The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Vin thought she was the Hero of Ages, prophesized to be the savior of the world. She has ended the Lord Ruler's terrible reign and freed the skaa. When faced with the power of the Well of Preservation, she selflessly gave it up in order to stop the Deepness, an unnatural, magical mist that was killing the empire, and successfully fulfilling the prophecy. A prophecy that turned out to be false. It has been altered by a powerful force of destruction known as Ruin, and Vin's act of giving up the power of Preservation has freed him. Faced with a new adversary, Kelsier's crew must play their cards right in order to defeat a primal god - a feat that might not be possible.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a great conclusion to the Mistborn trilogy. The story was thrilling, and the lore and the way it tied into Sanderson's Cosmere is awesome. As always, the action was amazing, and the magic system was very interesting. The characters were well written, and their worries and hopes were conveyed to the reader easily. Sanderson is a master of creating tension - there were many points in the book that seemed impossible for the protagonists to win, but they pulled through in a way that made sense. I really loved this book and this series, and I would definitely recommend it to others. After this, I'm probably going to read more Sanderson books.

Reviewed by NK, Grade 10

Montrose Library

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

The Lord Ruler has been killed and a new government, under the leadership of Elend Venture, has been formed. However, the death of the Lord Ruler and his iron grip has thrown the empire into chaos. Warlords from the different provinces have come to Luthadel to take its fabled atium reserves, and now the fledging government is surrounded by three armies. There's another problem - the mists have become stronger than ever, and reports of it not going away during the daytime and even killing villages on the outskirts of the Final Empire are making their way back to Luthadel. The old crew must solve all of these problems in order to create a better world, one without the tyranny of the Lord Ruler.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The story was extremely well written and followed the first novel seamlessly. Sanderson did a great job of making the reader feel the emotions of the characters, especially apprehensive for all the problems in the book to be solved. The characters all had development, and the action was written very well. Like I said before, the systems of magic is very original and makes sense. I also liked the way the writing jumped from one character to another, showing their thoughts, worries, and feelings. Overall, I loved the book, and I would definitely recommend it to others.

Reviewed by NK, Grade 10

Montrose Library