Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

32 reviews

jmeier's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I would give this book a five if it weren't for the mild to moderate ableism, racism, and overall attitude of white privileged. The characters are all white. The setting is all white. The narrator and protagonist us multiple disability slurs and is deeply judgemental of neurodiverse coded characters. I love the story, but it reads like something from the 80s at points, not 2009.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Biphobia, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

rewt43's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

The tone of the book switches so fast I got whiplash several times.
It feels like the author doesn't know what he wants to write and switches genres multiple times.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Rape

doriandelioncourt's review against another edition

The writing is bad and reminds me of a fan fiction with metaphors that are far too forced. Grossman wins the crown for men-writing-women with his unnecessary sexist and even racist descriptions of the character. The gay character is made fun of for his sexuality and slut-shamed (there are rape jokes made on their behalf). The story drags because of the POV. Quentin is a whiny nice-guy protagonist who feels like an author self-insert. None of the characters are likeable, which wouldn't be a problem if their flaws were a focus of the story. All in all this book is a big cringe fest and I would not recommend it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

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 chest

loochysue's review

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Dang Quentin, you are so needy and whiny. I watched the show before listening to the book, and I miss the relative diversity of the TV show. I hated how the narrator railed on Josh's size, how much Quentin judged other people's appearances, and how pale everyone was in the book. Despite these, and hoping Quentin and Narrator mature in the following books, I do love the universe of The Magicians.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, and Sexual content

giulianac27's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, and Alcohol

ireadinbed's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I cannot in good conscience give this book higher than a 3 rating. Despite definitely planning to read on. 

Lev Grossman is a deeply weird person. There's way too many weird phrases about balls and people fucking animals. . .or being animals fucking. . .idk it's weird. 

Also I fucking hate the main character. He's getting a bit more bearable at the end, and no one says the main character has to be likable(I love the poppy war and the main character is an insufferable drug addicted war criminal), but it's like reading catcher in the rye with magic and I can't explain how much I hated Holden in that book. They are the same. 

I do however love some of the supporting cast and the way that the books never feel like they are going to let you see the point. The only dance around it. Interested to see where they go. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Sexual harassment

lauralintunen's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug use, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Sexism

suzanlemont's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No

3.25

I enjoyed the first 2/3 more than the last third. It starts off as a charming mix of Harry Potter and Narnia fan fiction with a distinctive adult edge missing from those books. But it descends in the end into a bit of a clumsy and less-inspired moral-less Narnia rip off towards the end which made me struggle through the last 150 pages or so. It had some really beautiful and interesting nuggets of great writing and if not totally original then at least curiosity-arousing and entertaining plot devices but the character development was wildly uneven/incomplete and I had a sense the author was floundering around at various times. I couldn't make an emotional attachment to any of the characters in the end.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

manubookland's review

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I wanted to like this book but it wasn’t for me. I saw the tv serie and I absolutely loved it, so I was sooo excited to read the books (because usually they’re better then the serie or the movie right?), but I found this book too slow for me. The real action it’s just a scene of two pages at almost the end of the book! The Beast, the main villain, appears just two time and that’s it?! What? Where are the battles?! 
I wanted more action and less Q thinking about Alice’s perfect breasts! 
Maybe one day I’ll continue the other two books, but for now I’ll stop to this one.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Vomit, and Murder

Minor: Grief