I'm almost done with book 2 right now and think you're spot on. This was early in Sanderson's writing career, and I think these books highlight his ability to create intrigue and make promises that keep you turning pages. (Elantris was a great example of this.) But overall, Mistborn seems to suffer from the other side of coin of his intrigue, namely that it goes nowhere fast. And the writing is surprisingly clunky too, which as an amateur writer is encouraging to see. I plan to move right into Stormlight Archives after the first Mistborn trilogy to see how much Sanderson has evolved in his writing.

You know, I'd have to reread this series to say for certain, but I feel like I am in the exact camp as you, only when I first read it I was still so new to the fantasy community that I just bought into the hype and tried to convince myself that I liked it more than I did because everyone else loved it lololol. Appreciate this review, I hope Stormlight works better for you (like it did for me!).

great review!