**For my thoughts on Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn Book #1), click HERE!**
Oh boy, we are BACK in the mysterious and exciting world of the Mistborn series! This time discussing the second book: The Well of Ascension! Before getting too deep into the inner workings and cogs of this story, as always I will start with my short review of this book for those who aim to avoid spoilers of any sort
Much like the first novel in the series, the worldbuilding and never-ending supply of mysteries made this book an utter delight to read through. I still love the unique systems of Allomancy, Feruchemy, and how the world functions overall! Vin kicks more ass, Elend reads some more books, and Sazed continues to win me over with little effort.
There are a handful of new characters who range from fresh characterizations, to some characters I didn’t like as much as I could have. There was also a lot more politics and mundane in this novel compared to the first installment, and I was on board for some of those section, but not all of them. HOWEVER, the ending of the novel blew my mind, hit me with a gut-punch, and just sparked my excitement for the final novel of this Mistborn era! Sanderson remains two for two so far with me, and I don’t presume to think he will disappoint in the future.
SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT ****************************************************
The Well of Ascension solved a lot of mysteries that I was excited to learn about after finishing book #1. We learned about aluminum and were introduced to the wild effects of duralumin. We were given slightly more information about the Kandra, Koloss, and a lot of the other inhabitants of the world. But most importantly we learned more about Alendi, Rashek, and the prophecy…
IT WAS ALL A SHAM!
I can say with all honesty that I had no idea how the novel would end, but I LOVED how it did! The idea of altering the knowledge kept in metalminds never even occurred to me, and is a majorrrr game-changer! I am STOKED to learn more about what this newly released evil, and how Vin and the gang hope to survive and defeat it.
With one final book left in this era, I am excited to finally get some answers on the rest of the mysteries I’ve been oh so teased with. How are Steel Inquisitors made, and why did they strike the Keepers? Who or what are the silent mist spirits? What did Vin unleash on the world? Are there more metals to discover?
“‘Good men don’t become legends,’ he said quietly.
‘Good men don’t need to become legends.’ She opened her eyes, looking up at him. ‘They just do what’s right anyway.'”
Let’s talk characters now, shall we? Vin continues to develop and proves to be an amazing main character in my eyes. I’m a sucker for watching heroes progress their skills, and Vin is passing with flying colours. Elend was not a super interesting character to me when I read the first book, but he is admittedly growing on me. Seeing his honesty and passion, despite being nobility, is interesting to see, especially as it acts as his downfall more often than not. And now he is a Mistborn?? That’s going to be a gigantic burden on his plate as he now has to learn the ropes of that while dealing with a nation ravaged by the mists.
Sazed was a character I didn’t anticipate liking when he was first introduced last book, but he quickly grew to be one of my favourites and I loved that we got to see a lot more of him in this book. He continues to grow, learn, and just act as a dependable support for those around him. The concepts of the Keepers interested me from the get-go, especially due to their similarity to the characters in the final chapters of Fahrenheit 451 (a favourite of mine), all of whom dedicate their memory to specific books, so that they can pass them on in the future.
His relationship with Tindwyl was also nice to see, as he rightfully deserved a companion and some happiness. But alas, we are in a rather dark fantasy world, so some of our darlings have to die. Curse you Sanderson! Seeing Sazed’s utter despair in the final moments of the novel left me feeling empty, and I’m curious to see how that will play out.
In regards to some new characters, we have quite a few. One of the major characters was Zane, a fellow Mistborn working under Straff. Now, I really wanted to like his character. The introduction of “The Watcher” kept me intrigued about their true identity. Sadly, when he slowly became just a classic devilishly handsome and evil-oriented love interest for the main character, I wished for a bit more.
Straff and Cett were characters I wanted to be interested in more, but unfortunately we did not get as much info about them as I would have liked. However, I still loved many of the scenes with them, so I was glad with their addition to the story.
Sanderson once again crafted a very alluring and action-packed story that keeps readers on edge and fiending for more. He fleshes the world out with precision and wondrous detail, making it easy to get lost in. The Well of Ascension kept a lot of the spark that made me love the first book, but had a few lackluster moments and characters. He did excellent in making a story that made me want to jump headfirst into the next novel, as I’m dying to her how it all ends!
8.5/10
What do you guys think of this second installment of the series? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, or contact me on my Instagram if you’re curious to hear my thoughts on things I couldn’t get to discuss here!
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