The Way of Kings

 The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, 1005 pages.

This book is truly epic fantasy (if the thousand pages wasn't enough of a hint). The first book follows (mostly) three story lines. It is difficult to describe the story lines because they are all tightly tied to the very elaborate world Sanderson creates, but most of them involve strange powers that haven't been seen in millennia, since the Knights Radiant betrayed humanity. 

This is actually a reread for me, but it had been more than five years since I read the book, and I caught so many more things the second time (I was highlighting up a storm on my ebook). I love these books because in a way they feel like a sort of ideal of high fantasy (multiple plot lines, alien landscapes, magic baked into everyday life) but it also feels very fresh and new. Part of that freshness is from how character driven it is. All of the characters are very three dimensional, and most are struggling under heavy loads. I wouldn't necessarily have expected one of the best depictions of depression I've ever read to come from a high fantasy novel. I hadn't been planning on rereading the whole series all in a row, but after finishing this one I couldn't help myself from starting in on book two. There are currently four books in the series, and the fifth book (which is supposed to be the end of this arc) is anticipated next year (hence the rereading for things I've forgotten). I strongly recommend this book for anyone who likes fantasy and has a bit of time on their hands!