Only started reading fantasy last year, and this was my first completed series. Man that ending broke me. I love that the Lord Ruler gets fleshed out in book 3, so much more to appreciatte on a reread.
I must be in the minority because I love your spoiler videos. I'm glad you've decided to stick to that format for the rest of the Dresden Files reviews.
Right! Ps. I read every single comment on the last video (cuz I was trying to find cosmere references, which didn't really find by the way) and I didn't see anyone say they wanted a spoiler-free review. They did say they didn't want the review for the second book to also have spoilers from the third book! but a review for the third book could spoilers the third book!
My favourite original Mistborn book was The Final Empire. The mysteriousness around the Lord Emperor and the Steel Inquisitors really captured me. Then I was captured even more when the Lord Emperor told Vin that she does not know what he does for Mankind and that she has doomed herself.
Tbh if he didn't say that one line I wouldn't have moved onto WoA. This trilogy is so chalked full of lore, it's my favorite part about it. I was theorizing constantly.
There's a quote by Sanderson that sums it up well: “While the first book in the trilogy turned the standard fantasy story on its head, this entry returns to the tropes the first volume was a reaction against.” In other words, the first MISTBORN felt like a more subversive fantasy story, but by the time he got to the third book, that was lost a bit and we got a more conventional ending.
I would contend that the fact that everything seems to return to form after trying to subvert tropes says a lot to the themes presented in the book in the first place.
I've never really understood how the first book was subverting expectation, It feels unique and original because of how well he did it, and the details. I know it came from thinking what happens if the bad guy won and the hero lost... But a rebellion against an evil empire Is also a classic trope. Still my favorite story after Lord of the rings, truly amazing and original, I just don't feel like it is against the format of normal fantasy.
I love how we get to sit the in the world and feel it dying. It feels hopeless and it get worse and worse. While people argue over power the world is falling apart and something about that just resonated with me. I absolutely love that the Lord Ruler got so humanized. The final steel plate and the moment when Vin realized how far he'd gone and thanks him are special moments. The Kandra's sacrifice and their purpose as 'spies' was so sad but also one of the greatest acts of honor. My personal ranking of the trilogy is: Final Empire, Hero of Ages and Well of Ascension.
Just finished this book. A couple thoughts... I knew Vin wouldn’t be the hero but I wasn’t sure who would be Sazed reminded me a lot of Harry Potter in Prisoner of Azkaban. When Harry was waiting for his Dad to make the patronus but it turned out to be him, Sazed waiting for Vin to come save them only to realize it was him was very similar. I loved the ending. I was very sad about Vin and Elend but I didn’t want the predictable to happen. I love that Sazed fixed their bodies and tried to save them but, no it was a good ending Not a huge politics fan. I found myself skimming a lot of the Vin and Elend chapters and loving the Tensoon, Sazed, and Spook chapters. I had a feeling about that earring and I also had a feeling about Atium being Ruins hidden body a few chapters before it was revealed. I loved how the atium mistings and Elend just went on an atium binge and plowed through Koloss. I especially loved how Sazed used all the religions to remake the world. Only he had the knowledge needed to fix things! Fantastic series...though slow at times. Very glad I read it! Thanks for your “why you should read” for this series because it is what convinced me!
This was my favorite one in the series. I loved how it ended and thought it was just so poetic and appropriate. I am glad that when they died, they STAYED dead. I HATE when there's this grand sacrifice and then they are just brought back making the sacrifice less meaningful. I am actually planning a re-read of the whole series sometime soon. I picked them all up in hardback since I originally read them on ebook. I am working on Era 2 now as well, I need to read the 3rd book though and then get all the physical copies. I hade no clue it was a big connected universe when I started either, and I think on re-read I will love it even more.
Yeah exactly! I was mind blown when I found out that Hoid is a character that jumps through the cosmere like no tomorrow. Also Sazed is my favourite character of all of the cosmere books so I was very happy with the ending of Hero of Ages. Made me tear up big time
The ending was definitely darker than what I would have guessed. I definitely still think that the first one was the best but the twists in this one were so bold I had to respect it.
SPOILER I have just completed the novel and I just love it. It might be my raw emotion talking by I had tears in my eyes at the end when Elend fought with Marsh. I loved the ending, I can understand why it's so controversial but it was awesome when all the dots were connected. Right now I'm in MISTBORN hungover.
MISTBORN hungover is exactly how i feel lol finished earlier today and it blew me away. didn't expect the ending to hit me emotionally but it sure did!
Aha I just finished a re read of this today! Perfect timing! I like the ending a lot. Call me dumb but I didnt see it coming that Sazed would be the Hero the first time I read this through. I'm glad he ended up being the one. The homie was just so depressed for what felt like the longest time. Not gonna lie, it was hard to read all his POVs because he was just constantly upset. Love this book tho and this series. This was the first series I picked up to get me into fantasy.
Finally ended the journey today. I started this in 2020 and was reading a few chapters per week. This is the series that got me back to reading regularly. The series was amazing imo and I am glad I got to experience it. Next up, First Law.
@@mikesbookreviews so far my good man it's been a pretty good start, easier to get into. Been following you for over a year and to.support your great work I watch everything you put out no matter my interests level. Love the off the books today.
I kind of expected Elend's death from around the time he and Vin got together. Especially when they started trying to paint Vin as the HoA in book 2. Elend was just too close to Alendi. But even though it was a good death, and a great sacrifice on his (and his soldier's) part, it was the right way for him to go in the end. If it didn't happen, then Vin could never have taken on Ruin in the end. But I am curious about the body with the red hair that fell next to Vin, that Sazed found just before he came to the realization that he was the HoA.
Always good to have another review from you to enrich my day. I’ll miss the spoilers, but I appreciate your modified approach. Looking forward to era 2 (which I started with), and I like how you give us the sales pitches of books. Know Sanderson stuff doesn’t yield as great as other things you’ve done, but I think you knock those Babe Ruth homers regardless of the material you cover. Keep them coming and I’ll watch them.
