Shadows of Self

by Brandon Sanderson

(138 reviews)

Shadows of Self shows Mistborn’s society evolving as technology and magic mix, the economy grows, democracy contends with corruption, and religion becomes a growing cultural force, with four faiths competing for converts.

This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society now faces its first instance of terrorism, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict. Wax and Wayne, assisted by the lovely, brilliant Marasi, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife stops Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.

Shadows of Self will give fans of The Alloy of Law everything they’ve been hoping for and, this being a Brandon Sanderson book, more, much more.

16 editions

Traumkämpfer reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

One of the weaker books

3 stars

Either I’m getting kind of tired of Brandon Sanderson’s writing style or this book in particular didn’t resonate well with me. It wasn’t boring and the story was interesting enough, it just felt kind of annoying at times.

I must admit that it’s been around ten years since I read the first Mistborn trilogy and while the fourth book in this series worked quite well as a standalone, this one was having a lot more references that I no longer understood. I wish there had been more explanations for those than endless repetitions of how pushing, pulling and metalminds worked.

Of course, as usual, the ending was very well written and made up for a lot of the shortcomings.

NewCountry reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Review of 'Shadows of Self' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Time to read: 6 hours 6 min

Solid 7/10. The entire emotional ending twist with Lessie made it go from a 6/10 to a 7/10. (although I changed my rating for both from 4/5 stars to 3/5 stars bc it feels more right in my head because it just feels like they are on a lesser tier than the books i have in 4/5). Bleeder's character and her interaction with Wax's character was interesting if not thoroughly explored enough for me to entirely love.
Overall same same with my last Era 2 opinion, although this one had more character development from Wax and Wayne.
I am really really interested in the wider cosmere hints in this book though.
Like there is a newspaper article about an alien monster from another world, what the fuck is that??? And hints about another god?? And the metal spike came from a different god?? Another cosmere god maybe??? Although Trell is mentioned in Era 1, so maybe just another god on the planet. But still, hype.

Overall, probably enjoyed the first book more because the setting and characters were fresh and the allomancy fights and shenanigans were more fun in that book, but this one probably has the better (if less epic) ending and character writing. It definitely feels like a "build up arc" ngl though.

Eric reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Very good but not the best in the series

4 stars

Very enjoyable read, builds on series. Didn’t quite capture the scope of the original trilogy.

Chris Young reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson

Probably unnecessary

2 stars

I really enjoyed the original Mistborn trilogy. I read the first book of this second trilogy quite some time ago and wasn't keen. I then picked this up cheap and thought I'd give it a chance. I was disappointed. I'm not sure if it's just that too much time has passed between reading the original books (or indeed the first of this new set) meant I didn't understand the references, or the fact time has passed in the series itself and the setting (a sort of wild west/industrial age) doesn't appeal to me as much. I'm not against fantasy set in more modern time periods, this just didn't interest me much. I'd even go as far as to say I found it quite dull and didn't really care what happened to the characters. It's a shame as I usually enjoy the author's output.

Radio reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Review of 'Shadows of Self' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

Came together at the end

georgewhatup reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Review of 'Shadows of Self' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

As good as the last one but with that extra zing of Brandon Sanderson ultra-plotting leading to characters and events from the previous book being recontextualised in fun unexpected ways.

With literally any other writer you might think he's doing a 'Luke and Leia are siblings actually' kind of thing, but since you know he's plotted out every story years ahead in obsessive detail you can feel safe it was all part of the plan.

Long story short, this book has another great Sando ending.

SaraT reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Review of 'Shadows of Self' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

3.5 stars.

I liked this one more than the previous thanks to the larger presence of Harmony and TenSoon. This helped me out to connect to the first era trilogy that I loved so much. I also like Wayne for his craziness and fun. However, I cannot really connect to the other main characters and I am not a fan of western atmosphere, making my reading experience not as involving as I wanted to.

