The Bands of Mourning starts off with another mystery. A Kandra has been gravely injured through spike removal and Wax’s sister has been sighted. Through flashbacks we come to learn about Wax’s childhood. Surprisingly, he was the good boy who followed the rules, while his sister Telsin was the rulebreaker who took matters into her own hands. Wax feels responsible for her being trapped in Edwarn’s custody all this time, so he resolves to rescue her at any cost.

Wax, Wayne, Marasi and even Steris, set out to the remote city of New Seran to figure out what happened to the Kandra and retrieve his spike, but also find Telsin. They traverse dinner parties, graveyards and other locales to recover that which was lost. In that search metallurgic fights occur and the action is just as exciting this time as it was the first couple times around. With the more confident Marasi and the ever-aloof Wayne, the action is as entertaining as it ever was. Marasi also gets more time to shine as her own character this time around. Though she is more along for the ride than anything else, her quirky personality and understanding of social graces gives her a clear purpose for being a part of the crew. The force of the Set is never minimalized in the story and their influence is constantly felt throughout, giving it a sort of frantic pacing. It does take time to explore the politics of Elendel as it influences the outer cities as well. This gives more of a believable reason as to how the Set have gained as much influence as they have. The new setting also helps it stand out from the other entries in the series.

The mythologized Bands of Mourning are a centerpiece to this story. The Set want them to help them take more power over the region and with recent research coming to light, they seem close to locating them. Wax and company have a limited amount of time to stop them before they become too powerful to face. This, in conjunction with his obligation to rescue his sister, give the story a very urgent pace. I felt Wax’s frustration during the dinner party as he felt that things were progressing too slowly and he knew that his sister was out there suffering. Steris serves to ground him and keep him from making decisions that make the situation worse. The two slowly grow closer throughout this story and really start to understand one another. It’s heartwarming to see a proposed marriage of convenience actually turn into something more substantial. I find this “love story” to be very well-written in comparison to some of Sanderson’s other stories of companionship. I grew to love Steris by the end of this story, and I think you will too.

As another Mistborn era two story, The Bands of Mourning delivers. It clearly defines the growing threat of the Set and demonstrates exceptional growth of its characters to lead up to a final conclusion. Steris is the standout, but the exploration of Wax’s childhood gave me a new perspective on his rationale too. The new dynamic of the crew because of her injection as well as the new setting helped this entry stand out from the rest. You can bet that I’m itching for the next one after this!