- Adorkable: Wax's first attempts at being a lawman in the Roughs were hilariously bad. He explicitly got all his ideas from bad penny dreadful stories and couldn't aim to save his life.
- Aluminum Christmas Trees:
- In the series, aluminum a precious commodity, while in the modern world it's little more then worthless shiny foil. However, aluminum was actually highly valued in the past, before better smelting techniques were invented note . And due to its Anti-Magic properties, in this world it has an extremely practical use in addition to its rarity.
- While it sounds fantastical, there actually is an alloy of Cadmium that's sometimes called "bendalloy."note It's more commonly known in the real world as "Wood's metal," named after its discoverer, who would not be who discovered in on Scadrial.
- Complete Monster: Telsin Ladrian/Sequence is a ruthless manipulator driven by an endless desire for more. A rule-breaker since childhood, she became much worse as she grew older, rising to be a high-ranking member of the Set, who recruited her similarly high-ranking uncle Edwarn. Found overseeing the torture and experimentation of Malwish, Telsin fools Wax into thinking that she was an unwilling participant forced by Edwarn, even killing one of her own men to maintain the guise. Telsin ultimately uses this opportunity to shoot Wax, her own brother, when he's off guard. When things begin to go poorly, Telsin promptly flees leaving Edwarn and all her subordinates behind. Resurfacing six years later, Telsin masterminds a plot to destroy the city of Elendel, inhabited by millions, claiming that it is necessary to stop a more destructive invasion from the god Autonomy, yet Telsin ignores less violent solutions, with the plan actually intended to impress Autonomy enough so that they will make Telsin a god. When it appears her plan will succeed, Telsin reveals to Wax that she has always hated him since childhood, and gloats about her success, revealing her to be nothing more than a petty and callous individual who only cares about proving herself superior to others, indifferent to the countless lives that her actions take.
- Even Better Sequel: Compared to the original trilogy, which is already tremendously popular. The writing style is crisper, the pacing better, the characters more developed, and the dialogue funnier.
- Growing the Beard: The Alloy of Law was a solid pulpy action romp, but didn't dive too deep. Shadows of Self picks up many of the ideas suggested in the first book, beginning to truly examine the characters, as well as having a higher stakes plot for a more compelling read. The Bands of Mourning adds more mysteries and gives Steris focus that allows her to really start shining as a character.
- Harsher in Hindsight: Steris's 20-page marriage contract is funny, but it's sad on the second read. Steris allowing for mistresses and restricting the time she and Wax can get to know each other isn't because she doesn't like him, it's because she's afraid that he won't like her.
- It also makes even more sense when you take into account the Word of God that Steris is on the autism spectrum. So being awkward and trying to codify or account for everything is her way of trying to be comfortable with it.
- Ship-to-Ship Combat: Wax/Marasi vs Wax/Steris. Some people like Wax/Marasi for being more developed throughout The Alloy of Law and because they have good chemistry. However, others prefer Wax/Steris for providing an interesting dynamic, and would prefer that Marasi find someone else.
- Which she does, in The Bands of Mourning, and the relationship is pretty solid as of The Lost Metal.
- The Woobie: Though she masks it with a crisp, no-nonsense demeanor and careful planning, Steris is clearly very lonely.
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