The Well of Ascension

The second book in the Mistborn trilogy. I find this book to be as impressive as the first one. This review might contain spoilers if you haven't read the first book.

A year has passed after Lord Ruler's death. Elend Venture is now the king of the Central Dominance, doing his best to build a great government for his people. Unfortunately, they are facing a dire situation as they find two kings with their armies camping out the city walls — ready to attack Luthadel. One of them is Straff Venture, Elend's father. He left before Lord Ruler fell, and now he comes back to take Luthadel from his son.

The concept of ‘The Deepness' comes under a new light as disaster starts to spread throughout the empire. Mist appears during the day, killing unfortunate people who happen to be outside. It was then when Vin starts sensing a mysterious figure in the mist, giving her bad feelings which only adds to her insecurities welling up inside. When a third army — filled with terrifying beasts known as the koloss — comes to join the siege, Vin knows that Luthadel is facing an impending doom.

As she encounters more and more strange occurrences, Vin comes to the conclusion that she is the Hero of Ages from the ancient prophecies — and the Well of Ascension is calling her. Its power might bring hope for the upcoming battle, and so Vin decides to seek it. Even if she doesn't know where the Well of Ascension is... or what power does it have.

Some people might find this book less exciting than the first one, since the idea of building an empire is often viewed as ‘less exciting' than overthrowing one. The Well of Ascension starts out slow, focusing on the events one after another. The war itself didn't occur until near the end of the book, and politics dominated the beginning of the book. Still, I think Brandon Sanderson did a good job building up the plot and events, as I don't feel bored at all even though I generally dislike politics.

Characters are amazing, one of the aspects I love the most from the trilogy. Developments are made without making them seem unrealistic. My favorite in this book would be how Elend's personality developed through the help of Tindwyl. Minor characters are also fleshed out a bit more, giving more shine to their already enchanting personalities.

The twist in the end of the book is really good, making all the things we've learned so far turns upside down. The ending also left me curious, wanting to read the next book as soon as possible. A brilliant sequel for The Final Empire.