| Title | : | The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0765316889 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780765316882 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 592 |
| Publication | : | First published August 21, 2007 |
As Kelsier's protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.
Stopping assassins may keep Vin's Mistborn skills sharp, but it's the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn't run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier's crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won't get easier with three armies - one of them composed of ferocious giants - now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler's hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.
As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.
The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2) Reviews
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A relatively slow-paced book containing an utterly powerful climax sequence; a spectacular middle book for the Mistborn trilogy.
When I first read The Well of Ascension, my experience dictated that I thoroughly loved it. It’s not until later I discovered that apparently, a lot of people found this book disappointing. Because of this, I was a bit scared that my reread experience would be ruined. Apparently, there’s nothing to worry about. Yes, it’s a different kind of book in comparison to The Final Empire, but I honestly don’t mind; my overall experience of this reread concludes that my investment with the characters and narrative in The Well of Ascension remains REAL.
Picture: The Well of Ascension by breath-art
The storyline in The Well of Ascension begins a year after the end of The Final Empire. The majority of the plotline revolves around the siege of Luthadel, and now Vin, Elend, and everyone must do everything in their power to stop the upcoming threat. In the meantime, they also have to deal with Luthadel’s internal political turmoil. The Well of Ascension, at its core, is slow-paced and intense political intrigues; Sanderson never lets up in making sure the character’s motivation ends up in the right development before the final installment of the trilogy. This indeed means there’s a lot of talking, contemplation, with minimum battle scenes. However, despite all of these, I was never once bored; just like Elend, I lost the track of time.
“Elend: I kind of lost track of time…
Breeze: For two hours?
Elend: There were books involved.”
I love reading slow-paced books; I think there’s a lot of room for excellent characterizations within books that take their time to develop the characters. And in my opinion, The Well of Ascension delivers on that front greatly; this was especially true for Vin, Elend, Sazed, and OroSeur. I know a lot of readers have mentioned that they found the first half of this novel to be too slow due to the lack of action sequences, but for me, the mystery, the character developments, the magic system, and the world were more than enough to give me elation. I didn’t think the first half of the book was useless at all; it was addictive, and the exploration of leadership, identity, love, and faith was incredibly well written. The slow and tense politic plus the methodical build-up truly made the last 150 pages of Sanderlanche so breathtaking.
“A man can only lead when others accept him as their leader, and he has only as much authority as his subjects give to him. All of the brilliant ideas in the world cannot save your kingdom if no one will listen to them.”
There was also a magnificent new metal to burn for the Mistborn here: duralumin. This single metal addition is magnificent. It expanded the complexity of the magic system and action sequences in the entire trilogy exponentially. Back when I first read the first book, I thought Allomancy wouldn’t go beyond what I’ve read in the first book, and I couldn’t be more wrong. Sanderson ceaselessly expanded the intricacies of the magic system within each installment; this includes The Hero of Ages and also Mistborn: Wax and Wayne. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. The existence of duralumin made all the action sequences—especially the last 150 pages—in the book imbued with greatness; some of the action sequences here actually reminded me of the actions in Attack on Titan, which means it was bloody brilliant.
Picture: Interior artworks for the The Well of Ascension Leatherbound edition by Charles Tan (left) and Miranda Meeks (right)
In terms of world-building, Sanderson—once again—did a great job in utilizing the epigraph to explore the lore and heightened the mystery aspect in this book. Specifically on The Deepness and the Well of Ascension itself. Plus, the nature and secret of the Kandra and Koloss revealed here were beneficial in gaining my interest in the book, and it never lets up.
“It's easy to believe in something when you win all the time...The losses are what define a man's faith.”
I won’t deny that there were elements of infamous second book syndrome, but this was just one of the rare cases where I still end up enjoying it. SO MUCH. First-time readers of this book may not know it yet, but The Well of Ascension served its purpose as a terrific middle book installment. Whether the reader loved the book or not, that’s another story. But for me, it worked superbly; in my opinion, Sanderson has masterfully set the stage for the transcending conclusion of the series. Once again, even upon reread, I must say that I’m still amazed by how much this book holds up for me.
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Sorry in advance about the bad language but....
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.
Okay, everyone just read this series, okay? okay. -
The overall book is a solid 4 stars bUT THE LAST 100 PAGES IS 5 STARS NO QUESTION OMG
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I FINISHED THIS AGES AGO AND IT WAS AWESOME : here's my booktalk!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMeGD... -
Re-read on audio and just as awesome the second time! Vin is still my hero! ❤️
Holy son of a biscuit eater!!! THIS BOOK! I loved it, loved it, loved it! Sanderson tackled most of my feels in this book and YES I cried here and there but most of it was happy crying. My dog even looked at me like I was crazy when I was laughing and crying and yelling YES at certain parts.
Vin landed softly on the damp cobblestones, watching as the mists began to form around her. They puffed into existence as darkness fell, growing like tangles of translucent vines, twisting and wrapping around one another.
The great city of Luthadel was still. Even now, a year after the Lord Ruler's death and the rise of Elend's new free government, the common people stayed in their homes at night. They feared the mists, a tradition that went far deeper than the Lord Ruler's laws.
Vin slipped forward quietly, senses alert. Inside herself, as always, she burned tin and pewter. Tin enhanced her senses, making it easier for her to see in the night. Pewter made her body stronger, made her lighter on her feet. These, along with copper--which had the power to hide her use of Allomancy from others who were burning bronze--were metals she left on almost all the time.
