Spencer's Bookcase

The Lost Metal

Title: The Lost Metal

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Mistborn #7

Pages: 507 pages

Synopsis:

For years, frontier lawman turned big-city senator Waxillium Ladrian has hunted the shadowy organization the Set—with his late uncle and his sister among their leaders—since they started kidnapping people with the power of Allomancy in their bloodlines. When Detective Marasi Colms and her partner, Wayne, find stockpiled weapons bound for the Outer City of Bilming, this opens a new lead. Conflict between the capital, Elendel, and the Outer Cities only favors the Set, and their tendrils now reach to the Elendel Senate—whose corruption Wax and his wife, Steris, have sought to expose—and Bilming is even more entangled.

After Wax discovers a new type of explosive that can unleash unprecedented destruction and realizes that the Set must already have it, an immortal kandra serving Scadrial’s god, Harmony, reveals that Bilming has fallen under the influence of another god: Trell, worshipped by the Set. And Trell isn’t the only factor at play from the larger Cosmere—Marasi is recruited by offworlders with strange abilities who claim their goal is to protect Scadrial . . . at any cost.

Wax must choose whether to set aside his rocky relationship with God and once again become the Sword that Harmony has groomed him to be. If no one steps forward to be the hero Scadrial needs, the planet and its millions of people will come to a sudden and calamitous ruin.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

The Lost Metal is the last book in the Mistborn Era 2 series. Where Wax, Wayne and Co go off on one last adventure to solve the last few mysteries remaining: Who is Trell? What is the Set’s plan? What happened to the people the Set has kidnapped?

Woah! What a book this was! This was definitely a dramatic end to this series. As I mentioned previously Mistborn Era 2 is not the “best” fantasy series, it’s not the most deep series and it’s not an epic series, but it still is the most fun fantasy series I’ve read so far. This was fun!

I truly love these characters. Steris (great Autistic representation) and Wayne are the best characters in this series. I also really like Marasi and her character development throughout this series, she started off almost being a love interest to Wax and unsure of herself to being no longer in Wax’s shadow and she is happy with herself but still striving to achieve more. I really liked her dynamic with Wayne. Also she was a total badass in this novel. TwinSoul and Moonlight were excellent additions to this book as well. Also Mistborn Era 1 legacy characters show up! Kelsier, Sazed, Marsh, Tensoon and MeLaan all appear in this novel.

Worldbuilding wise, I am glad that we do get a little bit of a perspective from the Malwish Consortium with Admiral Daal. And I like how this book developed a little bit more of the Cosmere (the God Autonomy) and shows how connected the Cosmere can really be. As I mentioned in my previous reviews, the magic system in this world is top-notch.

As for the Sanderlanche… I’m just going to say it: This entire book is the Sanderlanche! The ending was heartbreaking but I was also elated, it was still a perfect way of ending this era.

I do have a little criticism of this book. This book might be intimidating if you haven’t read any or have little knowledge of The Cosmere Universe as a whole. As there is a lot of Cosmere references in this novel. Thankfully I was a little aware of the Cosmere, so it wasn’t too bad for me. Although I think you can still enjoy this book even if you don’t pick up on the Cosmere references.

I also wasn’t surprised by the death at the end of the book, as I did feel the character had achieved everything in their character arc. However it was still heartbreaking to see the character die.

Overall, I really liked the ending for this series. Brandon Sanderson once again gave us a great ending to a very good series. The Lost Metal is a great novel from a great storyteller and is well worth a read if you enjoy the Mistborn series. I have no idea when Mistborn Era 3 will begin but I will be there for it when it does!

Rating:

My Mistborn Reviews:

Mistborn: The Final Empire

The Well of Ascension

The Hero of Ages

The Alloy of Law

Shadows of Self

The Bands of Mourning

Mistborn: Secret History

Harley Quinn, Vol. 3: The Trials of Harley Quinn

Title: Harley Quinn, Vol. 3: The Trials of Harley Quinn

Author: Sam Humphries

Genre: Superheroes

Pages: 144 pages

Synopsis:

Nothing’s worse than spending the holidays with your uninvited, unannounced family-just ask Harley. Her brothers won’t stop fighting, her dad wants peace and quiet, and her mom just wants everyone to get along.

Dysfunctional family dynamic masks a major secret that the whole Quinn family is keeping from Harley. Will the big reveal mean an even bigger family blowout, or can Harley’s clan end their squabbling and remember the true meaning of the season?

If you thought Harley Quinn was crazy … meet her family and friends in this new tale from author Sam Humphries! Plus more exciting adventures in this new era for the DCU’s craziest antihero, Harley Quinn in Harley Quinn Vol. 3.

