From the Bookshelf of Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading BCPL SRC …

The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)

Brandon Sanderson

Start date: June 26, 2014

Discussion: 2014 summer reading

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2014 summer reading

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last updated Aug 27, 2014 11:49AM

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last updated Aug 22, 2014 05:26PM

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May 12, 2022 A Book Vacation rated it it was amazing

It started out a little slow, but man did it build and it got so good! So many twists and turns, and I just love Vin and alimency. Such a cool concept with metals! I listened to this via audible in the car and was so sad to get to my destination every day and have to turn it off, especially the last few days of reading, when the story really began to climax. Looking forward to the final novel! Nothing is as it seems and I'm so excited to see what's next! I LOVE how Sanderson uses the story of th ...more

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Jun 28, 2025 Josiane Claremont rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-copies, not-manga, actiony, ya-f, magic, war

It's definitely the second book of the series. Two major twists experienced for me in this book, and of course the general fog of apathy and confusion. Pacing felt slower than it could have been but I guess we need examine each and every one's very predictable thoughts to lay out one of several great mysteries covered in the book.

Two years after Kelsier dies and Elend Venture becomes the new king of Luthadel, Vin and the the thieving crew are still trying to break free of thousands of years of o It's definitely the second book of the series. Two major twists experienced for me in this book, and of course the general fog of apathy and confusion. Pacing felt slower than it could have been but I guess we need examine each and every one's very predictable thoughts to lay out one of several great mysteries covered in the book.

Two years after Kelsier dies and Elend Venture becomes the new king of Luthadel, Vin and the the thieving crew are still trying to break free of thousands of years of oppression and tyranny under the Lord Ruler by furthering integration and improved value of life for the skaa. With the newly-formed Assembly exercising their rights under Elend's drafted constitutions and other kings appearing at the doorstep to the city, Vin also is focusing on the dreadful feeling of being watched by the mists and something evil that only the Lord Ruler may have been able to protect them from.

This book is thiccc. Thankfully not as thick and onerous as I found The Priory of the Orange Tree because Brandon Sanderson really knows atmosphere and ramping up mystery and a multitude of opposing main personalities. There's plot moving, even when we're trapped with a character we haven't paid much attention to because there isn't that much going on that they're doing that we don't know anyway. Be thankful for the redundancy because it makes things easy to remember throughout this very long journey from the appearance of the first army, to the end where (view spoiler); only through endless repetition of every character's main motivations can remind us why we care about them in the first place.

Do we have to believe that Vin, a young woman, is portrayed as being a powerful paranoid and insecure girl and focusing on two eligible bachelors (that's right Elend, watch out!) and making them happy, feeling like she's settling for love when I fully believe she could do better? I think we're being forced to go along with it. Elend's not a bad guy, I just think she needs someone who can share her interests a little bit more than "I trust you because I'm an idealist privileged bookish man-child; and sure my attraction for you probably only strengthened because I found out you're a skaa Mistborn, whom I've always been intrigued it, but you're totally not like these other frilly frippy noble ladies I've been forced to interact with because we're all rich snobs. Also, you let me read a lot and you can protect me too." Elend Venture is a noodle. He's a pasty starch-filled limp noodle, even with all the king-training new character Tindwyl is giving him from her specialty in biographies of great kings and generals. And I think Vin deserves better.

She deserves someone a little closer to Kelsier, someone who can be her safe space like, idk, making sure she doesn't have to be paranoid and worried all the time and actually tries to take care of her. Giving her space is all fine and good but what about talking more often or developing your relationship further than those times you were together at balls and she was doing spywork for the revolution? (view spoiler). She deservers someone who can match her energy-wise, and actually make an effort with her. The ONLY people who made an effort with Vin this book are the bad guys (view spoiler), because they're trying to find her weaknesses to take her down, which takes Elend down, which gives them the city.

I have a huge problem with the character development, but no problem with the worldbuilding. World-building we're traveling a little bit more outside of the city, we meet the scary koloss creatures and learn some kandra lore (view spoiler), and the history and origins of the Lord Ruler and what happened all those millenia ago. (view spoiler) The next book better answer my questions. ...more

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