Mistborn: The Well of Ascension Book Review

Major Spoilers are included in this book review. Please read with caution.

The Well of Ascension is an outstanding sequel to the first Mistborn book. The characters, the plot, the world, the dialogue, and the revelations were well-written, and the pacing improved compared to the first book. I was really invested with everything going on in the book. My review on the first Mistborn book can be found here if you want to check it out.

The plot of this book is about the aftermath of the Lord Ruler’s death. The world is still in disarray and made worse without the Lord Ruler’s presence. Vin and Elend, along with the rest of Kelsier’s former crew, are in danger of two armies standing outside their walls. Straff Venture (Elend’s father) controls one large army in the north, and Cett controls another army just as big to the west. Later, a third army comes for Luthadel, lead by Elend’s former friend, Jastes. He controls the koloss, big humanoid creatures that can grow massive.

The dialogue is written very well. I was engaged in all of the conversations, and how distinct their voices are. The common swear phrases are used throughout the book like, Lord Ruler! It adds to character and the world building of religions. Religion was a major theme in this novel, and it drove characters like Vin and Sazed to question what they believed. Even Kelsier, who died in the last book, held a heavy presence throughout the book, as he became something to believe in for the skaa.

Zane, the second Mistborn and new character, was insane. He is Elend’s half-brother and Straff’s son. Zane tries to get Vin to save him. He’s driven by a voice to kill his own father. No matter what though, Zane does not listen, not having the courage to kill his father. Then, the voice tells Zane that he was never crazy, which makes me think the voice is connected to the larger plot brewing in The Well of Ascension.

All the fight scenes were fantastic. I think my favorite scene is Vin versus Zane in Chapter 47. It was written well and somewhat twisted when Zane forced a kiss on Vin; he also did it while cutting her in the breast. I also enjoyed the aftermath of that fight scene… she responds by getting healed and married.

Having the last fight scene be Sazed versus Marsh was an interesting choice. Sazed’s character growth worked for me. How he lost all faith in the end felt justified by everything he went through, and how he failed to stop Vin from from making a terrible mistake.

Overall, the Mistborn series is fantastic. I’d recommend it if you’re into fantasy magic. I’m holding off on starting The Hero of Ages. I need to get back to the Mercy Thompson books.

Thanks for reading!