This review is going to have mild spoilers from the previous books. I’m sorry, but it becomes too difficult to write a review without tapping into what has happened in the previous two installments. So read with caution!

Well, the last 10% of this book completely gutted me. I didn’t just cry, I ugly cried. It was so real and so powerful that it just completely broke me and reminded me of the power that books can invoke and how it is truly unmatchable and indescribable. Some things seemed so predictable that I thought maybe Brandon Sanderson was slacking, only to read the last few chapters and completely have the wind knocked out of me.

The Hero of Ages might be the best book ending I’ve read to date. Which is so ironic, because The Final Empire had the best prologue I’ve ever read. This series is so worth the investment and I can’t recommend it enough. This ending was heart wrenching, but it was heart wrenchingly beautiful and perfect.

The Hero of Ages picks up where The Well of Ascension left off. Vin is feeling an immense amount of guilt for releasing Ruin from the well, even though she was just following what the (tampered) prophecy said to do. Elend is now a Mistborn, alongside Vin, and they are going city to city to find the stashes underground that the Lord Ruler left in preparation for this time. The mists are falling ever harder, and the days are almost nonexistent. No one can really grow anything, and the world is slowly starving while also ending.

While the other two books in this trilogy seemed much more political, this final installment was much centered on religion. The crew is also separated for the majority of this story. Vin, Elend, Clett, and Ham are trying to take back Fadrex City, which is now being run by Lord Yomen with the Lord Ruler still being worshiped as their God, which means the same unfair treatment of the Skaa. Then we have Sazed, Spooks, Breeze, and Allriane who are supposed to be spying on the city of Urteau, which is run by The Citizen, or Quellion, who is pretty much a rebel leader who is oppressing anyone with noble blood.

Seeing the juxtaposition of these two very different and extreme cities was fascinating. One chapter Elend and Vin are enjoying dancing at a ball while trying to make a statement (when Elend pulled out that book I cried happy tears and knew that it was going to be my favorite part of this entire novel), then the next chapter we have Spook trying to rescue noble bloods from house fire attacks. Fadrex City likes to pretend nothing bad is happening while relishing in their wealth and luxuries, while Urteau is embracing their poorness and lashing out at anyone who’s even slightly noble.

Spook has a tremendous role in this book, which I can only guess means he will do great things that we will hear about in The Alloy of Law, set 300 years after the events of The Hero of Ages.

I was also very surprised that Tensoon has such a big part of this book! Vin and his relationship was my favorite part of The Well of Ascension. He and all the Kandra people were my favorite subplot of this book. I couldn’t get enough of his chapters. Please, please, please bring him back (somehow) in The Alloy of Law. I also loved the relationship between the Kandra, the Koloss, and the Obligators. I can’t believe I even questioned Brandon Sanderson’s lack of twists.

Speaking of Obligators, Marsh is set up from the prologue to play a big role in this book. I knew that every POV of his was going to weigh heavily on the ending. I feel so much empathy for so many of these characters, but Marsh seemed to get the short end of every spike stick!

Sazed is constantly struggling to believe in something while also struggling with Tindwyl’s death. I’ve always loved Sazed, so it really hurt me to see him lose his convictions and part of himself. I also wanted to mention Sazed and how freakin’ right my The Well of Ascension prediction ended up being! I think I still deserve a gold star of some sort.

Vin is everything I would ever want in a starring character. I actually have doubts that I will find a female lead I will love as much as I love Vin. I always gush about her in all these reviews, but it’s true. Brandon Sanderson created perfection when he decided to write Vin’s character.

Finally, Ruin and Preservations. Man, oh man, what a crazy ending. I’ll be honest with you, I always knew Vin was different, but I had no idea the extent of how different. I was so blindsided. Especially about the atium. I didn’t understand that until Sazed literally said it, and then Elend literally used it. Hopefully, we will eventually find out Ruin and Preservation’s origin. Basically, I just need a lot more of this cosmere universe in my life.

Brandon Sanderson does not give a big fluffy bow ending as a wrap up for this story. He, instead, leaves many questions open, I’m guessing because of the spinoff series. The biggest new secret is perhaps that there is an additional two metals that no one knows about yet. This increases the total allomantic chart to sixteen!

I don’t even know what to expect, but I can’t wait to start Mistborn: Secret History. Thank you, Brandon Sanderson, for this phenomenal trilogy that will be very hard to ever top.

*Looks at Patrick Rothfuss and cries over the wait for Doors of Stone*