The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

More reviews at The Book Escapist.



I was painstakingly close to bite my nails out of frustration by the end of this book. Not because this book is bad, it's really great, trust me. It's just that the thing I've wished for didn't come out as I've expected and I was in agony for it.




The world concept as well as the ideas surrounding the Rithmatist world is very, very original and Sanderson makes sure he covers a great deal of it. Sanderson seems at ease with fantasy and this book certainly does it justice with the complex and intricate rules of Rithmatism.. or whatever it is called.

Maybe I was a bit detached or I was so eager for the plot to progress and see what happens next, that I've to admit I'm guilty to have skipped the circle explanation pages so I know nothing about those and only knows glimpse of those from the conversations in the book. But that's plenty enough because I know Sanderson assumes the same for lazy eager readers like me (kind of paradoxical but I digress). However, I've to admit the drawing and pictures provided me a better imagination when I was reading the book since the whole Rithmatist concept was alien to me.

World-building aside, the characters are also well made. Everyone has their own shades and layers of personalities in them. They're not just some two-dimensional characters. You can actually envision them to be real because they have their flaws, and they're every bit interesting and engaging. Not just Joel, but everyone else that surrounds him.

Plot is clever. Really, really clever. I totally didn't expect the twist of evil lurking beneath evil and there's something more beneath the villain. Or villains. It's still unclear by the end of the book who is the lord mastermind or leader ring and what kind of organisation of menace those beings are forming. And this makes me anticipate the next book eagerly. *winking at Brandon Sanderson*

One thing that bothers me the most until the end of the book.



BLASTED ARGHHH WHY CAN'T JOEL GET WHAT HE WANTS? HE DESERVES IT *FLIPS TABLE

View all my reviews