The Well of Ascension

A fantastic sequel to the first book, every bit as fast paced and enthralling as the first. I could not recommend this series more to anyone who loves fantasy, or a darn good story. Will be continuing straight on the third book!

You read fantasy like this for the action, the excitement, the pace.

Well of Ascension does not disappoint. Part 5 alone is worth the whole book. If you the first one in the series was ok/good, the second is worth reading. ‘nuff said.

The second book in the Mistborn trilogy. I find this book to be as impressive as the first one. This review might contain spoilers if you haven't read the first book.

A year has passed after Lord Ruler's death. Elend Venture is now the king of the Central Dominance, doing his best to build a great government for his people. Unfortunately, they are facing a dire situation as they find two kings with their armies camping out the city walls — ready to attack Luthadel. One of them is Straff Venture, Elend's father. He left before Lord Ruler fell, and now he comes back to take Luthadel from his son.

The concept of ‘The Deepness' comes under a new light as disaster starts to spread throughout the empire. Mist appears during the day, killing unfortunate people who happen to be outside. It was then when Vin starts sensing a mysterious figure in the mist, giving her bad feelings which only adds to her insecurities welling up inside. When a third army — filled with terrifying beasts known as the koloss — comes to join the siege, Vin knows that Luthadel is facing an impending doom.

As she encounters more and more strange occurrences, Vin comes to the conclusion that she is the Hero of Ages from the ancient prophecies — and the Well of Ascension is calling her. Its power might bring hope for the upcoming battle, and so Vin decides to seek it. Even if she doesn't know where the Well of Ascension is... or what power does it have.

Some people might find this book less exciting than the first one, since the idea of building an empire is often viewed as ‘less exciting' than overthrowing one. The Well of Ascension starts out slow, focusing on the events one after another. The war itself didn't occur until near the end of the book, and politics dominated the beginning of the book. Still, I think Brandon Sanderson did a good job building up the plot and events, as I don't feel bored at all even though I generally dislike politics.

Characters are amazing, one of the aspects I love the most from the trilogy. Developments are made without making them seem unrealistic. My favorite in this book would be how Elend's personality developed through the help of Tindwyl. Minor characters are also fleshed out a bit more, giving more shine to their already enchanting personalities.

The twist in the end of the book is really good, making all the things we've learned so far turns upside down. The ending also left me curious, wanting to read the next book as soon as possible. A brilliant sequel for The Final Empire.

Love, love, love this series. I picked them up initially after hearing that Sanderson was to finish the Wheel of Time saga, to find out what his writing style is like. In this book, #2, we return to our characters after they have overthrown the dictator who ruled their land... only to find out that some of the oppressive laws he had instituted had been for a reason, he had been keeping their people safe from an even greater threat. Which is now their problem.

Love the way Sanderson takes a traditional fantasy theme - overthrowing the bad leader and instituting a better one - on its head by showing that the bad leader wasn't as bad as he appeared to be, and that the new leaders are now up a creek with no paddle trying to learn what they need to know and FAST to protect their people from the larger threat.

Also fascinated by Sanderson's ability to play with magical systems... in Elantris, he's got a system based on geography and sigils. In Warbreaker, he's got a system completely based on colors. And in the Mistborn series, it's metals. Very inventive, and I look forward to reading more from Sanderson.