The Bands of Mourning

Not what I expected in this set of three books. The first three and second three books are remarkably different in terms of characters, setting, and pacing, but I can't imagine following the second set without starting at the beginning.

Wayne is absolutely the best character in the series. I hope to encounter him again.

While in a different time, and with a different goal from the original Mistborn trilogy, this one expanded on the world in unexpected ways. I'm always impressed how Sanderson can bring back an idea from books ago that was ambiguous and expand on it. This book gave me a Final Fantasy vibe –a combination from the time period, magic system, characters and a few familiar plot devices that somehow seem right at home in the world of Mistborn.

Well I though this was the last of a new Mistborn Trilogy... Nope! Apparently we are waiting for a 4th book?

Either way, I think this was just as strong as the other entries in the series, if not better. The all of the characters have grown and continued become interesting people, and the plot kept me guessing until the end.

My only complaint, and I'm not sure how valid it is, is that I'm having a hard part keeping up with the technological changes in the Mistborn world. I suppose I can relate to Wax, everything is changing so quickly and I feel left behind.

Hooo, where do i start? the ending really hit all the high notes of a classic blockbuster movie climax a la Avengers, with the moment of desperation when Wax died, to the sudden revelation of the Bands of Mourning being that stupid spearhead that Wayne nicked right from the start :joy: it was fantastic to read and also why i'm still not asleep yet at 1+am even though i have to go in to the office early tomorrow morning. truly a Sanderlanche!

i kinda knew that Wax wasn't going to really die because he's already on the cover of The Lost Metal but if i hadn't seen that yet i would certainly be quite worried since this is book 3 of Era 2 and usually big plot shifts can happen at this juncture. i was really rooting for Marasi to be the ones wielding the Bands of Mourning to light the place up and save everyone, but ah well. also, those people with the red glowing eyes? did we ever see them in Era 1? are they completely new to this world? and why is it that Trell now seems to be the icon that all the “bad” people are gathering around? also that epilogue!!!! is that Kelsier!? or is my guess completely off?! i mean, he's the Survivor, right!? is he really coming back???? what's going on???

i also really liked where everyone is romantically at this point. i was really worried about Steris's safety this whole time but i'm glad that she's wound up safe and happy with Wax, i like that Marasi is still kicking ass by herself and even has a foreign suitor now, and Wayne, being the complete lunatic that he ism is probably best suited for something casual with MeLaan.

totally excited for the new book coming out this month!

Bands of Mourning is great. Nevertheless, it's probably my least favorite Mistborn entry so far. The second half of the book does a substantial amount of world-building and introduces some new aspects to the magic system, and it felt rushed and somewhat unexplained compared to what I've gotten used to from this series. Nonetheless, it was still a great book, and I am looking forward to the next installment, The Lost Metal.

