Brandon Sanderson's first book (this one, as it happens) was published in 2005. I didn't discover Sanderson as an author I love until at least 2011, when I came across The Way of Kings (which, by the way, is equally, or surpassingly, outstanding). 
 I bring this up because the first time I heard Sanderson's name, it was in relation to his role as the person finishing the Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan's death. Having tried, and utterly failed, to read that series and enjoy it, I casually dismissed Sanderson out of hand as one of those fantasy authors who catered to the obvious, the archetypal, the boring. 
 I can't have been more wrong. The thing that Sanderson consistently does better than any other author I've read is his creation of logical, and frankly believable, worlds and magic systems. You can almost believe that you are in the worlds he creates, and you can understand the magic. It is not some force that is beyond comprehension, or at least not completely. It has rules, it is governed, and the amazing thing is, he keeps coming up with new systems for new worlds! 
 I won't go too much into the plot of this book, because you really should discover it for yourself. In any case, it is told through three characters that are well-fleshed out and the story kept me turning the pages late into the night. It is 'technically' a stand-alone novel, and he hasn't yet released any others set in this world since it was published, but there is supposedly a second novel, following the story of secondary characters from Elantris, set to be released this year. That, along with his sequel to The Way of Kings, should make 2014 a very good year for novels. 
 Enjoy!