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A review by rikuson1
Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I Really Liked It 😃
-★★★★✬- (4.25/5.00)
My Grading Letter Score = 85% (A-)
Shadows of Self, for the most part, felt like a comfort read to me. I was very glad to be back into the world of Mistborn. Wax and Wayne still remain a very good duo, and the new characters added fit right in. It can be seen here that a new plot that is to last future books is heavily being set up in this entry unlike The Alloy of Law which felt far more self contained which as far as I know that was intentional and well executed. This entry felt like more serious stakes were at risk than Alloy of Law. And we got further strengthening of the characterization of both Wax and Wayne, which I appreciated, if felt similar to what The Well of Ascension did for The Final Empire.
The plot reveals at the end definitely was one of my favorites in the series thus far. With it being an entry that required a lot of set up though it did require me to allow the book to lay the foundation for it and it did feel like that was majority of the book, although never a bore it didn't keep me super engrossed most of the time which I guess can not be helped.
Verdict
The Alloy of Law I actually felt was more engrossing in the area of the new characters and details of Era 2 and Shadows of Self didn't have that luxury since from a worldbuiling and introducing characters aspect it was more of the same, but it did further strengthen on those aspects which is what i expect from a sequel. Shadows of Self's story seems far more ambitious as it is setting up to be Part 1 of the trilogy that is Bands of Mourning and The Lost Metal. And once again, that plot revealed at the end left me floored more than anything in Alloy of Law. So, for me, Shadows of Self is definitely better than Alloy of Law, but I still like all of Era 1 books more.
I Really Liked It.
-★★★★✬- (4.25/5.00)
My Grading Letter Score = 85% (A-)
Shadows of Self, for the most part, felt like a comfort read to me. I was very glad to be back into the world of Mistborn. Wax and Wayne still remain a very good duo, and the new characters added fit right in. It can be seen here that a new plot that is to last future books is heavily being set up in this entry unlike The Alloy of Law which felt far more self contained which as far as I know that was intentional and well executed. This entry felt like more serious stakes were at risk than Alloy of Law. And we got further strengthening of the characterization of both Wax and Wayne, which I appreciated, if felt similar to what The Well of Ascension did for The Final Empire.
The plot reveals at the end definitely was one of my favorites in the series thus far. With it being an entry that required a lot of set up though it did require me to allow the book to lay the foundation for it and it did feel like that was majority of the book, although never a bore it didn't keep me super engrossed most of the time which I guess can not be helped.
Verdict
The Alloy of Law I actually felt was more engrossing in the area of the new characters and details of Era 2 and Shadows of Self didn't have that luxury since from a worldbuiling and introducing characters aspect it was more of the same, but it did further strengthen on those aspects which is what i expect from a sequel. Shadows of Self's story seems far more ambitious as it is setting up to be Part 1 of the trilogy that is Bands of Mourning and The Lost Metal. And once again, that plot revealed at the end left me floored more than anything in Alloy of Law. So, for me, Shadows of Self is definitely better than Alloy of Law, but I still like all of Era 1 books more.
I Really Liked It.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Stalking, and Classism