The Rithmatist

The Rithmatist
Brandon Sanderson

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 9780765338440
Publisher: Tor Teen
Date of publication: May 14, 2013
Age: Grades 6 - 12
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Steampunk

Themes: steampunk, chalk, elite group, abductions

In an alternate version of our world, there is an elite group of fighters called Rithmatists. Skilled in chalk drawing, their creations come to life to defend and attack, and they’re the only defense against the wild chalklings. Joel wishes to be a part of that group, but missed his opportunity for inception years earlier. Still, he studies them with a fierce passion. When Rithmatist students start disappearing from his school, leaving only a chalk-ridden battleground and traces of blood, Joel jumps into the investigation with vigor. Who is taking the students and how can he be stopped?

Um. Yeah. This book was just really hard to get into...slow to start and slow to build up drama. Probably because the drama centered around chalk. Yes, chalk. What's so threatening about chalk? Still, the characters were good (even if it took forever to go into their stories with more depth) and the mystery was hard to solve. The detail Sanderson puts into the Rithmatist world is, of course, amazing. In the end, I did like it, but I probably won’t be searching out the rest of the books in the series when they come out. Surprising, since I love Sanderson’s other books immensely…

Find it at your library or on Amazon