AHemlocksLie reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Never enough Mistborn

5 stars

Having decided to extend Wax and Wayne's tenure well beyond the initially planned single story in Alloys of Law, this book takes an opportunity to dive into characters' histories and personalities to flesh them out for the coming ride. It's pretty great.

cannotbechanged reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Review of 'Shadows of Self' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I had some hesitations before starting this book, I wasn't as enamored with its immediate predecessor as I was with the Mistborn trilogy. It took a little bit before this book got its hooks into me, but it definitely did. I greatly enjoyed the original Mistborn trilogy, and I enjoyed this book too.

state_electrician reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Review of 'Shadows of Self' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I would say somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. I quite enjoyed it, much more than the original trilogy. I like the characters and the story has the right amount of action and drama. It's also the first time that the idea of the Cosmere, where most of Sanderson's books are set, became even remotely interesting to me. So, right on to the next one.

iamd3vil reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Review of 'Shadows of Self' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Amazing just like everything written by Brandon Sanderson

Alex Keane reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Review of 'Shadows of Self' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I love the ways in which the books of the second Mistborn trilogy reference back to the first trilogy. Sanderson has succeeded in creating religions and mythos based around interpretations of the events of those first books. Such details add to the development of a world that has seen centuries pass since those first books.

I also enjoyed the plot of this book more than Alloy of Law, less world building and more of the supernaturally fueled sleuthing that this trilogy is built around.

Shadows of Self made me very excited for what is coming in Bands of Mourning.

Yashima reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Review of 'Shadows of Self' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

TL;DR It's a Sanderson, it's Mistborn, what are you waiting for?

I remember, with some surprise, about warning people off the second trilogy after reading the first book, even though Mistborn is way up there on my all-time-favorites shelf. So I conclude that this one is way better than [b: Alloy of Law|10803121|The Alloy of Law (Mistborn, #4)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442889632s/10803121.jpg|15035863], because I am definitely recommending this book. Maybe it is dependent on context.

I read, and read, and suddenly it was over. The story flows smooth, Wayne makes me laugh, and it feels so comfortably familiar while still managing to surprise me. And surprise me it did. For a more in-depth review I feel I have to re-read Alloy of Law.

Major, so don't if you haven't read the book:
I think I only suspected Bleeder being Lessie when she first appeared as her, though there were clues before that.

Read, …

cargide reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Review of 'Shadows of Self' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

¿Qué decir de lo que es capaz de hacer este tipo?
En Aleación de Ley ya hizo la introducción a los personajes y la época que iba a usar para la segunda trilogía, que comienza con este libro y se nota, porque si haberlo leído te puedes perder muchas cosas (y además porque es un pedazo de libro, por supuesto).
Ahora a hablar de lo que toca. Aquí, se sube el nivel de la amenaza, de un "simple" ladrón, a un terrorista, pero claro, todo aderezado con la magia que ya conocemos.
Si en el anterior libro Wax era más justiciero que otra cosa, aquí llega a niveles de Batman, volando para todos sitios, peleando donde cae, y en los pocos momentos de pausa que hay en el libro, deduciendo los siguientes pasos.
Como cada palabra más que diga sube el riesgo de spoiler, voy a dejar eso aquí: Wayne …

Sean Gursky reviewed Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, #5)

Review of 'Shadows of Self' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

2022 Re-read:
My life ends up feeling like a beautiful ship in dry dock, built with eighteen rudders pointing in different directions to be extra certain that a steering mechanism is in place.

Seven years later and this book feels entirely fresh. I had hints of story lines that stood out but not enough to spoil what was on the next page. Still a 5/5 book and looking forward to reading Mourning next.

2015 Initial Read:
You are His Ruin...I am His Preservation.

Before reading Shadows of Self I re-read Alloy of Law, I found it beneficial to refresh on a story I read a few years ago. However, I should have taken the time to re-read the Mistborn Trilogy because Shadows of Self pulls up some references from the first three books I was fuzzy on.

I felt Alloy of Law was a solid four star rating but Shadows of Self, in part with its connection to the original trilogy, is worthy of a five. The citizens of Elendel are maturing, building their world 600 years after the events of the original trilogy. The civilization is in unrest, metallurgic ways thought to belong to the legends are not forgotten and repercussions from the original books are bleeding in to the new world, which cranks up the enjoyment factor.

Understanding that Allow of Lay was an interlude between the Mistborn and Wax and Wayne trilogies helps explain why there was more references and connections to the Mistorn trilogy. As this is only book one of a new set you better hold on to your Roughs duster because this story is accelerating, and thankfully the next book is only a few months away!