Thanks for making this Mike! You are right about Lerasium being the embodiment of Preservation. In fact the vessel's name is Leras. Just like atium is from Ati.
Personally, this was a perfect ending for me. The throw back to vin and elen being at peace like the months they were alone in book 2. The realization and hints that stazid was the hero also from book 2. And the way it ended with a new phase was beautiful.
I like the spoiler reviews: 1. for a many book series, 2. if you haven't already read the next book in the series, 3. you just finished the book and have the "wows" on the details, and 4. you can offer your speculation on the future path of the character/story. Works very well for WoT and Dresden and hopefully for Malazan. I've paused reading Malazan for now awaiting your start in 2021.
I get it and the only answer I have, really, is that I likely won't be doing individual reviews for long-running series if I feel like I'm just going to repeat myself each time. I don't know. We will see how things work out.
I missed the point of Vin's earring in Book1, but picked it up immediately in Book3. It helped that I read them back-to-back, so I remembered the foreshadowing from Book1 when the penny dropped. That said, I missed the Sazad's religion foreshadowing throughout until it suddenly turned on it near the end.
@@mikesbookreviewsNow, of course, on first read, we didn't know about the Hemalurgy(?) third type of magic in Book1 (probably deliberately), so the fact that Vin had received the earring using it passed me by. Once we knew it existed, the pieces could fall into place - why her mother killed her sister; why she had double-Copper when wearing it; why she couldn't use the mists until it was removed and so on
Just finished Era 1 for the first time, while I liked all three books I’m a sucker for endings. My ranking is Hero of Ages, Final Empire, Well of Ascension
just finished this earlier today. my only grief with the ending is if Lord Ruler know atium was the body of ruin, why did he mine it all? wouldn't it be much safer just kept in the ground?!
my understanding, he had atium protected by the 1st generation Kandra, but he had some in circulation as the form of currency. When used, it went back to the Pits which is why it appeared there. Kelsier thought he was destroying it, but the reserve was being protected with the Kandra.
The ending brought such a huge tear to my eye because they get to die together and that is my favorite thing. And it was such a shocking ending to me too. I really think Spook should of died when he went to bring water back to the town. I think that would of been a great epic ending for him, I was disappointed he didn’t die there. A weird thing to say cause I like Spook. Ugh I need to reread these books.
I kind of agree. Spook not dying there was odd. I was happy to see that he loved but once I completed the book I started thinking about it and yea, he probably should have gone out a legend
(Spoilers) I just finished "Hero of Ages" and I really liked it. Sazed and his search for answers about what is true and what isn't and how he regained his faith actually spoke to me on a personal level and I have never seen a character in the depths of depression, in fiction and real life, find such a satisfying way of regaining their faith and solving the mystery for themselves. I loved all of it from the point he chose to believe again till all the events that happened at the end. I loved Elend and Vin very much and the ending was bitter sweet. I DID like Sazed's final note to Spook about Vin, Elend and Kelsier. That Sazed spoke to all 3 of them and that they still exist in some form in the beyond. That was very generous and, to me, hinted at more revelations to come with them in Era 2, which I have not read yet. Having said all that, I absolutely hated the world these characters had to live in. I did not like ANY place in all 3 books in this setting. It felt like the entire trilogy took place in MORDOR. This was indeed the 1rst fantasy series where I hated every single environment in the entire world of Mistborn(except the very end of it). It didn't ruin the book for me but it DID slow down my pace. To me, environments are a pillar of fantasy. One taken for granted more than anything else by readers. I feel like anyone who has ever taken a morning stroll in the clear light of day in a forest in the fall would understand how true this is. Environment IS a character and I didn't like it in the Mistborn books. It didn't make me think the writing has less pedigree. It is some of the best writing ever in fact. I just didn't like the environment and I don't think anyone who ever read these books does. Great review. Thanks for sharing!
I really liked this series and most of the ending. It was definitely more brutal than I thought it would be. Vin being broken to pieces was alot. I would've liked it more if they didn't have the note at the end. The picture of them just laying in the flowers would've been enough. Plus , you know Spook has the book and will know what happened
Kelsier actually does talk to spook at the end after he gets the spike out. Cuz Kelsier is still kind of alive he’s a cognitive shadow tied to Scadrial. He says something about how spook was his friend
Yeah, I also was sad to see Vin die... but at least in sequels, she got her due respect for saving the world. You know, a giant statue in the middle of a city, the status of some sort of saint/demigoddess in local religions/beliefs, MC's gun named after her... some other characters in other books I know of don't even get that (looking at you, Worm/Ward).
I wasn't a huge fan of Elend and Spook during much of their story but I loved how Sanderson redeemed them both, Spook with the was he realized his head-Kelsier is fake and removing his spike, and Elend with his great last stand. I think this is a great achivement. The first book of the trilogy was definitely my favourite, it had so much tension I had to take breaks from it, but this book is the solid second.
I just finished listening to this trilogy on audiobook, and can't wait to dive more into the Cosmere. I really loved Book 1, enjoyed Book 2 but thought it had some times where it felt slog-ish and even a little confusing. However, Book 3 pulled me back in and cleared up nearly every issue I had with Book 2, and ended up being my favorite of the trilogy. I'd say it has the most satisfying ending of any series that I've read thus far -- I've never seen an author so seamlessly connect all the dots and conclude a story as Sanderson did in this trilogy. Next up, Elantris and Warbreaker on Kindle!
Just finished Hero of Ages yesterday and it's also my least favorite. My ranking is 1. Well of Ascension, 2. The Final Empire, 3. Hero of Ages. I found the third book too info-dumpy
3:55 have you read the novella that comes between the 1st era and the 2nd, The Secret History? I believe we find out what that metal was in that novella.
