Summer Fantasy Review

🧲 Mistborn:

I just finished reading the Mistborn trilogy. This was my first high fantasy series. My favorite of the three books is the Well of Ascension. It was also the biggest with around 780 pages. The plot points in this book were amazing and it ended with probably the greatest twist I have ever come across in any book.

The magic system is not super complicated, but it is extremely well explained. It is very precise which makes it seem like a natural aspect of world-building. There are clear things that a person wielding magic can and cannot do. Allomancers can “burn” different metals within their body and tap into different types of strength. For example, burning pewter gives a person strength. It can make a person stronger and faster, help them jump higher, and increase their stamina. Other metals include helping an allomancer push and pull on metal objects.

I loved the world-building. The sun is read and ash falls from the sky at all times. The plants that grow in the Final Empire (the Lord Ruler’s Empire) are the ones that do not require much sunlight. Sunset brings mist with it. It is hard to see in the mists unless you are a Mistborn which allows you to enhance your senses, by burning tin, so that you can see better even in little light. Skaa people are afraid of going out at night so they get inside soon as the sun is setting. The world was not always like this. It was filled with lush green fields and flowers. Kelsier walks around with a relic of the past. He has a painting of a beautiful flower from before the world was broken. Most people do not believe that a colorful plant like this existed. Kelsier’s goal is to return the world to its original state. A time when the sun was yellow, the grass was green, and no ash fell from the sky. A time before the mists when skaa people could go out at night without fear. He wants to fix the world that was once broken by the tyrannical Lord Ruler.

This trilogy follows a female lead named Vin. She is a street thief; she lives with a thieving crew and is reserved and keeps to herself. Living this life has made her untrustful of others. She cannot bring herself to make actual friends because of this, the only thing she cares about is survival. That is until she is found by Kelsier. Kelsier becomes her mentor/father figure. Although a ruthless rebel at most times, Kelsier has a beautiful soul. He teaches her how to trust others despite acknowledging the fact that anyone can betray her. He speaks from experience. One of his mottos is that it is better to be loved and lost rather than not loved at all. Vin learns from him and grows. Her story is that of an underdog learning how to live and love. Kelsier also teaches her Allomancy (magic).

Probably my favorite character in the whole series is Elend Venture. He is a nobleman; meaning his family sits at the top of the society, ruling over skaa people like Vin and Kelsier. He is the only nobleman who shows compassion for the skaa people and thinks of them as equals. Elend loves reading books about philosophy and political theory and is somewhat of a scholar. He believes that every human being has innate value regardless of who they are. Vin and Kelsier lead a rebellion against the tyrant Lord Ruler while Elend’s role is that of politics.

🐦 Six of crows:

This is a heist story. There are a couple of things that I really like about this world. There is magic, but it is a soft magic system. Magic does not dictate the soul of the story. There is no overreliance on it, and modern war technologies like guns are integrated very well. This gives non-magic users a chance to shine. One of the main characters is a sharpshooter that fits this description. Jesper can’t use magic but he can be deadly in a fight.

Another strength is the characters. Each character has complex motivations for why they are a part of this mission; They have to kidnap a scientist. This scientist’s invention is extremely dangerous and whichever country has him will have the upper hand in world politics. The crew does not care about politics or serving their country; Kerch. They are in it for the money.

Kaz Brekker leads this cast of unique characters. The only thing they have in common is their over-the-top traumatic childhoods. There is almost a competition to see who has the saddest backstory, and everybody wins.

I related the most to the character named Matthias. He comes from an extremely religious country. He finds himself among thieves, liars, and also some of the most notorious criminals of Kerch. He has to find a way to live with them to get this job done. He cannot escape because Kaz Brekker holds his freedom. He will be put in jail on wrong charges if they do not pull off the heist. After weeks of traveling and fighting among them, he finds himself warming up. His arc continues into the second book where he learns to accept other people despite their flaws and shortcomings.