Published: May 14th, 2013
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 378
More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.
As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students learn the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing—kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery—one that will change Rithmatics—and their world—forever.
I just don’t even know where to start with this book. Once again Brandon Sanderson manages to draw me into his world within mere sentences of the first chapter. I can’t even properly explain why Sanderson’s writing gets me so worked up, all I know is that it never fails.
I didn’t think that I would end up liking this book, because I knew it was written for a slightly younger audience. I feared that it would be a small bit childish, what with fighting via chalk drawings and whatnot. Fortunately I was drawn right in, the writing was an equal balance of simple and elegant enough that it can be enjoyed through the ages.
My favorite thing about this book was the amount of world building that was worked into the story in a way that worked with the plot. Sanderson didn’t pause the plot once to build the world, he incorporated it into the story he was telling, which makes it flow a lot better.
And the plot, oh my god. It wasn’t mindbogglingly twisted like Mistborn was, nor was the ‘twist’ all that unexpected (well at least for me), but once I started reading I could not stop. I read and read until I was done, and even during my shift at work I was standing at my register thinking about when I could get a chance to read more!
I don’t really know what else to say about this book other than that you should read it, and other Brandon Sanderson works as well!
5/5 Lightsabers.
Darling Bibliophile 