Shadows of Self Review 

In this video I review Wayne - I mean Shadows of Self

"When she fought, she was the blade. When she loved, she was the kiss." Was my favorite quote form all of Mistborn.

I don't know if you remembered this while reading but MeLaan was actually in Era 1! She was the younger kandra that looked up to TenSoon in The Hero of Ages and iirc she helped him escape from the prison.

Wayne chapter were he describes the pub as a church was gold. Wayne mixing drinks, his interaction with Melaan and Wax, the whole thing was just great. I enjoyed book two way more than book 1.

The whole thing with lessie being bleeder was such a heart wrenching twist for me. When he realised he killed her again at the end, was really impactful. That itself made book 2 my favourite of the era 2 books. That dynamic and ending was so tragic. Still painful when I think about it.

If you haven't checked it out, Michael Kramer's Wayne is 100% why everybody should listen to these as audiobooks

I really love how Spook's weird dialect has become the Latin of this world.

Even after reading through this whole series twice now, the scene of Wayne in the bar sticks out to me as one of my favorite bits of character in the entire series. Before Wax gets there, Wayne enters and can feel the tension in the bar ( I think he calls it a 'temple') so he goes around trying to diffuse things. We've seen tensions rising in the city and we've been seeing Marasi and the police taking one approach, but Wayne knows the common man. It might be bandaid fixes, but Wayne knows how to keep things from boiling over for at least one more night. I think that scene, even more than any of his impressions and disguises, showcases that Wayne is observant and highly attuned to people and their feelings and I think that's a beautiful character trait to give an otherwise obnoxious goon. He's a goon, but he knows what he's doing.

I think you missed out on the ABSOLUTE TREASURE that is Michael Kramer's performance as Wayne in this series, because he does ALL of Wayne's acting and voice imitation! It's AMAZING, and I was shocked when I later learnt that Wayne was such a divisive character to many fans, because Kramers performance elevated him in my mind THAT much.

Yes, book 3 does have a lot more Cosmere references. It deepens the characters more, and is the best of the books out. Also, Steris is AMAZING in the third one (and in this but still). She grows to be one of my fav Cosmere characters. I’m looking forward to book 4 almost as much as Stormlight 5

*Gets notification and opens video* *Sees length of review* *Sweats nervously*

the Graphic Audio for Shadows of Self is 10/10. Voice Actor who played Wax really brought out the emotions especially near the end

Just like you can't be convinced that Wayne is a shallow character, I can't be convinced Marasi is shallow. I mean people love Steris and Wayne but I always feel like Wax and especially Marasi always get overshadowed.

The ending of this book left me shooketh! SHOOKETH I TELL YOU!

Thing is, nobody goes into Allot of Law with correct expectations. I certainly didn't! So it's easy to dislike it. Going into the second one, my expectations weren't "hero of ages" kind of high.

I have to start reading Sanderson's work

*spoilers* That twist on the end, who Bleeder was. I literally yelled out loudly NO! NO! It gut puched me.

Michael Kramer's rendition of Wayne is goddamn perfect, particularly with scenes of him switching in and out of accents, or learning an accent.

„I shouldn’t bend this back in front of you“. 😂 Especially the „in front of you“

I'm glad you're reviewing these with a bit of detachment from era 1, I feel like a lot of people end up hating era 2 because they aren't able to remove themselves from the setting/characters of era 1.

So far Shadows of Self is my favorite Wax & Wayne, can't wait for book 4 though! So many possibilities were teased with the new lore in Bands of Mourning, which made the long wait until Brandon prioritized Mistborn again a bit painful haha

I've been meaning to read his books but only recently heard about them. Seeing this video thumbnail by Merphy gives me the motivation to try them out. Thank you, Merphy.

I love how this became a character study, I am now even more excited to re-read this series next year in anticipation for the last book!!

I’m doing a Cosmere re-read heading up to the release of Wind and Truth. I have not read Mistborn Era 2 until now and I’m so happy I’m reading it. I love how things are so interconnected.

I just finished it and I'M SHOCKED. I loved the book, I knew you'd have a review about this. I'm devastated. WOW.

The bands of mourning is even better in my opinion, can't wait for you to read it!

At around 21:30, you say Bleeder speaks with Wayne, but I'm pretty sure it was Melaan who says to Wayne that he is surprisingly wise.

Man, I love Wayne, and I am absolutely ashamed of it due to how many in the fan community have a visceral hatred for him. I understand why, but for some reason (probably mostly based on me not being a woman) I just can't see anything he does as completely unforgivable, but other people's reactions make me feel like I should. So, I'm in a tough spot my opinion towards him.

One fun thing about seeing early Wax and his naive attitude was his later DISDAIN for people like his young self. He had to learn how to be of the Roughs to succeed, which colors his perceptions of new johnnie-come-latelies from Elendel. It’s pretty hilarious.

Hoid was Wax's new carriage driver!

