The Well of Ascension
I think I liked this book even more than the first one, but here's the deal. I love the characters and this world, but I don't reach for the book. I'm not sure if it's a pacing thing, or just a "me" thing, but I feel like I read so long only to make very little progress. My experience was the same with The Final Empire.
In book 2 of the Mistborn trilogy, we find Vin, Elend, and the crew a year into the overthrow of the Final Empire. Armies are waiting outside of Luthadel. Another mysterious Mistborn seems to be lying in wait to assassinate the new king. Everything is tense.
That being said, not a whole lot happens in this book. It is far more character driven than I would have expected. It's longer than I felt it needed to be, and yet, I'm completely clueless as to what could be trimmed. That is how I know that despite my slow reading pace and my lack of urgency to pick it up this is still nearly a five-star book for me.
My favorite parts were getting to know more about the kandra and other creatures in this world. I also was fascinated by Zane. My least favorite parts were two young adults (Vin and Elend) questioning themselves time and time again, although their angst did lead toward self-discovery and awareness, so I won't fault them too much.
Overall, I liked this and will continue on the journey through the Cosmere.
