This is my first Brandon Sanderson book and I was left incredibly impressed. 
 When I hear steam punk I run towards it and this delivered everything I love about steam punk. In this fantasy novel Sanderson creates the united isles, A group of islands shaped like the United States. He re-creates history of the mythology of the world and it's very detailed but not bogged down. He gives the right amount of detail which is a fantastic craft to have as a fantasy writer, one that I've seldom seen employed. In this world there are these evil creatures called 'chalklings' and they have been attacking people since the beginning of time. Rithmatists are a mix between Jedi Knights, mathematicians and scholars. They protect humans against the chalklings. Our main character Joel, has always wanted to be a rithmatist but he was not picked us a child. He attends a very prestigious high school where the very best rithmatist are trained because his mom is the cleaning lady of the school. 
 Our story takes off when a new professor arrives and challenges an established tenured professor to a rithmatist duel. Other strange things start happening like the disappearance of children. Somehow Joel gets involved to help solve the mystery using his vast knowledge of rithmatics. This is a fast paced book filled with great characters, a solid mythology and the crafting of a fantastic world. 
 Based on my impression of this I am looking forward to reading more Sanderson, he obviously knows how to craft a story and to make it an enjoyable ride for the reader. I was very doubtful about this book but I'm so glad that I picked it up on a whim because it certainly did not disappoint.