After a while of reading nothing but romance novels The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson came as a welcome change. Fast pace and exciting I was addicted from the first few pages. This fantasy novel follows the thief Kelsier as he attempts to do the impossible, along with a crew of lovable characters, and overthrow the Lord Ruler, a man that is perceived to be God. However, the main protagonist is a young sixteen year old girl called Vin, who has lived her life being beaten down by other people until she feels incapable of trusting anyone. As the novel progresses she slowly comes out of her shell and grows into herself as a Mistborn.  I quickly fell in love with Vin as she learns how to use her powers and then later I grew to love Lord Eland, a charming young heir, when she met him. As the novel progresses and becomes emotional I found myself literally on the edge of my seat.

Usually when reading a book that contains a different world and particularly ‘magical’ abilities it can get confusing to remember names and places but Brandon Sanderson makes it easy to follow and I became immersed in a whole new world. In particular I loved the little details that distinguish the fictional world from our reality such as the plants and colours that we take for granted.

The Final Empire is the first book in the Mistborn Trilogy and is followed by The Well of Ascension and then The Hero of Ages. As soon as I had finished the first book I was out the door and off to the shop for the next one.  A great read for any fantasy book lover or anyone who wants to try something different. Despite the many layers that fill the character’s plans and personalities the book remained easy to follow and gripping until the end. I cannot wait to start the next book and I fell Brandon Sanderson very well may become one of my favourite authors.