A review by miclikesbooks
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

I really thought I was going to hate this book.  Or rather, I thought it was going to pale in comparison to the first one.  The last book ended in such a way that there was no need to read further.  Especially

with the death of Kelsier

. I was so pleasantly surprised when this book not only lived up to the first, but exceeded it.  I couldn't put this one down.

As this is a sequel, a lot of this review might be spoilery.  I'll do my best.

What worked for me:

• The premise of
  what do you do with a kingdom once you've overthrown it's ruler
  is awesome.  I loved all the political/military intrigue.
• The characters, once again, shine, especially now that they are in a whole different role.
• Sanderson can write action scenes that rival Abercrombie and Sapkowski, who are my gold standard.  Battles were fun, brutal, and never felt like they were dragging.
• There were several bits,
  and two betrayals
  that I did not see coming at all.

What didn't work for me:

• Some explanations were a little repetitive.  I didn't need a learners course in alchemy again.  I did, after all, read the first book.
• There's a love triangle that, while not terrible, feels a little forced and rushed.  Ultimately, it feels like it doesn't really go anywhere.  Not a big deal, just nitpicking.

Overall, I think this is a more impressive novel than the first, though I could see where the change in status quo could be rough for some readers.

I was honestly going to are a break before reading the last one, but that ending...
I'm off to read Hero of Ages now...