Silent No More

This book, in my eyes, has zero flaws.

This is my second Brandon Sanderson book, yet the first to make me understand his cult following. I had read, or more so, listened to Tress of the Emerald Sea last year and thoroughly enjoyed it! However, it was nothing spectacular. I thought it was cute and fun, and I liked it, but I wasn’t understanding the fervent love for Mr. Sanderson. However, I get it. This book was everything I didn’t know I wanted and more. It had complex characters, found family, GREAT LINES, amazing action, engaging relationships, and a simply complex magic system.

Vin is such an incredibly written character to the point that I am shocked a man could’ve written her (I suppose I’ve just needed to look for the right male fantasy authors). But Vin felt very real to me, her struggles were real, her development was real, and her feelings were real. Even in such a fantastical setting, nothing felt far-fetched. I felt for Vin throughout the entire story and was so engaged in her development. It was incredible watching her overcome all of her internal struggles through the connections she made and her own experiences over the course of the plot.

KELSIER. Kelsier is by far one of the most engaging and interesting characters I have ever followed in a book. He had such a distinct personality and voice, and his motivations were so captivating. The way his entire plan unfolded was so clever and incredibly impactful. I found myself admiring the structure of the plot time and time again as I was reading. I was in awe at the way Sanderson crafted something with so many layers. I find that plots of revolution and rebellion can often have a lot of small plot holes and feel either inconsistent or simply unrealistic. However, Sanderson didn’t stray away from presenting actual setbacks and hardships. I had no idea how it would be resolved in the end.

I also absolutely adored the entire crew. They were all very distinct, and every character (outside of the crew included) was so fleshed out and different from the others. Sazed especially was such a great addition. I love how no character was ever thrown away. I was worried because with such a large cast it can get hard to give them all real motivations and arcs, but it worked very well with this group. Marsh was one I thought I was disappointed about, but I was very wrong. The entire thing wrapped up so well and was very satisfying, yet I keep thinking about the characters so much so that I am longing to pick up the next book.

Additionally, I really liked the nuance each character had. Especially between Kelsier and Vin’s perspectives on the Nobility. Elend was a great character to have because he represented complexities within the classes. In the end, there was so much to be discussed about the Nobility being evil or where fault lies in war. This book was such a great exploration of politics from a very human perspective. I found it very insightful, shockingly so. I will 100% be reading more Brandon Sanderson, I absolutely adore his writing. I STRONGLY recommend to any fantasy lovers or just readers in general. It is a magnificently crafted story.