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![Mistborn: The Final Empire by [Brandon Sanderson]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51fqvtcN3xL._SY346_.jpg)
Mistborn: The Final Empire Kindle Edition
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Now with over 10 million copies sold, The Mistborn Series has the thrills of a heist story, the twistiness of political intrigue, and the epic scale of a landmark fantasy saga.
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.
Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.
But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.
This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails?
Other Tor books by Brandon Sanderson
The Cosmere
The Stormlight Archive
The Way of Kings
Words of Radiance
Edgedancer (Novella)
Oathbringer
The Mistborn trilogy
Mistborn: The Final Empire
The Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages
Mistborn: The Wax and Wayne series
Alloy of Law
Shadows of Self
Bands of Mourning
Collection
Arcanum Unbounded
Other Cosmere novels
Elantris
Warbreaker
The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians
The Scrivener's Bones
The Knights of Crystallia
The Shattered Lens
The Dark Talent
The Rithmatist series
The Rithmatist
Other books by Brandon Sanderson
The Reckoners
Steelheart
Firefight
Calamity
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherTor Books
- Publication dateApril 1, 2010
- File size5623 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Elantris . . . is marked by vivid and strongly drawn characters (including a memorable female character) and ingenious plot twists that will keep the reader turning pages. Don't miss it!"--Katherine Kurtz, New York Times-bestselling author of the Deryni series
"Sanderson's outstanding fantasy debut . . offers something for everyone: mystery, magic, romance, political wrangling, religious conflict, fights for equality, sharp writing and wonderful, robust characters. . . . The intrigue and excitement grow steadily in this smoothly written, perfectly balanced narrative; by the end readers won't want to put it down. . . . Sanderson is a writer to watch." -Publishers Weekly, Starred Review on Elantris
"In this stunning debut novel [is] a completely unique world that enfolds the reader in mystery and wonder right through till the last page."-Romantic Times Bookclub on Elantris
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Review
"Elantris . . . is marked by vivid and strongly drawn characters (including a memorable female character) and ingenious plot twists that will keep the reader turning pages. Don't miss it!"--Katherine Kurtz, New York Times-bestselling author of the Deryni series
"Sanderson's outstanding fantasy debut . . offers something for everyone: mystery, magic, romance, political wrangling, religious conflict, fights for equality, sharp writing and wonderful, robust characters. . . . The intrigue and excitement grow steadily in this smoothly written, perfectly balanced narrative; by the end readers won't want to put it down. . . . Sanderson is a writer to watch." -Publishers Weekly, Starred Review on Elantris
"In this stunning debut novel [is] a completely unique world that enfolds the reader in mystery and wonder right through till the last page."-Romantic Times Bookclub on Elantris
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One
Ash fell from the sky.
Vin watched the downy flakes drift through the air. Leisurely. Careless. Free. The puffs of soot fell like black snowflakes, descending upon the dark city of Luthadel. They drifted in corners, blowing in the breeze and curling in tiny whirlwinds over the cobblestones. They seemed so uncaring. What would that be like?
Vin sat quietly in one of the crew’s watch-holes—a hidden alcove built into the bricks on the side of the safe house. From within it, a crewmember could watch the street for signs of danger. Vin wasn’t on duty; the watch-hole was simply one of the few places where she could find solitude.
And Vin liked solitude. When you’re alone, no one can betray you. Reen’s words. Her brother had taught her so many things, then had reinforced them by doing what he’d always promised he would—by betraying her himself. It’s the only way you’ll learn. Anyone will betray you, Vin. Anyone.
The ash continued to fall. Sometimes, Vin imagined she was like the ash, or the wind, or the mist itself. A thing without thought, capable of simply being, not thinking, caring, or hurting. Then she could be... free.
She heard shuffling a short distance away, then the trapdoor at the back of the small chamber snapped open.
“Vin!” Ulef said, sticking his head into the room. “There you are! Camon’s been searching for you for a half hour.”
That’s kind of why I hid in the first place.
“You should get going,” Ulef said. “The job’s almost ready to begin.”
Ulef was a gangly boy. Nice, after his own fashion—naive, if one who had grown up in the underworld could ever really be called “naive.” Of course, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t betray her. Betrayal had nothing to do with friendship; it was a simple fact of survival. Life was harsh on the streets, and if a skaa thief wanted to keep from being caught and executed, he had to be practical.
And ruthlessness was the very most practical of emotions. Another of Reen’s sayings.
“Well?” Ulef asked. “You should go. Camon’s mad.”
When is he not? However, Vin nodded, scrambling out of the cramped—yet comforting—confines of the watch-hole. She brushed past Ulef and hopped out of the trapdoor, moving into a hallway, then a run-down pantry. The room was one of many at the back of the store that served as a front for the safe house. The crew’s lair itself was hidden in a tunneled stone cavern beneath the building.
She left the building through a back door, Ulef trailing behind her. The job would happen a few blocks away, in a richer section of town. It was an intricate job—one of the most complex Vin had ever seen. Assuming Camon wasn’t caught, the payoff would be great indeed. If he was caught... Well, scamming noblemen and obligators was a very dangerous profession—but it certainly beat working in the forges or the textile mills.
Vin exited the alleyway, moving out onto a dark, tenement-lined street in one of the city’s many skaa slums. Skaa too sick to work lay huddled in corners and gutters, ash drifting around them. Vin kept her head down and pulled up her cloak’s hood against the still falling flakes.
Free. No, I’ll never be free. Reen made certain of that when he left.
“There you are!” Camon lifted a squat, fat finger and jabbed it toward her face. “Where were you?”
