The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

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Series: Mistborn #2

Publication: August 21st 2007 by Tor Books

Warning spoilers ahead for book 1, The Final Empire!

Goodreads summary:

The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler – the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years – has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier’s protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin’s Mistborn skills sharp, but it’s the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn’t run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier’s crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won’t get easier with three armies – one of them composed of ferocious giants – now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler’s hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows. Less

My thoughts:

I like The Well of Ascension much more than The Final Empire. I'd heard that The Well of Ascension was slower than The Final Empire,but personally I think The Final Empire is slower.

There was so much action in this book,which is no surprise since Luthadel is surrounded by armies. Vin really gets to show off her skills as a mistborn assassin which I loved. She's come so far since the beginning of the first book. She has become a legend of sorts in Luthadel because of her powers and I loved getting to see her struggle with the crowds following her.

I think I liked this book more than the pervious one because this one focused a lot more on Elend, who I love. At the end of book 1, Elend is appointed as king. I loved getting to see the idealistic young man really grow into his crown with the help of Tindwyl. She quickly became one of my favourite characters. She's tough on Elend but knows its what he needs to become a great king. He changes a lot but is still as smart and witty as ever. I loved getting to see him fight for what the people of Luthadel needed. He cares so much for his kingdom and people.

Sanderson slips in some thought provoking passages about belief through Sazed. The character who studies religion starts to question if he believes in anything and I found it to be very interesting. 

In The Well of Ascension we get to learn more about The Hero of Ages and prophecies through the research Sazed and Tindwyl, do. 

My rating: 4 stars. Usually sequels fall flat for me but this one was excellent.