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somewheregirl7's review against another edition
4.0
I have a weakness for McKillip books. Her writing is breathy and ethereal, a kind of magic in itself. She always manages to draw me in and wrap the story around me so tightly that I dread the book ending. Od Magic is classic McKillip at her best. This isn't her strongest book but not her weakest either - it's a good solid offering filled with whimsy and gorgeous prose. Highly recommended for anyone that enjoys fantasy and magic. McKillip can be wordy at times and is prone to long passages of description, which in other authors annoys me most of the time, however her word choices and description are so well done that it's one of the aspects I look forward to in her books. I can't wait to see how she has adapted her descriptive style to the individual needs of each book. Od Magic is, not to be cliched, rather magical.
raidingbookshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jeand's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
rachelmac476's review against another edition
4.0
Another excellent Patricia McKillip book down in my ongoing quest to read everything she's ever written, still plenty more to go.
This was another excellently crafted story with beautiful magical elements - listening to the wind to hear what plants require, complex illusions, a labyrinth that helps you tackle a nagging problem on your mind, a door to a school underneath a shoe. At the heart of it, as usual with McKillip's books, are deeply human messages. One is the importance of communicating with loved ones - how everyone wants to connect, to be heard - and how you risk losing the ones you love when you don't reach out across that divide, or are unreceptive to others reaching out to you. The other, and probably the stronger message of the two, is how fear - of what you do not know and what you do not understand - creates its own enemies. When you allow fear to dictate your actions, you can only grow to a certain point. When you set fear aside and embrace the unknown, that's when you are able to move forward and grow to reach your full potential.
It can be cumbersome, I think, to sink into this book at first. This is common with McKillip's books - where there are several perspectives introduced in the beginning and you keep switching along different threads of a story. It can be confusing, but she always manages to weave them beautifully together in the end. I for one didn't quite know how to feel about that in the beginning of this journey but I adored the destination.
This was another excellently crafted story with beautiful magical elements - listening to the wind to hear what plants require, complex illusions, a labyrinth that helps you tackle a nagging problem on your mind, a door to a school underneath a shoe. At the heart of it, as usual with McKillip's books, are deeply human messages. One is the importance of communicating with loved ones - how everyone wants to connect, to be heard - and how you risk losing the ones you love when you don't reach out across that divide, or are unreceptive to others reaching out to you. The other, and probably the stronger message of the two, is how fear - of what you do not know and what you do not understand - creates its own enemies. When you allow fear to dictate your actions, you can only grow to a certain point. When you set fear aside and embrace the unknown, that's when you are able to move forward and grow to reach your full potential.
It can be cumbersome, I think, to sink into this book at first. This is common with McKillip's books - where there are several perspectives introduced in the beginning and you keep switching along different threads of a story. It can be confusing, but she always manages to weave them beautifully together in the end. I for one didn't quite know how to feel about that in the beginning of this journey but I adored the destination.
losthitsu's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very 3 star book for me - I didn't actively dislike any part of the story and it was a fairly pleasant read, but none of the characters or themes stood out in any memorable way.
teri_b's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book simply blew my mind.
I had wanted to read a book written by Patricia McKilip for a while now, and I finally made the jump and listened to Od Magic.
This book was different to what I had expected to find, but, oh, did I love it.
It is rooted into earth/elemental magic and does such an amazing job in transcending current questions into the fantastical, sketching answers, hope, and this ever so often needed reminder of the bigger picture.
I loved it so much, that after listening to it, I got hold of a handbook. edition.
I had wanted to read a book written by Patricia McKilip for a while now, and I finally made the jump and listened to Od Magic.
This book was different to what I had expected to find, but, oh, did I love it.
It is rooted into earth/elemental magic and does such an amazing job in transcending current questions into the fantastical, sketching answers, hope, and this ever so often needed reminder of the bigger picture.
I loved it so much, that after listening to it, I got hold of a handbook. edition.
rozarka's review against another edition
5.0
This is such a quiet book. There is almost no plot, at least not in a typical fantasy way. No saving the world, no battles, no quests. Just small things happening.
You follow a cast of characters (there are 5 POVs) living their life until some things change. Some things make them question themselves, their lives, their place in the world. And that little things, little doubts, little thoughts ultimately shake the foundation of the world itself.
It's a slow book. In the first half almost nothing happens. And then, it's like watching the characters tip few domino pieces and holding your breath in anticipation—have they just destroyed their lives? Is the world going to fall with them? Or, and that's also a possibility, nothing much changes in the end?
You follow a cast of characters (there are 5 POVs) living their life until some things change. Some things make them question themselves, their lives, their place in the world. And that little things, little doubts, little thoughts ultimately shake the foundation of the world itself.
It's a slow book. In the first half almost nothing happens. And then, it's like watching the characters tip few domino pieces and holding your breath in anticipation—have they just destroyed their lives? Is the world going to fall with them? Or, and that's also a possibility, nothing much changes in the end?
elianara's review against another edition
5.0
A really great fantasy story about a magic school. It involves a new gardener, a teacher of magic, a princess who hides her magic, and a magician who entertains in the city and the founder of the shool, the mage Od. Many twists and turns all end up in a brilliant crescendo.
I listened to the audiobook, and found that the story had too many characters for me to keep up with at times. I think I could have a bit more success in keeping them straight in my mind if I had read the book myself. But I still got the story and the fun out of the book :)
tarana's review against another edition
4.0
This was an excellent stand alone story. A grieving young man is invited to be a gardener at a magic school. I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was just too slow, so I was happy to speed her up with the Audible app. She sped up later in the book, so I could sit back with my Echo.