The Well of Ascension Review

Synopsis:

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier's protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin's Mistborn skills sharp, but it's the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn't run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier's crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won't get easier with three armies - one of them composed of ferocious giants - now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler's hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

REVIEW

Cons:

1. Not sure if it was completely clear what was released from the well at the end of the book. Without getting too spoilery, let's say there is a pamphlet that tells the future in the well. It would have been better if earlier in the story we are told how important a furtuer-telling piece of paper would be. Instead, we discover what's in the well and yes, it's explained as powerful, but it only feels like a piece of notebook paper. (It isn't until the third book in the series that we really learn the true power and importance of what's in the well).

2. What Elend did to Jastes I really think changes him as a character, but I don't think for the better. The book makes it seem like it had to be done, which I can kind of see that, but it REALLY tarnishes Elend in my eyes.

3. I. Did. Not. Like. Allrianne. Perhaps it's part of her purpose to be annoying (and if so, it worked). I just felt like she was a throw away character that was some how too important. She seems sneaky, too many annoying qualities, too many secrets, but she's almost written to be the damsel and made to make us want to help her. Annoying!

4. Not enough culturual information on the Kandra. I wanted to learn everything I could about them. Too much is unknown about them!!!

PROS

1. Huge book with nearly no dull or slow moments. Every part of the book is either: War, a seige, characters dealing with the consequences of their past decisions, awesome magical fights, and world building. Every chapter is rich with all of this information placed strategically so that once you start to feel over-loaded with world building your attention is turned towards the looming seige of magically created blue Incredible Hulks!

2. EPIC! Each chapter slowly builds and leads you towards the conclusion, which is a Brandon Sanderson signature move. The whole narrative is angled towards what is going to happen at the Well of Ascension.

3. Sazed was definitely the point of view that was my favorite. Learning about Feruchemy and how it works. Seeing Feruchemy in action. His inner monologue of losing faith, wondering what is the right thing for him to do, falling in love. (And the foreshadowing of where he's going to end up by the end of the trilogy!!! To die for!)

4. The middle book of trilogies are usually just the bridge between the first book, the introduction, and the third book, the conclusion. Sanderson has a way of making the second book just as important as the first and the last. He makes second books stand-alone. He almost gives you what you think will be conclusions in the second book for you only to find out what you thought was a conclusion was simply a lay pulled away.

SCORE: 5/5