Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

The Hero of Ages: Book Three of Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

24 reviews

vereadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 C/TW: Violence, death, gore, blood, murder, mental illness, classism, suicide thoughts, war themes, animal death, torture, grief, fire, confinement, genocide, religious bigotry, and hostage


Rating ★★★★★

“The nature of the world is that when we create something, we often destroy something else in the process.”

Sometimes I don’t know what else to say apart from:


“Somehow, we'll find it. The balance between whom we wish to be and whom we need to be. But for now, we simply have to be satisfied with who we are.”

Reading the Mistborn trilogy was the best decision I ever made. When I started this trilogy, I had no idea how involved I would be in the story. I also didn't know how attached I would feel to these characters.


“If you give up what you want most for what you think you should want more, you'll end up miserable.”

I had one of those existential crises you have after finishing a long series or TV show. I feel like I have lost something. I already miss these characters and this world.



Sanderson is fantastic. He crafts a spectacular ending for this trilogy. Every word and every twist was thought out since book one. The book felt a little slow, but I have to admit that it was because I was passing a reading slump. This might have affected my perception of the pace.

“Lately, I feel like my life is a book written in a language I don't know how to read.”

The book is narrated from various perspectives (Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, Marsh, and TeaSoon) that enrich this marvelous world. The book touches on topics such as colonialism, politics, war, and religion. Hero of the ages is heavily centered in theology and myths.

“Faith means that it doesn't matter what happens. You can trust that somebody is watching. Trust that somebody will make it all right.”

It was interesting to follow Sazed on his journey. He was the one that always had hope and faith. In the book, we see him having a theological crisis and losing his essence. I loved his character arc.

“She remembered timidly standing atop the Luthadel city wall, afraid to use her Allomancy to jump off, despite Kelsier's coaxing. Now she could step off a cliff and muse thoughtfully to herself on the way down.”

Vin is extraordinary. She grew a lot during these three books. Over time she learned to trust the people around her, and knowing how difficult it was for her to get to this point is laudable. Seeing her open up and trust Elend so blindly is so beautiful.


“I'm an amalgamation of what I've needed to be. Part scholar, part rebel, part nobleman, part Mistborn, and part soldier. Sometimes I don't even know myself. I had a devil of a time getting all those pieces to work together. And, just when I'm starting to get it figured out, the world up and ends on me.”

Elend is the other character that has astounding development. Elend is still an idealist scholar. But also, he learned to balance his new identity as a Mistborn, a conqueror, a husband, and a warrior. He becomes an incredible leader without losing his essence.

“Sometimes, you have to destroy something in order to build something better.”

I also enjoy following TeaSoon and Marsh and learning about their people.

I was heartbroken not only because this was the end of this journey but because I had to save goodbye to these characters. I am sad because of what happened as well. I hate and love Brandon Sanderson for making me love this group of outcasts so much.



The Final Empire★★★★★
The Well of Ascension★★★★★
The Hero of Ages ★★★★★


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lilifane's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

PERFECTION! This is the definition of perfection. At least for me. 
I know this book or series is probably not for everyone, but it is perfect for me. 
And the sole reason for this is how well plotted this story is, from the very first sentence of book one to the very last sentence of book 3. I have a lot of respect for Brandon Sanderson now. 
And as much as I loved the characters, the story (especially this third book) is mostly plot driven. Therefore, I think people who prefer character driven stories won't love it as much as I do. 
For example: I didn't cry when characters died. But I cried rivers of tears when all the tiny little puzzle pieces fit together perfectly at the end. This is my favorite thing in books and I finally found one... well three... that do it masterfully. 
There are also some really cool themes discussed in the series. One of them is religion/faith/belief, and this is another aspect that might put some readers off. I personally loved the way this topic was explored, and I also really liked the conclusion in the end. But I guess some might find it too preachy. 
I really want to read more from Sanderson, and I definitely will work my way through his whole bibliography. But he writes SO many books, and they are all SO big. I think need a little break from epic fantasy first. 

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jenna_smuszkiewicz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This is my favorite of the Mistborn Era 1 trilogy. I read Stormlight before I read Mistborn and I love Stormlight more than Mistborn for my own personal taste. I didn't like the Chosen One or YA tropes present throughout the book. I did the atmosphere of a
dying world
and the lore that was shown throughout.  Also, for some reason, I just could not connect to the characters or their arcs strongly in this book while I can in Stormlight. So, for me, the trilogy is good but not anywhere special on my list. I just know I got to read it to understand the Cosmere. I am interested in what happens in the Second Era so now I am on the read that. 

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caitlinemccann's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I can't put my finger on why, but I find Hero of Ages to be kind of a letdown. I thought the first two books in the series were super compelling, and the writing quality carries through into book three but the story itself just wasn't as impactful for me. 

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readravereview's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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noellelovesbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

 Content Warnings: Gore, Body horror, Blood, Death, Murder, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Violence, War, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Classism, Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Child abuse, Racism, Slavery, Mental illness, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt


Finally got the courage to read this book so I could say I read the entire Mistborn trilogy…and wow what a journey! From the start, of the series, I connected to and loved Vin and with this conclusion, I'm just in awe of the person she grew into. From a skittish street kid who thought trusting others was stupid...to a selfless and loving role model.

This trilogy only takes place over a few short years but the amount of character growth, from all the characters, is fantastic and had me cheering for them every step of the way.

Overall a fantastic and epic fantasy that I highly recommend giving a go, if you haven't already. 💜 

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oldladysadie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A masterpiece, and a beautiful ending to the Era 1 Trilogy. I found myself constantly flitting between being swept up in the narrative, and pulling back to marvel at the whole tapestry of the series as more and more mysteries became clear. I’ll be rereading this series for years to come, I’m sure.

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fanboyriot's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I did not expect to get through this book so quickly.  It was beautiful and heart wrenching and a lovely ending.  Having said that I have no idea how to form words for most of what even happened.  I have no idea how people are able to write reviews without screaming into the void.  I will say the ending was very peaceful which was something I was not expecting.  Definitely going to re-read this.  This series might be the only fantasy trilogy that I actually liked all of the books, the plots and characters are just so beautifully written I now have even higher fantasy standards.

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elrize's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

  Just such an amazing story with so many twists. It was quite a wild ride! 
There's a lot to talk about but I want to mention how much I enjoyed Vin and Elend's relationship. I was anticipating that something horrible is going to happen with Elend or through him, but it didn't. Their relationship was a really nice depiction of a strong bond without the conflict between them becoming some main focus. Rather, it felt like a realistic depiction of what it feels to love someone. Sometimes you disagree, but you don't stop trusting. It was refreshing, since most books feel like they have to make the characters immature and over-emotional when it comes to their romantic relationships.

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amanda4321's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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