Just finished this book half an hour ago and whoa, that was heavy. Bravo Sanderson! Now I need a little time off to get back on track emotionally. For me, ranking the trilogy from best to well... least best... I’d say 1, 3, 2. Next series: Stormlight Archive
hmmmmmm - I rank this world behind Warbreaker which is behind Stormlight man. I love them all though tbh, Well of Ascension was my fave Mistborn, because Vin :-) Best thing about this trilogy is all three are awesome for completely different reasons to me.
11k subs and 2k views? That's a better subs to views ration than most. 10% is usually pretty good. With older channels it gets worse because that guy who subscribed in 2015 during college is now in the workforce..
I remember listening to the audiobook walking home and I stopped dead in my tracks and had to sit on the curb when they revealed who the kandra were. The way everything started tying together was something I was not prepared for. Have you listened to the Graphic Audio version of this book? It's easily the best audiobook I've ever heard; so much so that I use it as a baseline for how I judge audiobooks.
So would you say that if the Lord Ruler was the antagonist for the entire trilogy that it had the potential to be an even better series? Saling because this is my favorite series ever and that thought really intrigues me.
I read the first two and started the third, but decided to look for a spoiler review because I got so slogged down by the politicking. Hearing you be able to sum up the book "by removing two thirds of the story" and it still making sense is confirmation that I will not be interested in finishing this book haha. So thank you for this video. I'm a big fan of Sanderson as an authorial voice in the writing world and I love him as a teacher of storytelling, but after starting Way of Kings and being fully bored out of my head, I'm discovering that his books are really not for me. *edit: I really did enjoy my read of Mistborn/Final Empire, but was rather let down by the ending. Sanderson just focuses on a lot of stuff I do not care about.
The book was a hard read for me. Just finished it today but at times it was a task. I feel like the book could’ve been perfect if it was like half as long. As most times it was just a bunch of words saying nothing like a lot of junk. Characters spent the longest time doing absolutely nothing. It was good but not an easy read.
I liked (not loved) the ending, but it was my least favourite book of the series as well. I was a bit sick of reading about how much ash is everywhere constantly. I bet you cut the book in half if you cut out the sentences with the word ash in it. I don't know why, but I wasn't a fan of Spook. His transition from the quirky guy to a hero felt sudden. He felt like 2 different characters. Vin and Elends relationship felt a bit flat. But besides, I did like the book and the series. And it had a satisfying end.
I like your take on books Mike. I first showed up to get recaps ahead of new Abercrombie and checked in on you through the slog of wheel of time. Now Im here to check out your take on a great book i read a long time ago. Im going to guess you're way too big to read all these messages at this point but if you see this can you direct me to any sort of itinerary you have? I kind of want to start on the ground floor of a fantasy series and pop in here while it's a new thing if that makes sense? Seems like it would be fun as a viewer.
I’m definitely not too big 😂. Do you mean a schedule? About 2 weeks ago I did a video called “May-June-July TBR” and that’s what is on deck. As for my next BIG series, that’s Malazan and Realm of the Elderlings starting in January.
Oh man, I am so torn on Sanderson as an author. The Stormlight Archive is one of my top 10 series of all time. "The Way of Kings" is absolutely phenomenal. After I read all 3.5 books of SA, I went on to Mistborn and Elantris and I just did not enjoy them nearly as much. I thought Mistborn (particularly "The Well of Ascension") was just sooo boring. Vin and Elend are just two of the most boring, depressive characters I've ever come across. Yes, I get that it's a realistic portrayal of depression but it doesn't make it interesting to read about. I'm interested in it as far as it relates tothe entire Cosmere but his writing, his dialogue, is just...not that great. I loved Marsh and Sazed the most. Breeze just makes me roll my eyes the entire time. I'm looking forward to start reading "The Alloy of Law" next weekthough. And super excited for "Rhythm of War". Great video as always, Mike!
Corey DiNardo I understand what you are saying. When I first started Mistborn I thought BrAndon Sanderson was going to be my favorite author but then I read his others books which are good but not as great and my opinion changed :/ but I still love him. Stormlight and Mistborn are really strong. It’s really hard for the other series to be on the same level !
For me, Brandon is a bit of a miss and hit author. I loved Mistborn 1 and 2, but the final book was just not doing it for. Elantris didn't captivate me either. So that's 2 vs. 2. I'm going back and forth over starting Stormlight. There's a 50/50 chance that I won't like the series as a whole, and it being such a long series does give me pause. However, I do appreciate his contributions to the genre as a whole, and to the field of creative writing as well.
IMO Sanderson really becomes much more entertaining in 2010 on, which is when the SA books come out and after most mistborn (I think after entire first series?). Elantris is one of his first books and it shows. Personally I think he's very entertaining. SA is awesome. He's not one of my fav of all time authors but I'll continue to read cosmere books.
It's weird hearing you recommend to pick up a series after you completely told the ending :) Could you maybe do the spoiler section at the end of your reviews? It's a cool space to hear someone else's thoughts on the book you've just finished. I understand why people want spoiler-free reviews because it pains me to pass up on a video of a booktuber I like because I didn't read the book, but when I see a video clearly marked "spoiler-free/spoilers", I can at least watch the first part to decide if I want to read the book, and come back later, if I finish it. Let there be a million subs here, good luck, Mike!
You must be new here. I've underwent the format change. After I finished WoT and Mistborn era 1, and after I finish Dresden Files, I won't be doing full spoiler reviews anymore. But since I started those series this way, I wanted to finish them that way.
@@mikesbookreviews Ahah, no, I've actually been watching your channel for around half a year now :) I'm just one of those people who love your 40-minute reviews that feel like a discussion. And I know that statistically, people tend to say things they don't like more frequently than things they do, so I wanted to tell you that that format was great! I understand, tho, that because of that people only watch reviews for things they've already read, and I've heard that's not very good for the channel. So I tried to come up with the alternative. I obviously don't know what's best, just a suggestion :) Your channel is great any which way, special thanks for getting me to pull through the first Red Rising book, though it hurts a little you didn't finish the Lightbringer, I would love to hear your thoughts about the ending. Cheers!
