Sanderson, Brandon (Warbreaker)

I'm not certain if this is Sanderson's first published book, or if it's the first book he wrote that eventually got published. (Knowing publisher timelines to some degree, I know the latter is a very likely occurrence.)

If the latter is the case, I think it shows. He's working out some issues in print here, in a way that he doesn't do as explicitly in later books. He's specifically crafted a character who has a hatred of people she knows little about. Clearly, that's timely (well, it's always timely, but feels moreso with this administration). I think Sanderson is trying to show how difficult it can be to recognize and work to understand another group of people - without context, without living it, without being deeply involved. That's a valuable lesson, but it's way more overt here than in his other books.

Also, I sure did see what was coming between the younger daughter and the God King of Hallendren, long before it transpired. Sanderson is now far more adept at foreshadowing, again, without being so overt.

And one more thing. Can authors please please please not name characters with the same first letter, especially if they are constantly together in the story? Sanderson does this twice here: Vivenna and Vasher, and Siri and Susebron. Every time I saw one character I thought it was the other of the pair. Just... too much work, man.