I absolutely loved this one. The ending of this was amazing! But I guess book 3 is my favourite for now because Steris has more page time there but I hope in book 4 we get her pov.

Just finished this. Loved that you gushed about it. I felt the same way.

I just finished this book this morning, and I can’t believe the synchronicity of you posting this video today 😂 At the start of the chapter when Bleeder was making comments that called back to the prologue, my heart sank for it confirming that bleeder was Lessie. It really did fulfill me for it going full circle, and in that loss again, Wax got a sweet moment with Steris. (I have So many thoughts, so this video is exactly what I needed 😂)

I've gotta say, watching you finally dig into my favorite Sanderson books and go haring off on this ramble has been ridiculously fun.

I'm excited to go back and re-read this series in prep for the 4th book.

You are going to love Steris in book 3! She definitely became one of my favorites after that.

I really liked the longer video and would love to see more for spoiler book reviews!

That's it. I'm done. You finally convinced me to get into B. Sanderson. Just started Elantris and it gripped me from the first chapter. Keep doing what you're doing :)

I also really loved this book. I really love Wayne. And I also LOVED the Harmony bit!

Okay, so I love this book and series. It goes uphill with bom being the best imo. There’s so many reasons why and you got into a lot of them. One you didn’t get into and that I kinda disagree with you on is what I’ll talk about. Wax is a fantastic character. You go from idealistic him in the prologue to weathered and beaten down but still trying him in the present. He is a GOOD guy. Which is something we don’t see a lot in fantasy now. He STANDS for something. And I love that. He continues to stand for his ideals even considering everything he goes through. Which is too much for one guy to handle. Also his friendship with Wayne and relationship with Steris (as they both grow and flourish especially in book 3), when adding this with everything else, amounts to one of Sanderson’s best characters. Spoilers That lessie bleeder reveal and how he deals with it in book 3 only escalates this. Everything about him escalates in book 3 and it’s amazing.

Wayne is awesome and I agree he is not shallow. Poor Wax though this book. Imagine being put into the situation to kill the one you love twice! It broke my heart. I love this book best out of Era 2 so far but BoM has the funniest scenes in my opinion. So get ready to laugh and prepare to move Steris to your top characters in the Cosmere list!

I love, love, love that I'm reading era 2 the same time as you! And can I just say how much I enjoyed your flip-through!

You’re reviews are simply the best! Can’t wait to start Band of Mourning soon

I really liked when Mallan (idk how to spell it) told Wayne he’s wasted as a human.

This was one of my favorite books in the series. I loved it, especially the ending. You review reflects my thoughts. I listened to it on audio which was very good.

I'm glad you kept reading after Alloy of Law, it took me a long time to return to era two because the first book was just OK and didn't set a tone that I thought I would enjoy. When I came back to it though, I loved the next books so much

I am ridiculously proud of myself for being this early

"The sanderlanch" got me. You would enjoy reading the mistborn novellas!

Wax is very similar to Harry Dresden, in some respects. One of these days, can't wait to see your reactions to the Dresden Files...

I can’t wait for your Bands of Mourning review.

I always thought the same about Wayne, with wax - everything or most of his story we see it, we go through much of it with him. Wayne hides it all from us too in this funny, joke joke joke guy he is the most days. The depth is present bt its there and it's very deep!

Finally someone other than me who really liked Shadows of self. Thank you Merphy. The end with Wax is unforgetable for me. Stayed in my mind for ages and ages afterwords.

I finished reading this the other day and I loved it! I really like how Era 2 feels very distinct from Era 1, and also just how funny it is tbh. I started BoM and am enjoying it so far. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it Merphy!

I love this book, and i am so happy that you talked about my favorite scene in this book, that is the Wayne in the bar cheating building the tower. I love this kind of moments, and i want more of it.

*orders the first 2 books for Era 2* loved mistborn and your videos have convinced me I need to read Era 2 lol. looking forward to it!

There is some cosmere-y stuff in Book 3, but I think it is mostly Mistborn-y Cosmere stuff, rather than sneaky references to other worlds, so I don't think it should be too much. I suspect you will enjoy the plot slightly less, but the characters more than book 2!

Merasi gets one of my favorite scenes in the entire Cosmere in Bands of Mourning; I hope her character grows on you.

Loved this book! You should love the 3rd book, as well. I did like this one better than the first...I had to put the first one down for a while after I started it because I was originally put off when it came to them using guns and what not...but I gave it another shot back in September and really couldn't put it down after I got through the first half of the book. Thanks for the content!

“Don’t you know you’re in a fantasy novel?!!” 😂😂😂

You reminded me just how much I enjoyed and loved this trilogy also!!

