I was excited to return to the Sanderson world of the Mistborn trilogy- set 300 years in the future from the final events in Hero of Ages. Our main character Waxillium Ladrian is a rare Twinborn, which means he has Allomantic and Feruchemical powers. The former allows for metal manipulation, while the latter allows him to become lighter and heavier at will. He was originally from Elendel, House of Ladrian, but left the city to be a lawman in Weathering (the Roughs). His trusty deputy is Wayne, who has special magical powers of his own. Years later he returns home to run Ladrian mansion and assume city duties in the wake of his Uncle's death. At the heart, there is a mystery that arises dealing with phantom railcars and kidnapping of women and other resources.
I did enjoy the dynamic between Wax and his friend Wayne, even if some of the humor between the two fell flat. The problem with this book for me was one of the female leads, Marasi. She felt contrived and convenient for the circumstances. While she was able to shoot a gun, she was still depicted as weak for most of the narrative. Therefore, she didn't feel empowered to me. She was a law student, so some of that was useful in presenting urban planning and the psychology of crime facts to the story. The most irritating element was the frequency with which she is described as "blushing", or even "blushing furiously". It must have been over 30 times, I lost count. Sanderson even addresses this in her internal monologue- with some comment about how she realizes she needs to stop doing it. Unfortunately, it didn't take away from the nuisance of the constant references.
If you haven't read the Mistborn trilogy, this book would still be feasible with the attached glossary for magical terms. However, you would miss a lot of passing references to the Lord Mistborn, the Survivor and his religion, Terris traditions, and groups of people (such as the Koloss and Ironeyes). Basically, I wouldn't recommend. While I liked being back in this world briefly, I felt a bit letdown. However, if you are looking for a fast-paced action/adventure and don't mind characters that are a touch underdeveloped and have some stereotypical behavior, this book would be a fun, quick adventure.
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