This review will contain major spoilers for The Final Empire (Mistborn Book 1).



I had mixed feelings about this book.
I wasn't sure how I would feel about The Well of Ascension, which is partially why it took me a while to come back to it I think. This was mainly due to the death of Kelsier in The Final Empire. Kelsier was my favourite character in that book, and part of what made it so entertaining. He is a character with flaws, interesting layers, charisma, and he is a pretty humorous character as well, bringing banter and comedy to a pretty dark setting. I loved his fatherly relationship with Vin. I genuinely think he might be my favourite character in a book ever (okay, maybe other than Spensa). With the absence of Kelsier, I really wasn't sure how I would feel about continuations of the series, especially as the last book felt like it could have been a stand-alone.  My concerns were kind of valid, as I'm just not as interested in Vin as Kelsier, at least the way that Sanderson handles Vin's development. 

This book was very different to the first one, it was much more focused on the political intrigue, war tactics, and keeping control of the series. It is more slow paced, yet I didn't really feel bored or annoyed at the slow pace throughout. I enjoyed the plot for the most part.

But I was annoyed about Zane. He was such a waste of space and so unnecessary. A quite interesting character, but the annoying relationship weird love triangle drama annoyed me so much. Just why? I wish Elend and Vin would have just had a conversation, this book is hanging so much on the miscommunication trope. Secondly, Vin and Elend's relationship became so bland and boring. It was sweet in book 1, but here, I found myself not caring. In the first couple of chapters the amount of times someone said 'the woman I love' or 'the man I love' I was like okay, I get it, but when are we actually going to see the proof rather than just being told it. All of Elend and Vin's (and most of the characters banter) was gone and it was just dull. Next, the side characters became kind of bland. 
'Sazed turned to working on her chest wound. Elend flushed again, then paused as he turned away' 
Honestly Elend, it's just a boob, no need to be all modest.

 I like the relationship between Ham and Breeze, but the characters in the main crew for the most part were kind of interchangeable. I also found myself increasingly annoyed about the amount of times we are told that Vin dresses in an 'unladylike way' or sits in an 'unladylike way'. I get it. Vin is not like other girls. I suppose you could excuse it as Vin is unusual in the sexist society that she lives in, but I was juts waiting for someone to be like, it doesn't matter. Then there were the weird quips from the side characters, of note: 

- 'Perhaps I'll pick up something by observation - which is, by the way, the preferable method of weapons training since it doesn't involve me getting beaten up by a girl.' (Elend to Vin)

- 'Anyway, who are you to talk Vin? I seem to remember a certain young girl pining for an old Kelsier a few years back.'
'I never pined for Kelsier'
'Not even at the beginning? Come now, a dashing man like him? He saved you from being beaten by your old crew leader, took you in...'
'You're a sick man' [...] 'Kelsier was like a father to me.'
(Breeze to Vin)

- 'I remember once she exploded at the crew for little reason, yelling and screaming about her childhood. I... don't know that she's completely stable.' (Ham about Vin)

These comments all really annoyed me for some reason, especially the last two. Like firstly, why have all the crew just turned on Vin, as if all their interactions with her in the last book were meaningless, and why has Vin turned into some crazy uncontrolled maniac. The last comment really p*ssed me off because Vin had every right to be angry with the crew, when she shouted at them after killing Shan, and Kelsier even said that she wouldn't fit in with the crew if she didn't say things she regretted once in a while. Why did Ham completely twist this incident as some sort of proof for Vin's irrationality when she was just expressing her emotions about a completely unrelated incident. 

And lastly, Vin barely had any character moments with the side characters which made

Clubs and Dockson's deaths lack any real emotion. Dockson had like two scenes in the whole book, and Clubs' only scene with Vin was when he bet that she would win against Ham. Clubs' only other scenes were with Breeze.

Vin spending all her free moments prattling around the streets with Zane made the development of her relationships with other characters really strained. Even with Sazed, whose character I still really enjoyed. 

Despite this, I did really enjoy learning more about the kandra, steel inquisitors, and other creatures in this world. The use of the new metal duralumin was also fascinating. And, despite my complaints, spending time with any of these characters was always just so enjoyable. I was literally addicted to reading this book. Many people criticise Brandon's lack of flowery prose, but I genuinely really enjoy the more blunt and direct style of writing he has. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book, I just think it suffered from a lack of development of the side characters, as well as from some irritating old tropes (which Brandon does arguably resolve at the end). I am rating this book 3.5 stars.

I can't get over the details in these books.  The characters are all well written, the character development is so good to read as well.  While this book was a lot slower-paced I still found it interesting, learning about the world building and how the magic system works made up for it.  Having said that I didn't like it as much as the first book, though like the first book, nearing the end it got really intense; so much happened at the end I don't really know how to process it.  Overall I really like this series far.

“It's easy to believe in something when you win all the time...The losses are what define a man's faith.”

The last 100 pages were a wild ride. Two years have passed since Vin defeated the Lord Ruler, and now Elend is trying to rule Luthanel the best way he can. But neither he, nor Vin, nor the others know how to achieve it. Not without Kelsier. Things start to go wrong when Straff's army besieges Luthadel demanding his surrender.

“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.”

I was a little hesitant to read this book. Because I was still processing Kelsier's death. After finishing the first book, I felt that his death was really premature and that neither Vin nor we were ready to be without him.

“It was his ability to trust," she said. "It was the way that he made good people into better people, the way that he inspired them. His crew worked because he had confidence in them - because he respected them. And, in return, they respected each other. Men like Breeze and Clubs became heroes because Kelsier had faith in them.”

Sanderson definitely knows what he's doing. The pace was a bit slow, but it turned into something great. The last 100 pages were incredible! I like the political intrigue that went into the story, and I love seeing this group of people working hard to preserve Kelsier's legacy. The book gives us a lot of information about the magical, social, religious, and political system of this world which can be exhausting and challenging to read at times. But it was worth it.

“At first glance, the key and the lock it fits may seem very different," Sazed said. "Different in shape, different in function, different in design. The man who looks at them without knowledge of their true nature might think them opposites, for one is meant to open, and the other to keep closed. Yet, upon closer examination he might see that without one, the other becomes useless. The wise man then sees that both lock and key were created for the same purpose.”

Vin is an unstoppable force and watching her progress and how she learned to trust others is beautiful. His relationship with OreSeur is one of the precious gems of this book. She and Elend are so cute together. It's amazing how they have grown into a better version of themselves.

“You must love him enough to trust his wishes, even if you disagree with them. You must respect him - no matter how wrong you think he may be, no matter how poor you think his decisions, you must respect his desire to make them. Even if one of them includes loving you.”

I'm going to take a few weeks to process everything this story has given me, so I'll be ready to jump into the last book of the trilogy.