I had to try this one twice to get into it; the beginning felt sort of dense and didn't captivate me instantly. But once I got into the plot a little further -- once both of the central ladies were in Halladren and starting to have their adventures -- it picked up a lot. I really appreciate that both Vivenna and Siri succeed by figuring things out, by paying attention and learning; it felt like they had good character arcs. The color-based magic was a fascinating system with neat possibilities and limits. And the wheels-within-wheels of the plotting and counterplotting definitely kept me turning pages! 
 I was a little less impressed with some of the supporting characters -- Vasher is too much of the early-Aragorn mode, cagey and absurdly competent, and Blushweaver is the kind of female character whose ~powers of feminine charm~ always make me wince. Also magical color-changing hair will never fail to be at least a LITTLE silly. 
 Still, overall I enjoyed where this went and how it got there. I'll probably pick up some of Sanderson's other stuff after getting through this one.