Some called her paranoid. She thought herself prepared. Either way, the habit had saved her life on numerous occasions.
I love Vin and she grew so much in this book. She had a very bad life growing up and Kelsier (sob) saved her from all of that and showed her how to be what she is: A Mistborn. (An Allomancer who can burn all of the Allomantic medals) and she became the most powerful Mistborn around.
Elend is the King but he wasn't doing such a great job. He needed to be whipped into shape. I think Tindwyl (a Keeper from Terris) did a wonderful job and getting Elend where he needed to be. I feel Elend figured the rest out on his own and I began to love his character later on in the book.
Tindwyl nodded. "Sazed also mentioned your humility. It could be an asset-assuming you don't let it get in the way. Now, I believe that your Mistborn has returned."
Elend turned toward the side window. The shutter swung open, allowing mist to begin streaming into the room and revealing a crouching, cloaked form.
"How did you know I was here?" Vin asked quietly.
Tindwyl smiled--the first such expression Elend had seen on her face. "Sazed mentioned you as well, child. You and I should speak soon in private, I think."
Vin slipped into the room, drawing mist in behind her, then closed the shutter. She didn't bother to hide her hostility or mistrust as she put herself between Elend adn Tindwyl.
"Why are you here?" Vin demanded.
Tindwyl smiled again. "It took your king there several minutes to get to that question, and here you ask it after a few bare moments. You are an interesting couple, I think."
Vin's eyes narrowed.
"Regardless, I should withdraw," Tindwyl said. "We shall speak again, I assume, Your Majesty?"
"Yes, of course." Elend said. "Um. . . is there anything I should begin practicing?"
"Yes," Tindwyl said. "Stop saying um."
"Right."
Tindwyl had a lot of work to get the king where he needed to be but she did well.
So many of the characters I loved.
Vin
Elend
Sazed
OreSeur
Ham
Dockson
Clubs
Spook
Breeze
Tindwyl
Allrianne
Some of them didn't make it in the battles and that is sad but that is the way of the world.
I also really liked Zane but . . . .
*I loved the characters, I loved the book, I loved everything about it but a few things.*
NOW ON TO THE SPOILER PORTION OF THIS BOOK. DO NOT READ BELOW THIS LINE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK!
Okay lets get down to the nitty gritty. I'm going to be all over the place with this so just bear with me.
Zane is the other mistborn that would visit with Vin and sometimes fight with her. We find out that he is Elends half-brother. I really liked him and wanted him to be good but he had some major issues cause by their father that is/was a complete jerk. I really hated to see him die but it had to happen. I certainly didn't see it coming.
Elend's father along with two other army's are parked outside the city, they all want to take over Luthadell so they can all have the atium. It's a big time metal that lets mistborns see into others futures and when they are burning it they normally can't be killed. Until Vin proved that wrong!
When Vin killed Straff (Elend and Zane's father) I was freaking out of my mind with joy! I didn't like what happened to the horse but still. It was freaking awesome that she finally took his sorry arse out!
Another camp had king Cett in it and he was just stupid, that's all I got. But his daughter, Allrianne was pretty cool. I liked her.
The last camp had an old friend of Elend as the leader and he had these monster things called Koloss, they were these blue giant things and they were not stable at all. They killed each other as much as they killed other people. He controlled them through money and luck, in the beginning anyway.
Most of the beginning of the book is learning about Vin and Elend, trying to get them where they need to be, learning things from Sazed and Tindwyl, figuring out how to defeat the armies and not knowing where the atium was in the city. They never did find it so it seemed like they were all going to get killed for nothing.
Sazed really surprised me. He was a Keeper but had some issues back home, but he still did his work. But he freaking used all kinds of powers and turned into Hulk Sazed when it was time to fight the Koloss! He was freaking amaze balls! He had sent Vin, Elend and Spook away on a wild goose chase for the well of ascension and Vin had to rush back (pun intended) to help everyone. The town was going to die without her. She was so mad but she understood what Sazed was trying to do. She got there in the nick of time!
The koloss loomed over Sazed, who still lay half sprawled in the bloody slush, and raised its sword. Over the creature's shoulder, Sazed could see the red sun hanging just above the top of the wall. He focused on that, rather than on the falling sword. He could see the rays of sunlight, like . . . shards of glass in the sky.
The sunlight seemed to sparkle, twinkling, coming for him. As if the sun itself were welcoming him. Reaching down to accept his spirit.
And so, I die . . .
A twinkling droplet of light sparkled in the beam of sunlight, then hit the koloss directly in the back of the skull. The creature grunted, stiffening, dropping it's sword. It collapsed to the side, and Sazed lay, stupefied, on the ground for a moment. Then he looked up at the top of the wall.
A small figure stood silhouetted by the sun. Black before the red light, a cloak flapped gently on her back. Sazed blinked. The bit of sparkling light he'd seen. . . it had been a coin. The koloss before him was dead.
Vin had returned
Just typing that scene out gave me chills once again and made me tear up in joy! Vin is bad to the damn bone, there is no doubt about that. At one point after killing hundreds of the monsters, Vin figured out how to control them so that was even more awesome!
I was really sad for Sazed for losing Tindwyl, they had finally admitted their love for each other in a sense and it was so sad to see him go through his grief.
