Rating: 4.5 stars
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Buy the Book: Amazon
Summary: "The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler – the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years – has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.
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."
***WARNING: There are spoilers for the first book in the series below.***
So. The Lord Ruler is dead. Luthadel is surrounded by enemies. And the mists are acting strangely. So begins the second installment of the Mistborn trilogy. Like the first book, the more I read The Well of Ascension the more I enjoyed it. It was a suspenseful and intense and political thriller, and I'm glad I read it
One of my favorite things about this book was the character Zane. He's either schizophrenic or on some sort of drug, but his unpredictability combined with his considerable power made him a fascinating character. I loved every scene he was in.
Another part that I loved was the friendship that developed between Vin and OreSeur. They had some big hurdles to cross, but they (almost reluctantly) found a way though them, and I found their camaraderie to be really fulfilling.
I also liked that I didn't fully trust anyone. With the existence of a spy, every word everyone said was suspicious, and I liked the weight behind that suspicion. I was a little bugged from a realistic point of view that the mole issue wasn't delved into as strongly as I thought it should have been, but it did make for some great scenes. (But when it was finally revealed, I confess I was shocked. I did not suspect that person.)
Also, MARSH. What a creepy dude. I feel like he knows something he's not sharing. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of him, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
The mist shadow was certainly intriguing. I have a couple of guesses of who it is, and I want to find out whether or not I'm right.
Lord Venture (Elend's father) was one heck of a villain. Wow.
The deaths in the final battle were so devastating. One in particular made me really, really sad. I want to make a shrine for this person. (Ask me who it is if you want to know, don't want to spoil it for anyone!)
For all my love for this book, there were a few things I disliked. I felt like the siege took too long. It was basically the entire book. Yes, there were other things going on, but the pacing of that particular plot line was slooooow. Also, I'm still not sure what the Deepness is. There is more clarity in this book than the last one, but it still feels a little vague to me. And, lastly, I don't understand how things could be changed in the Terrispeople's metal minds. Or why they don't change in metal. That seemed like an awfully convenient and totally unsatisfactory explanation.
I will definitely be reading The Hero of Ages. Soon. I want to know if Sazed is going to be alright. I predict that Breeze will be very changed going forward. And I want to find out what happens to TenSoon. And how Elend will handle his personal changes. And what's going to happen with the koloss. And I want to know where that freaking atium is located already.
Bring it on.
Review in a GIF:
Bottom Line: A consuming and thrilling second installment in the Mistborn series. There were some big surprises and heart stopping moments throughout, and I can't wait to read how it all ends.
I just finished this last night! I'm still not sure what I think about it - it was kind of confusing at times and, like you said, the siege took waaaay too long. This book just felt a whole lot longer than the first one. But there were some elements I did like! Zane being one of them. He was really cool.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Zane was pretty awesome. There are elements of the book I loved, but there were also things I didn't like. I do plan on finishing the series though! Are you?
DeleteOh hell yes! Starting Hero of Ages on the first of March :D
DeleteOh good! Me too. (Well, maybe not on the first of March, but I am starting it soon. :) )
DeleteI couldn't finish this series. I'm newer around here and don't want to scare you but I kinda sorta hate Sanderson's books. I'm like the only one though, so don't worry.
ReplyDeleteYou're the first person I've encountered who doesn't seem to completely love this series. I'm not as in love as some others I've met, and I actually do know of some spoilers from Hero of Ages that upset me, but I still plan on finishing. How far did you get into three series before calling it?
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