Oddly enough, this was my very first Sanderson book I read 7 years ago...kind of. My friend's husband downloaded a bunch of books onto my kindle and I had never heard of the Mistborn trilogy. I saw the title Hero of Ages and thought that it must be the first book based on the title alone. I read the first chapter and thought that was exciting, but once I got to the Kandra chapter I was so confused and then it dawned on me that this was not the first book of the trilogy. The Final Empire was my favorite, so it goes 1>3> 2 for me (I love Kelsier!). The ending of this trilogy was the best ending I'd ever read--so satisfying and bittersweet. Love it! Oh BTW, don't read Secret History until you've finished Era 2!!!
@@mikesbookreviews For me the spoiler wasn't bad even though I read Secret History first. But my stance and experience with spoilers generally is that the suspense and anticipation of what is to come is no worse than the surprise, so it's probably different for others.
Just finished the vol for the first time. Wow did I hate that ending. I did like the deaths, but I did not like everything Ruin and Perseverance related. As for the books I'd agree that they go in order from best to worst. Had the ending been better I would've preferred 3 to 2.
l think your comparison to RETURN OF THE JEDI is spot-on: this is my least favorite, but it still does a good job closing out the trilogy. When I first read it, I liked it a lot, but over time I realized it's the one in the trilogy I think about the least. I agree that TenSoon didn't have much to do; I thought his arc was already completed in Book 2. And I agree that a lot of the first half could have been entirely cut. But I like the scenes of Ruin appearing in Reen's body, and I like Sazed's arc, and the ending overall sticks the landing.
I... I hated the ending to this trilogy. I generally hate it when characters reach divine-level of power. It feels silly, kinda like Dragon Ball Z level of silliness without the ironic humor and levity. When the power level is so high, things become too abstracted, and it was jarring in a series where the magic system makes so much sense. I didn't feel like Sazed becoming literal God is satisfying. The best way I can describe this is as if Sanderson just narratively used a nuclear explosion to end the whole trilogy.
I thought Sazed's arc was good but unnecessarily ling winded. For example his work through the 300 religion, did it really have to be mentioned every 10 religion that he still hadn't found any answer? "he has 200 left still no answer, 170 left no answer, 150 left, 120,100, 80... 30, 20,10"
Maybe you have compared to other channels and they have the view/sub ratio closer to 1. But I at least haven't yet started to watch all your videos, and that has nothing to do with spoilers. Not all of your subs will be interested in hearing about every single book, that's just inevitable.
Sanderson is just too wordy for me. His prose isn't appealing enough (for me) to warrant investing that much time reading his stories. I've done all four Stormlight and won't be around for the rest. 1000+ pages written on a 6th grade level? Nah, I'm good.
I'm critical of a few things in this series but Vin being a Mary Sue isn't really one of them. If the mistborns become powerful too quickly it is probably due to a simplistic magic system more than having OP characters.
Hey bookworms! Sorry about the delay for book 3. I very much look forward to talking to you all about era 2 starting in June!
Only started reading fantasy last year, and this was my first completed series. Man that ending broke me. I love that the Lord Ruler gets fleshed out in book 3, so much more to appreciatte on a reread.
That’s why I thought a re-read would be great for this series.
I must be in the minority because I love your spoiler videos. I'm glad you've decided to stick to that format for the rest of the Dresden Files reviews.
Seriously. I love spoiler reviews. I watch some for books I won’t read and end up wanting to read them
Right!
Ps. I read every single comment on the last video (cuz I was trying to find cosmere references, which didn't really find by the way) and I didn't see anyone say they wanted a spoiler-free review. They did say they didn't want the review for the second book to also have spoilers from the third book! but a review for the third book could spoilers the third book!
I FINISHED THIS BOOK AN HOUR AGO AND IM DIED. Like this book wrecked me emotionally.
I just finished re-readin the whole series and I'm crying again haha. So good
It’s one of the few books that actually made me cry, like I was ugly crying
I listend to the audiobook
My favourite original Mistborn book was The Final Empire. The mysteriousness around the Lord Emperor and the Steel Inquisitors really captured me. Then I was captured even more when the Lord Emperor told Vin that she does not know what he does for Mankind and that she has doomed herself.
Tbh if he didn't say that one line I wouldn't have moved onto WoA. This trilogy is so chalked full of lore, it's my favorite part about it. I was theorizing constantly.
There's a quote by Sanderson that sums it up well: “While the first book in the trilogy turned the standard fantasy story on its head, this entry returns to the tropes the first volume was a reaction against.” In other words, the first MISTBORN felt like a more subversive fantasy story, but by the time he got to the third book, that was lost a bit and we got a more conventional ending.
This makes a lot of sense
I would contend that the fact that everything seems to return to form after trying to subvert tropes says a lot to the themes presented in the book in the first place.
I've never really understood how the first book was subverting expectation, It feels unique and original because of how well he did it, and the details.
I know it came from thinking what happens if the bad guy won and the hero lost... But a rebellion against an evil empire Is also a classic trope.
Still my favorite story after Lord of the rings, truly amazing and original, I just don't feel like it is against the format of normal fantasy.
I love how we get to sit the in the world and feel it dying. It feels hopeless and it get worse and worse. While people argue over power the world is falling apart and something about that just resonated with me. I absolutely love that the Lord Ruler got so humanized. The final steel plate and the moment when Vin realized how far he'd gone and thanks him are special moments.
The Kandra's sacrifice and their purpose as 'spies' was so sad but also one of the greatest acts of honor.
My personal ranking of the trilogy is: Final Empire, Hero of Ages and Well of Ascension.
When he got the voice in his head I was like: "Ilyena forgive me!"
😂
Lmfao you killed me 💀😂
Just finished this book. A couple thoughts...