I also hated that Clubs and Dockson had to die but this is what happens. I dread to see how else will die in the next book =(
Oh, I forgot to mention how much I loved OreSeur (Vin's Kandra). Kelsier had given him to her when he died and the kandra have contracts to do what you say. They are slaves basically. They take on forms of humans or animals by eating their bones after they are already dead. They don't kill people themselves. Vin at one point turned OreSeur into a wolfhound. So awesome, but he wasn't happy about being a dog. But he finally got used to it. But then I find out that OreSeur was killed and replaced with Zane's kandra (TenSoon) to spy on Vin. I was crushed, but it turned out that TenSoon wasn't so bad. There is a lot more to it but you can read about it.
Vin finds the well of ascension in the town. It calls to her. She's not supposed to be there. Sazed tries to stop her but doesn't quite make it. She goes into the well to save Elend's life (her husband, yeah they got married in a quick little ceremony with Sazed while was stitching her up) and she let loose something that wasn't supposed to be let loose on the world. But she saved Elend and turned him into a freaking Mistborn. I mean wow. I can only imagine what's going to happen in the next book!
I'm going to shut up now as I have left a long rambling review of this book. It just thrilled me that much!
Thank you Brandon Sanderson for these characters I love so much!
MY BLOG:
Melissa Martin's Reading List -
Please don’t hate me, but I just didn’t love this one as much as the first. As someone else described, I think it suffered from “Middle Book syndrome”, and really that’s on me. I almost always struggle with the middle installment of a trilogy, even if I 5 STAR Books 1 and 3. There were things I loved, but it felt like the flow didn’t build as well in this one as before. I will say that Sazed’s plot line was the crown jewel of this book! I adore that man and I love his development throughout as well as his struggle coming to grips with what he really believes. Still very excited to read Hero Of Ages and will post a full review after we settle down from our move this weekend!
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dead from sanderson ending syndrome
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this had the potential to be a 5 star reading experience if i hadnt accidentally spoiled the ending for myself. :/
once again, the end is where BS really makes his stories shine. the bulk majority of this sequel is about government, politics, and strategy; which makes sense considering how ‘the final empire’ ends. its a logical next step, but this type of content isnt my favourite as it tends to overshadow fantasy elements. so where i found my enjoyment was in the characters.
i love all the character development in this, particularly for vin and elend. they both started to feel like completely different characters than the ones i met in the previous book, but in a good way. i could see exactly how they grew and why and i understood the circumstances and events that caused that change. it was a journey seeing them develop, all the way to the last page.
which brings me back to the ending. beyond the war and lawmaking, i already knew a big thing was coming, and its pretty major in terms of a certain characters identity and the fantasy elements. had i not already known, it would have completely blown my mind and would have made the previous 700 pages worth it for me. so its unfortunate i didnt get to experience the full effects of a really shocking ending.
so heres me, trying not to accidentally spoil the next book and hoping for more character development and fantasy elements.
↠ 4.5 stars -
Reviewed by:
Rabid Reads
3.5 stars
Anytime I'm reading fantasy for review, I take copious notes. In fact, most of the time, my review is pretty much written by the time I finish the book, I just need to make slight alterations to account for any last minute goings on.
And I like that, b/c your average fantasy is 2 - 3x longer than any other book. Trying to go back after the fact and recall all the key details would be a nightmare.
BUT.
Brandon Sanderson has consistently thwarted me in this area. And by consistently, I mean every, single time.
Why do you hate me, Mr. Sanderson? WHY?!
If I were to rate a Sanderson book--any Sanderson book--prior to the last 20%, almost all of them would hover around the 3.0 star range.
But unlike most books that benefit from higher ratings b/c OMG, THAT ENDING!, my experience with Sanderson has been very different.
Yes, there is definitely an element of OMG and FEELS overwhelming your brain stem, making you instantly forget whatever had you feeling so MEH for the majority of the book, but that's only one small aspect of the turnaround. I'll get to the greater part in a minute.
I've called Sanderson a master of misdirection several times, but I'm finding it to be especially true in this first MISTBORN trilogy.
You know what happened last time . . . This time . . . it wasn't quite as drastic, but it had a greater impact on my overall reaction to the book.
B/c initially, I didn't much like this one.
We know from THE FINAL EMPIRE that the Well of Ascension is where the shit went down. The Lord Ruler traveled to the mountains of Terris as prophecy dictated to seize its power and defeat the Deepness . . .
A power that wasn't meant to be contained but released, and in selfishly keeping that power to serve his own purposes, the Lord Ruler became the new Evil.
With his death the Deepness is returning.
His ominous last words proved truthful, and whatever had been holding it back is now absent. Strange shapes take insubstantial form and stalk the Mist by night, and by day . . . no longer banished by light, the Mist attacks and kills defenseless villagers.
And Vin is drawn by a distant thrumming, a constant drum beat in the distance that only she can hear . . . calling her to the Well.
You'd think that a journey across a land filled with various and dangerous threats would make for an excellent second installment, and it would have . . . if the book had been about a journey across a land filled with various and dangerous threats.
But it wasn't.
It was about about a city besieged by not one, not two, but THREE armies, one full of the remnants of one of the Lord Ruler's monstrous creations.
It was about a naive manboy who needed to lose the boy and become a king. It was about a insecure girl who loves Manboy, but thinks he deserves far better than her. It was about grasping factions in a fledgling government and political scheming and backstabbing, and while that may sound marvelous in theory . . .
After roughly 600 pages, it's dreadfully dull.
