The Bands of Mourning

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.

I really like Wax and Wayne.

A lot of folks don't like Era 2 as much, and I think it is because expectations are for it to be similar to Era 1 (I love Era 1). I went in expecting these novels to be different in scope, characters, and tone. I did expect the foundations of Sanderson's storytelling to remain the same, and in that aspect, this novel delivered.

Part multi layered quest, part Indiana Jones, this was a rollicking adventure that starts hot and never lets up. Looking forward to finishing Era 2.

5 STARS

Reread leading up to the Lost Metal - I actually think I liked this a bit less on reread. Apart from the final 20%, the only part of this book I really liked were the larger Cosmere connections and some of the character development. Ironically my reread of Era 2 has actually made me ~less~ excited for The Lost Metal, which I wouldn't have expected. I am excited for the conclusion, and I know Sanderson is great at endings, but I won't be too upset to see the end of this Era.

Original Review:

Mistborn Era 2 is very hard for me to rate. The plot is just so much less interesting to me than anything else Sanderson does. Halfway through this book, I still did not care at all about any plot happenings. The second half of this book, though, was much better. Reminded me a lot of Indiana Jones and the reveals were pretty damn good.

But what Era 2 is good at is characters. The character of Steris is just so good. She really shines so much more in this book. Marasi and Wayne are also super interesting characters to read about, and MeLaan is great too. And the slow-burn courtships that happen in this series are genuinely well done; some of my favorite romances and I'm not a big romance person.

I think I enjoyed Shadows of Self the best out of Era 2 so far, but I am now very excited for The Lost Metal!

This is the best book of era 2 so far, and I'm so anxious to read the 7th, which still has no release date! :(

I'm fairly certain I say this in every review of a Sanderson book, but the characters in this novel are superbly written. I felt so much for their relationships between each other. The found family they've created is so meaningful and deep. Because of the banter and camaraderie between this band of misfits I found myself grinning multiple times while listening. The giant twist at the end had me almost to tears, and the ending of the novel had me smiling and giggling. Sanderson has a magical way with characterization in all of his books, and I especially felt for the characters in this series.

The plot was interesting and went in directions I didn't see coming. There were many more callbacks to the previous era, each one adding such a deep richness to the lore of the Cosmere. The ending left me slightly panicked for where this story is going to end in the next installment, and I am so anxious knowing we have no idea when that will be.

I highly recommend this book to Cosmere and Sanderson fans everywhere. I also highly recommend listening to the audiobooks for this series. Michael Kramer brings so much life to these characters. His impression of Wayne is my favorite, but they're all exquisite. I think my love for this series is largely in part to Kramer's narration. He brought so much life to the books.

Very engaging and managed to expand not only Scadrial, but the Cosmere in general.
I already have a million theories about Trell, the next book etc.

I didn't give it 5 stars, because I continue to feel like one of our POV characters is a cardboard cutout. I find absolutely nothing of interest in Marasi. Each time I read from her POV, I feel like I've been forced to endure a very boring work meeting.

I also didn't like how convoluted the outcome of the last big battle was. Wax agreeing to duel his stupid uncle? For what? You wait until the guy disables the bomb and pull the old "just kidding" and blast push the bastard off the plane. And you're done.

Other than that, I can't wait for The Lost Metal!

P.S.: I just KNEW it was Kelsier and not the Lord Ruler who helped the "new" race. There was no way the Lord Ruler wouldn't have joined the battle against Ruin had he been around, considering how extensively he prepared for it and how much he knew. The question is, where is Kelsier now? Did he really fall dead?

9.5/10

Somehow Sanderson always succeeds in creating a likeable character with personal problems in the first book, only for them to become a God and spectacularly save the world in the third book. It works every single time. Additionally, the continuous world-building and expansion of the Cosmere is awesome. I can't wait for all these books to come together, and I am more hyped than ever for the final entry in Mistborn era 2.

loved it!! enjoyed the new scenery, new (and old) characters, new connections. i was a bit bummed about how in the end marasi was like “nah this isn't me, i'm not cool, lemme give this power to wax” but ehh i guess it matches her character. and the dude was dead lol so probably the sooner the better.

super duper curious about what the “epic finale” is going to be!! funny how i much preferred mistborn era 2 to era 1. goes to show there's no real substitution for reading something yourself!

I loved the book as much as I loved its title. Starts slowly but picks up pace rapidly. Each character is developed through the book which is quite tough given that we know most of the characters well already. The magic system by now probably makes sense only to Brandon because I am struggling to understand it a bit. But the appearance of a new civilization takes us in a new direction for the next book so onwards!

I thought this was the last book in this series so you can imagine my confusion when the size of the world and the complexity of the mechanics within it all completely blew open towards the end.

If I'm being pedantic I'll say it's not as strong as the more focussed previous entry - unsurprising since the last book didn't have to shoulder the burden of trying to smoothly add about a thousand new plot points to the series - but still a great time.

The finale could be quite epic.

 Whew, what a book. I had enjoyed Era 2 so far, but I hadn't been thrown a heater like The Final Empire or The Well of Ascension. Well, this is that heater. So much growth happened for the cast and there was never a period where the story dragged. But man, I have SO many questions after finishing this. 

Oh my! Oh my! Brandon Sanderson never fails to impress me. This volume made me laugh, cry and took the story in places I never even imagined it was going to go, weaving a continuing tale that still has ties to the original trilogy, but in surprising and exciting ways. I love the characters and their adventure alongside their own personal journeys that continues to give me all the feels and inspiration that I loved so much in the first trilogy. I can't praise this series enough and this volume is not just a worthy addition, but a step up, setting the bar high for the conclusion that I wish was already out now.

This book could actually be an Indiana Jones movie. Lots of adventure. Treasure hunt in mountains and caves. Booby traps etc. I can say that this book was the most different book in the series with all the adventures and technology. Personally I like the classic epic fantasy more. I love the epic battles, sword fights, sieges, politics etc. But Era #2 of mistborn explores a new genre when technology meets magic. With all the guns, trains and air ships. I have to say that Brandon does an excellent job with this book. Even me that doesn't like these genre enjoyed this book very much. Of course Era#2 is not nearly as good as Era#1 in my opinion but to be fair they are two completely different things and it is not right to compare these two to each other even though they are both misborn books. [not complete]