This is my favorite of the (at least half dozen) Brandon Sanderson books I've read so far. It's got a great heroine, a fascinating magic system, a surprisingly interesting setting, considering that almost the entire thing takes place in one room where the heroine is being held captive, and I was horribly disappointed when I got to the end and realized it was over already. My only complaint is that this is only a novella, because I WANT MORE!

Apparently this is set in the same world as Elantris, but although I've read that I would never have noticed and this is completely stand alone, no need to have ever read anything else by him. Sanderson is really into detailed systemic worldbuilding and magic systems that have rules so clearly defined that they could easily be translated into computer or board game systems. In his full length novels I sometimes find this a little TOO much, in all honesty - while it's nice to know the system is there and balanced, I don't necessarily need all the detail in the middle of the plot. This novella strikes the perfect balance of not going into TOO much detail, and tying the details that are given into the very center of the plot so that learning how it all works IS unravelling the plot and not just exposition for the sake of it.

I would snap up a sequel to this story in a heartbeat, and, although they're good, I wouldn't say that for any of Sanderson's other books that I've read. (Also, if you enjoy the heist-like suspense aspects of this book, you may also enjoy the Rogue's Republic series by Patrick Weekes, which I found myself thinking about throughout this book.) Anyway, if you're on the fence, definitely pick up this novella!