The Rithmatist

Very much a young adult book, but still a lot of fun. This one reminded me of a cross between Elantris and Steelheart in a Harry Potter setting. The magic mechanic for this one focuses around a world where “Rithmatists” (think wizards) fight the worlds battles against a vague evil. Rithmatists fight by drawing figures in chalk that are effectively wards against evil, or offensive. The somewhat short story was entertaining all the way through, with great characters, a good magic system and just overall fun. Not the amazing, tell everyone you know fun, but an entertaining story. I'll surely read the next one in the series when it comes out.

This was more of a mystery novel, than fantasy or sci-fi. I picked it up because of chalk magic but it turned out to be a lot more than that.

The beginning was slow, but really good once the murder mystery started. Joel and Melody were both interesting characters. Professor Fitch was my favorite, and I have no idea what Nalizar was in the end

Good pacing, relatable characters, and a world just a little different from our own. Readers who loved following Percy Jackson or Septimus Heap will enjoy Joel's trials and success in The Rithmatist.

Joel has a lot going for him, but he isn't at the top of the pack in his school or community-the same thing for Joel, who lives at a private high school/college hybrid. He is talented and smart, almost every other person seems to adore Joel. He lacks a certain something that makes him feel excluded in this super friendly world that's just starting to feel a little less friendly and safe. Can Joel overcome his insecurity and be a hero anyways?

Adults or older readers who are familiar with Sanderson's work in the mainstream fantasy genre (Mistborn, Stormlight Archive) may expect more than this youth story supplies.

I think this is the first YA marketed Sanderson that I have read. In this particular case, this still feels very much like any other Sanderson - the YA is probably more to do with the setting and the age of the protagonist rather than anything different in Sanderson's writing style. This could just as easily been a Cosmere book in the way it feels. Like most Sanderson books, the key device is based around some clever ‘hard' magic. In this case, magic is produced by drawing with chalk, but only if you have an innate ability to use it, determined through some test when you are a child. The rithmatic magic is used to fight against ‘chalkings' - wild creatures of chalk.

This takes the slightly tropey setting of a school for magicians, but adds the interesting twist that our main character, whilst being very knowledgeable about the theory of rithmatism, is not actual able to use the magic. The plot follow a murder mystery style pattern with an investigation into a series of disappearances of promising young rithmatists. As with any Sanderson, it is his character work and strong world building that really binds this story together. For the moment we only have this first book in this world, but I am sure that Sanderson will return to it at some point, and it is a fun one to read!