The Bands of Mourning

This is the best book of era 2 so far, and I'm so anxious to read the 7th, which still has no release date! :(

I'm fairly certain I say this in every review of a Sanderson book, but the characters in this novel are superbly written. I felt so much for their relationships between each other. The found family they've created is so meaningful and deep. Because of the banter and camaraderie between this band of misfits I found myself grinning multiple times while listening. The giant twist at the end had me almost to tears, and the ending of the novel had me smiling and giggling. Sanderson has a magical way with characterization in all of his books, and I especially felt for the characters in this series.

The plot was interesting and went in directions I didn't see coming. There were many more callbacks to the previous era, each one adding such a deep richness to the lore of the Cosmere. The ending left me slightly panicked for where this story is going to end in the next installment, and I am so anxious knowing we have no idea when that will be.

I highly recommend this book to Cosmere and Sanderson fans everywhere. I also highly recommend listening to the audiobooks for this series. Michael Kramer brings so much life to these characters. His impression of Wayne is my favorite, but they're all exquisite. I think my love for this series is largely in part to Kramer's narration. He brought so much life to the books.