The author's debut novel was well received by both critics and readers.

received 是动词 receive 的过去分词形式。receive 在表示「对…作出反应」的义项中，指对作品、建议等给出某种反应或评价，常与表示态度的副词搭配（如 well received 表示“受到好评”）。例句中 received 与 by 短语搭配构成被动语态，意思是“被…评价/接受”。