The Well of Ascension: Mistborn, Book 2

The Well of Ascension is one of those very few novels that upon completion, you simply say "wow". This isn't just a good sequel to the already incredible first novel The Final Empire. It's one the greatest fantasy epics I've ever read and it easily surpasses the original.One of the many reasons The Well of Ascension works is because author Brandon Sanderson is able to avoid one of the biggest pitfalls when writing a sequel: predictability. Many authors make nearly identical sequels to pad out their story lines, making them lackluster and their series stagnant. Brandon Sanderson is able to avoid this downward spiral and then some. The Lord Ruler is dead, the good guys are victorious, the enslaved skaa have been freed from their oppressive overseers, and our heroine finds true love. Of course that still leaves the world in a complete state of disarray and chaos. After nearly an eternity of oppression and censorship by the Lord Ruler would it really sense for everything to just fall into place? How does a world recover from such an existence? That question resonates throughout the entire book. This has allowed Sanderson to change the focus of the of the Mistborn series from one of rebellion and oppression to political intrigue and survival. It's a refreshing change for the series yet at the same time it retains its already established identity.Describing the sense of scale in The Well of Ascension's story as "epic" would be a drastic understatement. With the aforementioned Lord Ruler being killed this allows the various tyrants and warlords across the Final Empire to fight for supremacy across its various dominances. With Luthadel no longer the seat of power for the Lord Ruler it has come under siege by Straff Venture and several other armies all vying for the prize of the massive city and its supply of atium; and of course their problems don't stop there. Discord and desperation run rampant among the remaining nobles making it difficult for Elend Venture, now king of Luthadel to even hold onto his crown let alone stop the invading armies from destroying their new found freedom. All of this while the prophesied evil The Deepness slowly begins to reemerge onto the unsuspecting world. The characters are thrust right into the middle of this crisis and must find a solution to a seemingly impossible situation.This is one of those few books that literally never stops entertaining you. My only gripe that I had with the previous novel The Final Empire was that it eventually fell into an entertaining yet formulaic pattern towards the middle of the book. That is not the case in The Well of Ascension at all. Nearly every chapter brings something new to the story like characters, unforeseen twists, and various political issues and foreign threats. There's no boring sections and no uninteresting or boring characters to drag the narrative to a halt. Sanderson does all of this flawlessly while continuing to illustrate some of the most intense and adrenaline filled action scenes that I've ever read from any genre.With the throne empty after the skaa rebellion, the heroes are forced to step out of the shadows and into the ravenous world of politics where they'll learn the harshness of leadership. Taking power was the easy part, holding onto it is the true challenge. As Orson Scott Card ever so happily praised, Sanderson understands how leadership in society works. He portrays a very Machiavellian sense of burden which leaders must overcome in order to protect their kingdom. Elend Venture's reign couldn't have come at a worse time, the materialistic Luthadel nobles don't exactly take to kindly to the man who has limited their sense of power in society, keeping their cut-throat intentions in check is only the beginning. Despite having freedom and a voice in politics due to Elend's fair legislation, the skaa cannot be fully trusted either. The removal of their abusive owners comes with the loss of their food and shelter. They were slaves, but they at least were able to survive. After what seemed like an eternity of servitude to the Lord Ruler and his nobles, the skaa simply cannot comprehend the premise of freedom.Character development was one of Sanderson's strongest areas that he showcased in The Final Empire which he continues to demonstrate to an even greater extent. The individual members of Kelsier's crew have been installed in various positions of power within Elend's government. It was interesting to see the once thieves and conspirators having to adjust and find a place in the spotlight. I particularly enjoyed the attention given to Sazed, he was a particularly stoic character in the last book so giving him more personality was a welcome change. It's also very clear that the Mistborn trilogy will always feature dual protagonists for each of the three novels. The Final Empire featured the charismatic Kelsier as the mentor to the cynical Vin. The Well of Ascension focuses instead on Vin and Elend as lovers, both trying to keep each other and their kingdom safe from harm. Many fantasy and romance novels that I've read have always boiled down to a weak sexually driven relationship instead of a strong well-written character driven one that focuses on the characters' needs and vulnerabilities. Brandon Sanderson puts the competition to absolute shame in the Well of Ascension which felt like a coming of age story for the two. Vin and Elend aren't looking for thrills and pleasure, they're both flawed human beings who gain balance through each other. The stalwart yet feeble King Elend gains courage through Vin's bravery and strength while Vin finds comfort through Elend's love and compassion, something she has never felt in her entire life. Sanderson can literally write a better romance than most authors can when he isn't even writing a romance novel to begin with. Every one of these amazing characters despite all the power at their fingertips and existing on a completely different plain of reality feel genuinely human. They actually feel like real believable people which is something many fantasy authors have trouble replicating.I knew the sequel to The Final Empire would be good, but I didn't think it would be this incredible. Where many authors's stumble on their second iteration Brandon Sanderson soars. I will personally remember The Well of Ascension as one of the greatest sequels that I've ever read and one of the greatest books in general. The incredibly well written plot with non-stop action, and some of the most lovable characters that I've ever seen will keep you guessing and begging for more. Once you finally reach the end Vin will most likely become one of your most favorite characters of all time, if she isn't already.

