The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

The Hero of Ages (The Mistbor Saga #3) by Brandon Sanderson, 760 p.

"To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness—the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists—is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. Vin can't even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!" -- Goodreads blurb

I'll repeat that I'm glad I read Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series before this series, because I'm not sure I would have gone on to read any more of his work. While I enjoyed this third in the series, it continues to be slow. Side characters turned more into main characters, bad guys (or bad inanimate objects?) become badder, and the "age" of the story wraps up well. There are 3+ more books in this series, but they come after a massive time jump with different characters, but in the same world. I'm going to take a break before picking those up. Still a huge Sanderson fan and always will be.

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

The Well of Ascension (The Mistborn Sage #2) by Brandon Sanderson, 796 p.
 

"They did the impossible, deposing the godlike being whose brutal rule had lasted a thousand years. Now Vin, the street urchin who has grown into the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and Elend Venture, the idealistic young nobleman who loves her, must build a healthy new society in the ashes of an empire.

They have barely begun when three separate armies attack. As the siege 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.

It may just be that killing the Lord Ruler was the easy part. Surviving the aftermath of his fall will be the real challenge."--Goodreads blurb

Happy to report I liked this book even more than the first. I've found that some of the side characters are my favorite, even over the main characters, with Sazed being my favorite and TenSoon really coming into "his" own in this story. The pace of this series continues to be slower, the climax of this book was worth the wait. High expectations for book 3. 

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Mistborn  (The Mistborn Saga #1) by Brandon Sanderson, 672 p.
 

"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."--Goodreads blurb

First thing's first, this book starts of S L O W L Y. It took me a good 200+ pages to really get into the story, however the second half of the book totally saved it. Strong leads with strong personalities, and creepy bad guys with creepy personalities. While Sanderson is one of the most prolific fantasy writers, I'm glad this wasn't my first foray into his writing, as I think (so far), this series is nothing compared to his Way of Kings series. I will be picking up book 2, though! 

The Final Empire(Mistborn) by Brandon Sanderson

 The Final Empire (Mistborn, book 1) by Brandon Sanderson - 544 pages

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.

This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails?

This was a great start to a series. It seemed a little long in spots, but I am glad I read it and will be continuing with the series.