Brandon Sanderson: Shadows of Self - Wax and Wayne (Mistborn Era 2) book 2

Continuing my reading of Wax and Wayne and trying to get to the last one!

Shadows of Self continues the story of Waxillium Ladrian. Picking up only a few months after the conclusion of The Alloy of Law, we find Wax chasing a criminal through Elendel. As the chase goes on, he sees a face he hasn't seen in a long time: the face of the last man he brought in out in the Roughs, the criminal that killed Lessie. This puts him on the trail of a kandra known as Bleeder. The kandra is missing one of her spikes and has gone crazy. She has murdered multiple people, including the brother of the governor. Intent on wreaking havoc on the city, Bleeder is using her unique talents to strain Elendel to the point of breaking. Can Wax, Wayne, and Marasi catch up to her before it's too late?

I loved this book a lot. I finished it and immediately picked up the next book. The twists in this book are amazing.

I first of all loved that Sanderson brought back the kandra and other pre-Catacendre creatures. This book also explores more of Hemalurgy, and Sazed's position as Harmony. I love the more direct part Harmony takes in this book, and it's clear that it's going to continue in further novels. The further development of Marasi and Wax's awkward relationship with each other is also fascinating. While Wax and Marasi are better paired than Wax and Steris, I can't wait to see where it all goes. As far as love triangles go, I think this one is not like other clichés that usually dominate this trope. This one is well-written and interesting. I personally feel a little bad for Marasi, because I think deep down, she really does like Wax and wants his attention. She's too proper to admit it, especially because her sister is marrying Wax, which makes it sadder.

I can't wait to finish The Bands of Mourning and see more of what the Set is up to.

I rate this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

PG-13 for violence

Comments

2022 Reading in Review

I thought it might be fun to look at my reading challenge from last year and look at what I enjoyed the most. I picked my top 5 favorite books from 2022 to highlight one more time. Choosing only five was actually more difficult than I imagined, since I had a lot of favorites. It was also hard to rank them if I'm completely honest, but here is my list! #5 - The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill I loved this book. I loved the whimsical storytelling style and the plot. I loved the characters and how they were developed. I loved how the author carefully crafted the foreshadowing and how she carefully guided you through the mystery of Xan's memories. Overall, this book was so well written. Even though it was a middle grade book, I found myself unable to put it down. #4 - I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys If you've followed my blog, then you probably know that I don't usually care much for Ruta Septys's writing. It's not that I dislike the stories she tells,...

Prince Harry: Spare

My coworkers were all reading this, and I have to say that I'm fascinated by the royal family, so I gave into temptation and listened to this on Audible. Listening to the audio book was totally the way to go, since Prince Harry reads it himself. Spare by Prince Harry is a heartbreaking memoir outlining Harry's treatment by the British tabloids. He outlines his experiences with the tabloids from the time his mother died until his departure from the royal family. This fascinating memoir gives an inside look into the workings of the royal family, and their relationships with the press. The memoir certainly makes it look as if all is not well in the house of Windsor, and attempts to set the record straight (from Harry's perspective) of what happened among the family members. Overall, I did enjoy this book. I loved the way Harry writes (and because I listened to it, the way he reads). I found his descriptions of events and places beautiful, and wish I could use it in AP! His p...

Brene Brown: Daring Greatly

Brene Brown is one of my favorite TED speakers of all time. I have listened to her TED talks numerous times and used them in my classroom each year. I love her message: that we can't have success, innovation, change, and creativity without first having vulnerability. I love that she is seeking to demystify vulnerability and teach what shame is and how it destroys our ability to accept ourselves and others. I am not normally into the self-help kind of books, but of the books I've read this year, this is one of my favorites! Daring Greatly by Brene Brown discusses the concepts of shame and vulnerability and how we need vulnerability, but not shame. She gives strategies for combating shame and becoming "shame resilient." She gives strategies to use as parents, teachers, friends, and spouses. For one thing, I love Dr. Brown's Texan accent (she narrates the audiobook herself! 💗). Her voice and personality are all throughout this book. She is not afraid to use persona...

Books I Read and Other Assorted Oddities

Search This Blog