rosann's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting world where the US is a series of islands and chalklings (chalk drawings) can be killers. So many questions... anxiously waiting for the sequel!
saltyreader's review against another edition
5.0
I don't give 5 stars a lot...This is my first book by him. I have yet to read his adult fantasies but I plan to eventually (They’re just so big and intimidating!). Surprisingly, I REALLY enjoyed this novel. A lot of the YA novels I’ve read (so far as of 2018) I gave average to low ratings, but I felt he did a really good job with the world and character building as well as the magic system in this novel. The characters had flaws but still likable. The magic, so cool. The overall story was well written and thought out in my opinion. The story is not lost to romance like so many YA novels (you know it’s kind of there without him having to throw it in your face and it seems to build more around friendship) and they don’t always bicker over dumb YA tropes-stuff. I definitely recommend it!
salsapph's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, this book is really good. I am upset that it is to be continued but has not been continued yet. There are so many more directions a second book can go and I will be dreaming about them for a while.
duffypratt's review against another edition
4.0
Sanderson plays with Harry Potter, and does it quite well. There's a boy at a school for magic. There's a mystery at the school as kids start to disappear. The boy gets involved in solving the mystery, and in saving the world. But that's pretty much where the similarities end.
The magic here is unlike that in Harry Potter. Instead of waving a wand and saying something vaguely latin sounding, the Rithmatic students spend much of their time mastering arcane geometry and drawing techniques. Rithmatics is a way of fighting with chalk figures, and it would be pretty pointless, except that the world has become infested with wild chalkings who have the nasty habit of eating the human flesh that they encounter, and these chalkings can only be fought with magical chalking, or with acid baths. Only a very few people have Rithmatic talent, and the talent needs quite a bit of development, since it is an intricate magical system that veers closely to a kind of alternate science.
Our hero, unlike Harry, is sixteen when it starts. He has a mother. There is no prophecy about him. He's basically ignored by everyone, and he does badly at his school. His bad performance derives from two facts: he is not a rithmatist, and he is obsessed with rithmatics. Thus, the only thing that interests him is something that everyone says is none of his business. As it turns out, he is extraordinarily gifted in everything that has to do with the knowledge aspects of rithmatics, but he has no gift for actually bringing chalk figures to life. So, everyone thinks, his knowledge is basically pointless.
The basic premise is very good, and even better, Sanderson puts this in an alternate world which is cool in its own right. At some point, this Earth veered from ours, but its not clear exactly when or how. The United States is not a continent here. Rather, it is sixty islands, each with its own government, and only unified in some very sketchy fashion. The center of disturbance in this world is on the island of Nebrask, and that's where rithmatists go to fight wild chalkings when they have gotten adequate training.
On top of this, the world is steampunk/gearpunk. Machines are driven by complicated spring/gear systems, including spring run trains and guns. The inventor of these systems was the saint Da Vinci. I don't know if Sanderson picked Da Vinci because his name was recognizable, or if there are specific drawings of Da Vinci's that he had in mind. There is also some mysterious relationship between gears and rithmatics, but its only touched upon here.
The plot was engaging for a YA mystery, and the writing was good for Sanderson. I didn't have any of the problems with the writing style that had cropped up for me in Words of Radiance. In particular, I did not notice any egregious use of adverbs here. My suspicion is that there was more care taken with the editing here. Also, the book had a good deal of charm, and the characters had a bit more depth than I generally expect from a YA book, especially the adult characters. And, there were some genuine surprises here. I won't go into them, but a few things developed in ways that veered nicely from what tends to be required in this kind of YA book.
So, a fun world, with interesting and likable characters, and some unexpected twists, all charmingly told. I will definitely pick up the next installment in this series if Sanderson gets around to writing it. I think he's juggling somewhere around six series at once right now, and I have no idea how he does it. People think I'm odd for reading 4 or 5 books at a time, and he writes more than that, all at once.
The magic here is unlike that in Harry Potter. Instead of waving a wand and saying something vaguely latin sounding, the Rithmatic students spend much of their time mastering arcane geometry and drawing techniques. Rithmatics is a way of fighting with chalk figures, and it would be pretty pointless, except that the world has become infested with wild chalkings who have the nasty habit of eating the human flesh that they encounter, and these chalkings can only be fought with magical chalking, or with acid baths. Only a very few people have Rithmatic talent, and the talent needs quite a bit of development, since it is an intricate magical system that veers closely to a kind of alternate science.
Our hero, unlike Harry, is sixteen when it starts. He has a mother. There is no prophecy about him. He's basically ignored by everyone, and he does badly at his school. His bad performance derives from two facts: he is not a rithmatist, and he is obsessed with rithmatics. Thus, the only thing that interests him is something that everyone says is none of his business. As it turns out, he is extraordinarily gifted in everything that has to do with the knowledge aspects of rithmatics, but he has no gift for actually bringing chalk figures to life. So, everyone thinks, his knowledge is basically pointless.
