Hey guys, I’m starting a new series ‘Throwback Thursday’ about past books that have shaped me as a reader. It will be on the 3rd Thursday of every month (hopefully :P).
This week I will be talking about the book series that helped me discover the fantasy genre.
Picture this; it’s 2010 I’m walking around the library I love so much. I’ve been in a sea of Jodi Picoult and Stephen King books as that’s all I’ve ever known.
Then I pick up a strange book from an author I’ve never heard of. I read the back. ‘Gaining different abilities by digesting metal,’ that seems interesting.
I go to the librarian and tentatively take the book out. That book fellow reader was Mistborn The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson!
As soon as I read the first page I was hooked! I read the whole series in a month and needed more. More magic. More politics. More amazing characters.
The Final Empire was the ultimate gateway drug. . . I mean book! It opened up the portal to other magical worlds.
What is The Final Empire about?
For a thousand years, the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear while the Lord Ruler reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, a divinely invincible leader. Hope is long lost, until a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa in the depths of the most hellish prison and discovered he has the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, Kelsier will turn his talents to the ultimate caper: one with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.
Only he’s not just planning the greatest heist in history, he’s plotting the overthrow of a divine despot.
Why I loved it:
- Amazing characters
- Intriguing politics where the bad guy won
- Unique magic system
- The bond between the gang is unforgettable
- Kel, just Kel ❤
Is there a book that sparked your reading tastes?
This is such a cool feature! It’s so interesting reading about how books have shaped others, and how much influence they have on bookworms’ lives. I’ve never heard of The Final Empire, but it sounds cool.
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I love seeing what books shaped other readers, it’s all part of the journey! It is pretty cool, you should definitely check it out if you are a fantasy fan.
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woohoo you did the thing!
I really liked the Reckoners series, so I keep meaning to read more of Brandon Sanderson’s books! this definitely sounds like an awesome one to start with.
I was lucky enough to have parents and teachers who read to me, so there were a lot of picture books and baby chapter books in my formative years 😅 I have especially fond memories of the Flat Stanley books and Roald Dahl’s masterpieces, but I think the single book that really stands out to me is Inkheart – I read it way too young and had nightmares for months, but I loved it. still do 💖
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Yeah, I managed to get it done!
I’ve only read Steelheart of that series but it was pretty good!
That’s awesome I loved Roald Dahl books. I think I’m going to do one about him soon! I loved reading Inkheart as a kid but it completely creeped me out too.
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yes Inkheart is the best kind of creepy! kind of like Roald Dahl’s The Witches – I couldn’t sleep for a month afterward 👀
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What a cool feature! Branden Sanderson is one of the greats.
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Thank you! Yes, he is so good, I’ve still to catch up on a few of his books.
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This is an awesome feature! I haven’t read anything by Brandon Sanderson, but I need to jump on that train soon. Also, main characters with jobs that are generally looked on as evil make me really happy for some reason. I’ve been a fantasy reader for as long as I can remember so I don’t know what particular book sparked that love for me. However, I do know that Jean Craighead George sparked my love for naturalist fiction!
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Thank you! That train is well worth getting on board.
Ooo do you have any recommendations of books with evil jobs, sounds super interesting?
I had to look it up but Naturalistic fiction but sounds really relaxing!
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Oh I love this, super engaging! I’ve had the Mistborn series but haven’t gotten to it yet. I have heard nothing but amazing things though.
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Thank you! Aww you should it is so amazing, I’d be tempted to reread if my pile of books wasn’t so high!
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This is SUCH A COOL IDEA for a blog series, and I love this so much!?!?!?
For me, Slaughterhouse-five was a gateway
drugbook to science fiction, which began a slow descent into the madness where I currently live!LikeLike
Thank you!
I still have to read Slaughterhouse-five but Science Fiction terrifies me. I always assume I’ll never understand it!
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Science fiction isn’t always super complicated, and if you read fantasy I think you’d be fine!
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I really like this idea of throwing back to series that helped shaped you as a reader. I have heard such good things about Brandon Sanderson’s books lately, and I totally want to read it soon 😀
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Thank you! You totally should unless you have many many books on your TBR before it >.>
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Oooh, Mistborn was one of the first fantasy series I read too. Though the one that got me into fantasy proper was Eragon – I must have been about eleven or so. I doubt it would live up if I reread it, but it’s something special just because it was the point of no return. Since then, I’ve been hooked.
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Awesome, I think it is a great series to start on! I read Eragon but didn’t get farther I think I would have loved them when I was younger though. Thanks for sharing!
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I LOVE this idea for a post series. If you see something similar on my blog in the future know I’ve blatantly ripped it off yours lol I look forward to seeing more in the future 🙂
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Thank you! Hahaha go ahead, I’d love to know what books shaped you as a reader 🙂
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I’m picking this book up soon for the first time, I have heard some great things. I really look forward to seeing what other books you pick for this series!
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I really hope you like it, I loved it when I first read it. Thank you!
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I love that idea. It is so fun to just walk around the library and then just pick up something you thought you would never read. And then to love it is a total win! This sounds like a great book I need to put on my TBR list.
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Thank you! I think that’s the best part of the library, you never know what you are going to find in it!
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Love this idea! It’s so interesting to think about what books shaped me or to read about what books shaped other people! Such a cool feature.
I haven’t read mistborn yes, but I definitely want to relatively soon.
Agatha Christie’s Sparkling Cyanide was what got me addicted to both audiobooks and crime books. Love her books!!
And I’ve always read Fantasy so there wasn’t really a gateway book … the first book I’ve read in English though (not for school) was Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
Oh oh and Kafka for classics!
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Thank you! I love reading about what books shaped people.
Audiobooks are life! Crime is a genre I definitely need to get into more. Thanks for sharing a book that shaped your reading!
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Oooooo this is a really cool feature, Lisa! I remember reading the Reckoners series (well, the first) and enjoyed it, but haven’t continued with the rest of the series yet. For me, my fantasy descent seems to have been The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa? I think there were a few others before though, but I’m not counting Harry Potter since at the time I just read it for the AR Reading Points.
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Thank you! I’ve only read Steelheart of the Reckoners, I find I’m iffy on super hero novels so haven’t picked the rest up.
I’ve seen so much about the Iron Fey series, I read Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa and loved it! I’m glad you found a book that brought you to fantasy.
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Such a great idea, I think one of the books which shaped me was Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill, in fact the entire series shaped me. It’s more recent I guess, but when I first picked up Some Girls Bite in my library, I had no idea I was about to fall in love with the paranormal adult genre. Or find one of my favourite authors of all time hehe. I’ve heard of Mistborn but I’m not sure…maybe I’ll give it a try one day.
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Thank you! I need to try read some more paranormal books, I think I could definitely love it if I found the right ones! I love finding out what books shaped people.
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This is such a cool feature!!! I love it! I can’t wait to see what book you’ll share next month. I haven’t read this book, though I’ve had my eye on it for a while now. I never knew where to start with his books, and the size also kind of made me be a little bit scared. But I’ll definitely check it out now. There were many books that shaped me, but the one that has always stuck with me was The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. There’s this scene between the main character and a person he only saw briefly when the MC was a kid, and that scene is still in my head, because it shows how every action, no matter how small, can have a huge impact on other people’s lives.
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Thank you! I really should check out The Five People You Meet In Heaven, I’ve heard so much about it. That seems like a really deep scene!
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