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l_noona's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-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
jtbolscher's review against another edition
3.0
liked it far more than i expected ~halfway through. as always, the world building, magic and politics are on point. the plot is tight and the twists are satisfying, leaving the final confrontation as an explosive and very pleasing aftertaste. unfortunately, sanderson’s faults as a writer are also present: sterile writing, not the best characterization and some atrocious dialogue. these aren’t terminal, and the book is eminently readable, but that’s pretty much it. none of the pages sparkle, none of the characters are particularly believable, and without the long pages and multifaceted plots needed to develop character arcs in this way, it leaves much of the book feeling hollow.
in other words, a fun romp that i will continue reading, great as a supplement to the main epic fantasy mistborn trilogies this follows (and supposedly sets up; whenever sanderson gets to mistborn era 3), but showcases why sanderson should stick to epic rather than “regular” fantasy.
in other words, a fun romp that i will continue reading, great as a supplement to the main epic fantasy mistborn trilogies this follows (and supposedly sets up; whenever sanderson gets to mistborn era 3), but showcases why sanderson should stick to epic rather than “regular” fantasy.
actuallyahorsereads's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt as though the world building in it was incredible, building off the end of the original Mistborn trilogy in an intriguing and logical way.
I’ve likened this “trilogy of trilogies” a lot to the Avatar/Legend of Korra television series, even before I read the books, and after reading them, I still claim that as a rather apt comparison.
I think where this book suffered, however, was in its character development. Which, given how dynamic and explosive Sanderson’s character development usually is (even in the first book of a series), this one was a disappointment. The characters stayed mostly true to who they were and didn’t feel as though they underwent anything massively life changing. Even the big reveal at the end of the book with who Mr. Suit turned out to be was predictable.
That said, I did enjoy this book quite a bit and am definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I have heard that this book is the weakest of the series, and I am very intrigued to find out where this journey goes next.
I’ve likened this “trilogy of trilogies” a lot to the Avatar/Legend of Korra television series, even before I read the books, and after reading them, I still claim that as a rather apt comparison.
I think where this book suffered, however, was in its character development. Which, given how dynamic and explosive Sanderson’s character development usually is (even in the first book of a series), this one was a disappointment. The characters stayed mostly true to who they were and didn’t feel as though they underwent anything massively life changing. Even the big reveal at the end of the book with who Mr. Suit turned out to be was predictable.
That said, I did enjoy this book quite a bit and am definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I have heard that this book is the weakest of the series, and I am very intrigued to find out where this journey goes next.
writer_gabby's review against another edition
5.0
THAT ENDING. OMG.
I loved Wax and Wayne so much, I loved their friendship, it felt so real to me.
Marasi was the cuttest as well, I just love the way Brandon Sanderson bluids his female carathers.
I really loved how the magic was explored in this new setting, and I cant wait to read the others
I loved Wax and Wayne so much, I loved their friendship, it felt so real to me.
Marasi was the cuttest as well, I just love the way Brandon Sanderson bluids his female carathers.
I really loved how the magic was explored in this new setting, and I cant wait to read the others
vorpalblad's review against another edition
4.0
While Sanderson was up to his usual excellent standards, I felt a little thrown off by this book, simply because I was used to a certain style with the Mistborn trilogy, and here he went and changed up the world! I've never been a big fan of westerns, and had never even heard of "gunpowder fantasy" before this outing. But while it wasn't quite the novel that the Mistborn novels were, I still enjoyed it.
So this review will be more about why this Sanderson novel isn't another five star for me. Let's take it as a given that he has the characters, led by Wax and Wayne (lol, I see what you did there Brando!), the plot, the action. If there was one drawback, I had to wonder why Sanderson decided to set another series in the same world. Yes, it's interesting to see how technology can advance under the right conditions, and how real events can become the stuff of myth, legend and religion, but it felt like a cop out for fresh world building. The system of allomancy, feruchemy and hemalurgy took three bookstops-of-novels to explain the first time around; maybe he didn't want to have to repeat all that, I thought.
So spoiler: I felt that way up until nearly the end, and then.... and then.... there was a cameo from the Mistborn novels that threw me for a loop! And then I immediately read the next book in this series and it all made sense! So, I'm not adding a star just because I was wrong about the author's motives or because Wayne is one of the best characters I've read this year. I will leave it at four stars, because, mostly, that's the feeling I get when I think back on the book as a whole. It was enjoyable, but maybe not his best.
So this review will be more about why this Sanderson novel isn't another five star for me. Let's take it as a given that he has the characters, led by Wax and Wayne (lol, I see what you did there Brando!), the plot, the action. If there was one drawback, I had to wonder why Sanderson decided to set another series in the same world. Yes, it's interesting to see how technology can advance under the right conditions, and how real events can become the stuff of myth, legend and religion, but it felt like a cop out for fresh world building. The system of allomancy, feruchemy and hemalurgy took three bookstops-of-novels to explain the first time around; maybe he didn't want to have to repeat all that, I thought.