Especially after an action-packed first installment, which brings up another complaint . . .
This is the second time I've encountered a lackluster sequel in a Sanderson series, so while I'm not 100% that it's a pattern, it is 2:2 which dramatically increases the likelihood . . .
It goes like this:
Book 1 - first 80% can be slow and consists primarily of misdirection, false trails, etc. leading to the brilliant chaos of the last 20%. World-building and character development are typically enough to keep you engaged.
Book 2 - favors political scheming over action, lots of agonizing(ly boring) soul searching, angst-fueled love triangle, and above all else, miscommunication and refusal to confront emotional problems directly.
If this is a pattern, Mr. Sanderson, you need to break it.
Sooners rather than laters, baby.
But despite my annoyance with the lack of progress towards the ultimate goal being somewhat neutralized by last minute revelations (which, by the way, is as frustrating as it is gratifying), those revelations cannot mitigate how completely over I was the Vin/Elend relationship drama.
Part of me feels like it would've been more honest to call this book: I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH, HE'S GOING TO LEAVE ME, WHEN WILL HE LEAVE ME?, HE'S GOING TO LEAVE ME.
Long, I know. Probably one of the many reasons they went with something else. But it would have been more accurate than THE WELL OF ASCENSION.
And as I said, this is the second time Sanderson has done this to us.
I'm baffled. This kind of teen-angsty melodrama has no place in adult high fantasy.
NONE.
But, also again, a handful of new characters (Zane and Tindwyl) and careful threading of impossible-to-detect-foundations for later plot twists kept it from being a total loss. <------If there had been just slightly less drama, those things alone would have made this a strong 4.0 star read for me. BUT. Drama.
Recommended with qualifications. Book 3 is up next, so I'll let you know how it goes.
8/26/15: BUDDY READ with my peeps in
Sanctum of Fantasy.
My other reviews for this series:
Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1) -
"My name is Kwaan. Philosopher, scholar, traitor."
The naïveté of me to think that The Final Empire was thrilling and eventful... turns out that was just Sanderson warming up the audience.
"This last year I've read every pertinent book on leadership and governance in the four libraries."
Yes, there were some loose ends by the end of Book 1 along which he could've easily continued here in the second book, but I thought at least the author would not be able to sustain that incredible pace for another lengthy novel. But Well of Ascension clearly shows that The Final Empire was only a strong foundation: As eventful as the latter was, I felt like this second book is where the reader gets a clear idea of what the series is actually about. This second installment has been nothing short of a massive concoction of mystery, adventure, politics, chaos, success, failure, disappointment and war.
"Do not deride someone's faith simply because you do not share it."
Just like with The Final Empire, world building, magical system, characters, plot, story-telling and everything else (with the exception of romance... again) are phenomenal. To avoid making this review unnecessarily long, I'll link my review of Book 1
here. Everything is as good as it was with Book 1, if not better, most significant improvement being the continued expansion of magical system. I love the reasoning and logic behind Allomancy and it looks like we have yet to discover a lot down the line.
"You know, Ham, the only thing about your jokes is how often they lack any humor whatsoever."
Now, for the major changes: One of the most noticeable changes for me was Sanderson's frequent use of humor this time. True, there were many witty remarks from Breeze, Ham and the like in first book, but it wasn't as predominant as here in The Well of Ascension. The author handled it quite well in my opinion, while never letting those small respites affect the flow nor changing the overall emotional tone of the story. Although, considering the way things ended here, I don't think I should be looking forward to more humor in the next one. Still, this has been a nice change.
"Slovenly clothing invites other slovenly habits - such as your posture."
We also get introduced to a new set of characters, bringing some additional complications to the plot. I don't think any of them surpassed my favorites from Book 1, but they did a wonderful job here in exploring some new areas. It was also great to see the growth of Vin's character, as well as Elend's. With Kelsier no longer belonging in the cast, the extra bit of attention was dedicated to Sazed, which, for me, was a great thing, for, the Terrismen happens to be one of my to favorites so far. However, considering how things ended here, I'm beginning to think that I should be careful as to how much I should become attached to them: It looks like Sanderson has a way of making the endings more realistic by creating a scary balance between victories and losses, and the latter continuing to dish out some major grief. I'm already beginning to fear how the Book 3 would end.
"When you struggle so hard for life, you grow strong - but you can grow harsh too."
It has been quite a while since I have become this invested in a series, this quickly. And with the amount of loose ends and mysteries which have yet to be explained, I don't think I'll be able to rest well until I'm through with the last book. Perhaps I should remember this when reading Sanderson's future books if the series in question is not yet complete, for it's hard to imagine how I'd be able to cope with waiting for a next-in-series to be released..
"A man was defined not by his flaws, but by how he overcame them." -
The Well of Ascension (Mistborn,#2) by
Brandon Sanderson
They achieved the impossible by defeating the evil, whose cruel rule lasted for a thousand years. Now a street child who has grown into the most powerful the world, and an idealistic young nobleman who loves her, must build a new, healthy society. However, they hardly started with that when rebellions attacked them. It's an exciting sequel. Sanderson weaves a complex world with an innovative magic system. And realistic characters as a reader can feel their tension building as the war moves on. In this book, there were more political topics than in the first book. But still, I enjoyed the book more than the first one.It's easy to believe in something when you win all the time...The losses are what define a man's faith.
