I listened to the audiobook version so that perhaps may have changed how I experienced this book, but I loved it. It's a little slow but because I was listening to it, that didn't bother me as much. The character development is strong in this book since it's setting up the series and introducing everything. 

Sanderson does a great job of world building and creating interesting magic systems and fantasy elements. 

I found myself surprised by how philosophical this book is, exploring various themes and perspectives around war, religion, leadership, roles of different peoples in civilization, classism, prejudices, etc. There are different cultures and peoples across the world built in this book and they all have different ideals on war, gender roles, religion, culture, some find fighting detestable while others relish it as their main purpose in life. 

The book follows characters that are royalty and slaves, soldiers and scholars, those that both use and are used. One of my favorite parts of this book was the philosophical debates the characters would have. It was surprisingly witty and smart. 

" I’m not trying to make a point consciously ever in my writing–though I do think that good stories should raise questions and make readers think. " - from Brandon's FAQ - https://faq.brandonsanderson.com/knowledge-base/tell-me-more-about-religion-and-your-writing/

While Sanderson explores various aspects of being human that relate heavily in our own world, depending on what your experience is, the story doesn't explore much in the way of sexuality of the human condition, but Sanderson doesn't dive into this aspect much anyways.   

" I don’t make a big deal of it, because I tend not to make a big deal of the sexuality of side characters in general. " - https://faq.brandonsanderson.com/knowledge-base/how-do-you-feel-about-gay-characters/

I got curious and read through his FAQ a bit on his beliefs. He is very open in these FAQs, answering difficult questions, but explains himself well. He is a Mormon, but liberal in a way. It seems he has changed in the past 10-15 years, and now supports the LGBTQ+ community. I'm curious to see if he explores various sexualities in his more recent books or going forward.

All in all, I enjoyed the book very much and look forward to reading the rest of the series.