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chaitai00's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
beckycarter97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Genocide, and Blood
lauracest's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
ailsaod's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Well I finally got round to reading this chonker! I was a little worried that this book was going to be a bit flat without Kelsier but while it has a very different vibe I would say this is also pretty great.
Sanderson has a halfway comedic air at times in this book which had me giggling (anyone fancy an actual among us side plot? What about ANOTHER army laying siege to the city to add to your collection? How about watching a character fall victim to their own competence? No??). Despite everything going wrong Sanderson somehow made somewhat funny and I am definitely on board for that. I think the build up was better than in 'The final empire' as the exciting parts of the book were a bit more spread out which improved the overall reading experience but made the climax a little less dramatic. That being said, the resolution of the 'among us' subplot I mentioned earlier was like a punch to the face. Like I knew from the beginning that the reveal was going to sting but not quite like that??
The reason this book isn't five stars are primarily related to Vin and Elend's relationship. It was great seeing Elend really become his own character in this book but him and Vin having breakdowns in communication or being all sappy round each other was very meh. This book features a brief love triangle (Aah!) which I won't go into any further but was very frustrating. Vin just wafts around like 'but maybe Elend is too good for me and I should be with this actual rat instead' and I was just grinding my teeth and wishing I could reach into the book and shake her. Rat man has got to be one of the least likable love interests I have ever seen - he is very 'gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss' in a most unsexy way and every time I thought he was done being the worst he would have a new, even less appealing surprise for me (admitedly the resolution of the love triangle was one of the standout scenes of the book so there is that at least!). Also this book has an ending that despite not being a landslide disaster tricked my brain into feeling mildly crushed in a way I can only liken to a lighter version of finishing the Farseer Trilogy. Not a feeling I wanted thanks but this may have just been me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and War
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Cannibalism
The main character is kissed against her will by someone trying to murder her.leona's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This review will contain major spoilers for The Final Empire (Mistborn Book 1).
I had mixed feelings about this book.
I wasn't sure how I would feel about The Well of Ascension, which is partially why it took me a while to come back to it I think. This was mainly due to the death of Kelsier in The Final Empire. Kelsier was my favourite character in that book, and part of what made it so entertaining. He is a character with flaws, interesting layers, charisma, and he is a pretty humorous character as well, bringing banter and comedy to a pretty dark setting. I loved his fatherly relationship with Vin. I genuinely think he might be my favourite character in a book ever (okay, maybe other than Spensa). With the absence of Kelsier, I really wasn't sure how I would feel about continuations of the series, especially as the last book felt like it could have been a stand-alone. My concerns were kind of valid, as I'm just not as interested in Vin as Kelsier, at least the way that Sanderson handles Vin's development.
This book was very different to the first one, it was much more focused on the political intrigue, war tactics, and keeping control of the series. It is more slow paced, yet I didn't really feel bored or annoyed at the slow pace throughout. I enjoyed the plot for the most part.
But I was annoyed about Zane. He was such a waste of space and so unnecessary. A quite interesting character, but the annoying relationship weird love triangle drama annoyed me so much. Just why? I wish Elend and Vin would have just had a conversation, this book is hanging so much on the miscommunication trope. Secondly, Vin and Elend's relationship became so bland and boring. It was sweet in book 1, but here, I found myself not caring. In the first couple of chapters the amount of times someone said 'the woman I love' or 'the man I love' I was like okay, I get it, but when are we actually going to see the proof rather than just being told it. All of Elend and Vin's (and most of the characters banter) was gone and it was just dull. Next, the side characters became kind of bland.
'Sazed turned to working on her chest wound. Elend flushed again, then paused as he turned away'
Honestly Elend, it's just a boob, no need to be all modest.
I like the relationship between Ham and Breeze, but the characters in the main crew for the most part were kind of interchangeable. I also found myself increasingly annoyed about the amount of times we are told that Vin dresses in an 'unladylike way' or sits in an 'unladylike way'. I get it. Vin is not like other girls. I suppose you could excuse it as Vin is unusual in the sexist society that she lives in, but I was juts waiting for someone to be like, it doesn't matter. Then there were the weird quips from the side characters, of note:
- 'Perhaps I'll pick up something by observation - which is, by the way, the preferable method of weapons training since it doesn't involve me getting beaten up by a girl.' (Elend to Vin)
- 'Anyway, who are you to talk Vin? I seem to remember a certain young girl pining for an old Kelsier a few years back.'
'I never pined for Kelsier'
'Not even at the beginning? Come now, a dashing man like him? He saved you from being beaten by your old crew leader, took you in...'
'You're a sick man' [...] 'Kelsier was like a father to me.'
