amazon. So, I fired up the free 30-day trial. I downloaded the first book and kicked it off. Either because my brain is too busy or because the narrator was too slow, I found myself bored. Then, I kicked it up to 1.5 speed, and then eventually 2.0. Now, I enjoyed the book. The ease of reading/listening and the PG-13 setting of the world took some time to acclimatize to, but man, the magic system? That has to be original. And that, my friend, makes me think so much higher of Sanderson. I’ve never heard or read anything like that, and in a time lacking originality, I’ve got to say, it’s novel. My favorite characters are Sazed and Vin, followed by Breeze and Lord Renoux, but to be honest, the Lord Ruler, too. He’s always spoken about in an enigmatic way that makes me intrigued. Kelsier was a great character to center the story around. The book is a solid 4 out of 5, but the magic system makes me give it 4.5/5.

The Well of Ascension, book two, had me scratching my head at where Sanderson would go. Kicking it off with all the nobles vying for the throne made it a touch similar to Game of Thrones, but that’s where the connection ends. It didn’t take 4 books + 2 unwritten to flesh out the story, so props there, Mr. Sanderson. I can’t remember the name of the character, but the other Mistborn that Vin is always talking to made it an interesting dynamic. For once, I was rooting for her to go out on her own. The twist at the Well was a nice touch. I always love blindsided twists, but I have to say, I really didn’t like the end with Elend. I thought Brandon should’ve pulled the trigger on that one. And, if I’m honest, it felt a little cheap. 4/5.

The Hero of Ages, book three, made me hate a favored character: Sazed. Of all the characters, I always found him the most fascinating. In this entry, I despised him, so much so that the ending couldn’t really redeem him. However, the dynamic of Ruin in the mix, plus learning secrets about the ingenuity of the Lord Ruler, made it quite satisfying. I enjoyed watching––despite how terrible he was––some redemptive measure to the Lord Ruler. 4/5.

I now own all three audiobooks, and they will definitely get repeat traffic. Your thoughts? Write them below, and let’s talk about Mistborn.