Kudos to Brandon Sanderson for writing a stellar fantasy novel without relying on the Tolkien fantasy tropes. This world is vast and varied. The races are unique, and the characters are complex. The first novel serves the dual-purpose of both building the world and moving the action along sufficiently. After I finished the book, I immediately bought the second one. I’m invested in the characters, and already coming up with my own theories about how some of the stories play out. Even for some of the more predictable plot lines, I still enjoyed the suspense and the drama involved in drawing out what seemed inevitable. But still, many things caught me by surprise and made for a great plot twist. It’s an excellent start to the series.
