**edited 11/28/13 
 I first read Elantris soon after it came out, when Sanderson was still unknown and unremarked. In my library, it didn't even make the "new books" shelf and was immediately relegated to the fantasy section. When I picked it up, the worldbuilding enchanted me and the religious themes resonated with me for years. They say to never meet your idols, but there should be a corollary: never reread a book that you passionately loved when you were younger. All too often, a little of the shine rubs off on reread. 
 Due to my disapproval of GR's new and rather subjective review deletion policy, 
 The rest of my (rather verbose) review is posted over here at Booklikes.