The Well of Ascension

(Actual rating: 3.5/5)

I received an impression that

The Well of Ascension was not as good as

Mistborn: The Final Empire, and I went in with low expectations. Some series, especially trilogies, have low points in the second book, and I thought perhaps that was the case here.

For the first third, I thought, “Wow, this is way better than the first! What is everyone talking about?!” Note: the first third.

The political intrigue was strong and complex in this volume. Rather than having a grand espionage plan of sending a girl to parties and gathering/planting gossip (which, admittedly, worked well and was super entertaining to read in the first book), actual armies are camped outside Luthadel, and inside, power struggles make doing anything about the situation all the more difficult.

As usual, the writing and prose were strong as well. Sanderson has ingenious similes and metaphors that are extremely descriptive and evocative. At one moment, for example, Breeze compares attempting to Soothe multitudes soldiers of their fear like holding a piece of paper up to the sun and hoping it’ll create shade—similes like these are vivid, smooth, and visual, as well as creative.

We are also treated to new characters and development for the old—from a dear friend of Sazed’s to personal crises for Kelsier’s old crew, the inner struggles were fresh. So was Vin’s. Again, for the first third of the book.

Zane was an interesting addition to the main cast. His interactions with Vin were interesting at first, and his motivations were entertaining to unravel. However, Vin’s constant waffling about Elend and Zane and should she pick one and was she good enough for the other became very old, very fast. And it kept happening. The entire middle third was filled with Vin’s insecurities, not only about her romantic life, but about everything. Vin was not a particularly self-assured character in the first book, either—she constantly heard her brother’s voice in her head, telling her everyone she ever loved would eventually leave her, after all. At the climax, however, Vin has a heartbreaking moment when she realized how wrong she had been, shocked to her core when Kelsier tells her she doesn’t truly understand the meaning of trust and friendship.

Vin changed. Vin grew! But in this book, that climactic moment pushing her towards her self-development seems like it never happened, and her character went backwards a few steps. She even has a moment where she hears her brother’s voice again, despite eventually coming to terms with what he did and, while not quite accepting and approving of his actions, forgiving him. I don’t mind characters who have self-doubt; Breeze’s was very well-played, for example, as was Sazed’s in the climax, and both were heart-breaking. The problem is that Vin stepped out of these problems, then suddenly regressed into them without any real transition. People regress all the time, but there was no natural sense to it in this case. Her inner conflict felt like it was put there just to have the main teen character angst about something, because that’s what teen characters do. It dragged the book on and on and on, especially because we as readers know she’s going to stay with Elend anyway.

However, I did appreciate the theme of being both feminine and confident, as Vin struggles to appear ‘strong’ and feminine at the same time. The fact that these weren’t mutually exclusive was appealing, especially since nowadays I feel many YA/fantasy heroines try to act more like boys or men to avoid being seen as weak.

Several other aspects of the plot, like Straff’s point of view, also stretch the plot and could have been cut, but other parts were intriguing. Sanderson has a gift for ambiance as well; the tension in the Steel Ministry headquarters and

the subtle wrongness prickling at the skin as Vin was nearing the Well

were superb, and Elend has several moments of epic that are jaw-dropping. The first ~150ish pages and the plot twists in the last ~60 pages alone are five-star material; if only that had carried throughout the entire work!

Overall,

The Well of Ascension is a decent read, but will likely serve more as a bridge between

Mistborn and

The Hero of Ages rather than stand on its own as a great installment in the trilogy.

4.5⭐

This Book was amazing, i dont want to say to much and give away anything. I think this book was even better than the first book and i really cant wait to read the last one in the series.

Great series, so interesting to see what's happening, so much fun

Characters: 6

Atmosphere: 10

Writing: 7

Plot: 6

Intrigue: 6

Logic: 7

Enjoyment: 6

Avg: 6.85 = 3 Stars

[b:The Final Empire|68428|The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617768316l/68428._SY75_.jpg|66322] ★★★★☆

[b:The Hero of Ages|2767793|The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, #3)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1628563911l/2767793._SY75_.jpg|2793516] ★★★★☆

I'd give this 3.5 stars, but, again, GR doesn't allow half star ratings.

The book's pacing is uneven. There are times when I sped along and then there were times when I considered putting the book down and abandoning it. I like Sanderson's writing style, which is why I kept with it, and it did eventually pick up, especially around 150 pages before the end.

Might be a couple books before I read the sequel, though. I think I need something a wee bit shorter in between.

Either this has middle-of-a-trilogy-itis, or this series works better in audio (how I did volume 1) than on paper (this volume).

Alendi must not reach the Well of Ascension…

Alendi must not reach the Well of Ascension, for he must not be allowed to release the thing that is imprisoned there.

Unlike the first book (for which I wavered between two and four stars), this book is a solid three stars. Sanderson relies less on heavy-handed exposition, but I still think he could let the characters speak for themselves a bit more, and perhaps with less obvious "I'm pointing out the symbolism of this plot twist" moments.

Although I feel very little chemistry between Vin and Elend, their relationship was anything but stagnant in this book. The stakes are high, characters are dying off, and there are enough little mysteries tucked into the larger plot to keep me intrigued. And I have to say, I did not see the ending coming. Sanderson set up a major plot in the first book that turns out to be the tip of the iceberg; it's a bold move, and one that could have alienated readers if he did it wrong.

4 stars

Story starts shortly after the end of book one. The Lord Ruler is dead. Eland is the new king who has written down a set of laws for the benefit of his kingdom. People are confused as they dont know where they stand and how their new existence will matter! Also, a new religion is bubbling up that worships Kelsier ‘The Survivor’ and his heir, Vin. And what not, several armies are attacking upon the capital to seize the fabled "Atium" reserves of the Lord Ruler.

Now it's in Vin and co.'s hands to do what Kelsier had started and had a vision about. It's chaos and a battle of power. But here Mistborn and their super powers are not the sole focus of the story. There are other factors including politics which will get a readers attention.

Written wonderfully with a lot of attention to characters (diverse) and many storylines stemming ahead making way for the third book. After reading this book, I came to realize why not a 5 stars from me !! This world does not have a cozy spot. I would not like to live in a world like this and the description of noblemen's houses and balls did not appeal to me.

Anyways, it was a nice interesting read with good plot and twists. Looking forward to read the next in line.

Happy Reading!!