Ennjoyable. -
This book was...not very good. I absolutely loved the first book, it was sooo good! I still love the magical device he uses, but honestly this book did not live up to the first. The main character becomes pretty stupid, and the love interest was never that interesting. I will read the third book, but my hopes are not high.
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This nearly destroyed me and I absolutely loved it.
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5th reread and this will probably be the best, my top fantasy story I will have ever read.
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1st read: Nov 2014
2nd read: March 2015
3rd read: April 2016
This trilogy is becoming as loved and cherished as Harry Potter.
First off, if you haven't read this trilogy, get it together, read it. And you're welcome, in advance. :D
Secondly, as I'm reading this book again for the third time round, I keep thinking how incredible it is that it still has the capability to blow my mind! I still can't, and probably never will, be able to fathom how Brandon Sanderson is able to come up with a world so vast and intricate, where every detail of the story just fits and comes together so beautifully, and how he is able to explain and fill every plot hole. He is an absolute mastermind! Flawless in every sense of the word. -
I feel here as if I ought to apologize to my friends who love these books. The first was okay but I found the pacing a bit slow and had a "my interest comes and goes" experience. Sadly if I compare the pacing of the first volume of the series to the pacing in this one (the second volume) the story in volume 1 moved like the wind.
I know that some are very involved here and love these, and I can see why. The characters have depth and you get an "in depth" view of their lives. Not only their lives but their conversations, their internal struggles, their dietary preferences...the kind of clothes they like, on and on and on.
I found myself slowly getting involved in the story but then we'd hit a spot where we had to go through an internal dialogue concerning doubts, paranoia...or possibly psychosis ("no one will ever stay with you, everyone will leave you". This should have been followed by a "bwa-ha-ha" when it popped into Vin's mind).
When I was reading as I said I was mildly interested but when I'd laid the book aside I didn't think about it. I was hard pressed to get back to it there were just things I'd rather read. I finely got "re-interested" about the end of part three as the story of the throne moved on and plots started to come to light only to get thrown back into
So in the end, two stars for my recognition of the writer's ability and the story telling I can see buried under what seems to me a lot of excess verbiage. If it's your cup of tea enjoy. I doubt I'll finish the trilogy. I mean how many 800+ page tomes do we need? Don't get me wrong, I love a good long epic fantasy, it's just that so often any more, people choose to tell a story in 1000 pages that could be told in 250.
My opinion throughout of course. -
I like a story that surprises me, and this series keeps doing it. The ending of the last book was undoubtedly epic. I don’t know how Brandon Sanderson does it. It felt like the closing chapter for these characters, but, in reality, it was only the beginning of the series. The Lord Ruler’s death could have been the ending, but he was only the surface issue. Indeed, with his death a whole host of problems arose, and none of them are as simple as they appear. This proved that the generic plot of the first book was, in fact, a mere illusion. Nothing is as straightforward as it looks in this world.
The survivors must work together
The Empire is in complete turmoil. Despite the Lord Ruler's tyranny, he did keep the empire together. With him gone there is no anchor; there is no fear: there is only chaos. Vin and Ellen must attempt to keep the city from descending into complete anarchy. This is no easy task because without the ultimate symbol of power, others will come to take advantage. The threat of three invading armies suddenly dawns on them. They have no real defence; they have no solid army. All they have is their wits and a group of charismatic rogues to save the day. And, if that threat wasn’t enough, the shadow of a deeper enemy approaches.
"That's the point, isn't it? We have to live on, no matter how hard it gets. We'll win in the end."
The plot turns and alliances twist, factions form and breakdown, whilst more questions are raised as to the origins of the Lord Ruler. What power did he have to keep the people in line? Why is this shadow only approaching now with his demise? Surely, if he kept this evil at bay, he may not have been pure evil? Well, that is what some of the characters begin to realise; they begin to see that his reign of terror may have been for a purpose. And, in this, resides my true reverence of this series. Sanderson has disguised his novels; he made the story initially look basic, in which it harboured the same tired old plot with seen several times since The Lord of the Rings.Then, he slowly reveals what is actually happening, and at the same time shocked me to the core.
The awesome, awesome, characters
Although this book is a little slow, in places, it’s still fantastic. The character development throughout this series is almost explosive. In this novel Vin has become so much more than she initially was. Her training with Kelisar was merely the beginnings in her exploration of her capabilities; her battle with the Lord Ruler changed her; she has become more powerful and confident; she knows how to wield her powers in new and interesting ways: she knows how to kill, and how to do it well. In this, she has become the leader Kelisar’s rogues. She has filled the gap he left behind. And, in addition, what happens to the bookish Ellen, at the end of the novel, changes a lot of things.
"Elend: I kind of lost track of time…
Breeze: For two hours?
Elend: There were books involved."
He’s a little more that the book reading leader of the city now, I’ll say no more, but I really didn’t see THAT coming. This is such a great series that never fails to surprise me, as soon as I begin to predict the plot I should know that something else entirely is going to happen. But, I’ll keep trying anyway.
“There's always another secret.' -Kelsier”
The Mistborn Series
1. The Final Empire -
A misty four stars
2. The Well of Acsension- A suprising four stars
3. The Hero of Ages -
An awesome four stars -
Such a thrilling sequel.
-
“It's easy to believe in something when you win all the time. The losses are what define a man's faith.”
...
My soul was slain upon finishing this book, and I'm now writing this review from beyond the grave.
