The Well Of Ascension is the direct sequel to The Final Empire, one of the best books I have read in recent memory. Directly piggybacking off the events of the last book, The Well Of Ascension attempts to expand on the world of Scadrial as well as deal with the social and political fallout. 

For the most part, The Well Of Ascension is focused on being bigger than its predecessor; the set pieces are larger, the fight scenes are now full battle sequences, and the stakes are much higher. However, in an effort to support these exciting segments, the pace of the book often slows to a crawl. While we see the growth in power and ability of characters, we fail to see the growth in their characterizations. 

The most unforgivable sin? The inevitable cliffhanger ending.

Don't be dissuaded, though; The Well Of Ascension is still a solid piece of modern fantasy, expanding on and improving Sanderson's vision. The magic systems of Mistborn (allomancy and ferumancy) are still exciting and refreshing and the sheer technicality in its writing is unparalleled. At the end of the day, The Well Of Ascension does its job; to set up the conclusion of the Mistborn series and prepare us for The Hero Of Ages.