Not flawless, but pretty good. Well-written, fast-paced, and entertaining. The world that’s Sanderson’s built doesn’t quite feel as real as, say, Midkemia, The Land, or even… umm… the world in The Wheel of Time books, but it’s got an acceptable established history, complete with evil empire that’s stood for a thousand years and needs to be overthrown.

The book felt in some ways like [a:Robert Jordan|6252|Robert Jordan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1538507642p2/6252.jpg]’s works, which is probably a good thing given that Sanderson will finish The Wheel of Time.

There were a couple genuine surprises (well, for me) toward the end, and the whole thing felt like it was carefully plotted. Given that the other two books were supposed to have been written at the same time, I’ve high hopes for the rest of the series.