My Fantabulous Bookshelf: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

Welcome to the last Well of Ascension discussion post! But don't worry we still have one more book to read. We've done a bunch of other discussion posts for the last two books which are here:

And of course, two books in there are guaranteed spoilers so instead of leaving and never coming back, join us, because trust me these books are not something you want to miss!

1. What do you think of Elend as a Mistborn? Do you think it will damper his relationship with Vin?

Courtney: I think it’s going to be very interesting to see Elend as a Mistborn, in a good way. I really don’t think it will cause issues with Vin because she will feel more comfortable if he’s capable of protecting himself. It might even make them closer, since they will be able to share more of their experiences with each other.

Saloni: It was constantly a problem that Vin was a Mistborn while Elend wasn’t so I’m not sure Elend becoming a Mistborn will be too big of a problem. I think it’ll help both of them be able to understand each other more. The only problem I can forsee is a sense of competition brewing between them, but the probability of that happening is very unlikely.

2. What are your thoughts on the creature that was released from the Well of Ascension?

Courtney: I feel like this creature is connected to the voice that Zane heard and the spikes in the Inquisitors. I’m not sure if it’s just some creature that can be vanquished or some sort of evil deity. It’s obviously very powerful and I think must be connected to the mists in some way. It has to also be related to the fact that documents change over time. It’s all connected in some greater way.

Saloni: There is so much mystery surrounding this creature and all we know about it is that it’s been released from the Well. I think the power that Vin/ the Lord Ruler had kept the creature at bay but I’m not sure exactly how the creature is connected to the Mists. Maybe when the Lord Ruler kept his power, he prevented the creature from being released which stopped the Mists. Maybe releasing the power is dangerous because it frees the Mists.

3. Did the novel meet your expectations?

Courtney: Honestly, yes. Yes, it did. It’s always hard going into a sequel because you want it to live up to the first book. In some ways I prefer the Final Empire, but in others I prefer the Well of Ascension. They both build the world and characters so beautifully that it’s really impossible for me to say which I prefer. Even on a second reading I was amazed by how good this book was.

Saloni: Surprisingly it did. The author’s job is exponentially harder as he or she tries to meet or even surpass the original book. I think Sanderson did a fantastic job of maintaining those high expectations. Both The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension were amazing, in every aspect. I couldn’t say one was better than the other.

4. Is there anything you would change about the novel as a whole (characters, setting, events, etc)?

Courtney: Vin. Not really her as a character, but some of the story involving her. I felt that her sudden acceptance of her place and role was too abrupt. While I think it was important for her to be vulnerable in the beginning and unsure about certain things I felt that she regressed too much. Other than that minor problem I don’t think I would want anything changed.

Saloni: I do agree with Courtney that Vin’s sudden acceptance was extremely abrupt but I don’t think it affected the storyline too much. I do wish there was a bit more about the Lord Ruler and his mysterious powers. I understand that so much of that information is cloaked in mystery because we’ll probably find out everything in the last book. But I almost felt like we had too little fact and too much speculation, so it was slightly hard to believe that everyone happened to figure out so much of the missing information on a whim.

5. What did you like most about the novel?

Courtney: Tough question because the whole thing was excellent, but I’m going to have to say Elend and his character progression. I loved his character from the first book but this made me love him even more. Being in his head, seeing his struggles, it was all very beautifully done. I think his character progression is one of the best I’ve seen in a Sanderson novel. I don’t remember feeling so invested in his character the first time around, so I think some of that has to do with my own mindset. He was brilliantly written.

Saloni: This is such a hard question because everything in this book was fantastic. Elend was a great addition to the book, and I love that we got to see his perspective a bit more. In general I loved how expansive this book was. We got everyone’s perspective from Vin and Elend to Straff and Zane, which was different from the first book.