Audiobook Review: Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson

*** This is a sequel to a larger series so if you haven't read the Mistborn trilogy or The Alloy of Law and Shadows of Self you should probably do that first. Read those reviews if you need encouragement. ***

Title: The Bands of Mourning Series: Mistborn #6 (Wax and Wayne #3) Written by: Brandon Sanderson Published: January 26, 2016 by Tor (Macmillan) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The #1 New York Times bestselling author returns to the world of Mistborn with the follow-up to Shadows of Self.  With The Alloy of Law and Shadows of Self, Brandon Sanderson surprised readers with a New York Times bestselling spinoff of his Mistborn books, set after the action of the trilogy, in a period corresponding to late 19th-century America.  Now, with The Bands of Mourning, Sanderson continues the story. The Bands of Mourning are the mythical metalminds owned by the Lord Ruler, said to grant anyone who wears them the powers that the Lord Ruler had at his command. Hardly anyone thinks they really exist. A kandra researcher has returned to Elendel with images that seem to depict the Bands, as well as writings in a language that no one can read. Waxillium Ladrian is recruited to travel south to the city of New Seran to investigate. Along the way he discovers hints that point to the true goals of his uncle Edwarn and the shadowy organization known as The Set.

*incoherant babbling* Boom. Review done. You're welcome. Just kidding. Obviously you can see that I actually did babble by the length of this review. But honestly that's kind of all I should say to you about this book. Well that and it's the next book in the Mistborn series. That should be enough encouragement. But I will attempt to write a normal review so bear with me.

In Shadows of Self, Brandon Sanderson takes us deeper into the world of Mistborn. And you probably already know how much I love this world. In this one he once again builds out the magical system with more explanations of Allomancy, Feruchemy, and even a little Hemalurgy. I love seeing these systems at work and learning about them because they are so unique and complex. I love that it combines an innate ability to do the thing along with the need for the metals to burn. It's probably no surprise that there was a lot of talk about Feruchemy with the title and synopsis being what it is but there was just general explanations of all different kinds of metallurgy which is always cool. There was also more exploration of the larger planet of Scadrial in this book. We are taken even further out of Elendel with this book which was awesome and we even get to learn about some of the other countries within this world which was incredibly fascinating and brought up all kinds of crazy implications for future books within this series and with future series.

But that's what is so cool about this book as well. The incredible amount of foresight and plotting that Sanderson does within these books. I have always been blown away with the way that these Mistborn books are plotted. Each book has it's own individual plot development but there is also a larger plot for the series and even now larger plot from the original trilogy and future trilogies. The cool thing about this series is that it is going to be a quadrilogy of trilogies. We are constantly taken into the future. This is kind of a transitional series between the medieval original trilogy and a more modern era trilogy. It's kind of got this Western/steampunk vibe which I love. But the even cooler thing here is that you can see how or why the technology would develop in the future at the same time there are references and implications that directly relate to characters and moments from the original trilogy. There's a lot of references to characters in the original trilogy here and their exploits are part of the mythology of the world which I love.

Speaking of characters though, wow do I love the characters in this book. It's got serious squad goals you guys. There are some that I instantly fell in love with from their first appearance like Wayne whose effervescent humor and scrappy fighting make him so fun or Wax whose resourcefulness and mystery solving skills make him a great hero. Then there are other characters who have really grown on me, like Steris who was much more involved in this book and despite what she might think made a great addition to the team. She's surprisingly snarky and her compulsive desire to plan and prepare makes her so fun and interesting. She's a great foil for some of the other characters. As a whole this crew works so well together. I love seeing them attempt to solve the mysteries and get themselves out of these impossible situations. And of course the audiobook narrator did a fantastic job creating these characters. He perfectly captures Wayne's humor and scheming, MeLaan's haughty yet vulgar attitude, Steris's indignance and preparedness, Marasi's yearning and intelligence, and Wax's serious and toughness. The characters definitely come to life and the audio helped make that happen.

