I had a hard time reading the book do to it's nature as a graphic novel. The art work is fantastic and it really helps the story come to life right before your eyes. The book starts off with excitement and there really is not a dull moment in this novel. This graphic novel has a very compelling story with another unique magic system from Brandon. I want to start by saying that I am a big Sanderson fan and I have read the majority of his work, including everything cosmere related. Overall, a good read, and looking forward to volume 2, where maybe my nitpicky stuff will be fixed? Brandon Sanderson is the shizz, so I'm sure this will end up being a worthy addition to the Cosmere. I'll assume this will get better in future volumes. At the end of the book it is easier to see, since it is made of glowing lights, but during a huge fight scene in the beginning I was really struggling to see the sand magic. I suspect the art is where there is an issue communicating the intent, because the sand magic is mostly just represented with little pencil squiggles. *Magic system: the sand mastery thing does not feel well fleshed out to me, which is surprising for a Sanderson novel. I have faith this will improve in future volumes. *Characters development: The main character is pretty well developed, but Khriss, the "mysterious Darksider who hides secrets of her own" felt like she was kind of cardboard. There is no avoiding at least a little bit of exposition, but this was a little heavier than I prefer. For instance, Geoff Johns often employs a "narrator" to fill in the reader, often just the character thinking to himself, which feels more natural than exposition. It's nitpicky, I know, but if you look at some of the most skilled comics writers, you'll see very little of this. I prefer a "narrator approach" to this sort of thing, because I think it's out of character for two characters to be talking to each other about things they clearly already know. In this instance, there are lots of "info dumps" via characters talking to each other, but actually explaining the plot to the reader.
*Exposition: a problem with graphic novels is the over reliance of exposition. *Cheap: a hardback graphic novel for around $15? That's a deal.
The art has a busy quality to it, with lots of pencil shading that makes it look a bit murky, rather than a clean contemporary comic book style.
Not the best but far better than average. The pages are glossy, the print quality excellent, & the dust cover is pretty. *Physical aspects: the book itself is well made. That being said, I was a little underwhelmed on this one. I'm a fan of both Graphic Novels, and Brandon Sanderson.