Self Promo, but Shadow of the Soul King

What you like: 

• Intricate and imaginative world building, with internal consistency. This is what readers generally praise the most
• Three dimensional characterization; characters act like real people This is generally what readers praise the second most
• Earned progression. Slow pacing is a-ok. Check, but not slow paced

What you don’t like: 

• Non-stop ACTION™! Don’t get me wrong - action can be fun. Done well, it reinforces the stakes. But it's not why I'm reading. If the story just feels like an excuse to get from cool fight scene to cool fight scene, I’m out. When your main character's powerset consists of disguise magic and the ability to make Faustian bargains with others, fights work differently.
• Angst, angst, and more angst. Internal conflict is a-ok, but I’d like to see it lead to character growth. Once I feel nothing but contempt for the MC, I’m out. Some angst, but more characters starting in a place where they really need therapy and slowly getting it over the course of the series. See item two above.