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itsnotalakeitsanocean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A solid 3 star book. I did find myself skimming a lot of the plot because it went on for a bit too long sometimes. Also the use of snarky in-character footnotes by Bartimeus was good when used appropriately but their overall use throughout the book was a bit excessive.
Re-reading this now, I think I'm a bit too old to properly enjoy this book fully but this would be a good book for a teen who wanted to get into reading darker books without smut or overtly graphic violence.
Re-reading this now, I think I'm a bit too old to properly enjoy this book fully but this would be a good book for a teen who wanted to get into reading darker books without smut or overtly graphic violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, and Slavery
Moderate: Violence, Death, Murder, and Bullying
Minor: Body horror
avsdhpn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-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? No
4.0
Another strangely addictive read. The story of a djinn and an apprentice magician as they snark back and forth while trying to uncover the mysteries surrounding the named amulet and the magician who has it in their possession. The narrative is split between a third person chapters that focus on Nathaniel and first person chapters from the perspective of Bartimaeus, complete with all his witty self-referential footnotes. Bartimaeus as a character is what makes the book hard to put down.
Very good world building. This almost feels like a cynical answer to Rowling's Harry Potter Universe where Magicians rule over "commoners" (or non-magical folk) in an almost mundane dystopia. Unwanted children are sold to the government to be trained as apprentices to begrudging masters. Magic is not innate to the caster; rather, it takes practice and knowledge to summon demonic spirits to do one's bidding and weave webs of spells to ensure the entities don't double cross them.
Very good world building. This almost feels like a cynical answer to Rowling's Harry Potter Universe where Magicians rule over "commoners" (or non-magical folk) in an almost mundane dystopia. Unwanted children are sold to the government to be trained as apprentices to begrudging masters. Magic is not innate to the caster; rather, it takes practice and knowledge to summon demonic spirits to do one's bidding and weave webs of spells to ensure the entities don't double cross them.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Slavery, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, and Toxic friendship
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