The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson is the third book in the second era of the Mistborn Saga. The second era is not gripping me as much as the first one did.
About "The Bands of Mourning"
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Series: Mistborn Era 2 - Book #3
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Steampunk
Other works from the Author: The Stormlight Archive Series, Elantris, Warbreaker, Skyward Series, The Mistborn Saga
Page Number: 448 pages
Audible Listening Time: 15 hrs and 1 min
Goodreads Rating: 4.42/5
My Rating: 2/5
The Bands of Mourning is my least favorite book in the Mistborn Era 2 so far. This book feels like a filler to me. There is little to nothing that happens in the book that keeps me interested for long.
Wax’s POV feels like a drunk man’s blabbering. He is supposed to be the protagonist of the book, but I feel absolutely nothing for him. I thought that after Shadows of Self, his character would be explored more, but that didn’t happen.
Wayne & Marasi are such a turn-off for me. Whenever the book focuses on these two characters, I lose all interest in continuing the story. I just don’t like them. They get on my nerves and irritate me. I’m still not able to identify why I dislike them so much.
This is a Steris breakout book. Finally, she gets to shine in a story. I liked her character in the previous two books, but she needs to be more recognized as a character and was grossly undervalued. But this book gives her the spotlight, and I’m so happy about it. She is one of my favorite characters.
The series’ only saving grace is that it connects closely with Mistborn Era 1 at the end. It’s the only thing that is keeping me reading this series. Otherwise, I would have DNF’ed this series long ago.
The world doesn’t expand much or in meaningful ways. The magic system is also stagnant. There is nothing new to learn about it anymore. This series has been just disappointing so far
“The difference between good and evil men is not found in the acts they are willing to commit—but merely in what name they are willing to commit them in.”
“If you had to shoot a man, society had already failed.”
“The law is there to keep us from ruining everyone else’s ability to explore. Without law, there’s no freedom.”
“I saw it in his eyes, first. That hunger, that fire. And then I found it in myself. He's a flame, Waxillium is, and fire can be shared. When I'm out here, when I'm with him, I burn, Marasi. It's wonderful.”
“What was the purpose, then, of everything they taught in here? If it couldn't prevent men from acting like monsters?”
“Never’ is a word youths often use,” Grandmother said, sipping her tea, “but rarely understand.”
“I’ve learned to fake being normal, but lists of prepared comments and jokes can only take me so far. People can sense that I’m not being authentic—that I don’t like the things they like or think the way they do.”
Amazon Blurb of "The Bands of Mourning"
Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.
The Bands of Mourning are the mythical metal minds owned by the Lord Ruler, said to grant anyone who wears them the powers that the Lord Ruler had at his command. Hardly anyone thinks they really exist. A kandra researcher has returned to Elendel with images that seem to depict the Bands, as well as writings in a language that no one can read. Waxillium Ladrian is recruited to travel south to the city of New Seran to investigate. Along the way he discovers hints that point to the true goals of his uncle Edwarn and the shadowy organization known as The Set.
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Bands of mourning is one of the best books... Boo the love story between wax and steris is so cute. And steris has some of the best scenes.
It's definitely a different tone and Brandon experimenting with a series he had never intended to take this far. But on the other hand this is one of the best, book four is better significantly better, but this one's amazing
[…] up the last book in the Mistborn Era 2. The Lost Metal is a better book than the previous book The Bands of Mourning. The universe finally expanded and got connected with Cosmere’s overarching plot. The stakes got […]