This was a very satisfying conclusion to the Mistborn trilogy. All the details of the previous book snapped into place, actions and characters made more sense. I think it's a great third book that makes you go back and think about the previous two in a new light and with a newly expanded perspective. I really liked how Sanderson used the excerpts at the beginning of the chapters throughout the series, but in Hero of Ages they managed to explain a lot of the cosmic goings-on without seeming out of place. It was a good trick of exposition to fill that stuff in without hammering the reader over the head with world-building knowledge. I also really enjoyed how willing Sanderson was to take dramatic turns with his characters, giving Spook, Elend, Vin, Sazed, TenSoon, and even Marsh satisfying arcs that fit with their characters but didn't edge too far into predictability. Even having read the synopses before hand, I was almost surprised going through, but it didn't feel particularly forced (well maybe Sazed a little, but he's a good dude I'll cut him some slack).

I probably would have given the book five stars just for fulfilling my desires to deliver me more Mistborn content, but I think the pacing was a bit off. The "Sanderson avalanche" is definitely a thing, but it was more noticeable in Hero of Ages. For a book that's over 700 pages, all the action of the finale shouldn't be packed into 50 odd pages at the end. It wasn't bad by any means, but I think a more experienced writer (or a post-WoT Sanderson) would trim the middle segments a bit and draw out the ending another 50 pages. It's really a cosmic-scale conflict at the end and it deserves a bigger chunk of the book.

All in all, I really loved this series. I have Alloy of Law waiting on my table, and plan to dive headlong into Sanderson again once I've cleared my reading list a little more. I'm a convert.