You know what I did when I turned the last page of The Well of Ascension? Well, I shrieked like a banshee into my pillow first (because I'm a considerate roommate, thank you very much). I cried. A LOT. And then, I curled up into a ball on my bed and stared at the wall in silence.
I'm an incoherent mess and it's been over a month since I finished this masterpiece. How am I supposed to cope with that ending? My mind is still completely reeling.
The Well of Ascension takes place a year after the finale of The Final Empire. We follow Vin and Elend as they grapple with the ramifications of the first book. The first installment in the Mistborn series was an epic heist novel, but the sequel was so different. This book is a sweeping political fantasy brimming with tension, action, magic, and secrets. I was enthralled from page one.
Brandon Sanderson is a genius at world building. I'm continuously swept away by his stories. The world of Mistborn is rich, expansive, and so so so interesting. Every facet of Scadriel (look up his Cosmere worlds, they're insane), from its history to its religions and myths, are intricately structured and grandiose. I would read an entire textbook on this world. Truly, Sanderson has a gift at giving the reader little tidbits here and there while keeping up the intrigue and mystery.
I can't wait to find out more. I have so many thoughts and theories.
And the characters. I thought I liked Vin in the first book, but in here? Woah. Vin is a total fucking BADASS. Dear Lord, she's grown so much. Vin's character arc throughout this second installment was so great. Her inner struggles, her insecurities, grief, and fears were relatable, and the way she overcame her struggles in this book made her one of my favorite characters in this story. I truly love Vin.
I'm also surprised with Elend's character development. I thought he was a bit of a snobby boyscout in The Final Empire, and I didn't have particularly strong feelings towards Vin and Elend's relationship.
But in this book? I loved them together. It also helped that Elend became a strong, capable leader in this book. My son is all grown up. *sniffles* And it's all thanks too a new favorite of mine...
Tindwyl. God damn. She's an intellectual badass with the air of a Slytherin and the heart of a Gryffindor. I love this woman. SO MUCH. And my favorite character, Sazed, has a history with her and I just wanna swoon. I love these two. Sazed is my absolute favorite and I adore them both. Can I just have an entire book about them? That would be amazing.
All of the side characters continue to endear me. Breeze, Ham, Clubs and Spook. I adore this band of criminals turned revolutionaries. There was even a new character, Zane, that I found to be really compelling. I hope to see more of him in the next book. Even the main antagonist of this story, Lord Venture, was a great villain: deceitful, manipulative, and a frustrating foil to our heroes.
Even though the plot was a bit slower-paced than the previous book, I was never bored with this installment. The political scheming and machinations made for some nail-biting tension, leading to a finale that blew my fucking mind. What a glorious, bloody, batshit crazy ending that was. SO MUCH HAPPENED.
I'm in awe. And I'm also devastated. And blown away.
I have a feeling the next book will ruin my life.
I adored this book, if you couldn't already tell. I can't fully convey how much I love this series, and how truly EPIC it is. All I can do is scream from the rooftops and recommend these books to everybody. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.
Whelp...I need to get to The Hero of Ages. FAST.
-
It was because she understood her purpose. And she agreed with it. She could fight, could kill, if it meant defending those who could not defend themselves. Kelsier might have been able to kill for shock or retribution, but that wasn’t good enough for Vin.
And she would never let it be again.
.
SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 BELOW⤵
A year has passed since the Lord Ruler was killed and the Skaa liberated. Things should be getting better right? Except they aren't. The city of Luthedel is in constant danger of invasion from armies lead by greedy noblemen in search of the big treasure that is the hidden stash of priceless Atium. Vin, Elend and our crew are doing their best to ensure that Luthedel does not fall. But with every step they take new problems arise.
Vin and the rest of the crew are still grieving Kelsier (so am I tbh) and figuring out how to take on this immense duty he left, with his sacrifice.
The Lord Ruler's last words haunt Vin. She knows that there is a danger greater than the armies surrounding them, a danger much much older. Everyone thought that the Hero of Ages defeated the Deepness but Vin thinks maybe he just delayed it.
Like with my experience reading
The Final Empire I was not bored for one second. The Well Ascension had a huge focus on politics and I can say that I did not mind at all. Even though this book is often described as ‘slow paced’ I found every bit of information intriguing and fascinating.
The politics, the religions, histories and relationships was so freaking interesting!! The hardships and inner conflict the characters went through meant so much to me and I wanted to see them all thrive.
We meet some new and interesting characters; some of which I loved (Allrianne; Oreseur; Tindwyl) and some I did not love so much (*cough*Zane*cough*).
Even though
Mary ( my buddy read partner in crime) and I were able to figure out most of the twists we were still blown away by how they were executed.
I am honestly just in awe of how this plot played out. Sanderson is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors and I'm genuily upset with myself that it's taken me this long to get to his books.
"We spent a thousand years fighting off the Lord Ruler—if I do things the same way he did, then what will be the difference?”
____
My reviews for:
Era One
0.5 (short story):
The Eleventh Metal
Book 1:
The Final Empire
Book 3:
The Hero of Ages
Book 3.5:
The Secret History
Era Two
Book 4:
The Alloy of Law
Book 5:
Shadows of Self
Book 6:
The Bands of Mourning -
This series has been AMAZING. Just brilliant!
I did a BR with my pal ChopinFC. Aaaand, I turned into Usain Bolt while reading this book. Sorry Rod! 😬
Both books have gone in completely different directions and I’ve enjoyed that so much. Usually the 2nd book in a series is not as strong but that’s not the case in
The Well of Ascension.
