I won this trilogy at a conference in February, and am SO glad I read them. Here’s the blurb to book 1.

Brandon Sanderson, fantasy’s newest master tale spinner, author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails? What kind of world results when the Dark Lord is in charge? The answer will be found in the Mistborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises and magical martial-arts action that begins in Mistborn.

For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the “Sliver of Infinity,” reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler’s most hellish prison. Kelsier “snapped” and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld’s elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel’s plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she’s a half-Skaa orphan, but she’s lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

Readers of Elantris thought they’d discovered someone special in Brandon Sanderson. Mistborn proves they were right.(

My thoughts:
Brandon Sanderson created an entirely unique fantasy world that uses metals and allomancy instead of sword and sorcery. A reviewer on goodreads summarized allomancy better than I can (I ramble) here goes:
“Speaking of the magic that was probably the most intriguing part of the book for those who have read a lot of fantasy and get the same magic systems over and over. Magic is fueled by trace minerals that are ingested by those with the power. A Misted can only ingest one type of metal but a Mistborn can take as many trace minerals as desired (there are a standard 8 with some surprises). Mistborn are rare even in the nobility and as a result are highly prized by the powerful”

The plot had so many twists and turns that I felt out of breath when I finished. I took a LONG break between book two and three because I knew once I picked book three up, I wouldn’t be able to put it down.

I loved the people in his world, and the ending was perfect. I could almost hear Kelsier saying “there’s always another secret” as I turned the last page. Even little inconsistencies I’d picked up on through the series (how would super enhanced eye sight help you see through mist exactly?) were answered. I will admit that I saw the end coming for books two and three, but knowing it was coming only made me more anxious to get there. It was great anticipation. I really enjoyed these books, and I think most of my readers would really enjoy it too.

Hollywood movie star Lawton Fletcher has come to tiny Warrendale, Georgia, with plans to buy the entire town. Instead, when attorney Tammi Randall and her friend Mitch Griffeth arrive to keep an appointment with Fletcher, they find him shot to death. To the police, the obvious culprit is Freddy Meadows, a local man known to be violent. Tammi is less than impressed by the unappealing Meadows, but believing he is innocent, she agrees to represent him on behalf of the Legal Aid Society. Investigating Fletcher’s background for other possible suspects, Tammi travels to the fleshpots of Los Angeles and New Orleans, but the clues she finds lead her back to Georgia. There, the young lawyer and her friends uncover corruption among government officials and an ever-widening list of suspects, including Warrendale’s police chief, the sheriff, the county commissioner, a Dixie Mafia king-pin, a Satan-worshiping teenager, and a migrant worker. Is the handsome young Warrendale heir among them? She very much hopes not. Tammi desperately needs to find the one among them who actually killed Lawton Fletcher–and learn whether it’s the same person making death threats to her.

My thoughts:

A very entertaining read with a mystery that kept me guessing. The book was also unexpectedly funny. I’m not used to so much humor popping up in mysteries, but it really worked. I found myself laughing out loud in a lot of places. There was a character who did impressions that, handled by any other author, would have been too much, but Wyrick made it work. The title had me worrying there would be major religious overtones (nothing against religious overtones, just started more than one book that had a great plot devolve into a long sermon) but that really wasn’t a factor. Great read.

When it happens to you, you will be surprised. That thing they say about how you knew all the time, but just weren’t facing it? That might be the case, but nevertheless, there you will be.

Molly Ringwald mines the complexities of modern relationships in this gripping and nuanced collection of interlinked stories. Writing with a deep compassion for human imperfection, Ringwald follows a Los Angeles family and their friends and neighbors while they negotiate the hazardous terrain of everyday life–revealing the deceptions, heartbreak, and vulnerability familiar to us all.

In “The Harvest Moon,” a stay-at-home mom grapples with age, infertility, and an increasingly distant husband. In “Ursa Minor,” a former children’s television star tries to rebuild his life after being hospitalized for “exhaustion.” An elderly woman mourns the loss of her husband and her estranged relationship with her daughter in “The Little One.” In “My Olivia,” a single mother finds untapped reserves of strength to protect her flamboyant six-year-old son who wishes only to wear dresses and be addressed as Olivia. And in the devastating title story, a betrayed wife chronicles her pain and alienation, leading to an eviscerating denouement.

My review:

As the lives of these characters converge and diverge in unexpected ways, Ringwald reveals a startling eye for the universality of loss, love, and the search for connection. An unflinching yet poignant examination of the intricacies of the human heart, When It Happens to You is an auspicious literary debut.

This was a book club book from my Mom’s group, so it wasn’t my typical read. I enjoyed it enough. My favorite story was “My Olivia.” I’ve found I really enjoy reading about children or young adults struggling with gender identity. Ringwald handles the story with sympathy and tact, I didn’t feel like she was pushing an agenda but exploring the life of a very three dimensional set of characters. Another great read along the same lines is

Jack
by Adrienne Wilder. Fantastic book. This was an interesting read but I don’t see myself reading it again and again.