Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn 5)

Mistborn is still a better connection for me than this Wax and Wayne era. Sorry, steampunkers.

MeLaan the kandra is probably my favorite addition. She is genuinely funny, and her personality brings some levity to the story. Marasi also grew on me. I don't particularly love her, but I don't find her annoying, which is honestly enough to make me appreciate her presence.

I wasn't quite as enthusiastic about the twist involving Wax's past (Lessie). Wax has been through enough. I grow weary of the female who dies to strengthen the male story (OVERDONE) but this wasn’t better for me. Sigh.

That is one of the challenges I have with this series. I like the characters, but I don't always want to watch them endure another terrible thing simply because the story needs a source of conflict.

I did, however, continue to appreciate Sanderson's approach to the magic. He keeps finding new applications for the same basic rules, and that remains one of the most interesting aspects of these books for me.

Even when I am not completely invested in the plot, I am still interested in seeing what someone will do with the magic next.

Overall, this was another fine but solid entry in the series.

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn 4)

You’d think after reading Mistborn that I would have assumed this book’s title was a metal pun… but even after seeing it on my son’s shelf for a year, I still thought it was called what I mis-read the first time “The Allure of Law” (like law is so inviting?) until I was well underway, reading it myself, and closed it and re-looked at the cover. “Yeah, that says alloy.”

Oh well. I enjoyed The Alloy of Law, although I have to admit that I did not connect with the Wax and Wayne books quite as strongly as I did with the original Mistborn trilogy.

There is plenty to like. The book is funny, the characters are entertaining, and the story introduces a very different society within the same larger world.

I do really like the way Sanderson takes the magic system established in the original trilogy and asks what would happen if you placed those same rules into a completely different technological environment. Suddenly there are projectile weapons, trains, cities and a much more steampunk-influenced setting, and people have learned how to use metal-based magic in entirely different ways.

Because I like systems and order, I particularly enjoyed seeing that the fundamental rules hadn't changed. The world had changed, and the way people applied the magic had changed, but the underlying logic remained intact.

I also liked the direction Sanderson took Wax's relationship with Steris and Marisi. I was very pleased with the way that storyline developed and appreciated that he didn't take it in the most (irritatingly) predictable direction. However, the most irritating direction is what he did with Lessie — more on that later.

Wax and Wayne are entertaining, although they don't have quite the same emotional pull for me that Vin and the original crew did. Wayne, especially, provides a lot of humor, which is redeeming.

Mistborn: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

The Hero of Ages gave me the satisfying conclusion I was hoping for from the original Mistborn trilogy.

What I enjoyed most was seeing how the various pieces came together. There was one particular delightful moment toward the end when I found myself thinking, “How did I not see this coming?”

My son found this particularly entertaining because he apparently had exactly the same experience. Now that my husband is reading the series, we have both agreed that he absolutely cannot figure everything out before he reaches the ending. If he does, my son and I are going to feel considerably less intelligent.

Sanderson does an especially good job of making the reader question what the characters know and what we ourselves have actually seen. I found myself wondering whether a particular detail had always been there or whether I had simply failed to notice its significance. That made the revelations particularly satisfying.

I also enjoyed seeing Vin and Elend mature. Both characters have changed significantly since the beginning of the series, and I liked seeing how those changes affected their relationships and the decisions they made.

The ending itself felt very complete. There were plenty of surprises, but when everything was finally explained, it made sense within the rules of the world Sanderson had established.

That is probably the highest compliment I can give this series. I never felt like the ending required Sanderson to suddenly invent a new set of rules to make everything work. Instead, he had laid out the pieces and then shown us how they fit together.

I finished the trilogy feeling very satisfied—and understanding exactly why my 16yo had been so insistent that I read it. Four more Mistborns, in a new series… then I have to tackle Stormlight Archive. (gulp)

Mistborn: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

The Well of Ascension continues the Mistborn story with more political intrigue, more magic, and a much larger sense of the world Sanderson has created.

There are also kandras, YAY I love a good dog. And, now, I feel immediately compelled to apologize because the kandras would be deeply offended by this comparison. But, like, it is a dog. Just not a dog.

One of the things I enjoy most about these books is the dialogue. There are genuinely funny characters and situations scattered throughout what is otherwise a fairly serious story. Breeze continues to be one of my favorites, and his escape scene in this book was probably the funniest part for me.

Spook is also becoming a favorite. His unusual way of speaking makes me laugh. “Wasing the want of knowing.”

And then there is Sazed, who remains one of the most interesting characters in the series. I still haven't quite figured out how Sanderson managed to create someone who is simultaneously Batman and Alfred, but somehow Sazed manages to be both. Hero and mild-mannered helper.

I also appreciated the introduction of new aspects of the magic system -- expanding the rules without breaking them, which I really appreciate.

There were parts of this book that moved more slowly for me than the first book, but I enjoyed watching the world develop and the characters change. And, of course, I was already invested enough to need to know what happened next.

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

My son had been encouraging me to read Mistborn for quite a while, and I finally took his advice!

The first thing that grabbed me was the magic system. I loved discovering a completely new kind of magic and, more importantly, learning the rules that govern it. I have realized that this is a major factor in how much I enjoy fantasy. I like a world that establishes its own rules and then follows them. When characters suddenly develop a convenient ability because the plot requires it, I tend to lose interest. Sanderson doesn't do that. Kudos.

The villain (Lord Ruler) and his hench-people/creatures are genuinely despisable, which makes the conflict much more satisfying.

The heroes are equally interesting because they aren't simply all-powerful. They each have different abilities, limitations and personalities. It’s fun watching Vin discover what she is capable of.

I enjoy Vin and Elend's relationship. They are equals, but they bring different strengths to the relationship. Neither one has to become a copy of the other for them to work as a pair.

This was a great introduction to the series for me. My husband is actually on the second book now, too -- so apparently my 16yo son has successfully recruited the family.

the shadow rising

Oh man, The Shadow Rising—the longest book in the Wheel of Time series—honestly feels like it sometimes. But there’s so much good stuff that you push through.

First off, Mat. That scene where he storms through the enchanted doorway demanding to know his future—and then—oh, the universe’s hilarious “plot twist”—he just has to get married. Classic. I found that very funny.

Dreamwalking. Hmm. Still feeling like we need clarity on the rules here. I don’t like “anything goes and anything can change” settings because it feels like the author can cheat.

Perrin, once again, is killing it. Taking us back to the Two Rivers and feeling like home again. And a wedding! Finally. We needed that. (His frustrated humility is great. “Stop calling me Lord.”)

Questions: I don’t understand why nobody in the story figured out that the weapon was to be an a’dam necklace for a male who could channel. I feel like someone should have guessed that? And Slayer…seems pretty obvious who it was, so why did it take Perrin so long?

I was devastated to read that Siuan and Leane were stilled. Hoping that comes around later—like, some a group of 13 to take, and a group of 13 to give back situation? Fingers crossed.

Min’s storyline? Still annoying. Still hating the same first-letter names. Gawyn and Galad, I can’t keep them straight. Unrelated — Morgase’s boyfriend who was trying to kill the girls—do we ever find out who he sent? Missed that memo, apparently.

My least favorites: Rand’s visions in Rhuidean? Molasses. Slow, sloggy, meh. Not memorable at all. And Logain becoming a bigger character at the end? Honestly, snooze if he features highly in the next book.

These books are a marathon, and you need a nap after finishing one. But the good news is, they are still popular enough that there is ALWAYS a multi-week hold line at the library. So that’s irritating enough to make me excited to keep reading.