Bands of Mourning Review

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Bands of Mourning is the third book in the second set of the Mistborn series.  It follows Waxilliam six months after the events of Shadows of Self.  It directly deals with the fallout from that book and it picks up really quickly.

I think Bands of Mourning was the best paced and most consistently interesting in this set of Mistborn books.  I'm sure that part of that is because it ties into the previous book so well and builds on it.  I didn't feel that way nearly as much between the first and second book.

Bands of Mourning finds the main characters needing to leave the central city where they've spent the last book and go investigate what's happening in the wider world.  They're looking for a legendary item, the Bands of Mourning, because it could have a power that would change the world.

While I still don't love this alternate history early 1900s type of setting at this point I really like the main characters and I want to know what happens to them.  If you've read Alloy of Law and Shadows of Self you are probably equally invested in these characters and you'll get a lot out of Bands of Mourning.

I thought this might be the last book of the second Mistborn set.  This book leaves off after telling a complete story but leaves just enough information dangling to the point where I really want the next book now.  There's an author's note at the end that says book four will be the final novel in this second Mistborn era.

I really recommend the Mistborn series as a whole, although Bands of Mourning isn't the place to start.  The best jumping on point is either the very first book of the first era titled Mistborn or the first book of the second era titled Alloy of Law.

I continue to really enjoy Sanderson's writing.  I'm always excited to read what he writes next!

Comments

  1. MagsonFebruary 17, 2016 at 11:56 AM

    I really enjoyed this book also -- felt it to be the best of the series so far. As you say, the pacing was consistent and so it was consistently good -- none of Sanderson's typical "good hook, lull through the middle, then the avalanche of everything happening all in the final 50 pages" that has been so prevalent in his earlier stuff.

    2 big thumbs up from me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VoidFebruary 17, 2016 at 12:52 PM

    Yeah, sometimes his books have pacing issues but this one seemed pretty good throughout. I still don't really like Wax as a character but I do want to know the conclusion to this and see what happens to all his friends.

    ReplyDelete

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