I’m so impressed with
Brandon Sanderson on this series. He has written a world that is detailed and complicated. It's always on the edge of war, starvation or total collapse from The Deepness. A magical, allomancy system that’s just so complex and unique.
From political turmoil to betrayals, it’s all so well written in these books. I never figure out the plot twists and god damn, I love that!
In the 2nd book, Luthadel is surrounded by enemies, Elend is a weak but idealistic king and winter is coming.
Dun dun dun! *cue serious music*
One thing that I’ve enjoyed in both books is how subtle Sanderson writes about morality. I've enjoyed watching Elend go from an idealistic and weak nobleman to something much more.
Vin is amazing as always and I loved how she struggled with being a Mistborn in this book. Trying to understand her role in Elend's life and whether she's a good person with how often she has to kill assassins.
I can’t wait to see where Sanderson takes the characters of Elend and Vin in the next book!
The pacing was a bit slow in some places but I didn’t mind. I looked at it as developing the story, the betrayals and the battle at the end. Wow, the battle at the end with the koloss was just epic.
There's just so much going on with the main characters, the Assembly, secondary characters to the whole story of understanding The Deepness.
The end left me with a lot of questions to be answered in book #3. I can’t wait to go back to Luthadel and the Dominances.
This book is just packed with TENSION?!!
Rack up the T E N S I O N ! !
I just couldn’t put this down.
I fully recommend the first two books of the Mistborn trilogy to anyone - whether or not you're a fantasy genre fan. The books are a joy to read! They’re also thought provoking and deep.
Seriously, what are you waiting for? Go pick up this series now and read it!
DO. IT. NOW! -
Loved it even more than the first one... just read it!! NOW!
PS. Can we all agree that Straff is a POS? Ok? Good! -
Whew. That was long.
There was quite a time lapse between my reading of this one and the first one, which can be attributed solely to the length of these books.
750+ fucking pages, people. Don't get me wrong, I've read some long books in my decades of dedicated reading, but still...quite the commitment, no?
But enough about the completely self-evident length of this book, which - being that this is a Brandon Sanderson book - is a surprise to no one.
I adored book one in this series.
ADORED it.
Like, we are talking first rate adoration here, my friends. The slap this thing on my tops reads of all time shelf and spend the ensuing year trying to force my dad to read it level of adoration.
It also left me with quite the book hangover in the form of the complete and utter devastation a reader only experiences when (don't click this if you haven't read book one yet. It will wreck the utter wonder of that book for you.) AKA shit goes down.
You can find my review for book one
HERE
Needless to say, my expectations for this were high, folks.
And, while I'm not saying this book didn't...deliver...I will say that it didn't hold me quite as spellbound as book one.
This one had a lot of politics and bureaucracy which really bogged the beginning and middle of the story down. There was a lot less action and a lot more contemplation - in the form of "does he love me?" teenage angst variety, which I didn't love - than the first book, which also made the story trudge along in certain areas.
Other than that though, the middle/ending really picked up and I enjoyed it immensely.
Book three promises to be EPIC.
I just hope I don't drag my feet getting to it. -
A very good book that suffers a bit from "middle book syndrome"
Mistborn: The Final Empire was a wonderful book that really ticked all the boxes for me, and while I did give this book a high score, The Well of Ascension doesn't quite live up to the first. The first 3/4 of the book matched up just as good, but it's the last 1/4 that is a step behind.
It seems extremely obvious to me that the third book has some major reveals that are going to knock my socks off, and that this book serves as an important link to make those reveals even more impactful. So I am extremely excited to start up the final book and see what it has in store.
I'm starting to understand why so many people are enthused about this book series.
Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book. -
4th read. Seems I can’t go much longer than a day without getting a Sanderson fix. 😂 2020: "When a person is lucky enough to live inside a story, to live inside an imaginary world, the pains of this world disappear. For as long as the story goes on, reality no longer exists“ (Paul Auster). Sanderson has made me that lucky person; yet it is his accomplishment, not my own. Granted, the capacity to experience a book this way lies within you, but I don't want to take any credit for the spell this series has put me under.
Again, I loved immersing myself in the brilliance of this intricate, magical world Sanderson has created; to learn more about the Deepness and the kandra, to live and suffer along our heroes. I loved how, despite its fantastic setting, this book is a realistic exploration of human nature; how it‘s about idealists struggling against greed and self-interest in the aftermath of a revolution; how it’s about what comes after, about identity, about finding your "self" amidst the chaos that a new order brings. And though, as a reader, facing those impediments with your characters is quite sobering, this story still remains magical. This book consumes you and while it truly makes you feel reality no longer exists, it still makes you wish for an extended respite from everyday responsibilities so you can just keep on reading and keep on living in that world.
Dear future reader, prepare to be enchanted, prepare to be deceived, to be misled; nothing and nobody is what it seems. Prepare to suffer with our characters in this elaborate post-dystopian world of allomancers and feruchemists and experience the magical ride that is this series. I certainly can't wait to get started with The Hero of Ages."You wonder if we should just give up. Well, we’re not going to do that. . . . We‘ll fight, and we‘ll die with dignity. Then, the city will burn - but we‘ll have said something. The Lord Ruler pushed us around for a thousand years, but now we skaa have pride. We fight. We resist. And we die.“
Before you leave, why don't you check out my review of
The Final Empire (Mistborn #1).