Collects Harley Quinn #55, 57-63

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Harley Quinn is trying to have a nice Christmas with her family but of course things go wrong. Then she is chosen to complete 6 trials to become a demigod of Chaos and Order and all the trials are about Harley having to overcome her fears.

I actually like the trials here as each trial was different and had Harley overcome her fears. The first trial was all about Harley proving that she is worthy of having a second chance. The second trial was confronting Harley’s fears about needing approval from others. The third trial was Harley realizing you need to help others in order to help yourself. The fourth trial was about Harley needing to stick to her convictions even if no one else believes her. I personally really liked the fourth trial because of its references to TTRPGs. The fifth trial was about confronting death as her mom has stage four cancer. This was handled well and it kept things very interesting.

I also liked how these issues show how much Harley cares about her friends and what they mean to her. Particularly with Petite Tina and Selina (Catwoman). I also kind of like the relationship between Harley and her mom in theses series. I like how they have a very healthy relationship.

I guess my main criticism of this book is… the absence of the sixth trial. Where is the sixth trial? Does Harley succeed in the sixth trial? Does she become a demigod? What even is the sixth trial? This book ends very abruptly and has me asking a ton of questions.

Also what happened to Poison Ivy? The fourth trial had a ton of Batman characters appearing but no Poison Ivy? You know Harley’s romantic partner?

Overall, this was another fun Harley Quinn story. If you want to continue reading off the wall superhero stories, Harley Quinn remains a great choice.

Rating:

Warbreaker

Title: Warbreaker

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 676 Pages

Synopsis:

Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn’t like his job, and the immortal who’s still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.

Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren’s capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.

By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Warbreaker is a stand-alone Fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson. This is another Cosmere novel taking place in another world, where Siri has to marry the mysterious God-King, and meanwhile her sister Vivenna is trying to rescue her and well shit happens after that.

There’s quite a few things I love about this book! Let’s start with the characters. I think Brandon Sanderson has two characters whose character concepts I just love, and I think it’s his best character concepts from Brandon that I’ve seen yet. I love the character concept for Lightsong. He’s a God, but he doesn’t believe that he is really a God. And I just love that idea for a character. Also the idea of Nightblood, a sentient sword that was created to destroy all evil, but he has no concept of what evil is. I love that idea.

I also really like the character development that we get in Vivenna, Siri and Lightsong gets in this book. Lightsong and Vivenna both learn more about who they are and that actions are more important then your intentions. While Siri grows to become a capable politician.

As for the plot, I enjoyed the politics that went on in this novel. This book wasn’t the most action packed compared to some of Brandon Sanderson’s other novels, but I’m actually okay with that. I also kind of like how Brandon Sanderson subverted your expectations of “the party”. Whenever there is “the party” in a Fantasy novel, there usually the good guys, or the main cast of characters. For the first half of the book, it looked like the usual “party”, until the second half of the book where it’s revealed that the “party” is actually the bad guys, and Vivenna realizes to her horror that she’s been helping the bad guys the whole time. That’s actually not a bad subversion of “the party” trope. For the record “the party” trope is one of my favourite Fantasy tropes and I like how Brandon subverted that trope in this novel.

As for the worldbuilding and lore, I really like the lore that we got here. It was definitely a step up from Elantris. It’s worldbuilding was very relevant to the plot. And Brandon did it again with making an interesting, complicated but still a magic system that does make sense. It felt very fleshed out. Brandon is truly a mastermind when it comes to his magic systems.

I suppose my biggest criticism of Warbreaker is that… I kept comparing this book to Elantris (Brandon Sanderson’s first book). I found that both of these books are so similar: 1) Both books have Princesses that must marry someone they don’t know for politics. 2) They travel to a land far away from home. 3) They also marry to try and keep a treaty and to try and avoid a war. 4) Once the Princess arrives they get distracted by the politics. I just couldn’t help myself but compare this book to Elantris. It kind of feels like Brandon Sanderson created this book just to be a remake of Elantris.

I also kind of felt like the ending was kind of rushed and quite a bit of it (such as the Lifeless Army attacking) happened off-screen for some reason. I kind of wanted a bit more with the ending.

Overall, Warbreaker is still a great stand-alone Fantasy Novel. And even though I did compare this to Elantris quite a bit, I think Warbreaker definitely is the better novel. This is a book with a great magic system, political intrigue and great characters to follow. If you want to get into the Cosmere or just want to read a stand-alone Fantasy Novel, this is a great choice to read.

Rating:

Monthly Wrap-Up: August 2023

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Monthly Wrap-Up where I give updates on my reading and other things I’m up to in the past month. So let’s get to it!

