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emoryjoy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
2.0
This never happens... The show is better. That may be in large part due to the fact that in the show, you don't get Quentin's inner monologue. If this is what the average man's thoughts are like, then you can have me down as a certified man hater. He is a very sad man who needs more therapy than he would ever be willing to pursue.
I've listened to this book twice now, (it's my cousin's favorite and I really tried to like it-) and I hated it both times. I will say this though, this book accidentally kicked me out of my reading slump. It was so awful that I needed a pallet cleanser and so I checked out all of my favorite childhood series and then was able to start reading all of these other things that had been on my list. I'm updating this review about 2 years later and I have not slowed down my reading since then. So it gets an extra star for that.
I've listened to this book twice now, (it's my cousin's favorite and I really tried to like it-) and I hated it both times. I will say this though, this book accidentally kicked me out of my reading slump. It was so awful that I needed a pallet cleanser and so I checked out all of my favorite childhood series and then was able to start reading all of these other things that had been on my list. I'm updating this review about 2 years later and I have not slowed down my reading since then. So it gets an extra star for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
cambion's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pedophilia and Murder
Minor: Mental illness
tbd24's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I rather like this series, this is the second time i’ve read it and there are just really great turns of phrase in the prose. I love world building and this book embraces that times three, the magic system is cool and complicated and the characters are never just good people. Quentin is shitty and obnoxious but like what 17 yr old “gifted kid” isn’t? There’s a few questionable moments, the author loves to make women suffer viscerally a little too much in my opinion, but at least he still remembers to make them people. Overall, it’s a good read and an interesting series
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Excrement, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail
_nem_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I found this book very odd. There were certain moments that had me saying "WHAT??" out loud. It all tied together so nicely. I wouldn't say it had a happy ending but it was hopeful especially right at the end.
It definitely reminded me of Narnia when talking about Filory especially with the books but then discovering a dark side. There were lots of very odd scenes but overall it had me hooked. I would say there are a lot of points where the plot does seem to grind to a halt and it seems like the book could end there.
It definitely reminded me of Narnia when talking about Filory especially with the books but then discovering a dark side. There were lots of very odd scenes but overall it had me hooked. I would say there are a lot of points where the plot does seem to grind to a halt and it seems like the book could end there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, and Alcohol
lms33's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Pedophilia
meg_thebrave's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Parts of this book are strange, parts are not fun, but overall? I had a great time listening to this first installment. The audiobook is really good; the narrator is sarcastic and doesn’t take much too seriously, which fits the tone. Quentin is kind of insufferable, but I ended up rooting for him and especially his friends. I’m excited to read the next one; I think it’ll be stronger. I really enjoyed the pacing of the book, and the different places the story went. I also appreciated the way the author didn’t shy away from gory descriptions and intense emotions when necessary. Overall, it’s a lot of fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death, Fatphobia, and Cannibalism
Minor: Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Sexism
kyriross's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The story itself is amazing. The magic system is well realized, the elements of the story are wildly creative, and the prose is exceptional. The themes and morals of the story are clear, but masterfully woven throughout so that they aren't obnoxious or pedantic.
The issue is primarily with the pacing. The rapid shifts between chapter-long detail of one event and single-sentence passage of time tends to give a reader whiplash. There also just wasn't enough- of Brakebills orFillory . The other sections were good and valuable, but I wish we had more time in those places.
The characters are also extremely non-diverse, and uniformly unlikeable. It would have been nice to have at least one character who isn't deeply unlikable.
The issue is primarily with the pacing. The rapid shifts between chapter-long detail of one event and single-sentence passage of time tends to give a reader whiplash. There also just wasn't enough- of Brakebills or
The characters are also extremely non-diverse, and uniformly unlikeable. It would have been nice to have at least one character who isn't deeply unlikable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
sarah2438's review
1.0
If you put aside the main character, the book is pretty fun. It's very much adult Harry Potter crossed with adult Narnia. Maybe not always the most original, but if you miss those stories then it's fun to read this twist on them. Really my only serious gripe with the book is Quentin, but when that's your first-person narrator, it becomes such a pretty critical issue. (See Quentin rant below.) I would love to know more about Penny, Eliot, and Alice beyond what Quentin saw and thought of them because they all seemed so interesting, but unfortunately, Quentin is a self-absorbed pig, so they ended up feeling a bit underdeveloped for me. With him aside, the twist at the end relating to the final book didn't shock me as much as I think it was intended to. Twists need some sort of clues or buildup to get you invested and making your own guesses about what's gonna happen, and I didn't experience that here.