I knew Vin wouldn’t be the hero but I wasn’t sure who would be
Sazed reminded me a lot of Harry Potter in Prisoner of Azkaban. When Harry was waiting for his Dad to make the patronus but it turned out to be him, Sazed waiting for Vin to come save them only to realize it was him was very similar.
I loved the ending. I was very sad about Vin and Elend but I didn’t want the predictable to happen. I love that Sazed fixed their bodies and tried to save them but, no it was a good ending
Not a huge politics fan. I found myself skimming a lot of the Vin and Elend chapters and loving the Tensoon, Sazed, and Spook chapters. I had a feeling about that earring and I also had a feeling about Atium being Ruins hidden body a few chapters before it was revealed. I loved how the atium mistings and Elend just went on an atium binge and plowed through Koloss.
I especially loved how Sazed used all the religions to remake the world. Only he had the knowledge needed to fix things!
Fantastic series...though slow at times. Very glad I read it! Thanks for your “why you should read” for this series because it is what convinced me!
I’m glad you enjoyed it. It kept me guessing until the very last page.
This was my favorite one in the series. I loved how it ended and thought it was just so poetic and appropriate. I am glad that when they died, they STAYED dead. I HATE when there's this grand sacrifice and then they are just brought back making the sacrifice less meaningful. I am actually planning a re-read of the whole series sometime soon. I picked them all up in hardback since I originally read them on ebook. I am working on Era 2 now as well, I need to read the 3rd book though and then get all the physical copies. I hade no clue it was a big connected universe when I started either, and I think on re-read I will love it even more.
Yeah exactly! I was mind blown when I found out that Hoid is a character that jumps through the cosmere like no tomorrow. Also Sazed is my favourite character of all of the cosmere books so I was very happy with the ending of Hero of Ages. Made me tear up big time
I think the series got better with every entry. My ranking: 1. The Hero of Ages 2. The Well of Ascension 3. The Final Empire
There are certainly no wrong answers. All solid books.
The ending was definitely darker than what I would have guessed. I definitely still think that the first one was the best but the twists in this one were so bold I had to respect it.
I definitely love all 3.
SPOILER
I have just completed the novel and I just love it. It might be my raw emotion talking by I had tears in my eyes at the end when Elend fought with Marsh.
I loved the ending, I can understand why it's so controversial but it was awesome when all the dots were connected.
Right now I'm in MISTBORN hungover.
MISTBORN hungover is exactly how i feel lol finished earlier today and it blew me away. didn't expect the ending to hit me emotionally but it sure did!
I just finished it yesterday. I'm feeling conflicted about Vin's death but Elend's death and Sazed's ascension was just (chef's kiss) delicious
Man I almost got tears when Spook and the remaining humans saw the flowers for the first time
Aha I just finished a re read of this today! Perfect timing! I like the ending a lot. Call me dumb but I didnt see it coming that Sazed would be the Hero the first time I read this through. I'm glad he ended up being the one. The homie was just so depressed for what felt like the longest time. Not gonna lie, it was hard to read all his POVs because he was just constantly upset. Love this book tho and this series. This was the first series I picked up to get me into fantasy.
I didn’t see it coming at all. But I appreciated it.
Yay! I literally just finished this series yesterday. Great timing!
Finally ended the journey today. I started this in 2020 and was reading a few chapters per week. This is the series that got me back to reading regularly. The series was amazing imo and I am glad I got to experience it. Next up, First Law.
Enjoy Abercrombie!
@@mikesbookreviews so far my good man it's been a pretty good start, easier to get into.
Been following you for over a year and to.support your great work I watch everything you put out no matter my interests level. Love the off the books today.
I kind of expected Elend's death from around the time he and Vin got together. Especially when they started trying to paint Vin as the HoA in book 2. Elend was just too close to Alendi. But even though it was a good death, and a great sacrifice on his (and his soldier's) part, it was the right way for him to go in the end. If it didn't happen, then Vin could never have taken on Ruin in the end.
But I am curious about the body with the red hair that fell next to Vin, that Sazed found just before he came to the realization that he was the HoA.
It was Ruin's body.
@@henrywayne5724 was it the body of Ati? The person who held ruin?
@@soviethammer9111 Yep, Ati was the vessel.
... Who is Ati again? It's been to long since I read it.
@@rosasutubechannel Ati was the individual who held the Shard of Ruin after the shattering of Adonalsium
Ooh! Firefly with allomancy. Great description. I never thought of it that way before.
Always good to have another review from you to enrich my day. I’ll miss the spoilers, but I appreciate your modified approach. Looking forward to era 2 (which I started with), and I like how you give us the sales pitches of books. Know Sanderson stuff doesn’t yield as great as other things you’ve done, but I think you knock those Babe Ruth homers regardless of the material you cover. Keep them coming and I’ll watch them.
Thanks for making this Mike! You are right about Lerasium being the embodiment of Preservation. In fact the vessel's name is Leras. Just like atium is from Ati.
Ah, yes. Makes sense.
Personally, this was a perfect ending for me. The throw back to vin and elen being at peace like the months they were alone in book 2. The realization and hints that stazid was the hero also from book 2. And the way it ended with a new phase was beautiful.
I loved the previous format. Please share your thoughts completely in the Future!
Some things will still get that treatment. Dresden, Malazan, etc
I like the spoiler reviews: 1. for a many book series, 2. if you haven't already read the next book in the series, 3. you just finished the book and have the "wows" on the details, and 4. you can offer your speculation on the future path of the character/story. Works very well for WoT and Dresden and hopefully for Malazan. I've paused reading Malazan for now awaiting your start in 2021.
I get it and the only answer I have, really, is that I likely won't be doing individual reviews for long-running series if I feel like I'm just going to repeat myself each time. I don't know. We will see how things work out.
I missed the point of Vin's earring in Book1, but picked it up immediately in Book3. It helped that I read them back-to-back, so I remembered the foreshadowing from Book1 when the penny dropped.
That said, I missed the Sazad's religion foreshadowing throughout until it suddenly turned on it near the end.