Total Books Read: 6

This has definitely been more of a graphic novel month for me, however I still got a few novels in.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

I think this was my personal favourite book that I read this month. Despite it’s flaws, it still shows that Brandon Sanderson was a brilliant writer even when he was just starting out. Even if this book is his worst, it’s still pretty good.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

DNF at 57%

What a disappointment this book was! I was looking forward to reading this but I ended up being very bored by this book, there really wasn’t much going on. No tension or excitement or anything.

Sinister War by Nick Spencer

Sigh… another disapointment. I think my review sums this up pretty well: Just endless, mindless almost non-stop action. Nuff said.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

This was definitely a better book than the previous two. This was a real page turner and a nice short novel. I also loved the premise of this book. I also liked the Philosophy and Science references throughout the novel.

Fantastic Four, Vol. 3: The Herald of Doom by Dan Slott

I really Doctor Doom stories. Him just fighting Galactus was really cool. The Doctor Doom story was definitely my favourite in this graphic novel.

Harley Quinn, Vol. 1: Die Laughing by Amanda Conner

Harley Quinn is such a fun character to follow. And this was a lot of fun to read.

Currently Reading:

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

I’m almost 300 pages into this book and so far I am actually liking and enjoying this very much. I even think there is a character in this book that might be the most fun character concept put forward from Brandon that I have seen so far. I am very curious to know where this goes.

What I’ve been doing and watching:

August was a great and busy month. I went on a great and relaxing vacation. I had a lot of fun, and got a lot of walking in, and the freedom to do what I want, when I want was exhilarating.

I recently built an Elves deck in Commander and I destroyed everyone at the table with it one of my commander games! I also won a tiebreaker with my Sauron, the Dark Lord Deck in EDH.

Work has been busy, but during the second half of the month it has gotten a little more quieter. And being off Friday afternoons due to Summer Hours has helped my mental wellbeing quite a bit.

Plans for Next Month:

I intend to enjoy the last few days of summer in September.

I intend to finish The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson in September. I am not sure if I should read another Wheel of Time book in September as these tend to be long and I don’t want to accidentally let this go into October.

Speaking of October, this is to confirm that Horror Month is returning for October. I am looking forward to reading a few Horror books in October.

In D&D I’m looking for opportunities to bring back my College of Lore Bard back for another round.

See you all next time!

Harley Quinn, Vol. 1: Die Laughing

Title: Harley Quinn, Vol. 1: Die Laughing

Author: Amanda Conner

Genre: Superheroes

Pages: 144 pages

Synopsis:

Harley Quinn is back in this new jumping-on point Vol. 1 graphic novel from DC Rebirth!

Her name is Dr. Harleen Quinzel, better known to her friends and enemies as playful-but-deadly Harley Quinn. Her ex-boyfriend, the Joker, may be the Clown Prince of Crime, but Harley’s the Queen of Coney Island! So when a zombie apocalypse threatens her li’l seaside stretch of paradise, who else would ya call to save your butt?

In these action-packed pages, the baddest bad girl in the entire DC Universe joins forces with everyone from her gal-pal Poison Ivy to the leading lights of the New York City punk scene to take down anyone who stands between her and a good time–living, dead or undead.

The Harley Quinn powerhouse team of Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti joins forces with artists John Timms and Chad Hardin and draft a new beginning for DC’s craziest anti-hero in HARLEY QUINN VOL. 1: DIE LAUGHING. Collects HARLEY QUINN #1-7.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Harley Quinn Die Laughing follows our favourite bad girl Harley Quinn as she deals with a zombie apocalypse, shuts down an Indian Call Centre (yes that happened), and becomes a Punk Rocker… all in this graphic novel!

First off I really like the Harley Quinn stories because of how off the wall it can be and well it’s just a lot of fun to read. Like Harley Quinn dealing with a zombie apocalypse? That was not on my list of things I was expecting Harley Quinn to deal with.

The characters were fun, and I did like the artwork. And even if these stories were disjointed, I still liked them all!

Even though I did like most of the characters there was just a few characters that I kind of wished they would explain better on who they were as I had no idea who some of these characters are.

Overall, this was just a fun graphic novel for me to read.

Rating:

Fantastic Four, Vol. 3: The Herald of Doom

Title: Fantastic Four, Vol. 3: The Herald of Doom

Author: Dan Slott

Genre: Superheroes

Pages: 144 pages

Synopsis:

The Fantastic Four faces the Herald of Doom! Galactus has returned to devour Earth, and only one man can save us. No, not Reed Richards — Doctor Doom! But where are the FF in this conflict? Locked in battle against the brave new hero of the Latverian people, Victorious! Thanks to the benevolence and ingenuity of their beloved leader, Victor Von Doom, Latverians will soon know a new age of peace and prosperity, and Latveria will take its rightful place on the world stage — as long as four nefarious foreign invaders are punished for their crimes! Death to the Fantastic Four! But one cruel act will forever change the relationship between the FF and Doom. The fate of Latveria and the world — and the balance of cosmic power in the universe — all rests on one decision!

COLLECTING: FANTASTIC FOUR (2018) 6-11

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

The Herald of Doom is another Doctor Doom story (mostly). Where Doctor Doom actually fights against Galactus. And the Fantastic Four end up getting involved during this conflict to basically stop Doom from screwing things up. And then there are two stand alone-ish stories after that.

First off I continue to like any stories with Doctor Doom. Doctor Doom is one of my favourite Marvel villains and I just like any stories where he is actively involved. He’s just a fun villain. And the first three issues of this graphic novel were easily my favourite. As we get to see Doctor Doom take on Galactus, which by itself is really f**king cool. And the writing of Doctor Doom is written well enough that it shows that Doctor Doom doesn’t think he’s doing anything wrong.

I also sort of like how we get to see a little more of Latveria (Doom’s Country) and see what people’s thinking of Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four actually is. It’s pretty clear to me though that the people seem to have bought Doctor Doom’s propaganda in the belief that he is a good guy and the Fantastic Four are the villains.

My main issues with this is that even though I did like the two stand alone stories in this, but again as I have stated several times throughout this year those two stand alone stories just don’t feel like they belong with the rest of the storyline. It just feels out of place and disjointed.

I also just wasn’t into the whole kids storyline (Franklin and Valeria). It just didn’t capture my attention as much as what is going on between the actual Fantastic Four.

Overall, I did had a great time reading the Doctor Doom part of the story. And that alone is worth making this a worthy read for me.

Rating:

The Midnight Library

Title: The Midnight Library

Author: Matt Haig

Genre: Magical Realism, Science Fiction

Pages: 288 pages

Synopsis:

‘Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices… Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’

A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

The Midnight Library follows Nora Seed as she is going through a lot of mental health issues and she attempts suicide. However she is given an opportunity before she actually dies to explore the Midnight Library. A place where she can live all of the alternative lives that she could have lived.

The first thing I like about this book is it’s unique premise of being able to explore possible alternative lives. I also really like the use of Philosophy and Science throughout the book (Quantum Mechanics, and references to many Philosophers). I also liked how this book really handled regret.

I also like how this was pretty readable as I was able to get through this no problem. I also do like the accessibility of Matt Haig’s writing here.

However I do have some issues with this book. First off, I knew right off the bat what the ending was going to be like. I knew our main character was going to realize that her original life was the one that was worth living and that she was going to focus more on the good in her life. It was too predictable and lessened the tension in the story. The book kind of ended in a Christmas Carol or It’s a Wonderful Life kind of way.

This book also just didn’t blow me away. I did like this book a lot more than Assassin’s Apprentice. However it just didn’t blow me away.

Overall, The Midnight Library is an okay book that is worth reading if you want a quick read or just need a little self-help. The chapters are short, very readable and written well enough to make you turn the pages to the end.

Rating:

Sinister War

Title: Sinister War

Author: Nick Spencer

Genre: Superheroes

Pages: 128 pages

Synopsis:

Doctor Octopus is back! He’s assembled a new Sinister Six – and if you think he’s thought big in the past, think again.

But what Doc Ock doesn’t know is that the Vulture has a sextet of his own: the Savage Six! Brace yourself for all-out war between two of the greatest villains in the Marvel Universe – and the only person they hate more than each other is Spider-Man!

Spidey’s in deep trouble with the toughest battle he’s ever faced and a deadly dozen of his fiercest foes out for blood! AMAZING SPIDER-MAN scribe Nick Spencer and the legendary Artist Mark Bagley team up for an epic story guaranteed to shock readers!

Collecting: Sinister War (2021) 1-4

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

I don’t have a whole lot to say about this one. Most of this book is just fight scenes and the plot seems to be an afterthought this one. It mostly feels like a brainless action story. It’s all these villains fighting Spider-Man, and Spider-Man just feeling bad about this whole situation. And that’s pretty much just the story. I admit it’s cool seeing all these villains together, but that’s pretty much all I liked about this. I guess the other thing I liked is how quickly this story is as I finished reading this one in just an hour.

I think this is a story from Marvel that you can definitely pass on.

Rating:

Assassin’s Apprentice

Title: Assassin’s Apprentice

Author: Robin Hobb

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Farseer Trilogy #1

Pages: 435 pages

Synopsis:

Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father’s gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz’s blood runs the magic Skill–and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family.

As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

DNF – 250 pages (57%)

This maybe a controversial opinion but I really did not like this book. I am really disappointed with this book. I was expecting this to be a book about a person who learns how to be an Assassin and eventually has to do… well assassin things. All I got was a boring slog with not really that much story. And an awful lack of assassinating.

Fitz, our main character is just bland. Like he’s not fun and he’s just not interesting to me. And speaking of characters, that’s pretty much the same with all of the characters. The only sort of interesting character is the mysterious Fool, but that’s it. Fantasy characters are very important to me and is often the key as to whether or not I will enjoy a Fantasy book. For example: Despite The Eye of the World (the first Wheel of Time book) and it’s issues, I still did like some of the characters such as Moiraine, Rand and Thom and was one of the reasons why I decided to continue with the series. Here, I didn’t like any of the characters.

The political stuff could be interesting… if there was some thriller to it, which there were none.

There is zero tension in this novel. There was some sort of conflict about the Red Ships and I didn’t care about it and so did the novel now that I’m thinking about it.

Also this book is depressing. Our main character Fitz seems to just keeping getting abused, neglected and feels unwanted from everybody. All just because of him being an illegitimate child.

This was a true disappointment for me, as I do love the Rogue archetype and I was looking forward to a fun Rouge-like story. This had to be the most boring start for a Fantasy series I have ever read so far. Well this is yet another trilogy that I am DNFing. And I guess this experience is a reminder to me that not all Fantasy series are going to be for me. Next!

Rating:

Elantris

Title: Elantris

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Elantris #1

Pages: 618 Pages

Synopsis:

Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling.

Arelon’s new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping—based on their correspondence—to also find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.

But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Elantris is the debut novel of one of my personal favourite authors Brandon Sanderson. Elantris is a book that follows three main characters: Prince Raoden who is quietly exiled to Elantris after getting a disease known as the Shaod (days before he was supposed to be married to Princess Sarene), and he tries to keep his sanity while trying to find meaning in his new life. We also follow Princess Sarene as she has to come to terms with Raoden’s disappearance, all while trying to save Arelon from Hrathen (who is the third main character). Hrathen is a priest tasked to convert Arelon to the religion of Fjorden or doom it to destruction.

There are a few things that I do like about this book. The first thing I kind of want to appreciate is the fact that our two main protagonists Prince Raoden and Princess Sarene do not have tragic backstories. Which is pretty cool considering tragic backstories seem to be very common thing in Fantasy stories. Out of the two though, I thought Princess Sarene was the more interesting character. She was interesting, and I like that there was so much going against her and we did see her struggle to find a way to solve her problems. I also do like the dynamic between Raoden and Sarene even though they didn’t really know each other throughout this book.

The magic system was interesting and definitely different compared to the magic system that we see in Mistborn. I definitely feel like Elantris’s magic system is a lot more of a “soft magic” system, which feels strange especially since Sanderson seems to be the master of “hard magic” systems. I do like how this magic system is more of a mystery, as Raoden was trying to figure out how this magic system works.

I also like the politics that went on in this book, and the villain in this novel is definitely a surprise. Also this is the first Sanderlanche. Which if you don’t know is when a ton of exciting things happen and everything comes together.

Now I do have some criticism. My first criticism is that both of our main protagonists (Sarene and Raoden) do not really grow much as characters. Which is weird as Sanderson is usually very good at developing his chracters. For example: Vin, Sazed and Spook all got very good character development in Mistborn. We saw how each character changed throughout the Mistborn series. Here they don’t really change much at all.

My second issue is the worldbuilding. Well I feel like this is definitely a different world. We didn’t really get to learn to much about the other countries of this world. We only learn about Arelon (the main country where the story takes place) and Teod. I kind of felt wanting a little bit more. I also kind of wished that we learned more about the different religions of this world, the religions were interesting but we didn’t really get to learn more about what these religions believe in.

My third criticism is that in the Sanderlanche, I got really tired over the amount of last minute rescues that happened. It seemed like there was over four times where a last minute rescue happened and it kept on happening. After the third time, I just kind of rolled my eyes in disbelief.

Overall, I do still like this book. This book proves that even for his first book, Brandon Sanderson is a brilliant writer. As he kept me entertained and interested for most of the book. Honestly if this is his worst book, it’s still pretty good. If you want to read a decent debut novel, Elantris is a good to pick up.

Rating: