The Rithmatist
(Rithmatist, Book One)
A BookBud Review
By Brandon Sanderson
Finished 01-28-2020
Genre: Fantasy
Basic Plot: Joel wants to be a Rithmatist, he wants to battle the wild Chalklings and he knows defense drawings better than nearly any other Rithmatist on campus. There’s just one problem, Joel can never be a Rithmatist. But he won’t give up fully. He still pursues the possibility and finds himself doing his summer studies under the watch of a very established Rithamtic defense professor alongside another student who needs remedial training. The school however, may be under attack. Strong Rithmatist students are leaving campus and never coming back, something strange is happening and Joel along with the professor and some unsolicited help from the other student being tutored, have to figure out just what exactly is happening.
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 3/5
Plot Interest: 4/5
Creativity: 5/5
Young, but very fun. It was typical Sanderson, a lot of build, a lot of information slowly leaked to give pieces of the puzzle one at a time, but younger and a little easier to expect than normal Sanderson fashion. It’s written for middlegrade-YA readers but I think still gave me an interesting read. Sanderson never seems to lack creativity in his plot lines and magic systems, but he also does so with a decent amount of build. I will say, this is probably one of the quicker paced stories but it still take until around the last 50-100 pages to really take off. But as usual for him, once Sanderson starts those head jerking plot points, they just keep coming. The characters are fun and while this book is building the path to the plot twists and turns, you are also becoming very attached to the disappointments his characters face.
I gave it 4 out of 5. It was highly entertaining for the majority of this work, his characters, while young, were relatable in their doubts and dreams, and the ending really packs a punch for you. It was very quickly paced for a Sanderson book and a simple fun read. I love that even while appealing to a younger audience, Sanderson really manages to slip in some strong wisdom via evolving characters.