This series is just so addicting and fast-paced. I'm not the kind of reader who wants to savor a book or series that they love. I'm voracious about my reading. If I love something I want to read it as quickly as possible and that was definitely the case here. I just powered through it, taking less than two days to read it. And yes, the fact that I listened to the audio while at work helped with that but seriously, it was just so engaging. There is so much action and adventure here as well as so much mystery. I wanted to uncover the next secret, to find out what was going to happen next, to see how the characters were going to get out of this dilemma. And Sanderson delivered with the twists and turns. There were tons of surprises as usual and hugely climactic ending that had me on the edge of my seat. Plus that prologue. *inaudibly screams*

I give The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson 10 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! Is there any doubt of that? I am such a huge fan of this series, as I am sure you know. If you enjoy the Mistborn books then you will love this one as well. It's a great further development of the series and I cannot wait to read The Lost Metal. And if you haven't read the Mistborn series, you need to sort out your priorities. It's one of my all-time favorite fantasy series. It's amazing!

Have you read The Bands of Mourning? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson

*** This is the second in a series that is really the fifth book in a series. If you haven't read Mistborn proceed with caution. Also what is taking you so long? It is seriously flawless. Read this review and then read the series****

Title: Shadows of Self Series: Mistborn #5 (Wax and Wayne #2) Author: Brandon Sanderson (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Shadows of Self shows Mistborn’s society evolving as technology and magic mix, the economy grows, democracy contends with corruption, and religion becomes a growing cultural force, with four faiths competing for converts.  This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society now faces its first instance of terrorism, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict. Wax and Wayne, assisted by the lovely, brilliant Marasi, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife stops Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.   Shadows of Self will give fans of The Alloy of Law everything they’ve been hoping for and, this being a Brandon Sanderson book, more, much more.

I'm not sure I can effectively articulate just how brilliant this book was. Last year was my year of Sanderson. I read eight of his books in 2014, including the Mistborn series, and loved them all. I mean I talk about Mistborn all the time it makes practically all me Top Ten lists and they're probably my most photographed books on my Instagram. So it should come as no surprise that the next book in this series was one of my most anticipated books of the year. And once again Brandon Sanderson blew me away with the world, the plot development, the themes, and the characters.

Starting this book was like returning to something so familiar and so different and unique at the same time. That can best be explained by my feelings of the characters of this book. One of the reasons I love the Mistborn series and Sanderson in general is that he is so brilliant at creating complex and likable characters. And quickly into reading I was reminded just how much I love the characters here. I absolutely adore Wax and Wayne. They are the perfect team. They are both intelligent, resourceful, great at solving mysteries, and tough in the face of danger but their personalities could not be more different. Wax a little serious and sullen while Wayne is funny and effervescent. They play off of each other and make the other person better. Marasi is also back and it seems like some of her quirkiness is gone but I still really liked her. She was off-set a lot by a new female character who is really interesting and adds a lot to their team of crime fighters. But what I also loved about Shadows of Self is that there was so many references to characters from the first series. This book definitely felt like it was bridging the gap between the old and the new with what we learned about the connection between the characters we know and love from both series. We learned so much more about all of both casts and how they are connected. The cameos and references to characters in the first series really added a lot to my enjoyment of it.

But that's what Sanderson does, he builds on what is already there and establishing something better. Especially with the world building. I love series where there is a history and a mythology as the basic for the world. What's so interesting here is that mythology is the previous series which I read and loved. It makes for almost an immersive experience. It's like you're a character too or at very least you have the same knowledge of the world as they do. It sounds like such a weird thing to say but it felt like this book was written for fans of the first series. Plus I have I have always loved the magical system here. The fact that it combines a hereditary ability and something physical, plus the variety of powers, and the fact their basically like superpowers. And here Sanderson once again gave me that magic and more. With every book he builds more and more on the established world. Sometimes he does it by adding something that better explains or develops a concept and sometimes it's elaborating and explaining things that have been there. Here we got to learn a lot more about Feruchemy and Hemalurgy. We also get to spend more time learning about some of the other creatures and cultures found within this world. With some series I when I'm finished reading it I spend hours, maybe days, falling down the internet rabbit hole that is theories and explanations about characters, events, and parts of the world. That is exactly what happened here. I was looking things and people up because I needed to know more, to find out more. I didn't think this world could get more interesting and complex but it continues to blow me away with just how intricate and interesting it is.

But the thing about the world that is the most interesting is the combination of religion and political intrigue. The way that the first book ended completely changed the world. It established two new religions, a new government, it shattered the old order. Now after years of relative prosperity and peace that is changing. So in this book there is a lot of discussion about power and control but from so many different angles. It's such a complex story. Sanderson has been the kind of fantasy writer who makes me think about human nature while entertaining me at the same time and he once again proved that with Shadows of Self. But I think my favorite part of that discussion is that it included references to characters from the first series. There were a few subtle ones in The Alloy of Law but here a few characters were a big part of the plot.

