Reviews with content warning for Genocide - The Hero of Ages

Ist der Kerl eigentlich in der Lage eine schlechte Geschichte zu schreiben?
Ich mein was zum „Ruin“ hab ich hier gelesen. Wenn ich könnte ich würde mehr als 5 Sterne geben.
Das Buch führt die Tradition weiter. Es ist eine völlig neue Geschichte die erzählt wird. Dazu wird aber nicht absurd irgendwas Neues aus dem Ärmel geschüttelt, sondern er nimmt die Fäden die schon da sind und entwickelt sie konsequent zu Ende. Langsam werd ich müde das zu sagen, aber auch hier war nichts vorhersehbar oder auch nur im entferntesten langweilig. Um mich nicht ständig zu wiederholen geh ich mal direkt auf das Ende ein. Ein Plottwist jagt den nächsten und Sanderson führt mir mal wieder vor Augen wie berechenbar ich selber bin, das ich all die Anspielungen und Vorrausdeutungen der letzten zwei Bücher nicht gesehen habe und nun hier völlig sprachlos vor dieser Auflösung stehe.
Also sag mir bitte Sanderson wie soll ich jetzt mit dieser Leere in mir umgehen, da ich weiß das dieser Epos zu Ende ist.

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seanml's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I did it. I finished Mistborn. And in the end, it's a mixed bag that highlights the best and worst parts of the series. The last one-hundred pages are cool, but before that? I found it a real slog - 600 pages of it. Things just take a long time to pick up because we spend a LOT of time with the main characters (What if I told you that one of them is imprisoned for 2/3rds of the book and we're waiting for them to break out the whole time?). And that wouldn't at all be a problem, except that there are just bits of tonal shifts in each new book. During each entry in the series, it seems like Sanderson thought 'I feel like putting a lot of narrative focus on this character' even though we didn't get much of them before. In particular I had a problem with the two main characters, one smart and one strong: one of them gets a sort of 'powerup', to the point where now they're both strong, somewhat casting away the dynamic of them looking at situations differently. So a lot of little instances of those sudden character shifts make the book feel disjointed and unplanned. And yet, the series definitely has many through lines; but I think perhaps that Sanderson started out with a big outline, and decided where he wanted to start and end. So oftentimes there are character arcs that appear or shift radically to help us get from point A to B. However, if you've been enjoying the series for the first two books, I can guarantee that the resolution will leave you fully satisfied. 7/10.

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aseel_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

4.75

The overall world building by this book was fantastic and the way it ended was so brilliant. Honestly the only reason this doesn't get 5 stars, is the length, some parts could be shorter

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vereadsbooks's review against another edition

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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 ★★★★★

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