**Spoilers**
If I wasn't reading this to impress the guy I'm seeing, I would've DNF'd on page 11 when Quentin says "Unpretty women were so much easier to deal with in some ways-- you didn't have to face the pain of their probable unattainability." (For context: he literally just met this paramedic, who is currently working over a corpse.) Quentin is an insufferable misogynist that gives strong incel-vibes. (His hide-a-coin type magic tricks at the beginning did NOT help that image and honestly made me cringe.) All of his thoughts about women are how attractive they are and how they can serve his own needs, whether that's stroking his ego or being a sexual object. It was honestly disgusting and never seemed to improve. When he wasn't around women, Quentin did have funny moments-- I like a sarcastic douche. But he also spent most of the pitying himself, which got tiring. And yeah, he was obviously struggling with things, like disillusionment, depression, and lacking a sense of purpose. But none of those are valid excuses to cheat on your girlfriend with a threesome, and then have the nerve to be upset with her when she dumps your ass and sleeps with someone else. And when you play a stupid prank that results in major trauma to everyone in the school and the murder of a classmate, just own up to it, and don't move on after a week. God I just really hate this man and did not see any redeeming qualities in him.
Might still read the next book if this guy will let me near it after seeing my thoughts on the first one.
**Edit: He dumped me so I'm lowering my review from 2.5 to 1 star cause let's be honest, that's what it deserves. Don't curve your book review for a man, if he's recommending a bad book then take that as the red flag that it is.
**Spoilers**
If I wasn't reading this to impress the guy I'm seeing, I would've DNF'd on page 11 when Quentin says "Unpretty women were so much easier to deal with in some ways-- you didn't have to face the pain of their probable unattainability." (For context: he literally just met this paramedic, who is currently working over a corpse.) Quentin is an insufferable misogynist that gives strong incel-vibes. (His hide-a-coin type magic tricks at the beginning did NOT help that image and honestly made me cringe.) All of his thoughts about women are how attractive they are and how they can serve his own needs, whether that's stroking his ego or being a sexual object. It was honestly disgusting and never seemed to improve. When he wasn't around women, Quentin did have funny moments-- I like a sarcastic douche. But he also spent most of the pitying himself, which got tiring. And yeah, he was obviously struggling with things, like disillusionment, depression, and lacking a sense of purpose. But none of those are valid excuses to cheat on your girlfriend with a threesome, and then have the nerve to be upset with her when she dumps your ass and sleeps with someone else. And when you play a stupid prank that results in major trauma to everyone in the school and the murder of a classmate, just own up to it, and don't move on after a week. God I just really hate this man and did not see any redeeming qualities in him.
Might still read the next book if this guy will let me near it after seeing my thoughts on the first one.
**Edit: He dumped me so I'm lowering my review from 2.5 to 1 star cause let's be honest, that's what it deserves. Don't curve your book review for a man, if he's recommending a bad book then take that as the red flag that it is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
glowbruise's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
books for people who check the back of old wardrobes for Narnia
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
multiple uses of the r word, fatphovia directed at a specific character, women often described by their attractiveness/ particular mention of their chestlaurenleigh's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Ugh I didn’t enjoy this. I love me a magical school trope, but this was missing all the fun. The story zips through 5 whole years of school in just the first of four parts. And yet the pacing felt slow? It seemed like three separate novels that were pared way down and smashed together. The last part finally got magical and interesting, but I was over this novel as a whole by then. I almost never DNF, but I almost did a few times with this one. Mainly because of sooo many sexist, ableist, and fatphobic microaggressions. It often felt like a Harry Potter/Narnia rip off, from the perspective of a whiny, horny, privileged white guy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexism, Sexual content, and Medical content
Minor: Ableism and Sexism