The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3)

Synopsis

***Warning: There are SPOILERS in this synopsis!***

Killing the Lord Ruler to end the Final Empire was obviously the right thing to do, wasn't it? With the return of the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists, increasingly heavy ashfalls, and ever more powerful earthquakes, Vin and Elend are no longer so sure. Long ago, Ruin- one of the primal beings who created the world- was promised the eventual right to destroy all things. Now that Vin has been tricked into releasing him from the Well of Ascension, Ruin apparently intends to collect.

The conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy fulfills all the promise of the first two books. Revelations abound, connections rooted in early chapters of the series click into place, and surprises, as satisfying as they are stunning, blossom like fireworks to dazzle and delight. It all leads up to a finale unmatched for originality and audacity that will leave you rubbing your eyes in wonder, as if awaking from an amazing dream.

Loved

• Oh my goodness. I don't even know where to start in talking about this book. I have never read a book where my mind was so completely BLOWN. I think this is the most fun I've ever had reading a book because the pieces all fit together so perfectly and every detail falls into place. I don't even know how to narrow down what to write about . . . 

• The revelations!! As I said above, I've never experienced so many lightbulbs and "Aha" moments as I did while reading this book. I'm not exaggerating when I say that we get a huge piece of the mystery answered in every chapter. Seriously, in every single chapter we get another piece of the puzzle through some detail that ties all the way back to the first chapters of the book. Brandon Sanderson's ability to weave tiny details in complex threads throughout three books is just incredible. We get answers to the questions we started having in the first chapters, and every single question and mystery we may have wondered about falls so neatly into place- he doesn't leave any loose threads and ties up threads we didn't even realize we needed answered. I have never experienced this so thoroughly as I did while reading this book.

• The ENDING. I won't spoil the ending, but if you need to talk about it, DM me on Instagram and we will hash it out cause I am STILL processing the ending and I read this almost three years ago! The ending was perfect. Flawless. Just stunning. It was devastating, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. The pieces that fit together, the heroes that step up, the final strokes of character development that happen until the last page are all masterful and so satisfying that I still find myself in awe when I think about the ending, even years later.

• The intensity. This is one of the most intense books I've read in that we don't even understand how high the stakes are and what the real villain is that we are fighting until we are already hitting the ground running and barely surviving. Turns out we are fighting a villain stronger than any army or leader- this is a force that creates and destroys- and we have to figure out how to beat it. I didn't catch my breath a single time while reading this because it's so fast-paced, intense and breath-taking as we barely process one new puzzle piece, we all of the sudden have a new mind-blowing mystery to figure out.

• The characters. Again, as I've said in all the books, I wish I could take one paragraph about each character. But the character development in this story goes beyond anything I've ever read. We're talking spiritual status here- if you are Christian, you will find some beautiful and profound Christian themes in the character development. However, if you are not religious, you will not even notice the themes and they won't take away from the story for you. For me, reading the end of this story was nearly sublime and spiritual as the characters reach their full potential and ability beyond their lives in this world.

• The sacrifice. Every single character sacrifices everything in this story, which was very moving and impactful. Each character has to choose how much they will give, and they end up giving it all. The kandra especially, (I won't spoil), but the sacrifice of their nation was very moving to me and has impacted me as I've thought about it years later.

• The Hero of Ages. Again, I won't spoil anything, but finding out who the Hero of Ages is was PERFECT. I absolutely loved how all those pieces came together so masterfully and subtly, but made so much sense. I loved how Sanderson had the chapter headings in all the books tie together to weave the story of the Hero of Ages. Once I found out how they tied in and who wrote them, I went back and read them all and my mind was BLOWN. I'm telling you, Sanderson is a genius.

Didn't Love

• I wouldn't change one word or detail about this beautiful and perfect story.

Content

• Language: 
• Some uses of "damn," "hell," and "bastard."

• Sexual content: 
• A few kisses and a married couple sleeping in the same bed. Mentions that she sits up and is topless, but nothing sexual described.

• Violence:
• Okay, this is one of the most, if not the most, violent books I've ever read. This makes Hunger Games seem like Sesame Street. I won't try to outline every violent thing that happens, but just know you're in for a lot of blood and gore with this book.
• LOTS, I repeat, LOTS of stabbing, slicing, cutting, punching, beating, smashing, and killing in basically every way imaginable. The battle at the end is extremely violent and many more people die than survive.
• A prominent character gets sliced in half. Another gets decapitated. 
• A character gets the bones in her body broken one by one and is on the brink of death.
• A whole nation kills themselves for their honor in a sacrifice planned generations in advance.
• Much talk of people being trapped in burning buildings as a way to execute them. A character saves many of them, but the ones who are not saved are described by their burning bodies and remains.
• An Inquisitor kills a prominent character and blood and body parts are described in detail.
• We found out how Inquisitors are made, and it's horrifying. *This might be somewhat of a spoiler, so read with caution*
• They are made by driving stakes through the body parts of many different people. Huge amounts of gore, carnage, blood, and body parts are described in relation to the Inquisitors, especially when they are created.

Overall Thoughts

Wow. This review is just a teeny part of how I feel about this book! I honestly can't recommend it enough. The depth of this world, the celestial development of the characters, the minute details that come together, and the revelations to each mystery that we experience in every chapter of this book are just mind-blowing and stunning. After I finished this book, I couldn't think about anything else and just found myself processing it for weeks, and now even years afterward. This is no ordinary fantasy novel- this makes regular YA novels seem like picture books because this series is so incredibly detailed, and ingeniously planned and thought-out. I can't recommend this series enough and I haven't talked to anyone who has read it and hasn't absolutely loved it. Don't pass up the opportunity to experience this incredible world and mind-blowing journey- I promise you won't regret it!