The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) blew me out of the water! // Rave Book Review

“It is a time of change,” Sazed said. ”Perhaps it is also time to learn of other truths, other ways.”

Summary:

The second installment of the Mistborn trilogy shows Vin, Elend, and Sazed dealing with the aftereffects of the first book as unforeseen obstacles continually hinder their attempts to build a new society. Furthermore, the mists have suddenly turned hostile, and three armies wait hungrily at their doorsteps to conquer them.

This book is about characters trying to figure out where they fit into this new political climate, and what an ancient prophecy bodes in order for them to save the world.

***Genre: Epic fantasy

***Related reviews: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1), The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3)

---

My thoughts: Chills man!

Okay, so my feels supply has to be replenished for the next few months because WOW, I was not expecting this book to impress me like this. There was an ominous atmosphere permeating the story all the way through to make my nerves constantly tingle, because the wrongness, the dead air, the breath before the leap, all contributed to a slow burn that subtly put me on edge in the back of my mind.

And I loved it.

So yes, I’m glad to say that the writing in this book was much improved from the last. Not to say that the first book was terrible by any means (well, maybe it was), but the prose did read somewhat like a mediocre novel that lacked craftsmanship. In that, my reading experience was much less pained this time around as I was not distracted by strange writing choices along the way.

Furthermore, characters were well-fleshed out much better in this sequel. I adored the progression of Vin and Orseur’s friendship as it introduced some much-needed banter and levity into the series, which finally endeared me to Vin as she loosened up a bit with Oreseur acting as her catalyst. Not to mention, I appreciated Elend, Breeze, and Club all getting their time in the spotlight as I felt these characters were rather underdeveloped previously.

And of course, things happen at the ending that RIPPED MY HEART OUT. I do wish the author had milked these aftereffects just a bit more since they got the Battle of Hogwarts treatment in that we don’t really get enough time to mourn certain losses, but regardless, my feels meter hit the roof as the finale not only escalated certain stakes, but it also presented a terrific arc for Sazed, who is my favorite character in the series.

In that, I am in awe. Not only is it really commendable for an author to methodically iron out his weaknesses (such as prose and minor characters), he also strung me along on a brutally unpredictable ride that left me shell-shocked, and it granted me the rare luxury of shock and surprise. I freaking adore this book for that.

“I write these words in steel, for anything not set in metal cannot be trusted.”

---

Recommended? Hell yeah!

Now if I had to put forth a minor criticism or warning about this book, it would be that the slow burn is a bit redundant at times. Much of this book’s excess fat comes from Vin troubling perpetually over a certain dude who gets thrown aside in the most 2D way, and I was not fully on board with this character causing relationship dramas, driving Vin into a default romance, or backtracking some of her growth from the first book,

And just on a personal level, I do wish the author had hit upon the feels a lot harder. Again, things happen towards the ending that had me on the brink of tears, yet as we never really get to see characters mourning these events, I was kind of left hanging in much the same way I was left hanging after the Battle of Hogwarts in Harry Potter.

Otherwise, this is a great suspense. Readers who loved the first book may find this installment comparatively tedious and long-winded, but I personally found it more tonally cohesive, and it’s not every day that an author withholds his cards and actually makes you work for the feels. That, I think, worth the time.

---

Final thoughts: Mind-boggling turn of events!

This might be a weird thing to admit, but my knee wouldn’t stop jiggling all throughout the book. The author teases so many juicy tidbits about how this world came to be that I was punching the floor in delicious agony by the end, and I think I went a little nuts at the twist. Like, I was legit jumping around like a total square.

So with tons of feels, greater nuance, more tonal cohesive and political intrigue, every aspect of this series was kicked up a notch. For that, I give this installment a full 5 stars.

My rating: 5/5 frogs

***Wowee, how long as it been since I’ve encountered such a great plot twist? Much too long apparently, because I was literally pacing around my room while reading this book: my body could not handle the epicness of the finale, and I legit just had to walk it off.

***By the way, you can click on the “Summary” at the top of this post if you want my spoiler-y thoughts on this book: I had quite the spazz-out on my Goodreads review lol.

***Finally, I’m on a plane to Seattle right now. Family emergency. Wish me luck!