(Breeze to Vin)
- 'I remember once she exploded at the crew for little reason, yelling and screaming about her childhood. I... don't know that she's completely stable.' (Ham about Vin)
These comments all really annoyed me for some reason, especially the last two. Like firstly, why have all the crew just turned on Vin, as if all their interactions with her in the last book were meaningless, and why has Vin turned into some crazy uncontrolled maniac. The last comment really p*ssed me off because Vin had every right to be angry with the crew, when she shouted at them after killing Shan, and Kelsier even said that she wouldn't fit in with the crew if she didn't say things she regretted once in a while. Why did Ham completely twist this incident as some sort of proof for Vin's irrationality when she was just expressing her emotions about a completely unrelated incident.
And lastly, Vin barely had any character moments with the side characters which made Clubs and Dockson's deaths lack any real emotion. Dockson had like two scenes in the whole book, and Clubs' only scene with Vin was when he bet that she would win against Ham. Clubs' only other scenes were with Breeze. Vin spending all her free moments prattling around the streets with Zane made the development of her relationships with other characters really strained. Even with Sazed, whose character I still really enjoyed.
Despite this, I did really enjoy learning more about the kandra, steel inquisitors, and other creatures in this world. The use of the new metal duralumin was also fascinating. And, despite my complaints, spending time with any of these characters was always just so enjoyable. I was literally addicted to reading this book. Many people criticise Brandon's lack of flowery prose, but I genuinely really enjoy the more blunt and direct style of writing he has.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, I just think it suffered from a lack of development of the side characters, as well as from some irritating old tropes (which Brandon does arguably resolve at the end). I am rating this book 3.5 stars.
I had mixed feelings about this book.
I wasn't sure how I would feel about The Well of Ascension, which is partially why it took me a while to come back to it I think. This was mainly due to the death of Kelsier in The Final Empire. Kelsier was my favourite character in that book, and part of what made it so entertaining. He is a character with flaws, interesting layers, charisma, and he is a pretty humorous character as well, bringing banter and comedy to a pretty dark setting. I loved his fatherly relationship with Vin. I genuinely think he might be my favourite character in a book ever (okay, maybe other than Spensa). With the absence of Kelsier, I really wasn't sure how I would feel about continuations of the series, especially as the last book felt like it could have been a stand-alone. My concerns were kind of valid, as I'm just not as interested in Vin as Kelsier, at least the way that Sanderson handles Vin's development.
This book was very different to the first one, it was much more focused on the political intrigue, war tactics, and keeping control of the series. It is more slow paced, yet I didn't really feel bored or annoyed at the slow pace throughout. I enjoyed the plot for the most part.
But I was annoyed about Zane. He was such a waste of space and so unnecessary. A quite interesting character, but the annoying relationship weird love triangle drama annoyed me so much. Just why? I wish Elend and Vin would have just had a conversation, this book is hanging so much on the miscommunication trope. Secondly, Vin and Elend's relationship became so bland and boring. It was sweet in book 1, but here, I found myself not caring. In the first couple of chapters the amount of times someone said 'the woman I love' or 'the man I love' I was like okay, I get it, but when are we actually going to see the proof rather than just being told it. All of Elend and Vin's (and most of the characters banter) was gone and it was just dull. Next, the side characters became kind of bland.
'Sazed turned to working on her chest wound. Elend flushed again, then paused as he turned away'
Honestly Elend, it's just a boob, no need to be all modest.
I like the relationship between Ham and Breeze, but the characters in the main crew for the most part were kind of interchangeable. I also found myself increasingly annoyed about the amount of times we are told that Vin dresses in an 'unladylike way' or sits in an 'unladylike way'. I get it. Vin is not like other girls. I suppose you could excuse it as Vin is unusual in the sexist society that she lives in, but I was juts waiting for someone to be like, it doesn't matter. Then there were the weird quips from the side characters, of note:
- 'Perhaps I'll pick up something by observation - which is, by the way, the preferable method of weapons training since it doesn't involve me getting beaten up by a girl.' (Elend to Vin)
- 'Anyway, who are you to talk Vin? I seem to remember a certain young girl pining for an old Kelsier a few years back.'
'I never pined for Kelsier'
'Not even at the beginning? Come now, a dashing man like him? He saved you from being beaten by your old crew leader, took you in...'
'You're a sick man' [...] 'Kelsier was like a father to me.'