PS: In light of my deep love for these books, I felt it was only appropriate that I change my name to Bran. San. Stan.
___________________________________
2nd read: After listening to the audiobook read by the amazing Michael Kramer, I still absolutely love it. Permit me a silly, random thought though: so many characters keep raising a single eyebrow; people always envy me for being able to do it so I always figured that was a rather rare thing. 😂 Thoughts, anyone? -
“It's easy to believe in something when you win all the time...The losses are what define a man's faith.”
― Brandon Sanderson, The Well of Ascension
Sanderson does it again. This book is absolutely amazing !!
All in all, "The Well of Ascension" is an exciting sequel to "The Final Empire", full of what made the first book so compelling: a great cast of characters, amazing development, an eerily magical world and a thrilling storyline. I will definitely be reading the final book of the trilogy, "The Hero of Ages" as soon as possible. -
*plot point occurs*
"Wow!" said Elend, "I can't believe that plot point just occured! That means these four explicit things: 1, 2, 3, and 4!"
That means 1, 2, 3, and 4 won't be far behind, Vin thought uneasily. She smiled at Elend and felt wishy-washy about her feelings toward him.
Ham nodded. Breeze grinned.
"1, 2, 3, and 4 won't be easy," said Sazed. "Do you remember when X, Y, and Z happened? That explains why 4 will follow 3."
Vin wasn't sure if she wanted to wear a dress or pants. It was a big deal to her.
/repeat -
Even with its annoying faults, I don’t think I can give this less than a 3.5 star rating.
THAT ENDING THOUGH.
Overall I’d say this was a good continuation to the series, this one focuses a lot - like A LOT more on politics than actual action like the first book did. However it also focused on character development for both Vin and Elend, the two main characters which Sanderson managed to do fairly well.
Sazed is my favourite character in this series. Continuing on from the first book he just has a heart of gold and most importantly, he loves telling stories and tales! His relationship with Tindwyl, who I loved as a character was also so well developed and beautiful till the very end.
My main grudge with this book is that it really didn’t need to be this long. The first 200 pages or so were just.. talking? And the middle of the book was again talking, but with a little more action and then finally, the ending is FULL of action! Less of that beginning would’ve been better! A lot of it really wasn’t needed!
Another grudge I have is that so much of this was Vin moaning and complaining about her feelings from her relationship with Elend and there was just too much of that in my opinion. She kept and kept on switching between ‘he loves me’.. ‘he loves me not’... and at times it just got irritating. Stop that Vin, he adores you!
I cried twice during this book, Sazed finding Tindwyl’s body (WHY ARE YOU MESSING WITH MY HEART SANDERSON) and when Elend gets attacked at the Well of Ascension. Soooo many feelings!
Just read this series if you haven’t already. -
The Well of Ascension was a beautiful follow-up to
The Final Empire. There's so much going on now that it's difficult to speak on a lot of the specifics, so my review will focus on more general overview of what I enjoyed and what I didn't.
Plot:
The plot was by far the strongest point of the novel. I was just so engrossed in all of the political conversations happening here. I like my high fantasy heavy on the political intrigue with dashes of cunning & betrayal.
Plus the last little bit of this story just blew my fucking mind. Sanderson has no mercy when it comes to plot twists. He'll drag you through the ashes of your favorite characters. He'll throw you out of the airplane and shout "Plot twist! I cut holes in your parachute, bitch!"
It was crazy! But I enjoyed every minute of this plot as it unfolded.
Character Development:
I feel as though Vin is the only character that really grew at all in this novel.
There is an argument to be made for both Sazed and Elend, as they do make some strides forward, but most of the development primarily revolved around Vin. For me, I wanted a little more in this area. I feel like everyone else was static and that didn't really do much for my reading experience.
I'm very glad though for all that Vin underwent in this novel because I really wasn't that fond of her in
The Final Empire, and so this really helped me sympathize with and understand her as an individual.
Pace:
The pace was just a little bit slow in some places for me. As you may or may not know, I'm not normally very bothered by a slow pace. Like we have to be almost moving backwards before I notice anything is amiss.
However, there were just a few parts here that dragged a bit longer than I found necessary. Overall though, I didn't much mind the pace. It's methodical, it's well done, and most of the information presented here is necessary.
I'm very excited to start the final book in this trilogy. The last section of this novel has me very anxious to find out how this will all end!
Buddy read this with
sweet Aria,
Tweebsiepoo, &
my bby Pragya.
*UPDATE: Spoilers in my comments section for The Final Empire! -
The Well of Ascension is the 2nd installment of the famous Mistborn series and, as expected, it suffers from the middle book syndrome. I enjoyed reading the new adventures of Vin and the crew but not as much as in The Final Empire. The majority of the plot revolves around the siege of Luthadel by enemies and the planning to protect the city. While some aspects were interesting I believe the talking went on and on for too long. Secondly, the Vin’s teenage angst and doubts about herself and her relationship with Elend drove me mad after pages and pages of interior debates.
I missed Kelsier, I thought that his character was what made the first book shine but I loved Sazed and OreSeur in this one. I also enjoyed the plot twist at the end and I can’t wait to read the final book in the trilogy. -
If you’re talking Brandon Sanderson, you must be talking perfection. What can I even say that hasn’t been said already? So I’m not gonna say too much except that this felt like nothing short of a piece of art. Just flawless. 💕
