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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
adventurous
dark
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
Overall, this was a solid fantasy novel with great character arcs and high-stakes tension, though a few issues held it back from being a full five star read for me.
Pros:
- Everything I loved from the first book is still here: the rich worldbuilding, a grounded and rule based magic system, and Sanderson’s ability to paint vivid, cinematic scenes. Allomancy continues to be one of the most thoughtfully constructed systems I’ve read.
- Sazed’s arc was a highlight. It was great to see him step more into the spotlight, both in how he supports Elend and in his relationship with Tindwyl, which added a new emotional layer to his character.
- The siege and political maneuvering around Luthadel was interesting to read. I appreciated how the story balanced war, diplomacy, and Elend’s idealistic attempt to build a just government under pressure.
Cons:
The love triangle between Vin, Elend, and Zane didn’t work for me. It felt unnecessary and didn’t really serve the characters’ growth. Zane being Elend’s stepbrother and Vin keeping it secret felt contrived. Thankfully, it’s resolved in this book and doesn’t linger. - The action scenes are very repetitive. You can only read about someone throwing coins and pushing/pulling on metal so many times before your eyes gloss over.
- The plot lines for both
Zane and Straff were wrapped up real quick. It felt like both of those should of had a more satisfying ending since they were built up over the entire book.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
Really loved this book, although I think I found it more stressful than the first one. Part of that was probably the existence of Zane’s character, but also because the content just felt a little heavier in this book. I got quite emotional during Sazed’s meeting, and the entire sequence after that chapter was tense and impactful. Fantastic read, excited to read the next one.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
I found the beginning of this to be slow and hard to break into. This is a reread so I pushed through, but I forgot how fast everything goes at the end of these books. I really enjoyed learning more about the kandra and koloss in this book, and the spy kandra mystery has a great reveal. I was also trying to connect dots between this and the Mistborn: Secret History. Cried with Sazed.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
The Well of Ascension
my solution to long waits for my library holds is to just read/listen in Spanish ✨
my solution to long waits for my library holds is to just read/listen in Spanish ✨