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May 24, 2019PimaLib_ChristineR rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Sanderson seems to be gaining broader recognition and it is well-deserved. The Well of Ascension, for example, is a huge tome that primarily deals with political maneuvering and emotions, but it's still a page-turner. Looking back, I could probably sum up the plot in a few sentences, but the pacing (almost) never felt like it was dragging and while there is relationship drama, it isn't that false teen angst that drives me insane. Vin and Elend are a sum greater than their parts as Elend tries to rule his country from the capital of Luthadel, after the death of the Lord Ruler. Vin is pragmatic, preferring action over analysis. Elend seems to have a bit of analysis paralysis, trying to make his country as fair as it can be, and always the optimist. However, the nobility of old isn't going to give up their positions of power without a fight...or assassins. Whatever does the job. The pair rely on their old comrades to help them become the leaders the people need them to be, while Vin becomes more disturbed by the mists that are increasingly ominous and pervasive. Vin and her dead master Kelsier are the central figures of a new religious movement. A movement that Vin is completely uncomfortable with, but that Elend knows he will need to use to sway his people. Meanwhile, the city is under attack from multiple sources looking for the atium supplies of the Lord Ruler. Okay, maybe I couldn't explain the whole plot in a few minutes. There's a lot of plot. But all these forces are pulling on Vin and Elend in different ways, and they both wonder if they have betrayed, or let down, the other in some way. A star off for: extended navel-gazing. Yes, it does get overwhelming sometimes. Also, if you're looking for any sort of diversity, you're not going to find it here. This is a milquetoast world. And, can we talk about these covers? Who stole these covers off of 1970s sci-fi? Horrible. Sanderson takes the time to create characters that are full and developed, even as he drives the plot forward. I'm not a big reader of these long fantasy cycles, but this is a series I will keep reading and an author I will look for again and again.