The basic premise is very good, and even better, Sanderson puts this in an alternate world which is cool in its own right. At some point, this Earth veered from ours, but its not clear exactly when or how. The United States is not a continent here. Rather, it is sixty islands, each with its own government, and only unified in some very sketchy fashion. The center of disturbance in this world is on the island of Nebrask, and that's where rithmatists go to fight wild chalkings when they have gotten adequate training.
On top of this, the world is steampunk/gearpunk. Machines are driven by complicated spring/gear systems, including spring run trains and guns. The inventor of these systems was the saint Da Vinci. I don't know if Sanderson picked Da Vinci because his name was recognizable, or if there are specific drawings of Da Vinci's that he had in mind. There is also some mysterious relationship between gears and rithmatics, but its only touched upon here.
The plot was engaging for a YA mystery, and the writing was good for Sanderson. I didn't have any of the problems with the writing style that had cropped up for me in Words of Radiance. In particular, I did not notice any egregious use of adverbs here. My suspicion is that there was more care taken with the editing here. Also, the book had a good deal of charm, and the characters had a bit more depth than I generally expect from a YA book, especially the adult characters. And, there were some genuine surprises here. I won't go into them, but a few things developed in ways that veered nicely from what tends to be required in this kind of YA book.
So, a fun world, with interesting and likable characters, and some unexpected twists, all charmingly told. I will definitely pick up the next installment in this series if Sanderson gets around to writing it. I think he's juggling somewhere around six series at once right now, and I have no idea how he does it. People think I'm odd for reading 4 or 5 books at a time, and he writes more than that, all at once.
lauribooks's review against another edition
4.0
3,75
Dicen que es de lo peor o lo menos bueno que tiene el autor, pero a mí me ha gustado mucho y me ha sorprendido un montón. El sistema de magia es muy curioso y original y la trama es entretenida y no decae nunca. Es verdad que cuenta poco del mundo creado, pero espero que el autor lo solucione en los próximos libros, si es que algún día se decide a continuar con esta serie.
Lo menos reseñable en mi opinión son los personajes, es lo más flojo de la novela, y aún así he disfrutado mucho de sus aventuras. Aunque es verdad que parecían más pequeños, según el libro tienen 16 y yo les habría echado 13 o 14 años perfectamente.
Estoy deseando seguir leyendo más del autor.
Dicen que es de lo peor o lo menos bueno que tiene el autor, pero a mí me ha gustado mucho y me ha sorprendido un montón. El sistema de magia es muy curioso y original y la trama es entretenida y no decae nunca. Es verdad que cuenta poco del mundo creado, pero espero que el autor lo solucione en los próximos libros, si es que algún día se decide a continuar con esta serie.
Lo menos reseñable en mi opinión son los personajes, es lo más flojo de la novela, y aún así he disfrutado mucho de sus aventuras. Aunque es verdad que parecían más pequeños, según el libro tienen 16 y yo les habría echado 13 o 14 años perfectamente.
Estoy deseando seguir leyendo más del autor.
especiallybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Creating a world that with more exploration could rival that other great series set in a school of magic and mystery, Sanderson hits a home run with The Rithmatist. Chalk drawings were never more scary than the way they are presented here, but those same drawings also leave the reader with great hope that their mysteries will be further explored in future novels. Sanderson creates a great read for both sexes here and throws in the occasional twist and turn to rank up there with some of the best middle grade and young adult fiction. Definitely looking forward to the next journey into this place of magic, math, and chalk.
kxu65's review against another edition
4.0
The book reminds me a lot of the first Harry Potter.
Also I feel sad that his other Young Adult novel, [b:Steelheart|17182126|Steelheart (Reckoners, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1357576738s/17182126.jpg|21366540] is being read a lot more. This may have to do in part I think Tor is not thought of as a publisher of Young Adult novels.
Also I feel sad that his other Young Adult novel, [b:Steelheart|17182126|Steelheart (Reckoners, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1357576738s/17182126.jpg|21366540] is being read a lot more. This may have to do in part I think Tor is not thought of as a publisher of Young Adult novels.
thechaoshour's review against another edition
5.0
Quick thoughts:
1. The first thing this book reminds me of is Harry Potter. I'm not even sure why but it has some similar aspects.
2. I lived the characters. They were different, funny and entertaining all the time.
3. I loved how the bad guy wasn't who you expected but was at the same time. If you read it you know what I'm talking about.
4. The set up for the next book was excellent. I can't wait to see what happens next.
5. The world created in this book was really unique. I liked all the little drawings and details the author have you about chalk drawing. It made it that much more fun to read.
1. The first thing this book reminds me of is Harry Potter. I'm not even sure why but it has some similar aspects.
2. I lived the characters. They were different, funny and entertaining all the time.
3. I loved how the bad guy wasn't who you expected but was at the same time. If you read it you know what I'm talking about.
