Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson: Book Review

My Review

My Rating: 5/5

Shadows of Self Book Review – Spoiler Free

I’ll be honest. I thought that I would never rate Brandon Sanderson‘s Mistborn Era 2 books nearly as highly as the original Mistborn Trilogy (Era 1 books).

I was wrong. VERY wrong.

These books hold their own against the tidal wave that was their predecessors. They are different, being more mystery/thriller books than epic fantasy, which certainly adds to them being independently brilliant.

I almost didn’t pick up Shadows of Self, however, because I think I read The Alloy of Law too soon after finishing Era 1 and the novella Mistborn: Secret History.

My mind was still 300 years in the past when I was introduced to Wax and Wayne. That is why, I believe, my review of the first book is not great. I will reread it one day and rectify that.

Wayne is my favourite character, and I think many who read these books agree with me. He’s fun, cheeky, and just seems to glide through life whilst also dealing with a past that haunts him. It makes for a fascinating character.

SPOILER FOR ALLOY OF LAW

I don’t know why, but Brandon Sanderson has a trope of his own – a man killing his wife in the past is haunted by it and wants to make up for it in some way. That said, he does the trope well and it doesn’t feel like a copy-and-paste job. Sanderson puts a lot of work into making it feel real.

SPOILER OVER

I liked Waxillium much more in Shadows of Self. He felt more rounded and fully realised. Maybe that was my issue with all of the character in the first book?

I often find that in crime novels it takes a couple of books to get to know the characters well because the book is focusing more on the mystery!

Overall, Shadows of Self was a great read. Definitely one of my favourites.