Vin didn’t let hatred or rebellion show in her eyes. She simply looked down, giving Camon what he expected to see. There were other ways to be strong. That lesson she had learned on her own.
Camon growled slightly, then raised his hand and backhanded her across the face. The force of the blow threw Vin back against the wall, and her cheek blazed with pain. She slumped against the wood, but bore the punishment silently. Just another bruise. She was strong enough to deal with it. She’d done so before.
“Listen,” Camon hissed. “This is an important job. It’s worth thousands of boxings—worth more than you a hundred times over. I won’t have you fouling it up. Understand?”
Vin nodded.
Camon studied her for a moment, his pudgy face red with anger. Finally, he looked away, muttering to himself.
He was annoyed about something—something more than just Vin. Perhaps he had heard about the skaa rebellion several days to the north. One of the provincial lords, Themos Tresting, had apparently been murdered, his manor burned to the ground. Such disturbances were bad for business; they made the aristocracy more alert, and less gullible. That, in turn, could cut seriously into Camon’s profits.
He’s looking for someone to punish, Vin though. He always gets nervous before a job. She looked up at Camon, tasting blood on her lip. She must have let some of her confidence show, because he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and his expression darkened. He raised his hand, as if to strike her again.
Vin used up a bit of her Luck.
She expended just a smidgen; she’d need the rest for the job. She directed the Luck at Camon, calming his nervousness. The crewleader paused—oblivious of Vin’s touch, yet feeling its effects nonetheless. He stood for a moment; then he sighed, turning away and lowering his hand.
Vin wiped her lip as Camon waddled away. The thiefmaster looked very convincing in his nobleman’s suit. It was as rich a costume as Vin had ever seen—it had a white shirt overlaid by a deep green vest with engraved gold buttons. The black suit coat was long, after the current fashion, and he wore a matching black hat. His fingers sparkled with rings, and he even carried a fine dueling cane. Indeed, Camon did an excellent job of imitating a nobleman; when it came to playing a role, there were few thieves more competent than Camon. Assuming he could keep his temper under control.
The room itself was less impressive. Vin pulled herself to her feet as Camon began to snap at some of the other crewmembers. They had rented one of the suites at the top of a local hotel. Not too lavish—but that was the idea. Camon was going to be playing the part of “Lord Jedue,” a country nobleman who had hit upon hard financial times and come to Luthadel to get some final, desperate contracts.
The main room had been transformed into a sort of audience chamber, set with a large desk for Camon to sit behind, the walls decorated with cheap pieces of art. Two men stood beside the desk, dressed in formal stewards’ clothing; they would play the part of Camon’s manservants.
“What is this ruckus?” a man asked, entering the room. He was tall, dressed in a simple gray shirt and a pair of slacks, with a thin sword tied at his waist. Theron was the other crewleader—this particular scam was actually his. He’d brought in Camon as a partner; he’d needed someone to play Lord Jedue, and everyone knew that Camon was one of the best.
Camon looked up. “Hum? Ruckus? Oh, that was just a minor discipline problem. Don’t bother yourself, Theron.” Camon punctuated his remark with a dismissive wave of the hand—there was a reason he played such a good aristocrat. He was arrogant enough that he could have been from one of the Great Houses.
Theron’s eyes narrowed. Vin knew what the man was probably thinking: He was deciding how risky it would be to put a knife in Camon’s fat back once the scam was over. Eventually, the taller crewleader looked away from Camon, glancing at Vin. “Who’s this?” he asked.
“Just a member of my crew,” Camon said.
“I thought we didn’t need anyone else.”
“Well, we need her,” Camon said. “Ignore her. My end of the operation is none of your concern.”
Theron eyed Vin, obviously noting her bloodied lip. She glanced away. Theron’s eyes lingered on her, however, running down the length of her body. She wore a simple white buttoned shirt and a pair of overalls. Indeed, she was hardly enticing; scrawny with a youthful face, she supposedly didn’t even look her sixteen years. Some men preferred such women, however.
She considered using a bit of Luck on him, but eventually he turned away. “The obligator is nearly here,” Theron said. “Are you ready?”
Camon rolled his eyes, settling his bulk down into the chair behind the desk. “Everything is perfect. Leave me be, Theron! Go back to your room and wait.”
Theron frowned, then spun and walked from the room, muttering to himself.
Vin scanned the room, studying the decor, the servants, the atmosphere. Finally, she made her way to Camon’s desk. The crewleader sat rifling through a stack of papers, apparently trying to decide which ones to put out on the desktop.
“Camon,” Vin said quietly, “the servants are too fine.”
Camon frowned, looking up. “What is that you’re babbling?”
“The servants,” Vin repeated, still speaking in a soft whisper. “Lord Jedue is supposed to be desperate. He’d have rich clothing left over from before, but he wouldn’t be able to afford such rich servants. He’d use skaa.”
Camon glared at her, but he paused. Physically, there was little difference between noblemen and skaa. The servants Camon had appointed, however, were dressed as minor noblemen—they were allowed to wear colorful vests, and they stood a little confidently.
“The obligator has to think that you’re nearly impoverished,” Vin said. “Pack the...
From Booklist
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
BRANDON SANDERSON grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He lives in Utah with his wife and children and teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University. In addition to completing Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time®, he is the author of such bestsellers as the Mistborn trilogy, Warbreaker, The Alloy of Law, The Way of Kings, Rithmatist, and Steelheart. He won the 2013 Hugo Award for “The Emperor’s Soul,” a novella set in the world of his acclaimed first novel, Elantris.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.Product details
- ASIN : B002GYI9C4
- Publisher : Tor Books; First edition (April 1, 2010)
- Publication date : April 1, 2010
- Language : English
- File size : 5623 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 676 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,963 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