Speaking of that plot what an absolutely fantastic one. The first book in this series was much more of a standard mystery/heist kind of story. And while Shadows of Self had those elements it felt a little bit more like a traditional kind of fantasy. But of course it had tons of mystery. Sanderson has always been the kind of author who shocks me with his plot twists. I try to figure it out but I never do completely. Here I thought I had it. I was so proud of myself for solving the mystery but as our Sanderson Army shirts say, "there's always another secret." And so I once again found myself getting to the climax and being completely floored by the big reveal. But things were so perfectly paced here. It all built to that conclusion slowly but purposefully revealing the next piece of the puzzle to get you to the climax. But along the way of course there was tons of action and adventure to keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat.

Sanderson once again created a book that left me blown away with characters to fall in love with, a complex world with a great magical system and themes about humanity, plus a plot full of mystery and adventure. I am now in desperate need of the next book and falling more and more in love with this series which I never thought possible.

I give Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson 10 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! Mistborn fans will not be disappointed. This is an amazing and brilliant continuation of the series that we know and love. I can't wait to see where things go in the next two books but I know one thing for sure, I am once again hopelessly in love with the magic, mystery, and creativity that is a Brandon Sanderson book.

Have you read Shadows of Self? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Waiting on Wednesday: More From Brandon Sanderson and the Mistborn series

A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Shadows of Self
Series: Mistborn #5 (Wax and Wayne #2)

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Published: October 6, 2015 by Tor Books (Macmillan)

(Amazon / Goodreads)

Synopsis: With The Alloy of Law, Brandon Sanderson surprised readers with a New York Times bestselling spinoff of his Mistborn books, set after the action of the trilogy, in a period corresponding to late 19th-century America.

The trilogy’s heroes are now figures of myth and legend, even objects of religious veneration. They are succeeded by wonderful new characters, chief among them Waxillium Ladrian, known as Wax, hereditary Lord of House Ladrian but also, until recently, a lawman in the ungoverned frontier region known as the Roughs. There he worked with his eccentric but effective buddy, Wayne. They are “twinborn,” meaning they are able to use both Allomantic and Feruchemical magic.

Shadows of Self shows Mistborn’s society evolving as technology and magic mix, the economy grows, democracy contends with corruption, and religion becomes a growing cultural force, with four faiths competing for converts.

This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society now faces its first instance of terrorism, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict. Wax and Wayne, assisted by the lovely, brilliant Marasi, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife stops Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.  

Shadows of Self will give fans of The Alloy of Law everything they’ve been hoping for and, this being a Brandon Sanderson book, more, much more 

Title: Bands of Mourning

Series: Mistborn #6 (Wax and Wayne #3)

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Published: January 26, 2016 by Tor Books (Macmillan)

(Amazon / Goodreads)

Synopsis: Not yet released but it's the final book in this trilogy so it's going to be epic. That's really all you need to know. Well that and it's Brandon Sanderson which makes it even more epic.

Why I'm Waiting 

I mean this should be obvious if you follow this blog in any way. I am a huge Brandon Sanderson fan. I was a little late to the party but I got my spot on the bandwagon and read eight of his books last year. Among them the first Mistborn trilogy and The Alloy of Law, the first book in a new series that took places in a Wild West style steampunkesque world. It was also much more of a mystery than the first series and I totally loved it. There were train robberies and roguish lawmen and comic relief. There was everything that I love.

There was also more Allomancy and Feruchemy. Sanderson does such a brilliant job creating complex and fascinating magical systems and these are two of my absolute favorites. I thought it was cool in Mistborn but then he made it even better with more metals and Twinborns. I really cannot wait to learn more about this world and experience two more "Sanderson plot twists"

What about you? What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Are you waiting for Shadows of Self and Bands of Mourning with me? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

Title: The Alloy of Law Series: Mistborn #4 (Wax and Wayne #1) Author: Brandon Sanderson (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Fresh from the success of The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson, best known for completing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time®, takes a break to return to the world of the bestselling Mistborn series. Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.  Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history—or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice.  One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn, who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will. After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

This was my final read of 2014 and the way I concluded my self-proclaimed "year of Sanderson." It was a great way to conclude the year, that's for sure. Like all of Sanderson's books it had a complex and interesting world, likable characters, and an exciting plot. But what struck me so much was how it took something that was already established, the Mistborn trilogy, and changed it in a way that made it feel completely fresh.