The Well of Ascension takes everything that was great about the first book and elevates it to new heights. Brandon Sanderson masterfully deepens the world-building, adding layers of complexity to the political intrigue and the evolving mystery behind the Well itself. The character development in this book is fantastic, particularly as Vin grows into a more confident and powerful Mistborn, while the relationships between the characters are tested in unexpected ways. The plot is full of twists and turns that had me hooked from start to finish. The stakes are incredibly high, and the action sequences are intense and thrilling. Sanderson’s ability to create a story that blends magic, politics, and personal conflict is second to none. If you loved the first book, you won't be able to put this one down. Highly recommend!

So I had read many of the reviews prior to reading this and got very mix results. Some seemed to be too good to be true and fanboish while the ones that seemed more grounded were quite negative.So I am going to try to offer maybe a more objective review.If you are here just for a good action book with lots of fight scenes that are done well you may want to look somewhere else I would probably only give it a 3 out 5 if thats all you are looking for. I would recommend Salvatore if you want great action sequences because while the author is not bad at action there is something to be desired still. It is oddly much darker and carries a much more somber tone than the first book even though the Lord Ruler from the first book was overthrown which I think some may find this off putting especially since it does take an effect on the characters and make them moodier and at times whiny and annoying.That being said I will still stand by my 4 out 5 rating as I think the author actually played to his strengths in this book which in my humble opinion is that of advancing your understanding of the world in which the story takes place and the lore surrounding it, Character development and nice subtle plot twists and hiding gems of information in seemingly mundane segments that turn out to be quite important when the pieces start falling into place at the end of the book. I also am one who appreciates and enjoys the political posturing and intrigue and the attempt at making it more a battle of wits and character than of super hero runs around overcoming every challenge simply cause they are the all powerful chosen one.One thing of note is that the author does a great job of developing the supporting cast much better than the main characters. You get great insight into and awesome development of characters like Breeze, Ham, Clubs, Sazed, Marsh and even Straff Venture as well as others that I will not mention for fear of any spoilers. The Author does this artfully and subtly enough that it feels natural with these characters while his attempts with Vin and Ellend can feel forced and over done causing them to come across childish and annoying at times which can be frustrating and slow the pace of the book. It does somewhat excuse itself towards the end for this when you realize the attempt by the author to get across the idea that you must understand yourself if you are ever to expect how to understand others and help them but its somewhat of a sloppy attempt and the supporting characters are the ones that actually carry the idea to any sense of legitimacy.As for the plot and premise of the story I think they are very well done and a great thought provoking narrative. While some say the premise is forced for the sake of a sequel I would disagree there were many lose ends from the first book as well as the basic premise of instability and chaos in the wake of the Lord Rulers defeat is a very logical and likely scenario. Which sets up nicely for a test of the characters resolve and strength of character to follow through on what they have started. It also stretches the characters abilities and challenges them on a much broader scale and in the process it gives a noble attempt at providing understanding for human behavior and motives with all the political scheming and posturing as well as the personal moral and emotional battles many of the characters face. In the end it provides a great plot twist that is both surprising as well as it makes sense and is not forced as you recall all the bits of information hiding through out the book. Which is satisfying since it also makes things from the first book make more sense since I thought its twist and conclusion was actually quite lacking.All in all I highly recommend this book as I feel that it is the book that generally most great series have that can be frustrating to read and leave you wondering why or what was the author thinking but when all is said and done you realize the point as all the pieces come together and you get the bigger picture the author was trying to paint as the seemingly mundane and frustrating aspects come back to have an impact on the final outcome in surprising yet logical fashion.