Mistborn: Book Review By: Keerthana Karthik

Mistborn: Book Review

By: Keerthana Karthik

Mistborn, Brandon Sanderson’s first novel in a gripping, page turning trilogy, is a raging combination of masterful worldbuilding and suspenseful plot hatching that every fantasy reader seeks between two covers. In a world of oppression and darkness,  Sanderson introduces an  unlikely heroine through Vin, a shadow of a poor girl haunted by memories of cruelty and suspicion, and blooms her character by introducing it to that of Kelsier, an independent, recklessly powerful rebel leader. The two utilize the mysterious powers granted by life in this distorted society to undertake the tremendous task of bringing about the demise of a tyrannical ruler and the undoing of a social structure that caused them both nothing but pain. Through the association with Kelsier, Vin awakens dormant elements of her own personality and learns to form a harmonic balance with her own newfound power, discovered under the liberating instruction of Kelsier’s mentorship. Through a vicious struggle of classes for justice, of values for morality, and of self worth for self discovery, a mysterious underlying truth penetrates it all; and in the final, potent struggle for it’s discovery, Vin and Kelsier discover themselves in a way neither would have thought possible. As an avid fiction nerd, I truly enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons. For one, Sanderson’s vivid portrayal of a new and unfamiliar setting and his top rate worldbuilding related to it really places the reader in the heart of Luthadel, the city in which the story takes place. His descriptions bring the story to life around the book, and if you close your eyes, you will be able to envision the queer creatures and the dominating architechtural marvels mentioned. Beyond the worldbuilding element, however, is the gripping nature of the plot, and the perfect balance of enchantment and realism to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. To say that the course of events is unpredictable would be an understatement. The plot habitually familiarizes the reader with one concept, or idea, before completely twisting it in a way that makes no characterization certain, and  no prediction accurate.  Another thing that I respected about this book, though, was that it did not completely rely on the superpowers and magic system to drive the suspenseful plot; superpowers were outlined clearly as part and parcel of daily life through the hard nature of the magic system. They added to the reader’s interest because of the unfamiliarity of their concepts, and served to make the reading experience more enjoyable through the ingenuity of their portrayal. I would conclude by saying that Mistborn is a combination of all of these various, amazing elements and much, much more; but the true charm of this story cannot be revealed in anything but the book itself. That is why I strongly recommend Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson to anybody who is looking for a new read.