Executive Summary: I enjoyed this a lot more than [b:Shadows of Self 16065004 Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5) Brandon Sanderson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435053013s/16065004.jpg 21855448], though I'm hard pressed to say exactly why. Either way, I'm looking forward to the final book in this trilogy. 4.5 stars.Audiobook: Michael Kramer is excellent as always. He does voices for the characters and speaks clearly and with good inflection. This series is definitely audio-only for me.Full ReviewEver since discovering the first Mistborn series, I've considered [a:Brandon Sanderson 38550 Brandon Sanderson https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1394044556p2/38550.jpg] one of my favorite authors. I love everything to do with the Cosmere, but his Mistborn books come second only to Stormlight. For the last few years it's been a toss-up between him and [a:Jim Butcher 10746 Jim Butcher https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1400640324p2/10746.jpg] as my favorite.I really enjoyed the stand alone [b:The Alloy of Law 10803121 The Alloy of Law (Mistborn, #4) Brandon Sanderson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442889632s/10803121.jpg 15035863]. I was really excited for [b:Shadows of Self 16065004 Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5) Brandon Sanderson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435053013s/16065004.jpg 21855448]. I came away disappointed. It wasn't a bad book. I gave it a rounded-up 3.5 stars, which isn't bad in general, but it's low for me to give to any Sanderson book, let alone a Mistborn book. Add that in with the non-Cosmere[b:Firefight 15704459 Firefight (Reckoners, #2) Brandon Sanderson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413220816s/15704459.jpg 21979689] that I liked even less and his last two books were letdowns for me.Needless to say, I came into this one nervous. Was I outgrowing Mr. Sanderson? Was his breakneck output finally showing in the quality of his books? Other Sanderson fans seems to disagree with me about [b:Shadows of Self 16065004 Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5) Brandon Sanderson https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435053013s/16065004.jpg 21855448], so I was really apprehensive I was outgrowing him.After reading this book, I think the answer is a little of both. I'm probably less forgiving than I was, and likely much less forgiving than many Sanderson fans. When this book was announced, Mr. Sanderson admitted to struggling with the previous one:“jumping into Shadows of Self was slow going, and I found it much easier to go write the sequel to refresh myself on the world and characters. That done, I was able to move back to Shadows of Self and finish it up.”So personally, I think that struggle showed in the final product. This book however, is classic Sanderson. My worries have been alleviated for the most part. I really enjoyed this one. In fact it's now one of my favorites of the series, and I think the best Wax & Wayne book to date.So why is that? Well for me it's largely because of Sterris. She's quickly become my favorite character. I often struggle with Mr. Sanderson's jokes in general. I consider it a weak point in his writing. The groan factor of his jokes for Wayne are a very close second to his jokes in the Reckoner series, and those are intentionally bad. Sterris had me cracking up though. I'm not sure if it's intentional or not. If so, then maybe Mr. Sanderson is simply better at subtle humor than outright jokes. Of course humor is always subjective. I've had people argue with me that they enjoy his humor. To each their own.Mostly, I just love Sterris' character development as this series has gone on. I'm sure it has a lot to do with self-identification with some of her neurocies. Her constant planning, and making of lists are things I find myself doing a lot. Although, not nearly as detailed as she does. Either way, she's a great compliment for Wax.Like all Mistborn books (and really Sanderson books in general), the magic system is top-notch. He once again finds new and interesting ways to use the magic while mostly staying within the bounds he's previously established. When he does cross those bounds, he does so in a way that feels like we're simply learning more details about magic we didn't know before, not that he's breaking rules. And of course the action is excellent. Most of all though, he's building a really interesting story. Cool magic, fast-paced action and great characters are all well and good, but it was the mysteries of The Set and the Bands of Mourning that had me hating to stop listening, and were enough to finally motivate me to hook up my trainer so I could get an extra 30-45 minutes of audio in each day.I'm really happy with this book. This book ends in a decent enough place at least. Things are set up nicely, without leaving you on a giant cliffhanger. I'd be disappointed at having to wait so long for the conclusion if his next book wasn't [b:Oathbringer 17250961 Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3) Brandon Sanderson https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png 23840254] (or whatever he ends up calling Stormlight Archive 3). Hopefully [b:The Lost Metal 23947089 The Lost Metal (Mistborn, #7) Brandon Sanderson https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png 43551632] will be worth the wait.

Wederom een fantastisch avontuur in de stijl van een western gemengd met een stevige dosis Indiana Jones en zalig zotte humor.

De manier waarop de Mistborn-wereld opnieuw wordt uitgebreid, is zowel ontzagwekkend als intrigerend.
Ik kan niet wachten om meer te weten te komen. Tegelijkertijd kriebelt het enorm om de serie opnieuw van het begin te herlezen, omdat ik zeker ben dat ik nieuwe aanwijzingen ga ontdekken en theorieën zal ontwikkelen bij een tweede lezing.

Ik hield ook heel erg van de karakterontwikkelingen in dit volume, vooral deze van Steris. Tot nu toe was zij een vrij onbekend, beetje saai en onopvallend, maar hier kwam ze echt tot haar recht en begon ik voor haar te supporteren. Haar bloeiende relatie met Wax vind ik ook heel goed gedaan.
Wayne is een andere favoriet. Hij is buitengewoon onbeleefd, maar of hij effectief zo is of gewoon extreem naïef blijft onduidelijk. Hij heeft een absurd gevoel voor logica dat zowel vertederend als verbijsterend is. Hij is een personage waar ik zowel van haat als van hou, hij frustreert en charmeert tegelijkertijd. Ik hoop dat hij nooit verandert!

De verhaallijn vond ik ook geweldig. De toevoegingen van de wereld en de verkenning van het verleden van Wax brachten een serieuze meerwaarde en verhoogden de inzet.
Een deel vond ik wel voorspelbaar en er zijn elementen die niet meteen mijn favoriete verteltechniek zijn, alhoewel ik wel begrijp waarom ze zo moesten zijn.