(Breeze to Vin)
- 'I remember once she exploded at the crew for little reason, yelling and screaming about her childhood. I... don't know that she's completely stable.' (Ham about Vin)
These comments all really annoyed me for some reason, especially the last two. Like firstly, why have all the crew just turned on Vin, as if all their interactions with her in the last book were meaningless, and why has Vin turned into some crazy uncontrolled maniac. The last comment really p*ssed me off because Vin had every right to be angry with the crew, when she shouted at them after killing Shan, and Kelsier even said that she wouldn't fit in with the crew if she didn't say things she regretted once in a while. Why did Ham completely twist this incident as some sort of proof for Vin's irrationality when she was just expressing her emotions about a completely unrelated incident.
And lastly, Vin barely had any character moments with the side characters which made
Despite this, I did really enjoy learning more about the kandra, steel inquisitors, and other creatures in this world. The use of the new metal duralumin was also fascinating. And, despite my complaints, spending time with any of these characters was always just so enjoyable. I was literally addicted to reading this book. Many people criticise Brandon's lack of flowery prose, but I genuinely really enjoy the more blunt and direct style of writing he has.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, I just think it suffered from a lack of development of the side characters, as well as from some irritating old tropes (which Brandon does arguably resolve at the end). I am rating this book 3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Addiction and Rape
Minor: Self harm and Sexism
zoe_archambault's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Took a while to get into it after the time jump after the first in the series, but after 100 pages or so, it really picked up. I'm normally not one for political intrigue or issues but it was done really well and it was all very accessible and relevant and was interspersed in the narrative so it never felt like an info dump which I really appreciated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Stalking, and War
Moderate: Animal death
devynvictoria's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and War
sashafriese's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
jackiepreston's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
elenaysuslibros's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.5
Este libro, al igual que el primero de Nacidos de la bruma, es maravilloso <3 me demoré un poco en leerlo para absorberlo mejor, y aún así siento que hubo momentos donde no le estaba poniendo la atención que merecía. Me encantó y me dejó shook el final ;-;
Si se siente un poco más lento que el primero, hay mucha información tanto de la historia del mundo como de movimientos políticos y de filosofía que me tenían un poco mareada y me desconcentraba un montón cuando venía mucha información, pero valió la pena porque vaya que está todo excelentemente armado.
Sobre los personajes, me encanta Vin, ella ese lo máximo y me encanta como creció en este libro. Está muy confundida con todo lo que está viviendo, en ocasiones no toma las mejores decisiones pero me encanta lo compleja que es. Además en este libro me gustó un montón la relación que comenzó a desarrollar con el kandra OreSeur, se volvió en uno de los personajes a los que más les tengo cariño, al igual que Sazed obvio. Los villanos realmente se sentían como una amenaza; si creo que de repente Straff Venture era como el típico malo malísimo, pero me sorprendió para bien el papel que cumplió Cett. Es un tipo de malo que me llama mucho la atención y me gustó leerlo.
Y también creo que el personaje de Zane (que conocemos en este libro) es super genial y me gustó mucho, sobre todo su extraña relación con Vin que me tenía pero uff atentísima.
De repente me perdía en la historia con tanta información sobre el Pozo y el Héroe de las Eras, además de toda la historia de la guerra, pero es increíble. Y EL FINAL!! Las últimas dos partes del libro me tenían el corazón en un puño y nuevamente casi me hizo llorar.
Me están encantando los libros de Brandon Sanderson, y me muero de ganas de seguir leyendo del Cosmere <3
Si se siente un poco más lento que el primero, hay mucha información tanto de la historia del mundo como de movimientos políticos y de filosofía que me tenían un poco mareada y me desconcentraba un montón cuando venía mucha información, pero valió la pena porque vaya que está todo excelentemente armado.
Sobre los personajes, me encanta Vin, ella ese lo máximo y me encanta como creció en este libro. Está muy confundida con todo lo que está viviendo, en ocasiones no toma las mejores decisiones pero me encanta lo compleja que es. Además en este libro me gustó un montón la relación que comenzó a desarrollar con el kandra OreSeur, se volvió en uno de los personajes a los que más les tengo cariño, al igual que Sazed obvio. Los villanos realmente se sentían como una amenaza; si creo que de repente Straff Venture era como el típico malo malísimo, pero me sorprendió para bien el papel que cumplió Cett. Es un tipo de malo que me llama mucho la atención y me gustó leerlo.
Y también creo que el personaje de Zane (que conocemos en este libro) es super genial y me gustó mucho, sobre todo su extraña relación con Vin que me tenía pero uff atentísima.
De repente me perdía en la historia con tanta información sobre el Pozo y el Héroe de las Eras, además de toda la historia de la guerra, pero es increíble. Y EL FINAL!! Las últimas dos partes del libro me tenían el corazón en un puño y nuevamente casi me hizo llorar.
Me están encantando los libros de Brandon Sanderson, y me muero de ganas de seguir leyendo del Cosmere <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War