I'm Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.
In November 2020 we saw the release of Rhythm of War—the fourth massive book in the New York Times #1 bestselling Stormlight Archive series that began with The Way of Kings—and Dawnshard (book 3.5), a novella set in the same world that bridges the gaps between the main releases. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it's the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be.
November 2018 marked the release of Skyward, the first book in a new YA quartet about a girl who dreams of becoming a pilot in a dangerous world under alien attack. The follow-up, Starsight, was released December 2019. Also out that year was the final volume of the Stephen Leeds saga, Legion: Lies of the Beholder, which was also published in an omnibus edition, Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, that includes all three volumes.
Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe, called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, and various novellas available on Amazon, including The Emperor's Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction including those novellas was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection. If you've read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.
I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.
Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the Legion series, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. There's a lot of material to go around!
Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor's Soul, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you're already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.
I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan's notes.
Sample chapters from all of my books are available at https://www.brandonsanderson.com/books-and-art/—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Ending made sense but did feel a little bit rushed IMO. But not bad just happened quick. Only negative thing if you can even call it that.
If you like fantasy, magic, world building, all that then read this. Can’t wait for the second one which I’m starting right after this review
Sanderson continues his deus ex machina into his third book in the Mistborn trilogy. A trilogy that eventually grows to seven books—a heptalogy. But I’m getting off here. Why? His lengthy trilogy is redundant to the point of being pedantic. His ‘magic’ system is based mostly on the continued ingestion of specially prepared metals of which the characters have an endless supply. If they fall short, he falls back on deus ex machina to provide. Someone called his trilogy a martial arts fantasy. It’s a fantasy to call it martial arts. His characters overcome every obstacle by ingesting more metals or the sudden discovery of new powers. Get me to read four, five, six, and seven. Not a chance. His story stretched my disbelief to the point of breaking in the trilogy. His redundancies and, just in time saves pulled me out of narrative absorption too often.
I didn’t know if Sanderson could match the quality of the Stormlight archives but I was wrong for doubting, The Final Empire is brilliant on so many levels!
Here is a buckshot of what I loved.
- the whole cast of characters were amazing. The side characters are all memorable and lovable and even given decent time to develop in this book and the leads (Kelsier and Vin) are top tier protagonists! Love Kelsier specifically.
- the villain is awesome, he is intimidating, mysterious and truly evil. There are also many great twists and turns with his story that I loved!
- the story is great: this is a story about rebellion and hope with elements of espionage, thievery, and assassination. It’s a brilliant tale with many great twists and turns. The last 100 pages had me gripping my book so hard! Sanderson does a good job of letting his characters fail, I think this is a quality that authors often lack. This book’s plot it great, well paced, and consistently engaging.
- The book explores many themes that I found interesting, mainly the exploration of charismatic leaders, the effect of religion on a population, and hope vs oppression. The book is actually extremely thought provoking.
- the magic system, the magic system, the magic system! Sanderson writes the coolest magic systems and this one steals the cake maybe for my favorite magic system in all of fantasy! So cool and different. The way it plays into the combat as well is awesome.
- Really well done and exciting combat.
Negatives
- I struggle to find a critique, many say Sanderson lacks prose but I don’t need fancy prose to make a book spectacular. It’s the story, characters, and execution of the book’s themes that matter not thous and thys. I think what The Final Empire lacks in prose Sanderson makes up for with style and clever structure, which I think are often more important than drippy sentences.
5/5 full send recommend!