I remember picking it up when I read it 3 years ago, but don't think I did going back and skimming for these reviews.
@@mikesbookreviewsNow, of course, on first read, we didn't know about the Hemalurgy(?) third type of magic in Book1 (probably deliberately), so the fact that Vin had received the earring using it passed me by. Once we knew it existed, the pieces could fall into place - why her mother killed her sister; why she had double-Copper when wearing it; why she couldn't use the mists until it was removed and so on
Just finished reading hero of ages. One of the best book series I have read and I LOVE THIS BOOK.
Just finished book 3 wow. Can’t wait to start stormlight now
Yup. That’s me right now. 6 months late lol. About to start Stormlight 1 🤷♂️
@@TRYCLOPS1 holy cow you are in for a wild ride. Enjoy!
Just finished Era 1 for the first time, while I liked all three books I’m a sucker for endings. My ranking is Hero of Ages, Final Empire, Well of Ascension
just finished this earlier today. my only grief with the ending is if Lord Ruler know atium was the body of ruin, why did he mine it all? wouldn't it be much safer just kept in the ground?!
my understanding, he had atium protected by the 1st generation Kandra, but he had some in circulation as the form of currency. When used, it went back to the Pits which is why it appeared there. Kelsier thought he was destroying it, but the reserve was being protected with the Kandra.
If he left it in the ground Ruin would know where it was and could get it. However this way the Lord Ruler would be in control of it and could hid it.
Great video! I'm going to miss the toilet reviews, but it makes sense why you've changed your style. Keep it up! 🙂
LOL auto-correct FTW.
Toilet review!! Love it! Hehehe
@@mikesbookreviews Wow. I'm the best commenter.
Spoiler** I'm so glad you know me enough to know that's not what I meant 😂 Classic.
The ending brought such a huge tear to my eye because they get to die together and that is my favorite thing. And it was such a shocking ending to me too.
I really think Spook should of died when he went to bring water back to the town. I think that would of been a great epic ending for him, I was disappointed he didn’t die there. A weird thing to say cause I like Spook.
Ugh I need to reread these books.
I kind of agree. Spook not dying there was odd. I was happy to see that he loved but once I completed the book I started thinking about it and yea, he probably should have gone out a legend
Yeah the body count probably should’ve been a little higher if I’m being honest. But I guess he figured killing off your two leads was brutal enough.
I liked the daredevil aspect of Spook. Just wish it could have been utilised better
(Spoilers) I just finished "Hero of Ages" and I really liked it. Sazed and his search for answers about what is true and what isn't and how he regained his faith actually spoke to me on a personal level and I have never seen a character in the depths of depression, in fiction and real life, find such a satisfying way of regaining their faith and solving the mystery for themselves. I loved all of it from the point he chose to believe again till all the events that happened at the end.
I loved Elend and Vin very much and the ending was bitter sweet. I DID like Sazed's final note to Spook about Vin, Elend and Kelsier. That Sazed spoke to all 3 of them and that they still exist in some form in the beyond. That was very generous and, to me, hinted at more revelations to come with them in Era 2, which I have not read yet.
Having said all that, I absolutely hated the world these characters had to live in. I did not like ANY place in all 3 books in this setting. It felt like the entire trilogy took place in MORDOR. This was indeed the 1rst fantasy series where I hated every single environment in the entire world of Mistborn(except the very end of it). It didn't ruin the book for me but it DID slow down my pace. To me, environments are a pillar of fantasy. One taken for granted more than anything else by readers. I feel like anyone who has ever taken a morning stroll in the clear light of day in a forest in the fall would understand how true this is. Environment IS a character and I didn't like it in the Mistborn books. It didn't make me think the writing has less pedigree. It is some of the best writing ever in fact. I just didn't like the environment and I don't think anyone who ever read these books does.
Great review. Thanks for sharing!
I really liked this series and most of the ending. It was definitely more brutal than I thought it would be. Vin being broken to pieces was alot. I would've liked it more if they didn't have the note at the end. The picture of them just laying in the flowers would've been enough. Plus , you know Spook has the book and will know what happened
11:26
"If you'd told me at the beginning", he says. Then I remember the epigraph of the very first chapter of this book.
Kelsier actually does talk to spook at the end after he gets the spike out. Cuz Kelsier is still kind of alive he’s a cognitive shadow tied to Scadrial. He says something about how spook was his friend
Yeah, I also was sad to see Vin die... but at least in sequels, she got her due respect for saving the world. You know, a giant statue in the middle of a city, the status of some sort of saint/demigoddess in local religions/beliefs, MC's gun named after her... some other characters in other books I know of don't even get that (looking at you, Worm/Ward).
I wasn't a huge fan of Elend and Spook during much of their story but I loved how Sanderson redeemed them both, Spook with the was he realized his head-Kelsier is fake and removing his spike, and Elend with his great last stand. I think this is a great achivement.
The first book of the trilogy was definitely my favourite, it had so much tension I had to take breaks from it, but this book is the solid second.
I just finished listening to this trilogy on audiobook, and can't wait to dive more into the Cosmere.
I really loved Book 1, enjoyed Book 2 but thought it had some times where it felt slog-ish and even a little confusing. However, Book 3 pulled me back in and cleared up nearly every issue I had with Book 2, and ended up being my favorite of the trilogy. I'd say it has the most satisfying ending of any series that I've read thus far -- I've never seen an author so seamlessly connect all the dots and conclude a story as Sanderson did in this trilogy. Next up, Elantris and Warbreaker on Kindle!
Just finished Hero of Ages yesterday and it's also my least favorite. My ranking is 1. Well of Ascension, 2. The Final Empire, 3. Hero of Ages. I found the third book too info-dumpy
Correction on Era 2's time line, it is more than 100 years in the future (I think the number is like 400 or 600).
300
Looking back Mike, do you think the pre-chapter info dumps are from Sazed after he's ascended godhood and it's just him looking back?
Interesting theory. I could see it.
