haikx's review
3.0
It took me so long to finish the book...I'm still not into all this murder mystery trope, but the ending was fantastic.
cynderblocks's review
4.0
This book did what Alloy of Law was lacking..mixed the old and new world of Mistborn seamlessly with nice homages to the original trilogy, while still giving this new set of characters room to breathe and develop. I absolutely love Wayne's character and wish Sanderson would write spin-off book just for him.
powder_and_page's review
5.0
And Brandon Sanderson does it again!!!! Shadows of Self was another great addition to the Mistborn world. For those unfamiliar with the second Mistborn trilogy, the story is set 300 years after the events of the first trilogy in an age where society has hit a period of industrialization. The story focuses on the lawman/lord Waxillium Ladrian and his companions Wayne and Marasi as they deal with the criminal element of the city of Elendel. I may have mentioned this previously, but I was skeptical about this continuation of the Mistborn story because sometimes things just need to end. I do believe this second era of novels is better than the first- I adore the characters and I’m a fan of fantasy-crime type stories.
As Wax’s wedding to Steris draws nearer, tempers begin to flare in the city of Elendel. There is corruption in the government, people are out of work, and there is the fantastically curious murder of the Governor’s brother. This murder is where the story really begins, as this triggers the hunt for a killer with super speed and Wax begins seeing a man that should be dead. This makes you wanna read it, huh? It should. This is basically John Wayne is a fantasy novel after all.
Speaking of Wayne, we get to see some more of him in this book than in the first. He’s terribly clever and baffles nearly everyone he meets except MeLaan. And he also finds Steris (Wax’s betrothed) repulsive, as I believe he describes her, which I do/don’t agree with. Marasi also gets quite a bit more attention in this novel, and she totally deserves it! She’s intelligent, resourceful and handy with a gun. Plus, I’m totally shipping her and Wax and have my fingers crossed for them to end up together.
Brandon Sanderson always writes the best stories. He also writes quickly and doesn’t sacrifice quality as he does so- kudos to you Brandon! His books are auto-buys for me and I’ve been pre-ordering some of them, which (for the record) is something I only do for books I am REALLY REALLY excited for. Shadows of Self is absolutely worth reading, especially for those who’ve read the first Mistborn trilogy as there are certain references you’ll love. I honestly can’t recommend these books enough! They’ve got the edge of your seat kind of action, with a complex society and magic system woven in.
As Wax’s wedding to Steris draws nearer, tempers begin to flare in the city of Elendel. There is corruption in the government, people are out of work, and there is the fantastically curious murder of the Governor’s brother. This murder is where the story really begins, as this triggers the hunt for a killer with super speed and Wax begins seeing a man that should be dead. This makes you wanna read it, huh? It should. This is basically John Wayne is a fantasy novel after all.
Speaking of Wayne, we get to see some more of him in this book than in the first. He’s terribly clever and baffles nearly everyone he meets except MeLaan. And he also finds Steris (Wax’s betrothed) repulsive, as I believe he describes her, which I do/don’t agree with. Marasi also gets quite a bit more attention in this novel, and she totally deserves it! She’s intelligent, resourceful and handy with a gun. Plus, I’m totally shipping her and Wax and have my fingers crossed for them to end up together.
Brandon Sanderson always writes the best stories. He also writes quickly and doesn’t sacrifice quality as he does so- kudos to you Brandon! His books are auto-buys for me and I’ve been pre-ordering some of them, which (for the record) is something I only do for books I am REALLY REALLY excited for. Shadows of Self is absolutely worth reading, especially for those who’ve read the first Mistborn trilogy as there are certain references you’ll love. I honestly can’t recommend these books enough! They’ve got the edge of your seat kind of action, with a complex society and magic system woven in.
ganglari's review
3.0
Sanderson is as nimble a writer as ever, and I enjoyed being back in the Mistborn world... But the story was so-so, and the hero Wax somehow felt like a secondary character throughout. I'll definitely keep reading, after all it was good... Just not great.
sarabarsky's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
thefoxyreader's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I still don’t think that Wax & Wayne is better than the OG Mistborn trilogy, BUT I will say that this is a much better book than The Alloy of Law.
Much, much better.
And what seems to be a running theme in the entire series, it’s because of the kandra. Because they’re just so awesome and interesting.
In this book, we get a better idea of the overarching story as Wax is chasing after a rogue kandra who is targeting political and religious figures in Elendel to create chaos and take down Elendel’s elite. It feels much more like the OG Mistborn with the amount of political upheaval happening in this book.
The powers and magic system continues to be cool as hell in this book, and I enjoyed getting a little more depth to Wax’s character as shadows from the past keep popping up to haunt him.
There were moments that the book slogged, but overall this is a solid entry in the series and it did get me pumped for the next book.
Much, much better.
And what seems to be a running theme in the entire series, it’s because of the kandra. Because they’re just so awesome and interesting.
In this book, we get a better idea of the overarching story as Wax is chasing after a rogue kandra who is targeting political and religious figures in Elendel to create chaos and take down Elendel’s elite. It feels much more like the OG Mistborn with the amount of political upheaval happening in this book.
The powers and magic system continues to be cool as hell in this book, and I enjoyed getting a little more depth to Wax’s character as shadows from the past keep popping up to haunt him.
There were moments that the book slogged, but overall this is a solid entry in the series and it did get me pumped for the next book.