I didn’t know if Sanderson could match the quality of the Stormlight archives but I was wrong for doubting, The Final Empire is brilliant on so many levels!
Here is a buckshot of what I loved.
- the whole cast of characters were amazing. The side characters are all memorable and lovable and even given decent time to develop in this book and the leads (Kelsier and Vin) are top tier protagonists! Love Kelsier specifically.
- the villain is awesome, he is intimidating, mysterious and truly evil. There are also many great twists and turns with his story that I loved!
- the story is great: this is a story about rebellion and hope with elements of espionage, thievery, and assassination. It’s a brilliant tale with many great twists and turns. The last 100 pages had me gripping my book so hard! Sanderson does a good job of letting his characters fail, I think this is a quality that authors often lack. This book’s plot it great, well paced, and consistently engaging.
- The book explores many themes that I found interesting, mainly the exploration of charismatic leaders, the effect of religion on a population, and hope vs oppression. The book is actually extremely thought provoking.
- the magic system, the magic system, the magic system! Sanderson writes the coolest magic systems and this one steals the cake maybe for my favorite magic system in all of fantasy! So cool and different. The way it plays into the combat as well is awesome.
- Really well done and exciting combat.
Negatives
- I struggle to find a critique, many say Sanderson lacks prose but I don’t need fancy prose to make a book spectacular. It’s the story, characters, and execution of the book’s themes that matter not thous and thys. I think what The Final Empire lacks in prose Sanderson makes up for with style and clever structure, which I think are often more important than drippy sentences.
5/5 full send recommend!

