Let me reiterate that second books are by far the hardest to write. Not only do you have to keep enough character development going forward so your readers don’t get bored of them, but you also have to maintain a plot line intriguing enough that they want to find out what happens next— without solving all of the problems if there are going to be more books.
Living up to his legend— Brandon Sanderson knocks it out of the park!
Masterful writing is not even a good enough description for how he takes the resolution of the first book and completely turns it on its head. We leave the Final Empire (book one) with a yay! The good guys won and everyone is happy now!
Let me be clear. This is not a happily ever after book. Which definitely surprised me at how much I loved it still! I am not a woman who likes tragic romance, or really anything but a happy ending. I feel that the world is sad enough, I don’t want to put more into it, even fictionally. But the way this story unfolds, showing that sometimes you can give life everything you have got and it still may not be enough. Mistakes are sometimes permanent and a wish and magic wand—or I guess elemental control—won’t in fact make them go away.
But you can still survive and push through. That is for sure the message that I at least received from this story.
Now here come the spoilers! Look away if you have yet to read!
Of course, the story opens on our beloved Vin. Though she is trying her best to heal from a lifetime of manipulation and abuse, she is still very much unable to forget. Elend is her love and her guide, but what do you do when you feel like you don’t even deserve that love? Well according to Vin, you turn down his proposal without explanation and keep watch over him all night and day as you burn yourself out with fear and exhaustion.
Reading book one, it was clear that Vin was an imperfect character and that just makes me want to hug her that much harder. This poor girl just can’t imagine a world where she can be happy, even though her other half is the King of the kingdom she liberated from slavery. Because doing so lost her mentor, and has seemingly led to only more chaos, destruction, and misery. With the world in upheaval after Vin’s slaying of the Lord Ruler, everyone wants a slice of the Empire pie, leading to war in every direction.
Elend has been chosen to be King and he does… his best. But his studies were in philosophy and not war. As multiple rival armies move against Luthadel, he is deposed just as he begins to find his groove and this only adds more chaos into the mix. Turns out this is more maneuvering at the hands of his horrible father, Streff Venture, who is leading one of the three armies laying seige to Luthadel. While he is surrounded by the support of Kelsier’s crew, who has now become an outright diety, he still feels alone as he tries and fails at every turn to protect his people.
I won’t get deep into spoilers, because there are so many twists and turns in this book that baffled me. But oh my gosh, when Vin at the end… AHH! If you know, you know. Like I said, I just want to give this poor girl a cuddle!!!!
The cliffhanger that this book left me, and millions of other readers, dangling from is amazing and infuriating all at once. I didn’t even wait. I immediately ran to my kindle and bought the next book so I could start reading The Hero of Ages (book three) that very minute. I am so excited (and extremely nervous) to see what happens to the remaining crew members!
Book three, The Hero of Ages up next!! Though I am not sure I am ready for what you will do to me…
Pull up a chair and let’s find your next favorite story!