Zoals vaak het geval bij een Sanderson-boek, gaf het einde mij kippenvel. Een echt schokkende onthulling en ik kan niet geloven dat hij daarheen gaat! Zo benieuw hoe dit verder gaat!

In a bit of a left-turn, W&W takes a dive into adventure movie material and becomes a bit like Indiana Jones, with the Macguffin being the Lord Ruler's feruchemical bands and the return of the (honestly weakest part of the book) Nazi-like villains the Set. Whilst this direction initially interested me, there was more explanation about Cosmere mechanics than the actual logic of what had led to these events, and I found myself having more questions than answers at the end of the book. The action was fluid, despite arguably slowing the story down at times in spectacle-filled, film-like sequences, and the characters have all developed considerably - Wax wrestles with some internal conflict, Wayne showcases more of himself and society, Marasi has become tougher and situationally-smarter and Steris goes through some really sweet growth. There was an exciting second-half revelation, and I loved the emotion of the ending. I can sense where Sanderson wants to take Era 3, but before that there's definitely a lot of room left to explore in Scadrial's near-future, and a secret history to fulfil in it's recent past... Looking forward to the Lost Metal (aka Mistborn 7)!

3.50/5.00

Alright, now we are talking Mistborn. This books does a good job of worldbuilding we have come to expect from the cosmere. There are some interesting moments, some twists I didn't see coming, but final twist is quite obvious since I read Stromlight 5 prologue. Good book, but predictable plot. Not even close to Mistborn era 1.

Finally, finally we see the face of the character shadowing the Mistborn series. And all that feruchemy worldbuilding is quite good.

As with any sanderso book, I loved it. I love how each relationship developed, especially with steris and wax.
And steris. She has to be my fave next to Wayne.

The direction of the story starts to get tense. I'm starting to fear for some of the characters, and a scene towards the end almost had me screaming. But the best moment was between steris and wax. I cried.

Each of the characters were given their moments to shine and grow. Wayne never fails to make the laugh

A thrilling tale I devoured. Each book is better than the last.

WOW. Sanderson lo ha vuelto a hacer.

Sabía que este libro me sorprendería, pero no me veía venir por dónde. Este libro lo tiene todo: un ritmo trepidante, una capa mucho más profunda para personajes que lo merecían, una historia que te tiene al borde de la silla, mucho Cosmere y una “sanderlancha” de las potentes.

Es el libro más largo de los tres primeros de Era 2, y siento que se me ha hecho más corto que ninguno. Hasta ahora me estaba tomando la saga de Wax y Wayne como unos libros para disfrutarlos, sin exigirles el nivel de otros libros de la saga, pero éste ha destacado por mucho frente a los dos primeros.

Y con esto cierro el que me da que es el último libro de “Mistborn - Wax y Wayne”, aunque puede me equivoque, porque tengo la sensación de que El Metal Perdido va a ser algo más grande que simplemente eso y requiera una categoría para él solo. Sea como fuere, estos tres primeros libros los he disfrutado un montón, y me alegro enormemente de haberlos dejado para el final para poder gozármelos sin exigirles nada a cambio.

Pros: variety of action, new settings, character development

Cons: Wayne started to grate on my nerves, some predictable events

Waxilliam Ladrian and Steris Harms' wedding day has finally arrived, but things don't go as planned. Against his desires, he's roped into helping the kandra recover one of their fellows' missing spikes. He's also given the whereabouts of his kidnapped sister.

This book changes location several times, and the plot shifts from one connected goal to another, so while my synopsis may not sound that interesting, the book itself has quite a good number of twists and turns.

I loved the growing relationship between Wax and Steris, which again felt realistic. I also liked how several characters developed, questioning themselves and coming to know themselves better.

Wayne started to grate on my nerves, especially at the beginning of the book. His dislike of Steris annoyed me, both because I like her as a character and because he disregarded the growing attraction between Steris and Wax. Towards the end he felt more like the loveable rogue from the previous books.

There are some plot twists that I found predictable, but others that changed the direction of the book in unexpected ways. But even the predictable moments were fun, as they didn't stay predictable for long.

From what I've been reading there's an upcoming 4th book, which is good, because the ending wasn't as neatly tied as I was expecting.

This is a great series with a unique magic system and interesting characters that are so much fun to read about. Can't wait to see what comes next.