So spoiler: I felt that way up until nearly the end, and then.... and then.... there was a cameo from the Mistborn novels that threw me for a loop! And then I immediately read the next book in this series and it all made sense! So, I'm not adding a star just because I was wrong about the author's motives or because Wayne is one of the best characters I've read this year. I will leave it at four stars, because, mostly, that's the feeling I get when I think back on the book as a whole. It was enjoyable, but maybe not his best.
amethystbookwyrm's review against another edition
4.0
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
It has been centuries after the events of the Mistborn trilogy and the world has changed with guns, electricity and railways, the world is very different from the world Vin, Elend and Spook knew. Waxillium is a noble born who has been living in the Roughs for the last 20 years, but after a tragic accident he has decided to put aside his law keeper days and look after his house in Elendel. But when his old Roughs friend Wayne turns up and his arranged finance is kidnapped, Wax begins looking into the robberies and kidnappings of this mysterious group called the Vanishers. With help from Wayne and unusual noble lady Marasi, will Wax be able to use his Allomancy and Feruchemy powers to stop the hardest enemy he has yet to face?
The Alloy of Law is the sequel to the mistborn trilogy and is really good just like I have come to expect from Sanderson. However, because this book is shorter it lacks some of the world building compared to the other mistborn books. What I really liked about this book is how the world has evolved from the first 3 books in to a western but with the same cool powers, which is unusual in fantasy books, as the world tends to stay exactly the same centuries later.
I like Wax as he is willing to fight and die for what is right, however, I don’t know why maybe the age difference between us, but I did not feel like I could click with Wax as easily as I could with Vin. However, I really liked Marasi but especially Wayne as I enjoyed his sense of humour, his way of looking at the world and his weird obsession with hats.
I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what happens next to Wax, Wayne and Marasi in the next Novel Shadows of Self. I would recommend The Alloy of Law to people who enjoyed the Mistborn Trilogy or just good fantasy.
It has been centuries after the events of the Mistborn trilogy and the world has changed with guns, electricity and railways, the world is very different from the world Vin, Elend and Spook knew. Waxillium is a noble born who has been living in the Roughs for the last 20 years, but after a tragic accident he has decided to put aside his law keeper days and look after his house in Elendel. But when his old Roughs friend Wayne turns up and his arranged finance is kidnapped, Wax begins looking into the robberies and kidnappings of this mysterious group called the Vanishers. With help from Wayne and unusual noble lady Marasi, will Wax be able to use his Allomancy and Feruchemy powers to stop the hardest enemy he has yet to face?
The Alloy of Law is the sequel to the mistborn trilogy and is really good just like I have come to expect from Sanderson. However, because this book is shorter it lacks some of the world building compared to the other mistborn books. What I really liked about this book is how the world has evolved from the first 3 books in to a western but with the same cool powers, which is unusual in fantasy books, as the world tends to stay exactly the same centuries later.
I like Wax as he is willing to fight and die for what is right, however, I don’t know why maybe the age difference between us, but I did not feel like I could click with Wax as easily as I could with Vin. However, I really liked Marasi but especially Wayne as I enjoyed his sense of humour, his way of looking at the world and his weird obsession with hats.
I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what happens next to Wax, Wayne and Marasi in the next Novel Shadows of Self. I would recommend The Alloy of Law to people who enjoyed the Mistborn Trilogy or just good fantasy.
thedrtaylor's review against another edition
4.0
Everything I like about the original trilogy, combined with everything I like about westerns. It reads like a gritty Coen Brothers movie, but the religiosity and fantasy blend together so well with the rustic 19th century US aesthetic that it's a very fun read.
mehtahussain's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Wax and Wayne are a very entertaining duo. I really liked following them in solving the mystery in the story, and frankly I loved being back in a world with allomancy and feruchemy; Sanderson's hard magic systems are something I can always get behind. And speaking of Sanderson, being back in one of his stories is always really comforting for me :D
This isn't as high stakes as Mistborn era 1 (which I appreciated, I liked the contrast), and nothing about this screamed "new favourite" to me, but it was still a good time! Also, that epilogue was amazing.
bsowell's review against another edition
4.0
For whatever reason, I wasn't aware of the existence of this book until very recently. Amazon kept recommending it to me, but I always thought it was part of the first trilogy with strange cover art. (I read a Kindle omnibus version of the trilogy, so I didn't really pay attention to the individual titles). The western setting doesn't do all that much for me, but the story was fun and I enjoyed the illusions to the earlier books. I'd probably give in 3.5 stars if I could.
jhd016's review against another edition
4.0
The Alloy of Law is an interesting follow up to the original Mistborn trilogy. It has the feel and air of a spinoff or a novella to flesh out the world of Scadrial and the overall Cosmere, with the hint of something more substantial and exciting. This is a very lean novel for the fantasy genre: the scope is narrow, the number of characters is kept to a minimum, and the world/magic is kept similar enough to the OG trilogy. There is a personality and excitement to the book that makes it feel like it could be a strong action-thriller movie.
I don't have much more to add than that. If you enjoyed the first trilogy, I think starting this is a no-brainer. Wayne is worth the price of entry alone.
I don't have much more to add than that. If you enjoyed the first trilogy, I think starting this is a no-brainer. Wayne is worth the price of entry alone.