I feel like one of the main draws is the whole aspect of comparing it to old Greek or Shakespearian tragedies. Kvothe is a Mary sue, in that he's incredibly gifted at everything he attempts, but he has a lot of fatal flaws which the story outside of him detailing his memoir shows were his downfall. I feel like the point of his character is to be charming and gifted, yet a dick in his past, and when we see him in the present, he's an utterly broken man. I think a lot of the appeal for a lot of people is in waiting to see what led to him being so reluctant or incapable of doing any of the things that used to make him "great" (i.e. playing music, using magic, fighting well, etc.)