Top reviews from other countries

This book focuses on a young street thief called Vin who despite beatings and mistreatments has continued to survive in the harsh realities of The Final Empire. Vin is a Skaa, a sort of peasant/serf class who are used and killed by the nobility and the Lord Ruler, an immortal god who rules over the empire. During a job with her thieving crew Vin is introduced to a world she doesn't realises existed and is shown there is more that can be done than merely survive.
My synopsis is pretty vague there but I don't want to spoil too much of the story. Brandon Sanderson has a great writing style and sense of pace, while there is a lot of great action scenes it's littered with quieter more character driven moments. Speaking of which, the characters in my opinion are excellent, well written, humorous, and easily rememerable thanks to their stand out personalities and abilities. Seeing Vin grow as the book goes on as she starts to trust people more is really well written and the world she inhabbits is equally both interesting and depressing in equal measure.
The magic system that my friend enjoyed reading game rules is no less fantastic in the actual novels. I say magic but it's more of a power or ability some people have where swallowing small amounts of metals and then burning them in their stomachs like a fuel will allow them to perform certain actions ( being kind of vague again XD ). Depending on the metal swallowed, depends on the ability it can do, there are a limited amount of metals that do anything and not everyone can use every type. The thing I like about it the most I never really felt like there was much of a Deus ex Machina type moment, the power is limiting and at the same time versatile. The reader knows the extend of what the characters can do yet Sanderson often manages to find new ways to use those abilities within those boundaries. It's very clever and feels really unique compared with any other fantasy book i've ever read.
The book is also surprisingly substantial at nearly 700 pages yet never seems to outlive it's welcome. All in all The Final Empire: Mistborn book one is a fantastic fantasy novel and I can't wait to get to the latter books I haven't read yet as well as some of his other works.
Recommended.
+ Characters are great.
+ Well written.
+ Magic/Power system is superb.
+ Interesting setting.

It did not disappoint.
We are thrust into a world of ash and tyranny, following a group of thieves on a mission to piss-off, maybe even overthrow, the Dark Lord.
It’s incredible magic system of using different metals to control people and objects is so brilliant that only Brandon Sanderson could have designed it.
The magic battles that occur are equally as incredible as the scenes are tense and action-packed, throwing the reader around with the battling characters.
It took me a while to get into this book, however. The first ‘part’ of the novel is intriguing but slow and I left the book for almost a year before coming back to it and trying again.
I’m glad I persevered this time though because it only gets better and better!
Vin is such a wonderful main character. I really appreciated Sanderson’s willingness to delve deep into her mental health, and how this affects her relationships.
Kelsier is a fun character but I feel like Sanderson was hiding a lot about him from us. The rest of the crew were a joy to read as they all had their own little quirks and I laughed a lot during their scenes.
Overall, this was a brilliant start to the trilogy and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to either get into fantasy or a new fantasy series.

After loving the Wheel of Time I decided to give Brandon Sanderson's own works a go. The complex and creative magic systems, the fleshed-out characters, and vivid descriptions of the universe add up to an immersive reading experience.
One of the drawbacks for me was how long it took to actually get in to the story. A few chapters in and I didn't really feel invested in the story- this changed as soon as Vin really came onto the scene. This will make it good for a reread because I will digest and appreciate the beginning.
After just finishing the second book, I couldn't recommend this trilogy enough. I'm keeping it spoiler free, but I loved the second book so much- it felt like the first book was a set up to the second- which really undersells the first book because it has its own amazing story arc, character development and epic moments.

This review is about the quality of the printed book. I have attached some pictures. On almost every page, there is one (or more) of the following issues: a thicker black blob on a word, a faded quality to words where two parts of a letter join (especially on the 'e') or just dirty black dots and small marks all over the page.
It is still readable, as you can see, but it is impacting my enjoyment of the reading experience.
I'm assuming that this is a printing error, as opposed to an attempt to immerse me into the ashfell world.


Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 1, 2021
This review is about the quality of the printed book. I have attached some pictures. On almost every page, there is one (or more) of the following issues: a thicker black blob on a word, a faded quality to words where two parts of a letter join (especially on the 'e') or just dirty black dots and small marks all over the page.
It is still readable, as you can see, but it is impacting my enjoyment of the reading experience.
I'm assuming that this is a printing error, as opposed to an attempt to immerse me into the ashfell world.





But more importantly, the novel is filled with characters that have depth and meaning behind their actions, they drive the story rather than are driven by it. I don't mean to say that the characterization is always deep and perfect, because there are some of the peripheral characters that edge towards one-dimension, but the core is rich and satisfying. The main characters, a teenage girl street urchin called Vin and her violent yet principled mentor Kelsier, grow and change as events unfold and feel very convincing throughout. Their magic is limited by interesting, understandable "physics" that makes the difficulty of their task - ending a terrible caste system whereby most of the population are slaves, by defeating the god-like Lord Ruler and his powerful administration - feel plausibly hopeless and desperate. Finally, it is the story arc in this series that I like most. It does not feel like evil itself is the problem that is most difficult to overcome - but instead, making something good.
If you are considering reading this book, then you probably should.