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rikuson1's review against another edition
- 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
-โ โ โ โ โฎ- (4.50/5.00)
My Grading Letter Score = 90% (A)
When I finished The Well of Ascension, the first words that came out of my mouth were "simply incredible." But at first the pacing of this book at the start, I completely understand why some people would consider this weaker than The Final Empire if we are discussing overall pacing because The Well of Ascension was constantly going from slow to fast to slower to faster. For me, I'm not really someone who heavily focuses on pacing if what is being provided to me is engaging and if it's building up to something that is paid off when it's due, which this book mostly everyone agrees it does just that. So, regarding pacing consistency, sure, you can go ahead and give The Final Empire the upper hand when it comes to that. But honestly, outside of that, I most definitely feel like The Well of Ascension is tied with The Final Empire in almost every other criteria, and/or The Well of Ascension did it better.
The two categories I feel The Well of Ascension did better were characterization and character development. Every single character that was focused on in The Well of Ascension, for the most part, felt like they were given the time they needed to be fleshed out enough to be commended at least above what the characterization execution was provided to us in The Final Empire and goes for the development they went through in this book. World-building, Lore, Action, and Prose are all categories that can be debated which one did it better. I don't really care since I enjoyed all of these things in both of these books.
Verdict
At first, I was Team Final Empire, until around Chapter 47 when my favorite fight scene in the series so far occurred did I start to lean over to Team Well of Ascension, after that the pacing slowed back down and then I started to lean back over to The Final Empire and then the last fifty pages of this book leveled me out. It brought me to the conclusion of thinking that I like both of these books equally critically, to be honest. If I was held at gunpoint and forced to choose one over the other, I might say The Well of Ascension, since the hype of just finishing it is still on me and I love great characterization which this book gave me a whole lot of. But I love both of these books equally and I'm glad I did not come out of it thinking less of it in comparison to its predecessor, a successor should be as good or better than what came before it and I feel The Well of Ascension accomplished just that. So regardless of what the majority of people state or what the rating score in comparison says about this book.
I Really Liked It.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Xenophobia and War
Minor: Sexual assault, Classism, Physical abuse, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Murder, Bullying, Confinement, Genocide, and Xenophobia
mkaiww's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Classism, Violence, War, Stalking, Murder, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual assault, Genocide, Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Dysphoria, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Drug abuse
jadejade's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Gore, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Body horror, and Violence
Minor: War, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug abuse
lakinglaze's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Slavery, War, Death, Violence, Classism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Blood, Murder, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
kermitkid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Slavery, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Pedophilia
Minor: Cursing
januaryt123's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, War, Toxic relationship, Death, and Grief
lilifane's review against another edition
- 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 want to scream because I have so many thoughts and feelings and I can't explain them because of spoilers.
I'm just impressed. This is probably the most perfect second book I've ever read? It is the logical continuation of book one. And yes, it prepares the characters for and leads the plot to the third book. But it has a very interesting and well crafted plot on its own, with a satisfying finale.
After finishing The Final Empire, you just don't know what to expect. But the themes explored in this book make you realize how much there still is to consider. Yeah, defeating a villain is hard, but maybe taking over and making life better is even harder? Love the detailed look at the aftermath of a revolution, the changes the characters went through but still have to go through more, the obstacles no one had considered. The character development is phenomenal. Is it fun/easy to read about the struggles and mistakes of the characters? No. But it's so believable and realistic. Wow.
It is also maybe one of my favorite takes on the chosen one trope. And I love love loooove how much books, reading and research are part of the plot. It's my third book by Sanderson and all three have this in common. Characters that love reading and are passionate about doing research. And you as a reader can do it alongside them and even get rewarded for it. It's one of my favorite things in the world.
I'm SO excited for book 3 now.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Self harm, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, War, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Addiction
oldladysadie's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, War, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, and Toxic relationship
chaitai00's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
jjeonghan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Blood, Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Sexual violence, Murder, Infidelity, and Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Toxic relationship