What a coincidence! I also finished this book last night lol I liked a lot, Wayne is my favorite caracter by far, and I also love the Kandra Society. I on the other hand love all those little Cosmere hints (don’t know if you saw it, but in the scene that Wax talks to Harmony for the first time, the name of the coach driver is Hoid 👀). I’m starting the next one today and will be looking forward for your review. I’m also waiting for a Hero of Ages review :)

I was blown by the Lessie storyline, one of my fave twists of the Cosmere books so far. I read the Jak novella (first time I hate something from BS, but insights were fun), so look forward to deepening the universe. I just started the next book, early allusions to bunnies had me giggling, Wayne is a masterclass in doing lowkey humour. ❤️

wow awesome timing I just finished this a few days ago

I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts! I was emotionally reeling for a day after the climax of this book. After Bands of Mourning, will you read Mistborn Secret History? It’s definitely the most Cosmere-focussed story of all, which for me was the best thing possible. I’m just so excited to hear your thoughts on a story like that. Also, I just wanted to share that some of my favourite moments in Shadows of Self were the interactions between MeLaan and the Police Superintendent (can’t remember his name). I laughed so hard every time they met!

This book really stepped up it's game from Alloy of Law, glad you enjoyed it so much. One note, it takes place 300 years later, not 500. I believe this will become relevant because it's set roughly 10ish years (we don't have an exact timeline) after Stormlight era 1.

I love era 2 SO Much! I cannot recommend enough to listening to them on audible.

Also MeLaan and Wayne's relationship is adorable!!!

Loved book 2, book 3 was my favorite so far.

Wayne is very much the Xander Harris of Mistborn, in that he's a completely innocuous character who the fandom shits on for deadass no reason.

Loved Book 2! You know I watched the spoiler free section of this video. Then stopped it and decided to read AoL and SoS just so I could return to watch the spoiler section 😂 thanks for the suggestion. *Spoiler warning* I was able to guess about the governor being the Kandra before the reveal but, like you, did not at all predict the final bomb shell about Lessie. That hit me hard. The anguish Brandon conveyed in the final scenes with Wax was heart wrenching.

I'd suggest picking up the audiobooks, you'll get all the Wayne accents and the shenanigans.

Can't wait for friday

Oh, don’t worry. There’s a lot more of Steris in The Bands of Mourning. She’s my favorite and I love her. Also, I feel like the second era books just get progressively better with each one as you get to know the characters more.

I read all 6 mistborn one after the other one month at a time (if that makes sense). It was in fact you Merph that got me onto The Final Empire. I was not aware at that time that books 3 & 4 were 2 different eras and that annoyed me a little. Anyway I totally get why your saying that this book is a step up from Alloy. I gave Alloy 3 stars, Shadows 4 stars and Bands 5 stars so I can't wait to see what you think of bands. Xoxo.

I'm so glad you loved book 2. It's my favourite era 2 book so far (even though the third book is a close second) and so many people don't like it.

6:19 May Harmony - nay, may all the Shards of Adonalsium - have mercy on your soul.

Glad that you like what you read.

I read all of Mistborn era 1 and 2 back to back and they kinda blurred together for me so thanks for helping me remember how good this book was!

Subbed for the One Piece vids, stayed for the excellent content in general!

The fact that a good 15 minutes of this review is about Wayne is 👌

Sanderlanch? I always called it the Sanderslide.

Just finished reading this book, and I thought it was great.

Wow. I finished this book just today.

I've heard somewhere that Alloy of Law was supposed to be a novella at first but somehow turned into a full book (because Sanderson can't keep it short). But it helps me to look at it like that, and then Shadows of Self is really the start of the series, which makes more sense

I loved Wayne and forgave his failings until the beginning of book 3, so I'll wait until Merph has read that to discuss him (how'd she not mention the bar scene!) Sazed was my favorite Era 1 character, love seeing him in his new role Love the ending and what a gut punch it is My favorite of the 3

Shadows of Self is a step above the rest of Era 2. It's definitely in the same league as the original trilogy. I love it.

Please do a warbreaker review 🥺🥺🥺

I trust you the most for book reviews because you read very critically

Book 2 made me fall in love with Lessie, and book 3 made me fall in love with Steris. Book 3 justified every single complaint I ever had about Steris.

Yeah I never understood the dislike for this book. One of my favorite Sanderson twists

i sadly listened to this one first, and was SOOO confused TwT.

Hello Merphy! I know you have a long list of books to read, but I have an amazing manga to recommend to you. It's called "To your eternity" by the author that wrote "A silent voice". I cried in the firsts chapters and the rest of the history won't disappoint you.

You'll get the Steris attention you need in book 3. Sanderson's got you there. :)

No one: Merphy every review video: 5:28

The bands of mourning has a LOT more of steris and melaan

All I need to know to love an Era 2 book is whether Wayne is in it or not, everything else is irrelevant. He's one of the best characters in Sandersons work.

I like era 2 over era 1.I love both, but just prefer era 2. It may not be as minority of an opinion as everyone thinks.

Miss Merphy may I ask where's your Hero of Ages review?😭 I enjoyed your Mistborn FE and WOA but there was no HOA. Was it taken down?

Era 2 has to be the hardest Sanderson series for me to get through

I liked era 2 more and i'm Expecting the 4th book. I hope Brandon doesn't dissapoint.