Reviews with content warning for Classism - The Hero of Ages

Brandon Sanderson ended this one with a bang! Literally. I am bawling my eyes out because of how good it was but also the tragedy of it! I don’t want to say too much cause I don’t want to spoil it. I’ll only say one thing DON’T FLIP THROUGH PAGES YOU WILL SPOIL AND DIE! It’s just a fact.

Onto critiques; I’ve never liked how much Sanderson used the word awesome and this one is no different. It also started out pretty slow, but it picks up and goes so hard.

Content Warnings

jodean's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

The feeling the ending gave me is one I wish I could bottle for difficult times.

Content Warnings

vereadsbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

C/TW: Violence, death, gore, blood, murder, mental illness, classism, suicide thoughts, war themes, animal death, torture, grief, fire, confinement, genocide, religious bigotry, and hostage

Rating ★★★★★

“The nature of the world is that when we create something, we often destroy something else in the process.”

Sometimes I don’t know what else to say apart from:

“Somehow, we'll find it. The balance between whom we wish to be and whom we need to be. But for now, we simply have to be satisfied with who we are.”

Reading the Mistborn trilogy was the best decision I ever made. When I started this trilogy, I had no idea how involved I would be in the story. I also didn't know how attached I would feel to these characters.

“If you give up what you want most for what you think you should want more, you'll end up miserable.”

I had one of those existential crises you have after finishing a long series or TV show. I feel like I have lost something. I already miss these characters and this world.

Sanderson is fantastic. He crafts a spectacular ending for this trilogy. Every word and every twist was thought out since book one. The book felt a little slow, but I have to admit that it was because I was passing a reading slump. This might have affected my perception of the pace.

“Lately, I feel like my life is a book written in a language I don't know how to read.”

The book is narrated from various perspectives (Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, Marsh, and TeaSoon) that enrich this marvelous world. The book touches on topics such as colonialism, politics, war, and religion. Hero of the ages is heavily centered in theology and myths.

“Faith means that it doesn't matter what happens. You can trust that somebody is watching. Trust that somebody will make it all right.”

It was interesting to follow Sazed on his journey. He was the one that always had hope and faith. In the book, we see him having a theological crisis and losing his essence. I loved his character arc.

“She remembered timidly standing atop the Luthadel city wall, afraid to use her Allomancy to jump off, despite Kelsier's coaxing. Now she could step off a cliff and muse thoughtfully to herself on the way down.”

Vin is extraordinary. She grew a lot during these three books. Over time she learned to trust the people around her, and knowing how difficult it was for her to get to this point is laudable. Seeing her open up and trust Elend so blindly is so beautiful.

“I'm an amalgamation of what I've needed to be. Part scholar, part rebel, part nobleman, part Mistborn, and part soldier. Sometimes I don't even know myself. I had a devil of a time getting all those pieces to work together. And, just when I'm starting to get it figured out, the world up and ends on me.”

Elend is the other character that has astounding development. Elend is still an idealist scholar. But also, he learned to balance his new identity as a Mistborn, a conqueror, a husband, and a warrior. He becomes an incredible leader without losing his essence.

“Sometimes, you have to destroy something in order to build something better.”

I also enjoy following TeaSoon and Marsh and learning about their people.

I was heartbroken not only because this was the end of this journey but because I had to save goodbye to these characters. I am sad because of what happened as well. I hate and love Brandon Sanderson for making me love this group of outcasts so much.

The Final Empire★★★★★
The Well of Ascension★★★★★
The Hero of Ages ★★★★★

Storygraph | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify

Content Warnings

iono's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

Content Warnings

noellelovesbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

Content Warnings: Gore, Body horror, Blood, Death, Murder, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Violence, War, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Classism, Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Child abuse, Racism, Slavery, Mental illness, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Finally got the courage to read this book so I could say I read the entire Mistborn trilogy…and wow what a journey! From the start, of the series, I connected to and loved Vin and with this conclusion, I'm just in awe of the person she grew into. From a skittish street kid who thought trusting others was stupid...to a selfless and loving role model.

This trilogy only takes place over a few short years but the amount of character growth, from all the characters, is fantastic and had me cheering for them every step of the way.

Overall a fantastic and epic fantasy that I highly recommend giving a go, if you haven't already. 💜

Content Warnings

elrize's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Just such an amazing story with so many twists. It was quite a wild ride!

There's a lot to talk about but I want to mention how much I enjoyed Vin and Elend's relationship. I was anticipating that something horrible is going to happen with Elend or through him, but it didn't. Their relationship was a really nice depiction of a strong bond without the conflict between them becoming some main focus. Rather, it felt like a realistic depiction of what it feels to love someone. Sometimes you disagree, but you don't stop trusting. It was refreshing, since most books feel like they have to make the characters immature and over-emotional when it comes to their romantic relationships.

Content Warnings

More...