Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

17 reviews

crosbyjaye's review

Go to review page

I just couldn't get into it. None of the characters are likable, the first half of the book spans several years wherein nothing feels like it carries any weight to the story. It didn't feel like it was building to go anywhere, it just felt like the characters were all miserable and nothing mattered. Every time it seemed like something was going to happen, we'd jump 6 months to a sex scene. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

charlieisaweapon's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional sad fast-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

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emoryjoy's review against another edition

Go to review page

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. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookbelle5_17's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Review of The Magicians
By: Lev Grossman
Quentin Coldwater lives a mundane existence, and his only comfort is his favorite childhood fantasy series, the Fillory books.  During his college interview he finds out that not only is magic real, but there’s a school where you can learn magic.  Living a life as a magician might be more complicated and complex than he realizes and Fillory itself is real.
This is a fantasy series that is definitely for adults with its more mature themes such as depression and using magic as an outlet.  All the students depend on magic and use as a way to cope with their problems.  As a main character Quentin is selfish and is never satisfied. He hopes magic will make him happy, but when things become easy for him, he gets bored. He is a flawed character that has main character syndrome as he thinks the world revolves on his problems.  Each character we meet has issues outside that magical world of Brakebills and magic helps them cope.  Alice doesn’t have the best relationship with her parents and doesn’t feel like you can’t live up to the burden of magic.  She doesn’t want it take over her life.  Eliot is a black sheep in his family and as a gay young man he doesn’t fit in with. Brakebills and magic becomes his solace.  Janet seems like an angry, scared, and girl that plays the bitch to survive.  Josh is someone who has magic he can’t control or understand.  Brakebills treats magic a like a science and academia, and we see Quentin’s progress, but it does allow his opinion of magic to evolve. Grossman explores how magic isn’t as a sugary, fun as we think it is. The first part is like a messier version of Hogwarts and the second part is an edgier Narnia. I like how because there are so many stories about magic schools, Grossman doesn’t spend time focusing individual school but treats it like being in college.   There is a darkness and grittiness to this world that is kind of charming in its way.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

iainbertram's review against another edition

Go to review page

  • 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

3.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jess02448's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tbd24's review

Go to review page

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
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

pbeeandj's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-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

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emcbuckett's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark slow-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

2.25

This is basically a combination of Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia except with a lot more alcohol and sex. The author refers to the workings of his main characters body far more often than is necessary or helpful. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kyriross's review

Go to review page

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 or
Fillory
. 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. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings