Book Review: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
The Mistborn Trilogy #2
Gollancz, 10 December 2009
800 Pages
Fantasy
5 Stars

Book Depository; Goodreads

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.

Top 5 Wednesday: Bookish Habits

This week's Top 5 Wednesday topic is bookish habits.

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey, from gingerreadslainey, and it's a weekly meme where bloggers and vloggers can list their top 5 picks for that week's topic.  If you want to join in on the fun, please check out the Goodreads group.

I don't have too many bookish habits as I am not really a creature of habit.  However, there are a few things that I find myself often doing, so let's get into them, yes?

Top 5 Wednesday: Books That Made Me Think

This week's Top 5 Wednesday topic is books that made me think.  If you want to join in on this meme, check out the Goodreads group.

I love this week's list because I get to highlight books that I haven't really talked about yet.  I love books that challenge me, and these ones definitely did.

Let's get into it.

25 Random Facts About Me

I love reading book blogs and watching BookTube, but I also really appreciate getting to know the person I'm subscribed to beyond their bookshelves.  It makes me feel more connected and makes them seem more whole.  

So, with that in mind, I want to do something a little different and a little more personal for today's post.  Though a few details about me have leaked into some of my writings, I have yet to write a non-book related post.  Therefore, I'd like to further introduce myself by giving you twenty-five random facts about me.  

I hope that you enjoy this change of pace.

Book Review: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
The Mistborn Trilogy #1
Gollancz, 1 October 2009
672 Pages
Fantasy
4.5 Stars
Book Depository; Goodreads

For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the “Sliver of Infinity,” reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken, half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler’s most hellish prison. Kelsier “snapped” and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld’s elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel’s plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she’s a half-Skaa orphan, but she’s lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

Top 5 Wednesday: Books I'd Save in a Fire

This week's Top 5 Wednesday topic is the top books I would save in a fire.

Unlike most Top 5 lists, this one took very little thought as I know which books in my collection are the most important to me.  Though it would kill me to loose the rest of my library, these few are irreplaceable.

February Haul & Wrap-Up

This month I'm combining my haul and wrap-up posts into one because I neither bought nor read many books.

I succeeded in cutting back on my purchasing, only adding five books to my shelves.  And instead of reading several short, light works, I finished two longer, complicated novels and one very heavy non-fiction work.