A review by bilepie
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Sazed’s back must be hurting from carrying the entire series. 

- spoilers below - 

Honestly majority of my issues have nothing to do with the plot or world building, because I am fascinated with this world and the plot was great. My issues are honestly just little nitpicks that took away from my enjoyment and made for a less than ideal reading experience. 

This book was a chore in the beginning, simply because I didn’t care about/wasn’t invested in Vin or Elend at all. I disliked Vin through majority of this book, and just when I had begun to like her BOOM she acts a fool. Vin and Elend seem to be deathly allergic to talking about their ideas/plans/feelings/anything really (with each other or anyone else), leading to miscommunication, a trope I hate. I was completely neutral to Elend but now that he’s got a little bit of a spine to him I kinda dig him. The only characters I have been completely invested in were Sazed and OreSeur. 

Vin makes really foolhardy decisions in this book that rationally make no real sense??? Her bringing Elend to the Well of Ascension when they have no idea what it really does/how it works/what’s even down there?? Like girl I need you to be serious. She’s always just trying to do things with zero information, running off of thoughts and prayers (her instincts). Her relationship with Zane is another point of discontent for me. She knows she should not trust him and what does she do? Trusts him anyway. Leading to her being completely manipulated by him. I would genuinely prefer Kelsier’s reckless impulsiveness over Vin’s complete and utter stupidity/lack of critical thinking. 

A problem that carried over from book one for me was Elend and Vin’s relationship. There was borderline no development with them other than both of them saying that something was just “different” about the other and that they love each other. There was zero build up. I would much rather be shown them falling for each other than simply being told they did. Which is why I absolutely couldn’t care less about their relationship. There’s a similar issue in this book where we’re told their relationship has developed without really seeing it. Breeze’s lil romance I completely could have done without, and hope to block from my memory with haste. Sazed’s romance was very wholesome, until the end. 

The good about this book!!! Sazed. The political intrigue was interesting. Sazed. The religious commentary. Sazed. Breeze being a POTs girlie. Sazed. Finally having some sort of explanation on the Well. Sazed. THE FIGHT SCENES!!! One thing about Brandon is he’s gonna eat up action sequences every time. 

All that being said I hope Vin explodes.