The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6) – Brandon Sanderson

Title: The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6) by Brandon Sanderson
Publishing Info: January 26, 2016 by Macmillan, Tor Books
Source: Audible
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: January 31, 2016
Related Posts: Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1), The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2), The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3), The Alloy of Law (Mistborn #4), Legion (Legion #1) & Legion: Skin Deep (Legion #2), , The Emperor's Soul, The Eleventh Metal (Mistborn #0.5), , Firstborn, Shadows of Self (Mistborn #5), Calamity (The Reckoners #3), , Perfect State, Mistborn: Secret History (Mistborn #3.5), Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, Elantris, The Rithmatist (Rithmatist #1), Warbreaker (Warbreaker #1), The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive #1), Snapshot, Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive #2), Edgedancer (The Stormlight Archive #2.5), Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive #3)

With The Alloy of Law and Shadows of Self, Brandon Sanderson surprised readers with a New York Times bestselling spinoff of his Mistborn books, set after the action of the trilogy, in a period corresponding to late 19th-century America.
Now, with The Bands of Mourning, Sanderson continues the story. The Bands of Mourning are the mythical metalminds owned by the Lord Ruler, said to grant anyone who wears them the powers that the Lord Ruler had at his command. Hardly anyone thinks they really exist. A kandra researcher has returned to Elendel with images that seem to depict the Bands, as well as writings in a language that no one can read. Waxillium Ladrian is recruited to travel south to the city of New Seran to investigate. Along the way he discovers hints that point to the true goals of his uncle Edwarn and the shadowy organization known as The Set.

It always seems impossible to find a place to start when reviewing and discussing Brandon Sanderson’s books. I quickly became addicted to the Mistborn series in 2014 and it also opened the door for me to explore other fantasy books and also not limit myself to young adult. I do have to say thank GOODNESS that SHADOWS OF SELF and THE BANDS OF MOURNING were released so close together because the wait is always excruciating. (Seriously. I’m already dying for more.) I suppose the good news it that now I’m caught up on the Mistborn books and I can dive into another one of his series (I’m thinking THE WAY OF KINGS will be my next Sanderson read)!

THE BANDS OF MOURNING really had it all! One thing I kept saying about this new Wax & Wayne trilogy was that I just didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I had with the original Mistborn crew and things really clicked and solidified for me in this book! I had always enjoyed the characters but I felt like THE BANDS OF MOURNING really dug deeper into each character’s back story, emotions, and created strong bonds between each character as well. There were some sweet romantic moments, amazing bromances, and fantastic friendships that I grew to love even more and I loved how well these characters ended up working together. I love books with sort of a zany crew and Wax, Wayne, Steris, and Marasi certainly were an odd group to put together but they blend together so well to form this perfect unit! Wayne never ceases to crack me up and I love the way he plays off of the other characters.

Another thing I loved was how much this really tied into the original trilogy and even things that had happened prior to MISTBORN. There are some deeply-rooted secrets that get revealed and some incredibly world-building moments that always have me wondering how much Brandon Sanderson planned ahead of time and held back. The layers of this world keep on peeling back to reveal more and more and it’s simply stunning to see how much more there is to learn about Scadriel and the Cosmere. It’s also really fun to think about in terms of our world and reality — scientists, scholars, archaeologists, etc are always discovering new things about our history and the unknowns out there in space. It’s amazing to see those same concepts applied to a series! I feel like authors don’t normally go that far into developing a world (or in this case, universe) and I’m so floored with the things that Brandon Sanderson has crafted for the Cosmere.

As usual, Sanderson is the master of huge twists and shocking moments. Obviously I won’t go into detail so as not to spoil anything but the ending of THE  BANDS OF MOURNING is packed full of action, answers to questions, and moments that had me gasping and/or crying. The ending was phenomenal and wait, did this book set it up for a fourth Wax & Wayne book? Needless to say, it kept me on the edge of my seat and cemented my love for this series even more!

Kept Me Hooked On: Book Universes. I can honestly say that aside from some tampering by gods or a science-fiction setting, this is the first series that really explores a universe, complete with gods, creation stories, history, and so much more.
Left Me Wanting More: Swoons? Honestly, this book is really lacking nothing but I can always use a bit more of a swoon factor. I do like that Wax and Steris really start to come together in this book and they’re kind of perfect for each other. They’re both so level-headed and practical that it really starts to fit.

Addiction Rating
Fall in love with it!

The Mistborn books are just phenomenal. I’m so glad I read them and I will continue to put them in the hands of others!

BOOKS LIKE THE BANDS OF MOURNING

(Click the cover to see my review!)