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TGRF's Reviews - Mistborn (The Hero of Ages)

Posted July 7th, 2021 at 01:10 PM by TGRF
I recently finished the final book in the Mistborn trilogy, so it's time to get down to the review.

Out of the trilogy, I feel like this book was definitely the best one. Sanderson kept up some unique style choices throughout the series, and in this book they started to pay off big time, increasing tension nearly every chapter. By about the last third of the book, the twists started coming thick and fast, as nearly every single loose thread and every seemingly-unimportant detail fell into place.

Ratings:
5: Amazing, above flawless.
4: Flawless, but doesn't really stand out.
3: Might have some issues, but works fine.
2: Has some issues which might detract from the story.
1: Flawed, bring the story down noticeably.

Title: The Hero of Ages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
My Rating: 4.25/5 - A great read

(Spoiler-free) Summary: Following the events of the second book, the heroes get down to fixing the mess they find themselves in. They go on the offensive, but as has been proven before, it's really the enemy who is calling the shots. They have to figure out what his plan is, and how they can thwart it, as the very ground upon which they stand starts to tear apart and the air is choked with ash. The world is ending.

Characters - Relatability: 4
Sanderson's characters have always been solid, but I think they really shone in this book compared to the other two. The struggles they go through are realistic and understandable, and it's easy to feel their reactions.

Style - PoV: 4.5
Throughout the series, Sanderson has constantly changed PoV. There are a few main characters, but he'll switch to side characters, antagonists, and even unnamed bystanders simply to deliver the effect or information he wants. It's worked fine, but in the last book, I felt like these PoV shifts really solidified the different characters, and also added tension because one character will have a cliffhangar, and then the PoV will switch. Despite this, I never really was annoyed that I had to switch PoV. Everything worked together to consistently build tension and keep my interest.

Plot - Tension: 5
As I mentioned before, the tension in this book scaled up relentlessly. Even by the end, when I thought everything was resolved, the twists kept coming, and tension kept mounting.

Plot - Twists: 4.5
This book definitely featured the most twists in the series. The way everything came together, making sense out of seemingly random and unimportant details, was amazing. The only criticism I'd have here is that towards the end, the way everything fit together seemed a shade too convenient. I never saw it coming, hence the high rating, but some of the twists just felt... designed. Only slightly though.

Plot - Interest: 4.5
As I said, despite the constantly shifting PoVs, at no point did I lose interest. There would be a cliffhangar with the current character, and I'd see that the next chapter changed PoV, but all feelings of regret vanished once I started reading. All of the plots (because there were several main plots), were equally gripping - I think Sanderson really did a stellar job balancing them so that none would feel boring by comparison.

Emotional Impact: 3
Oddly, next to the endings of the previous two stories, the grand finale felt a little lackluster in the emotional department. It was still an amazing conclusion, with lots of twists I didn't see coming, but it didn't really leave me with a strong emotional resonance. More of a 'and that's how it ends' sort of feeling, if that makes sense. It wasn't detracting in any way, it just felt a bit... off, considering the ending of the last two stories.

That about sums it up. On the whole it was a very enjoyable read, aided by its length, which let me plow through it at my normal breakneck speed but not finish it too quickly. I'm eager to reread the entire trilogy now and break it down further, looking for how exactly Sanderson wove together all the twists he did. I'd say the book is definitely a good study for twists and consistently-ramping tension. First though, I intend to start his next series. As always, your thoughts are welcome.

~TGRF.
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Tornado's Avatar
Happy Birthday TGRF.
Posted July 27th, 2021 at 07:08 AM by Tornado Tornado is offline
 
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