The Alloy of Law takes place in the same world as the Mistborn trilogy, but I'm not sure if I would call it a sequel however.  Sure it takes place after The Hero of Ages, but 300 years later. And yes, it does elude to and is influenced by moments and characters from the previous series, but the book is about brand new and unique characters. And yes, it uses the magical systems from the previous books, but it changes and develops them as well. On the whole this book feels like a fresh and exciting turn for a series that I love.

Brandon Sanderson once again proves that he is the master at creating a unique and entertaining magical system. And by that I mean that the magic within this series is so freaking cool! What I loved in the Mistborn series is that the magic is both internal and external. With both Allomancy and Feruchemy you have to have the inherited ability to burn metals and the metals to burn/or use, one without the other will not work. In The Alloy of Law those were of course the same prevailing magical systems but they were both expanded and developed to something even more creative. I didn't think Sanderson could make them any cooler but he succeeded in doing just that. From the use of new metals that give the person amazing abilities to the existence of Twinborns who can do both, the magical system in The Alloy of Law was completely fantastic! Sanderson took the magical system from the previous series and made it different and more interesting.

But Sanderson also made the setting of this book different and more exciting. The world of the Mistborn series was a vivid Medieval style society. Not at all surprising for a High Fantasy. But what Sanderson does is develop his society into something new and different. As if following our own history, the world of Mistborn becomes like the Old West of the 19th century. So we now get a more modernized world with technology and cultural advancements. That's right friends, Allomancy in the Old West! I want to compare it to Steampunk because that is the closest comparison but it's not really like that, it's something all it's own. And while it is something utterly unique it also made perfectly logical sense. Allomancy perfectly lends it self to this kind of setting and Sanderson does an amazing job of portraying to the reader how what happened in the previous series that led to things being this way. It's like that the previous series was an origin story or a mythology. The characters that I learned to know and love have become legends and heroes. It was so much fun, completely unique, and so interesting!

Plus that new setting led to a really cool and interesting plot. I've never been a big fan of Westerns. I don't dislike them, I'm just often disappointed by them, especially with books. But The Alloy of Law is a fantastic Western. But that is probably because for me it read more like a mystery or heist story, which I always love. Sanderson always does a great job of infusing his books with mysteries and big reveals but in The Alloy of Law it felt more like a traditional mystery or procedural. The bulk of the plot was about solving the mystery and we were along for the ride as the characters hunted for clues and attempted to find out who was behind the crime. And while it was less complex and much less of a mind fuck than the two previous books it was still full or surprises. And action. It was so full of action. Between the allomantic battles to the thrilling escapes this book was a quick and exciting read that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

And once again Sanderson created a host of likable and complex characters that it is easy to connect with. While I did miss the characters from the previous books, the subtle references to them satiated me enough to not miss them too much. Plus in The Alloy of Law I found a group of characters that were just as fantastic. Waxilium and Wayne are the perfect team and the perfect foils. They are both smart, resourceful, and tough but Wax is the more serious one while Wayne brings the humor. Alone they are interesting but together they are fantastic! They have some amazing banter and they work so well together. They have this total Holmes and Watson vibe and I loved it. But there also some really great secondary characters. There's Marasi, an amazing strong female character who is intelligent tough. But my personal favorite character, besides Wayne, was Ranette, who is another amazing female character and while she had a tiny role she made a big impact. I mean her inventions? Ah-mazing! And then of course there was the antagonist who was terrifying and complex. I have always loved the characters that Sanderson creates and that was no different in The Alloy of Law. The characters were interesting and likable and I can't wait to see how they develop with the series.

Fans of the Mistborn trilogy will really enjoy this continuation of the series. It's creative and interesting and is unlike anything I have ever read, and I mean that in the best possible way. Sanderson takes something that we know and love and succeeds in making it better with the development of an engrossing world, a thrilling plot full of mystery, and great characters.

I give The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson 9 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy! Fans of Mistborn and members of the Sanderson Army should definitely check out this book. And with two more books in the series coming out soon, including Shadows of Self coming this fall, this is the perfect opportunity. If you haven't read the Mistborn series then get on that so you can check this book out. It's truly fantastic.

Have you read The Alloy of Law? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!