4. The set up for the next book was excellent. I can't wait to see what happens next.
5. The world created in this book was really unique. I liked all the little drawings and details the author have you about chalk drawing. It made it that much more fun to read.
juliahoermayer's review against another edition
4.0
There's a funny story how I got hold of this book:
I absolutely loved The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (best book eveeeer), so I wanted to buy this book as well. But since I hadn't finished the Mistborn series yet and had so many books to read at home, I didn't buy it right away but put it on the wishlist on Thalia (German bookstore that's most popular and famous here and that we always go to).
Some day I saw it lying on our kitchen table. I thought that my mum must have bought it to gift it to me. There wouldn't have had to be a special occasion, we buy new books on a regular basis (lucky me). But then a couple days later she told me about this amazing book that she had read. She saw it on the wishlist and despite not being able to recall when she'd put it there, she bought it. And loved it. Turned out, she had bought The Rithmatist for herself and greatly enjoyed it! :-DDD
So now, a couple of months later, I read it too. I definitely enjoyed it and there's just this thing about Sanderson where you totally trust him to write a great book. He writes so naturally that you believe every word. I really really liked this book but I didn't think it could compete with The Final Empire. Don't get me wrong, it was great and I wouldn't change a thing about it but it just didn't overwhelm me like The Final Empore for example did.
As you'll be able to see in my udates, I - again - didn't see the ending coming. But apart from that I feel like it wasn't as thrilling or as strategic as I might have hoped. He focused more on the world than on the crime in my opinion but that's great too. And obviously, he came up with a super unique and interesting idea.
Sooooo looking forward to the next part!!!
updates:
page 0:
"So there's a funny story about how I got hold of this book. I love Sanderson und at some time put this book on the wishlist of an online book store. Months later it lay on our kitchen table. I thought mum had bought it for me as a gift, then she told me about this amazing book she was reading she'd found on the wishlist though she couldn't recall ever putting it there."
page 155:
"That's so sweet
I knew they were going to become friends"
page 188:
"I love that she's paying for him
But the dollar being worth so much is weird, I'm wondering what that's about"
page 238:
"I don't think Melody's the Scribbler but it's always a bad idea to write off people too hastily"
page 256:
"It looks a lot like York was behind the kidnappings and murders
Joel shouldn't speak so openly even when it's the principal
Things I found suspicious:
York asking Joel
pretending that he had already talked to Fitch and Harding
saying "that's all I wanted to know"
pretending to have suspected Nalizar as well
They always do that in books! (I could be wrong though)"
page 258:
"Or not" (I meant that he wasn't the Scribbler)
page 351:
"So that was fun"
I absolutely loved The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (best book eveeeer), so I wanted to buy this book as well. But since I hadn't finished the Mistborn series yet and had so many books to read at home, I didn't buy it right away but put it on the wishlist on Thalia (German bookstore that's most popular and famous here and that we always go to).
Some day I saw it lying on our kitchen table. I thought that my mum must have bought it to gift it to me. There wouldn't have had to be a special occasion, we buy new books on a regular basis (lucky me). But then a couple days later she told me about this amazing book that she had read. She saw it on the wishlist and despite not being able to recall when she'd put it there, she bought it. And loved it. Turned out, she had bought The Rithmatist for herself and greatly enjoyed it! :-DDD
So now, a couple of months later, I read it too. I definitely enjoyed it and there's just this thing about Sanderson where you totally trust him to write a great book. He writes so naturally that you believe every word. I really really liked this book but I didn't think it could compete with The Final Empire. Don't get me wrong, it was great and I wouldn't change a thing about it but it just didn't overwhelm me like The Final Empore for example did.
As you'll be able to see in my udates, I - again - didn't see the ending coming.
Spoiler
He didn't choose the most obvious way but neither the least obvious because that in a way would have been too obvious as well. But it all made sense. And then he did change to the most obvious option because we - as readers - never would have thought he'd go there .... genius!Sooooo looking forward to the next part!!!
updates:
page 0:
"So there's a funny story about how I got hold of this book. I love Sanderson und at some time put this book on the wishlist of an online book store. Months later it lay on our kitchen table. I thought mum had bought it for me as a gift, then she told me about this amazing book she was reading she'd found on the wishlist though she couldn't recall ever putting it there."
page 155:
"That's so sweet
I knew they were going to become friends"
page 188:
"I love that she's paying for him
But the dollar being worth so much is weird, I'm wondering what that's about"
page 238:
"I don't think Melody's the Scribbler but it's always a bad idea to write off people too hastily"
page 256:
"It looks a lot like York was behind the kidnappings and murders
Joel shouldn't speak so openly even when it's the principal
Things I found suspicious:
York asking Joel
pretending that he had already talked to Fitch and Harding
saying "that's all I wanted to know"
pretending to have suspected Nalizar as well
They always do that in books! (I could be wrong though)"
page 258:
"Or not" (I meant that he wasn't the Scribbler)
page 351:
"So that was fun"