One of the few books I actually cried while reading.
3:55 have you read the novella that comes between the 1st era and the 2nd, The Secret History? I believe we find out what that metal was in that novella.
No, I’m waiting to finish era 2 as some folks have told me it has spoilers
First Firefly mention? Always thought that was weird given your Whedon love
It’s so good. It still hurts to talk about, honestly
Just finished this book half an hour ago and whoa, that was heavy. Bravo Sanderson! Now I need a little time off to get back on track emotionally.
For me, ranking the trilogy from best to well... least best... I’d say 1, 3, 2.
Next series: Stormlight Archive
I would rank Mistborn as 2nd, behind The Stormlight Archive.
I absolutely agree
hmmmmmm - I rank this world behind Warbreaker which is behind Stormlight man. I love them all though tbh, Well of Ascension was my fave Mistborn, because Vin :-) Best thing about this trilogy is all three are awesome for completely different reasons to me.
Yeah, Mistborn will already be special to me for introducing me to Sanderson.
11k subs and 2k views? That's a better subs to views ration than most. 10% is usually pretty good. With older channels it gets worse because that guy who subscribed in 2015 during college is now in the workforce..
This...makes a lot of sense.
Everyone else see Tensoon as a big ole Irish wolf hound?
Just finished this. Wow very satisfying ending. I dont know if its my favorite of the 3. Its close between this one and the final empire.
I have read the Mistborn book series and liked it. Since I'm new to fantasy, what do you recommend I read next? Great Channel.
Not him, obviously, but what aspects of the books did you end up enjoying the most?
This was my least favorite book in the Trilogy. I felt like parts could have been omitted and I felt like the ending could have been better.
I remember listening to the audiobook walking home and I stopped dead in my tracks and had to sit on the curb when they revealed who the kandra were. The way everything started tying together was something I was not prepared for.
Have you listened to the Graphic Audio version of this book? It's easily the best audiobook I've ever heard; so much so that I use it as a baseline for how I judge audiobooks.
I'm not an audiobook gut but I've heard the GA samples. Impressive work.
@@mikesbookreviews I usually listen to them when I'm reading older books. It helps a lot.
So would you say that if the Lord Ruler was the antagonist for the entire trilogy that it had the potential to be an even better series? Saling because this is my favorite series ever and that thought really intrigues me.
I read the first two and started the third, but decided to look for a spoiler review because I got so slogged down by the politicking. Hearing you be able to sum up the book "by removing two thirds of the story" and it still making sense is confirmation that I will not be interested in finishing this book haha. So thank you for this video. I'm a big fan of Sanderson as an authorial voice in the writing world and I love him as a teacher of storytelling, but after starting Way of Kings and being fully bored out of my head, I'm discovering that his books are really not for me.
*edit: I really did enjoy my read of Mistborn/Final Empire, but was rather let down by the ending. Sanderson just focuses on a lot of stuff I do not care about.
The book was a hard read for me. Just finished it today but at times it was a task. I feel like the book could’ve been perfect if it was like half as long. As most times it was just a bunch of words saying nothing like a lot of junk. Characters spent the longest time doing absolutely nothing. It was good but not an easy read.
I liked (not loved) the ending, but it was my least favourite book of the series as well. I was a bit sick of reading about how much ash is everywhere constantly. I bet you cut the book in half if you cut out the sentences with the word ash in it.
I don't know why, but I wasn't a fan of Spook. His transition from the quirky guy to a hero felt sudden. He felt like 2 different characters.
Vin and Elends relationship felt a bit flat.
But besides, I did like the book and the series. And it had a satisfying end.
I like your take on books Mike. I first showed up to get recaps ahead of new Abercrombie and checked in on you through the slog of wheel of time. Now Im here to check out your take on a great book i read a long time ago. Im going to guess you're way too big to read all these messages at this point but if you see this can you direct me to any sort of itinerary you have? I kind of want to start on the ground floor of a fantasy series and pop in here while it's a new thing if that makes sense? Seems like it would be fun as a viewer.
I’m definitely not too big 😂. Do you mean a schedule? About 2 weeks ago I did a video called “May-June-July TBR” and that’s what is on deck. As for my next BIG series, that’s Malazan and Realm of the Elderlings starting in January.
@@mikesbookreviews cool. Thanks for the reply
Oh man, I am so torn on Sanderson as an author. The Stormlight Archive is one of my top 10 series of all time. "The Way of Kings" is absolutely phenomenal. After I read all 3.5 books of SA, I went on to Mistborn and Elantris and I just did not enjoy them nearly as much. I thought Mistborn (particularly "The Well of Ascension") was just sooo boring. Vin and Elend are just two of the most boring, depressive characters I've ever come across. Yes, I get that it's a realistic portrayal of depression but it doesn't make it interesting to read about. I'm interested in it as far as it relates tothe entire Cosmere but his writing, his dialogue, is just...not that great. I loved Marsh and Sazed the most. Breeze just makes me roll my eyes the entire time. I'm looking forward to start reading "The Alloy of Law" next weekthough. And super excited for "Rhythm of War". Great video as always, Mike!
Corey DiNardo I understand what you are saying. When I first started Mistborn I thought BrAndon Sanderson was going to be my favorite author but then I read his others books which are good but not as great and my opinion changed :/ but I still love him. Stormlight and Mistborn are really strong. It’s really hard for the other series to be on the same level !
Corey DiNardo I agree. It is sacrilege to a lot of people but I think Mistborn is overhyped.
For me, Brandon is a bit of a miss and hit author. I loved Mistborn 1 and 2, but the final book was just not doing it for. Elantris didn't captivate me either. So that's 2 vs. 2. I'm going back and forth over starting Stormlight. There's a 50/50 chance that I won't like the series as a whole, and it being such a long series does give me pause.
However, I do appreciate his contributions to the genre as a whole, and to the field of creative writing as well.
