Reviews with content warning for Blood - Rytmatysta

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Rytmatysta by Brandon Sanderson

8 reviews

sassmistress's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense

4.25

This book made me stay up late to finish it! I hate that there isn't a sequel. Page-turner for sure. The moral lessons for the teenage protagonist and the Mormon-y themes are just a little too overt for my forever shelf, but I really enjoyed it and will read more from this author.

The geometry-based magic system is super unique and really gets into the weeds. Exciting adventure, good vs evil, clean story and good character on display. Very riveting, clever strategizing, and a

happy, then cliffhanger

ending.

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Kidnapping, Grief, War, Racism, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Death of parent, Classism, Child death, Bullying, and Blood

Character Content: Lots of good character in the book. For an adult reader, the lessons get laid on a little thick at times, but they are good. Mostly the sorts of things that kids and teenagers notice/discover and file away, like recognizing which adults have good character and which are bullies/showoffs/hypocrites, or "The Master chose Rithmatists. Didn't he, in a way, choose cleaning ladies as well?" (ie. deserving of equal honor) We also see overt correction from a father figure: "That was not the sign of a boy who was proud of his aptitude. It was a boy who was proud of being better than another. You disappointed me greatly."... "You are young, Joel. Young enough that you still have time to decide the type of man you would like to become. Do not let jealousy, bitterness, or anger be what guides that path." One thing that surprised me was how ADHD-coded the main character is. If you're familiar with the stereotypes of an undiagnosed inattentive presentation, you'll see it everywhere. But this character will also be particularly relatable to young men who just need a little encouragement to apply themselves. Those things aren't synonymous, of course, but this character seems to be both. (It's still a great read even if these don't apply to you!) The MC shows a lot of character growth. He starts out a little self-pitying, makes some short-sighted decisions, spills cruel and careless words, etc. But he also learns from the caring adults in his life, helps his mother with physical labor, and makes selfless decisions to help others. And he quietly comes to a sort of transformative moment: "It's more than that, of course," Fitch said. "Joel, lad, school is about learning to *learn*. If you don't practice studying things you don't like, then you'll have a very hard time in life. How are you going to become a brilliant Rithmatics scholar and attend university if you don't learn to study when you don't feel like it?" ... He doubted those universities would admit a student who had a habit of failing at least one class every term. He gritted his teeth, frustrated with himself, but there was nothing he could do about years past. Perhaps he could change the future. Other content notes: MC's father died 8 years ago, he and his mother are still grieving that loss. Some intense violence for a YA book, though not up close. The monstrous "wild chalklings" tear up flesh and eyeballs and such to kill their victim. This doesn't happen on-page, but it creates a tense fear. Male-female friendship never develops further than the male MC noticing that his friend is actually "very pretty" and wanting to spend more time together. His mother makes a comment about him "bringing a girl over for dinner". I'm not thrilled by the implied inevitability of romantic attraction between boy/girl friends, but it's tame. There are a few comments from side characters like "Fishing, swimming, girls in sundresses on the beach. Mmmm...." or "He doesn't pay attention to anyone who doesn't have a chest worth staring at." LOTS of spiritual content: The magic (Rithmatics) is said to be a gift granted by the Master to some people in a (subtly Mormon-coded) religious ceremony for all 8 year olds in a cathedral. There are prayers, occasional oaths ("by the Master!!", "And Master help me, I believed in him"). The MC sees a spiritual being/visitation that says nothing and disappears quickly. The evil antagonist is portrayed in a demon-possession-coded way, though this is a fantasy world so it's not an exact analogy. Another, longer example: "But everyone knows that ice cream is worth the trouble of being cold. Like all things virtuous, you have to suffer to gain the reward." "Ice cream as a metaphor for religious virtue?" Joel said. "Nice." As an alternate history fantasy, it also goes into politics and multiple religions. The one in focus was founded when the King of England fled to the US and "discovered" Rithmatics when the Master granted him the ability. It's presented as true, with other denominations and religions still in place.

kaziaroo's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

As one comes to expect with all Brandon Sanderson novels, this book has a complex and well thought out magic system which takes a lot of explaining to the reader. For the first part of the book I felt like I was back in the classroom learning about Rithmatics, but by the end I was fully into it and enjoy the Rithmatic combat and strategy. The illustrations were great, especially the little chalkling knights and unicorns – they reminded me of the pictures in Frugal Wizards. I took a while to warm to Joel as a protagonist, but I liked him well enough eventually and I loved Melody and their dynamic together.
There is perhaps too much learning to do in the book before things actually start happening, especially considering the target age group, and the book comes off as a bit preachy sometimes – it's clearly aimed at convincing teenagers to pay attention and try hard in school and respect others. I think it did well at that on the whole but was a bit heavy handed sometimes. It's definitely aimed at the younger end of the YA spectrum.

I really enjoyed the ending although I thought the Scribbler disappeared far too quickly – just one splash of acid and it was suddenly gone, without so much as a sentence to really describe what happened to it! It was quite disappointing but then I suppose it was never the true villain. The last page said "to be continued" but I'm not aware of a sequel yet which is a shame.

I recommend this for Brandon Sanderson fans or teenagers who want to be Brandon Sanderson fans but aren't quite ready for Mistborn. If you enjoyed the mystery and magic at school theme in this book, I recommend the Children of the Red King series by Jenny Nimmo.

Content Warnings

cait's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

leona's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The Rithmatist was another solid book by Sanderson that I really quite enjoyed. I initially thought the magic system, based on chalk lines and drawings, was so bizarre that it could never feasibly work or hold my attention. Yet, as I have come to expect with Sanderson, he just executes his ideas so well. The chalk duels and 'fight' scenes were excellently well done, had high stakes and were genuinely exciting. The ending scene

with Joel and Melody dueling at the melee, was pretty touching and I loved seeing the pay-off from everything that the characters had learned throughout the book.

The general plot was interesting, although I did guess the thing that was causing the disappearances.

But wow. That plot twist right at the end. Nalizar. Wow. Just wow. I can see why so many people have been waiting years for a sequel. That made me so much more invested.

I also appreciated Sanderson including an insomniac in his story, as I am sure many people can strongly relate to Joel's struggle.

Joel and Melody were decent characters, although I agree with other reviewers that they really didn't feel like 16 year olds. They acted and talked like preteens, which made it kind of hard to believe that they could outthink / actually make any tangible difference to the investigation. There was also the scene where Joel shows his mastery and skill in geometry in front of his teacher, and I feel like this wasn't really touched on again. Obviously it helps Joel in Rithmatic drawing, but how did Joel get so good? I also felt the plot was a bit slow at times and I struggled to get used to the weird merging of actual / shortened real place names (Nebrask, Texas, etc.) with the strange history. I may have liked to see Sanderson touch on the gender dynamics of this society slightly more as well.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this story. It is definitely on par with Sanderson's other work, despite it being targeted towards a younger audience - a charming little story.

Content Warnings

handful_of_frogs's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

jarnbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

juliette_95's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

cuppa_curiositea's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed the main characters, world, and magic system! There is still so much lore to explore, and I hope the second book gets more into it. The development of Joel as an individual and his relationships with others were so wholesome and raw. I wish we could have seen his mom in the end scene, though, and his final conversation with Nalizar was, frankly, sequel-bait. I was also a bit frustrated throughout the middle because at that point most of the tension is built on information withdrawn from the main character (and the reader, by proxy). It was overall an incredibly enjoyable experience, despite hitting a few of my writing pet peeves, and I will always consider this reference material for how to build a unique magic system.

Content Warnings

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