I'm not sure how to rate this book, mostly because I liked the first one so much and there were parts of if that didn't carry over to this one. (My favorite character, for example, though if you read the books you see that he couldn't possibly have been in this book). Mostly this book seemed like a transition book, asking a lot of questions and providing only a few answers. It was a fun read, and I enjoyed some of the character building that went on this time that may have been slightly lacking in the first book. Perhaps this book's strongest point was its realism. The protagonists don't win against unbelievable odds when defending the city, and logic still has its place. Overall, I feel this book must be judged largely based on the next book; if the final novel answers all the questions that were raised in this book convincingly, then it will have been a great transition novel. Otherwise, this could be one of the frustrating fantasy series that is great but leaves too much unanswered. A strong book by itself, but the series' greatness must be judged by the final book.

EDIT - Reread on November 21, 2011

As part of my reread of the Mistborn series, I took this book up again and finished it in a couple of days. I didn't like it too much. It was obviously still a very good book, as it is a part of one of my favorite series and this particular segment of the story is necessary, but I found many things about the book lacking. The quotes at the beginnings of chapters were too short and were often confusing (it was easy to forget their context, which was not ideal). Also, Marsh is used too much as a random plot-twist device, which is confusing. I remember his part in the story being explained in the third book, but I take issue with the fact that his character is so illogical and unexplained in this book. Perhaps the most surprising thing about rereading The Well of Ascension was how much I liked Zane in comparison with the first time I read the book. I was more than a little bit disappointed that he didn't play a more critical role. Now to find out if the third book is as epic as I remember.

EDIT - Reread June 10, 2022

Liked this more than last time now. Maybe I’m just a more mature and patient reader, but I had no issues following the story this time even reading it in a day or two, and the book felt much more necessary than when I first read it and thought it was more filler. ( )

239000

F/SF

F/SF

So, this used to be 4* for me because like for many other people, those politics and "love triangle" parts were very tedious to me. I don't think they are actually that boring, but the books just keep teasing you with all those mysteries and you just want to know more and progress to the part where "something actually happens".
Now that I already know where this is going, I can really appreciate what these parts did for Elend's and Vin's character and relationship growth. ( )