An amazing debut I read recently is Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio. I see a lot of influences from many different classic and modern sci-fi and fantasy greats: a little name of the wind, a little dune, some book of the new sun and red rising... But he just managed to put it all together in such a way that it's amazing he wrote it all at 22. Not a nonstop adrenaline rush by any means, but the universe feels so authentic and the main character is the best protagonist I've read in a while.
Edit: and elements of Ender's game as well.