Book Review

Book Review: The Lost Metal (Mistborn Era 2: #7) by Brandon Sanderson

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 528 pages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: November 15th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Return to Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn world of Scadrial as its second era, which began with The Alloy of Law, comes to its conclusion.

For years, frontier lawman turned big-city senator Waxillium Ladrian has hunted the shadowy organization the Set-with his late uncle and his sister among their leaders-since they started kidnapping people with the power of Allomancy in their bloodlines. When Detective Marasi Colms and her partner Wayne find stockpiled weapons bound for the Outer City of Bilming, this opens a new lead. Conflict between Elendel and the Outer Cities only favors the Set, and their tendrils now reach to the Elendel Senate-whose corruption Wax and Steris have sought to expose-and Bilming is even more entangled. After Wax discovers a new type of explosive that can unleash unprecedented destruction and realizes that the Set must already have it, an immortal kandra serving Scadrial’s god, Harmony, reveals that Bilming has fallen under the influence of another god: Trell, worshipped by the Set. And Trell isn’t the only factor at play from the larger Cosmere-Marasi is recruited by offworlders with strange abilities who claim their goal is to protect Scadrial…at any cost. Wax must choose whether to set aside his rocky relationship with God and once again become the Sword that Harmony has groomed him to be. If no one steps forward to be the hero Scadrial needs, the planet and its millions of people will come to a sudden and calamitous ruin.

OMG.

I can’t help but sit in awe each time I read a Sanderson book because HOW DOES HE DO IT. I LOVE the Cosmere world and everything about it. The characters, stories, emotions, relationships. His books have it allllllll. And this era is slept on and I need more people reading this!

I do think it’s important to note that this series (especially this last book) have some key commentary and discussions about the Cosmere as a whole. I won’t say more than that, but read them. READ THEM.

Wax and Wayne are my favorite duo. I love the Western + Sci-fi combination. And for two genres I don’t read a ton of, I should not be surprised that Sanderson has made me love it. I love the gun slinging action, the magic system, and the countdown to the end that had me listening to this book faster than I expected.

Writing spoiler free is hard, especially for one of my biggest waited releases of 2022. I just loved it. I couldn’t comment on one thing about it that I needed to be different. Things ended as I kind of expected, and still filled with all of the hope and love these characters present against impossible odds. This bromance is one that will stand against time and I will now be impatiently waiting for the next Sanderson book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses + light innuendo
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: physical and magical violence, gun violence, explosions, near death experiences, loss of life

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Book Review

Book Review: Tress of the Emerald Sea (The Cosmere) by Brandon Sanderson

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 483 pages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Dragonsteel Entertainment
Release Date: January 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

#1 New York Times Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings us deeper into the Cosmere universe with a rollicking, riveting tale that will appeal to fans of The Princess Bride.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?

FASCINATINGLY GOOD.

I mean, was I expecting anything less? NOPE.

I absolutely loved this. I felt like I was completely immersed in these characters, the story, plot, everything. Having Hoid as the narrator was the perfect dose of wit and spunk that carried everything else along. There was great social commentary that fit in well within the fantasy background and a lot of nods to self-worth and coming of age. I flat out laughed multiple times because the jokes just landed with all of the charm Hoid has.

The story was full of action and heart. I felt like it had a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean vibes with a Cosmere twist. I adored the diverse side characters and the found family that Tress and them became. It was whimsical yet intense and I was on the edge of my seat often.

I loooved the twists and the ending was fantastic. There’s so many little pieces in here that I could talk about (but won’t because spoilers) that really made this entire read. Sanderson crafts books like no others. You’ll love Tress’s character arc and the journey she goes on.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: near death experiences, physical and magical altercations, weapons violence

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Book Review

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: November 2022

BIRTHDAY MONTH & HOLIDAY BOOKS. It was a good November.

FAVORITES

LEAST FAVORITES

  • Holiday Romance
  • Fake Santa Apology Tour
  • Spells for Lost Things
  • The Eradic
  • The Belle of Belgrave Square
  • Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD
  • Heart of the Sun Warrior
  • Bloodmarked
  • The Holiduel
  • The Lost Metal
  • The Two Bells of Christmas
  • Cabin Mate
  • Morrighan
  • My Knight Before Christmas
  • Built to Last
  • The Cloisters
  • A Billionaire Inventor for Christmas
  • Talk Santa to Me
  • House of Eclipses
  • [Novella] My Knight Before Christmas (Christmas in Connecticut #1) by Amanda P. Jones
  • Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh
  • [ARC] Scrooge and the Girls Next Door (Creekville Kisses) by Melanie Jacobson
  • Dance of a Burning Sea (Moussai #2) by E.J. Mellow
  • [Novella] The Fake Santa Apology Tour by Julie Olivia
  • The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bischof
  • [ARC] Song of Silver, Flame Like Night (Song o the Last Kingdom #1) by Amelie Wen Zhao
  • [Novella] Mishaps & Mistletoe (When in West Virginia #1.5) by Lindsey Jesionowski
  • Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
  • Built to Last by Erin Hahn
  • Spells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch
  • [ARC] The Eradic (The Eradic #1) by S. Goodey
  • A Newport Christmess (Christmas Escapes #4) by Jess Heileman
  • [Novella] Holly Jolly Christmas Derailed by Emily Bradford
  • Cursed (Gilded #2) by Marissa Meyer
  • A Memory of Light (Until the Stars Are Dead #1) by Allyson S. Barkley
  • The Belle of Belgrave Square (Belles of London #2) by Mimi Matthrews
  • [Novella] Christmas Crasher by Ash Keller
  • [Non-Fiction] Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD by Eli R. Lebowitz, PhD
  • Heart of the Sun Warrior (The Celestial Kingdom Duology #2) by Sue Lynn Tan
  • [Non-Fiction] Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
  • [ARC] Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Finlay Donovan #1) by Elle Cosimano
  • [ARC] Saint (The Narrows #0) by Adrienne Young
  • A Not-So Holiday Paradise (Christmas Escapes #5) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell
  • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
  • Bloodmarked (Legendborn #2) by Tracey Deonn
  • [Novella] The Holiduel (Falling for Franklin #0.5) by Hailey Gardiner
  • The Cloisters by Katy Hays
  • Prince of Song & Sea (Princes #1) by Linsey Miller
  • How the Grump Saved Christmas by Claire Kingsley
  • Later On We’ll Conspire (Christmas Escapes #6) by Kourtney Keisel
  • The Lost Metal (Mistborn Era 2 #7) by Brandon Sanderson
  • [ARC/Novella] The Two Bells of Christmas by Joanna Barker
  • [ARC] Cabin Mate (Under Kansas Skies #4) by Leah Brunner
  • Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales #1) by Olivia Atwater
  • A Billionaire Inventor for Christmas (Dexington Christmas Billionaires #1) by Dobi Daniels
  • [Novella] Christmas at Engine 17 by Ash Keller
  • [ARC] Morrighan (The Remnant Chronicles #0.5) by Mary E. Pearson
  • Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban
  • [Novella] Holiday Hang-Ups by Elle Anne Brown
  • House of Eclipses (House of Eclipses #2) by Casey L. Bond
  • [Novella] The Naughty, the Nice, and the Nanny (Holiday Brothers #1) by Willa Nash
  • Christmas After All by Cece Louise
  • Keeper of the Lost Cities: Unlocked (KOTLC #8.5) by Shannon Messenger

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Book Review

Book Review: Cytonic (Skyward #3) by Brandon Sanderson

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Sci-Fi
Length: 432 pages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: November 23rd, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reckoners series, the Mistborn trilogy, and the Stormlight Archive comes the third book in an epic series about a girl who will travel beyond the stars to save the world she loves from destruction.

Spensa’s life as a Defiant Defense Force pilot has been far from ordinary. She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell—the enigmatic alien species that has been holding them captive for decades. What’s more, she traveled light-years from home as an undercover spy to infiltrate the Superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home.

Now, the Superiority—the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life—has started a galaxy-wide war. And Spensa’s seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant. Spensa knows that no matter how many pilots the DDF has, there is no defeating this predator.

Except that Spensa is Cytonic. She faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. And maybe, if she’s able to figure out what she is, she could be more than just another pilot in this unfolding war. She could save the galaxy.

The only way she can discover what she really is, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return.

To have courage means facing fear. And this mission is terrifying.

AMAZING AS USUAL.

If I can trust in one bookish thing, it’s that Brandon Sanderson books will always be enjoyable. This was, of course, no different. I loved this installment and am now anxiously awaiting what I know will be a stunning finale.

I LOVE Spensa. She makes me laugh, want to shake her, and also be best friends. Spensa is bold and a little headstrong, but I love her awareness and the passion with which she cares for her loved ones. She found herself wrapped up in a new found family situation and leaned so much about herself and how to save the galaxy.

A sucker for romance, the absolutely SOFT MOMENTS between Spensa and Jorgen melted me. I am so happy these were included!!! It helped to see that side of things (though I’ve read both novellas which was a big help too, definitely read those!) and have a better understanding of all the happenings in Detritus.

Sanderson has created a unique world in the nowhere and I was fascinated by its exploration. There were a ton of new races to meet, old friends showed up, more fighter pilot space battles and more. And who knew I would be attached to another sentient AI?! M-Bot had me feeling all the things by the end and I love the wheelhouse of emotions pulled out of me by this incredible writing.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Sci-Fi
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: near death experiences, fighter pilot battles

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