IMO Sanderson really becomes much more entertaining in 2010 on, which is when the SA books come out and after most mistborn (I think after entire first series?). Elantris is one of his first books and it shows. Personally I think he's very entertaining. SA is awesome. He's not one of my fav of all time authors but I'll continue to read cosmere books.
I loved the ending !!
i just finished era 1, goddamn....
brandons braging of a satisfying ending is deserved
You say this is a 4 star. What are some 5 stars you'd recommend?
And you said you deleted it. I see you, Mike.
Yeah. I recorded a different take.
Nice. Got er done & FATF pt1 dropping soon?
@@locolima279 Tomorrow
It's weird hearing you recommend to pick up a series after you completely told the ending :)
Could you maybe do the spoiler section at the end of your reviews? It's a cool space to hear someone else's thoughts on the book you've just finished. I understand why people want spoiler-free reviews because it pains me to pass up on a video of a booktuber I like because I didn't read the book, but when I see a video clearly marked "spoiler-free/spoilers", I can at least watch the first part to decide if I want to read the book, and come back later, if I finish it.
Let there be a million subs here, good luck, Mike!
You must be new here. I've underwent the format change. After I finished WoT and Mistborn era 1, and after I finish Dresden Files, I won't be doing full spoiler reviews anymore. But since I started those series this way, I wanted to finish them that way.
@@mikesbookreviews Ahah, no, I've actually been watching your channel for around half a year now :)
I'm just one of those people who love your 40-minute reviews that feel like a discussion. And I know that statistically, people tend to say things they don't like more frequently than things they do, so I wanted to tell you that that format was great!
I understand, tho, that because of that people only watch reviews for things they've already read, and I've heard that's not very good for the channel. So I tried to come up with the alternative.
I obviously don't know what's best, just a suggestion :)
Your channel is great any which way, special thanks for getting me to pull through the first Red Rising book, though it hurts a little you didn't finish the Lightbringer, I would love to hear your thoughts about the ending.
Cheers!
Oddly enough, this was my very first Sanderson book I read 7 years ago...kind of. My friend's husband downloaded a bunch of books onto my kindle and I had never heard of the Mistborn trilogy. I saw the title Hero of Ages and thought that it must be the first book based on the title alone. I read the first chapter and thought that was exciting, but once I got to the Kandra chapter I was so confused and then it dawned on me that this was not the first book of the trilogy. The Final Empire was my favorite, so it goes 1>3> 2 for me (I love Kelsier!). The ending of this trilogy was the best ending I'd ever read--so satisfying and bittersweet. Love it! Oh BTW, don't read Secret History until you've finished Era 2!!!
Secret History is in the plans after I’m current with all Mistborn books.
@@mikesbookreviews For me the spoiler wasn't bad even though I read Secret History first. But my stance and experience with spoilers generally is that the suspense and anticipation of what is to come is no worse than the surprise, so it's probably different for others.
Just finished the vol for the first time. Wow did I hate that ending. I did like the deaths, but I did not like everything Ruin and Perseverance related. As for the books I'd agree that they go in order from best to worst. Had the ending been better I would've preferred 3 to 2.
l think your comparison to RETURN OF THE JEDI is spot-on: this is my least favorite, but it still does a good job closing out the trilogy. When I first read it, I liked it a lot, but over time I realized it's the one in the trilogy I think about the least. I agree that TenSoon didn't have much to do; I thought his arc was already completed in Book 2. And I agree that a lot of the first half could have been entirely cut. But I like the scenes of Ruin appearing in Reen's body, and I like Sazed's arc, and the ending overall sticks the landing.
Sazed’s Arc was great. Loved it. I thought Elend had fantastic progression throughout the final two books as well.
I... I hated the ending to this trilogy. I generally hate it when characters reach divine-level of power. It feels silly, kinda like Dragon Ball Z level of silliness without the ironic humor and levity. When the power level is so high, things become too abstracted, and it was jarring in a series where the magic system makes so much sense. I didn't feel like Sazed becoming literal God is satisfying. The best way I can describe this is as if Sanderson just narratively used a nuclear explosion to end the whole trilogy.
I just finished it now and the ending just didn't...click with me.
I thought Sazed's arc was good but unnecessarily ling winded. For example his work through the 300 religion, did it really have to be mentioned every 10 religion that he still hadn't found any answer?
"he has 200 left still no answer, 170 left no answer, 150 left, 120,100, 80... 30, 20,10"
WoA is my favorite in the series
Maybe you have compared to other channels and they have the view/sub ratio closer to 1. But I at least haven't yet started to watch all your videos, and that has nothing to do with spoilers. Not all of your subs will be interested in hearing about every single book, that's just inevitable.
Damn again?? what is a shard? That isn’t mentioned in these books at all ugh. Second review in a row with other cosmere spoilers man wtf
He is a filler guy. I like his writing but he needlessly repeats, rehashes, and redescribes in a way that tells me he doesn' trust the audience.
Awe I really like your other reviews. Don’t be so hard on yourself
Sanderson is just too wordy for me. His prose isn't appealing enough (for me) to warrant investing that much time reading his stories. I've done all four Stormlight and won't be around for the rest. 1000+ pages written on a 6th grade level? Nah, I'm good.
I listend to the audiobook and ur pronoumciation is so funny eland XD
I really liked about 90% of HoA, especially Spook's story. But the ending left me cold. The protagonists turn into gods?! Gimme a break
Let’s just talk about Red Rising instead 🙃
What the hell happened to Brandon Sanderson. This book is a 6 or a 5
I'm critical of a few things in this series but Vin being a Mary Sue isn't really one of them. If the mistborns become powerful too quickly it is probably due to a simplistic magic system more than having OP characters.
I think that's why i'm liking era 2 so much thus far. Less OP characters.
Like ur reviews. But ...Mistborn...maaan... It is a BAD book. So plain ...level 0 thief to level 25 god...non stop
This is my least favorite book overall it’s just not that good
I really hate the way you mispronounce Elend
Merry Christmas!
Lame