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A review by bludgeoned_by_hail
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.75

A decent improvement over the first book, and in many ways a perfect sequel to it. The pretty standard heroic "rebellion against an evil overlord" plot and plucky tone is replaced by a more mature, politically minded atmosphere, focused on the chaos that often follows such revolutions and the growing pains of democracy, which is kinda refreshing to see in a book like this.
(Even if by the end it turns out this entire plot was basically filler smh)
It is definitely slower than the first one, but I enjoyed the more subdued tone. Also there is still plenty of action and fight scenes for the fans, so worry not.
The characters have grown and continue to grow, and the transition of their arcs from the first book is pretty gracefully handled. They don't revert back to their first book selves like trilogy characters often do, and the issues they are tackling mostly feel like natural progressions of their paths. There are also some great new faces, worthwhile additions even when the cast size gets a little ridiculous.
Also, the plot is still pretty gripping and fun to read! A lot of cool new tropes have been tossed into this one (like the first one) and it's satisfying to see it all play out.
Unfortunately, despite all its strengths, the book still kinda stumbles into a lot of trilogy middle book trappings, and could EASILY lose at least 200 pgs of padding. Perhaps even entire characters (I hope everybody knows who I am talking about). There are a lot of big ideas being juggled, but when there is so much going on over such an extended, relatively sparse plot, it's easy to lose track of what even is important. 
My biggest gripe is probably the ending, which, despite having been more or less set up if you think about it, still feels somehow rushed and underdeveloped
(not to mention completely disconnected from 80% of the main plot)
. I think it only serves to drive my previous complaint home. There is so much going on that a lot of it just gets lost in the whirlwind.
Also, in case you're wondering, his writing style is still just as dry and unevocative, and this still isn't helping.
Either way, I'm excited for the third one! I have grown positively attached to these characters and I am very interested in seeing where it all goes.
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