O, I loved loved loved this book. It had everything: plots, intrigue, war, world travel, love stories, secrets and a little bit of magic. And the stories of the past and present were so perfectly intertwined, and the mirroring of each other added a little bit of cheeky fun to the story as a whole. Also, I was so glad to revisit some of the characters from The Winter Sea. I really connected with the Moray family and was so happy to be able to follow their journey further (and what an exciting one it was!). And I have always had a soft spot for historical Russia, so it was fun to add that in as well. Plus, I adore a "ruffian" that grows on you as a protagonist male and in this case, Edmund fit that darker role perfectly. I wish he were real. Honestly, this was just a superbly enjoyable read!

And again, AMAZING. I have truly never read books where I am so invested in the characters, their story, the little things. Even the little side stories that don't really matter. I care about every single one of those and cannot stop turning pages. I enjoyed Malva's story and Tom Christie particularly here. And I was glad to see the end of Bonnet. Also, I am so sad that Roger and Bree have left! When they got added to the story, I wasn't sure how I felt about them and preferred Jamie and Claire's story (I mean of course I still do) but now that they might not be in the past anymore, I find I am really upset about their loss! It just happened so fast. I am still loving Ian and I kinda missed Fergus (the old Fergus, his story made me really sad this story). I just don't know how to put into words how much I love these books and these characters. So. Good.

I knew this book was on the bestseller list when I started, but having just read The Goldfinch (also a current bestseller) and not finding it to be quite what people were talking it up to be, I may have gone in with different expectations than normal. But what I came out with is one of my favorite books of all time! This was amazing. The combination of two huge cultures and their historical mysticisms of the golem and the jinn was an amazing feat, along with the more personal combination of the golem's obedience with the jinni's need for freedom. The breadth of the story and what it covered both across time and between characters was beautiful. The relationship cultivated between Chava and Ahmed is just perfect in it's imperfections and developed with the exact right pacing. The writing itself was also gorgeous and I felt as if the story was painted in front of me, a map of the story, like the jinni's tin ceiling. And the smaller stories, the little parts each character played: Saleh the ice cream man, Matthew, the Rabbi and his nephew Michael, Maryam, Fadwa and Sophia wove together with lovely precision and played their parts at the perfect times. And finally, one must mention the ibn Malik/Yehuda Schaalman character. What a creative idea for a "bad guy," the way that he was the same soul, that he would live as the jinni lived, and his part in both the jinni's and the golem's lives. And his end. I couldn't imagine a better finish. I truly do not have words to describe the literary caliber of this book and how it held my interest so beautifully. Masterful.

A thoroughly entertaining and engrossing read. This was recommended to me by my brother, and I'm glad he did. This book had all the traditional elements of fantasy that you just can't do without (the Lord Ruler, the oppressed skaa), but also a good chunk of originality. I loved the idea of an Allomancer, the "burning" metals, what each metal can do. A Misting vs a Mistborn. And you cannot help but love Kelsier. I know that Vin is technically the heroine, but really, I love Kell. I appreciate what he did, his place in the story, and that it was necessary. But damn I do wish he was still alive! All in all, impressed with the story, the characters and the writing. And I can;t wait to see what happens next.

Unfortunately, I was delayed a few days in writing this review, so I have lost a few of the first impressions I had upon finishing. However, on the whole I thought this was a very solid second novel. It can sometimes be very difficult to follow up after the "big bad" has been defeated. And I think the author did a wonderful job with the realities of that. I also felt that each characters' growth was reasonable and their interplay was well crafted. Also, the author was not afraid to add and kill off major players: Dox (who I felt was sorely underdeveloped this book, making his death nowhere near as sad as it should have been), Clubs, Tindwyl, Zane, Cett. And turning the "selfless act" at the Well of Ascension on it's head was inspired, I thought. We will wait to see how the defeating of this new, "bigger bad" goes.

A beautiful conclusion. I will say that the only reason it's not 5 stars is that at certain points, the small details dragged. I understand the idea of building suspense and clues so that when they arrive in the end, the bang is bigger. But I do think a it was a bit too drawn out at parts. However, everything finished just wonderfully. Elend and Vin's parts, and their end together. Vin's fight with Ruin as Preservation. Sazed's religious crisis coming to a head and allowing him to not only have faith but become the God he had searched for (and the use he put his religions to, to undo Rashek's mistakes...AMAZING!). What a twist on the "neutral" gender usage! Marsh's one moment of lucidity being enough, being everything it needed to be. And really, Spook. Period. His rise into himself, his mistakes and the fixing of them, and what Sazed did for him, made him whole again and he was the perfect person to wrap it all up and leave in charge. Just...I am amazed at how everything was able to come right, after all the destruction and "Ruin." Damn.

I really enjoyed this book. Having read The Sun Also Rises a few years ago, and not really being struck by it as much as I thought I should have been, this book really gave it something more. I feel like knowing the background and inspiration make it much more, much deeper, than I originally felt it to be. And in the current trend of books about famous men's women, I believe the author did a great job with this. I felt the emotions and love throughout the book. I felt the changes as they happened, slowly and achingly, and even though you saw it coming from the beginning, your heart still breaks as you see love and life slip through their fingers. This was a compelling portrait of a young artist who lived too hard, and the women who helped him become the icon he wanted to be. And though it ended and both moved on, it was beautiful to see how they started and both became who they were with each other. And though you want to hate Earnest for doing what he did to Hadley and while you want to get frustrated with her for not standing up for herself and letting him run her over, the author made you come away with compassion for both characters. And that is impressive.

Favorite quote: "He didn't know how love managed to be a garden one moment and war the next." Sometimes I feel the same way (though I wouldn't have it any other way) and have never found words for it. This is beautifully put.

Phew. I even knew what was coming and I still had a hard time holding back the tears. Other than the fact that I wish I had been able to read this closer together with the other two (because I think some of the more subtle connections between them went over my head), I was impressed with this final installment. I do think it was my least favorite of the 3, but not to any extreme... Not as much of the mystical here as in the other ones. And I was a bit disappointed in Authie and Leval as the "bad guys"...I think the author relied too much on the widely known atrocities of the Nazi's to fill in the blanks and didn't do quite enough drawing out of their own investments and interests in the Codex. But I did enjoy the flashbacks to Arinius and the original story of the Codex. And as always in these 3 books, so many deaths. Of so many of the people you come to know and love and cannot stand to lose. But you lose them anyways. And Sandrine and Raoul. I loved the symmetry in their deaths so so much. It was beautiful. The perfect parallel ending.