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gs_227's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lexidubbs's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.75
Awesome book. I really had a fun time with this one. The author created such great mental imagery and I created a whole world in my mind
ambrose_7's review against another edition
4.0
Brandon Sanderson does it again, a fascinating world that draws the reader in and doesn’t let them out until their done reading. This book is geared towards younger teens I would say, hopefully Sanderson will find the time to write the sequel because the ending of the first book is just the beginning.
patwebb88's review
adventurous
medium-paced
3.0
This is probably the only book by him that I will dislike. It is definitely a YA book. Instead of spells like in Harry Potter, they use chalk drawings which I just couldn't picture.
midwifereading's review against another edition
4.0
I often don't want to bother with young adult fiction. However, my ten-year-old is now often in the "teen" section at the library. These books require more screening than children's books.
This is why I like Brandon Sanderson so much - I knew I didn't have to worry about anything inappropriate for a ten-year-old boy in this book. Even Sanderson's adult fiction is clean.
Anyway, the plot is classic Sanderson. A lot of questions in the plot, a lot of hints that lead your mind into semi-confident speculation, and then a not-altogether-unexpected twist. (I say not completely unexpected, because I find myself second and third guessing myself constantly, and at one point, often come close to the real deal.) When he unveils the big reveal, it's incredibly satisfying, yet not necessarily neatly tied up. It leaves you with some questions. And I'm okay with that.
As usual for Sanderson books, there is excellent character development for all the principle characters (and even the side ones to a certain extent). The dialogue is believable, and there is enough detail to bring the world of the Rithmatist to life in my mind's eye.
The steampunk, parallel universe, in which the United States is the "United Isles of America," is fascinating! We get to see glimpses of what our world might have looked like in a different plane of existence. Spaghetti, complete with a soy sauce laced tomato sauce, is eaten with chopsticks.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, and would gladly recommend it to anyone with a kid who loves fantasy, adventure, and a little bit of murder mystery. And who doesn't mind some blood.
This is why I like Brandon Sanderson so much - I knew I didn't have to worry about anything inappropriate for a ten-year-old boy in this book. Even Sanderson's adult fiction is clean.
Anyway, the plot is classic Sanderson. A lot of questions in the plot, a lot of hints that lead your mind into semi-confident speculation, and then a not-altogether-unexpected twist. (I say not completely unexpected, because I find myself second and third guessing myself constantly, and at one point, often come close to the real deal.) When he unveils the big reveal, it's incredibly satisfying, yet not necessarily neatly tied up. It leaves you with some questions. And I'm okay with that.
As usual for Sanderson books, there is excellent character development for all the principle characters (and even the side ones to a certain extent). The dialogue is believable, and there is enough detail to bring the world of the Rithmatist to life in my mind's eye.
The steampunk, parallel universe, in which the United States is the "United Isles of America," is fascinating! We get to see glimpses of what our world might have looked like in a different plane of existence. Spaghetti, complete with a soy sauce laced tomato sauce, is eaten with chopsticks.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, and would gladly recommend it to anyone with a kid who loves fantasy, adventure, and a little bit of murder mystery. And who doesn't mind some blood.
lasagna12's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
capgambit's review against another edition
4.0
So I listened to this one and I have to warn anyone wanting to listen to it, if you can find the time to read it grab a real book and read it. It just wasn't the same listening to it. for one the narrator reads all of the diagrams and the diagrams don't make a whole lot of sense with out the actual diagrams. I actually ended up Google-ing the pictures so that I would have a better idea of what Rithmatics actually looked like. For some reason I just couldn't get a good grasp with just word descriptions.
With that said I really enjoyed this book. Not nearly as complex as many of Sanderson's other books but still quite enjoyable nonetheless. Who knew that battles with little chalk figures that come to life could be so exciting!? When I first heard of the chalklings concept it was a little wierd but the first time I heard of someone getting magical abilities from consuming different metals I scratched my head a bit too. After true Sanderson fashion he is able to take an off the wall idea and create an exciting story and world that one can truly love and want to read more.
Only thing I wish is that there was a little more duelling in the middle of the story. Though, the end did make up for the earlier lacking.
Definitely looking forward to spending some more time with Joel and Melody in the subsequent novels!
With that said I really enjoyed this book. Not nearly as complex as many of Sanderson's other books but still quite enjoyable nonetheless. Who knew that battles with little chalk figures that come to life could be so exciting!? When I first heard of the chalklings concept it was a little wierd but the first time I heard of someone getting magical abilities from consuming different metals I scratched my head a bit too. After true Sanderson fashion he is able to take an off the wall idea and create an exciting story and world that one can truly love and want to read more.
Only thing I wish is that there was a little more duelling in the middle of the story. Though, the end did make up for the earlier lacking.
Definitely looking forward to spending some more time with Joel and Melody in the subsequent novels!
peterkeep's review against another edition
4.0
I really love Brandon Sanderson. He's obviously a very prolific epic fantasy author, but I'm finding that his Young Adult stories are a lot more enjoyable than I expected. He stays away from some of the clichés that bother me in YA (overly angsty main characters, Mary Sue protagonists, forced romance, etc.) and just writes good stories.
This one is written at a lower reading level than I'm used to seeing from him but he pulled it off. He builds the world and the magic easily, has a solid main character, and writes a twisty, turny plot line. Some of the inconsistencies (how do they draw so fast? How come the chalk lines never have flaws on bumpy surfaces?) aren't explained in detail but I didn't dwell on any of them and they didn't affect my enjoyment of the book.
Really fun read that I hope a sequel gets written for. I'd love to see more about what's happening both at the school and in Nebrask later on!
This one is written at a lower reading level than I'm used to seeing from him but he pulled it off. He builds the world and the magic easily, has a solid main character, and writes a twisty, turny plot line. Some of the inconsistencies (how do they draw so fast? How come the chalk lines never have flaws on bumpy surfaces?) aren't explained in detail but I didn't dwell on any of them and they didn't affect my enjoyment of the book.
Really fun read that I hope a sequel gets written for. I'd love to see more about what's happening both at the school and in Nebrask later on!
harleyrae's review against another edition
5.0
Let me just say that this book was flippin awesome! I absolutely loved it, I am dying for the second one to come out! So far my favorite book of the year.