Reviews

Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson

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deanneestelle's review against another edition

3.0

This was somewhere between a three star and four star for me. Leaning more towards three.
What I liked:
-The story was interesting. I liked the political aspects of it, and the way Sanderson wrote about the tension between duty to government and duty to people.
-I liked having the Kandra as characters. I missed them in the first book.
-The classic Sanderson twist at the end (I say classic because there's always a twist, not because I typically call what it's going to be) was well-done. As always, it made sense in hindsight, but I didn't see it coming.
What I didn't like:
-The characters, while I still like them, didn't feel as compelling as they did in the first book. Maybe this is just a me thing.
-The twist is also a con for me. I just don't know how I feel about it.

Spoiler

I wasn't a huge fan of how the entire book seemed to build up what large, grand mission Bleeder was on and how she wanted to change the world, and then in the end it was all about Wax. It just felt weird to me.

-In this book, I was confused as to what role Steris is really meant to play. It felt like Sanderson wanted to make her more of a character, but didn't want to give her character.

I don't have a whole lot of thoughts on a grander scale. It was kind of a middle of the road book for me, but still enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the next book, and seeing how things tie together. It feels like the series is a little bit choppy, so I'm curious how I'll feel about that at the end.

le_no_na's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad 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

4.75

coleter's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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? No

4.0

idonttcareeeee's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

i think everyone (especially wayne) deserves the whole world. all of the main cast are such cuties fr

jenhurst's review against another edition

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4.0

I did end up liking this more then the first, which seems to be my usual experience with Sanderson. The banter is fun and the murder mystery vibe is fun. I love seeing how the magic system evolves with the passage of time. But I hate westerns and this is still a western. Can’t wait for mistborn era 3!

etorresd91's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

Good beggining and end but the middle seemed like Sanderson was spinning his wheels a bit. The end saves it though and the epilogue almost broke my heart.