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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Maybe I'm getting to the age where YA and Middle Grade books are not as enjoyable as they once were... or maybe the MC, Nathaniel, was just a prat 😂
The story was fun, though, and Bartimaeus was an entertaining foil to Nathaniel's brattiness.
The story was fun, though, and Bartimaeus was an entertaining foil to Nathaniel's brattiness.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
fast-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
This was delightful.
I've avoided this book since I was a kid because of its terrifying cover, but in actuality there was nothing for my younger self to be afraid of. The djinns and other enslaved spirits in this book almost all fall on the side of whimsical or comical rather than grotesque, as the tone of Bartimaeus's narration and tongue-in-cheek Good Omens style asterisk footnotes make clear immediately.
Nathaniel is a horrid little blighter. He's fine and his idiocy is enjoyable, but for being the main character he's definitely on the wrong side of the story. The great part of this story is Bartimaeus. He's funny and all, but it gets good when you realize that he may be a decently powerful immortal spirit from another world, but he's also a 100% organic corn fed moron.
I've avoided this book since I was a kid because of its terrifying cover, but in actuality there was nothing for my younger self to be afraid of. The djinns and other enslaved spirits in this book almost all fall on the side of whimsical or comical rather than grotesque, as the tone of Bartimaeus's narration and tongue-in-cheek Good Omens style asterisk footnotes make clear immediately.
Nathaniel is a horrid little blighter. He's fine and his idiocy is enjoyable, but for being the main character he's definitely on the wrong side of the story. The great part of this story is Bartimaeus. He's funny and all, but it gets good when you realize that he may be a decently powerful immortal spirit from another world, but he's also a 100% organic corn fed moron.
Kisah yang menarik tentang anak lelaki muda yang dipersiapkan untuk menjadi seorang penyihir, teringat harry potter sih, tapi ceritanya beda dari harry potter. Kisah ini cukup kelam bagi seorang anak lelaki di usia muda, dia tidak diinginkan oleh kedua orangtuanya dan anaknya dijual untuk dipersiapkan menjadi seorang penyihir.
Nathaniel memiliki talenta untuk menjadi serang penyihir hebat, namun ego kekanak-kanakannya menyeretnya pada suatu masalah yang cukup rumit. Berawal dari kunjungan beberapa penyihir yang memiliki kuasa besar di pemerintahan berkunjung ke rumah masternya. Perlakuan masternya dan rekanannya yang selalu memandang rendah talentanya dan perlakuan semena-mena yang dilakukan mereka membuat Nathaniel kesal. Saat kesabarannya habis, Nathaniel mengucapkan mantra suruhan untuk melukai teman-teman masternya salah satunya Simon Lovelace, penyihir tampan, dingin, ambisius, bertalenta dan licik. Simon Lovelace tidak terima dikerjai seorang penyihir cilik hingga dia pun membalas perbuatan Nathaniel dengan menyiksanya. Master Nathaniel yang seharusnya melindunginya malah ikut-ikutan menambah penderitaannya.
Setahun setelahnya, saat ilmu Nathaniel telah cukup, ia melakukan pemanggilan jin, Bartimaeus, untuk mencuri barang berharga milik Simon Lovelace, Amulet Samarkand. Karena Nathaniel percaya Simon memiliki niatan buruk untuk menjadi penguasa dunia.
Selalu suka dengan gaya penulisannya si Jonathan Stroud. Makin dibaca, ikut deg-deg-an juga bacanya... Kisah yang kelam yang sangat menarik.
Nathaniel memiliki talenta untuk menjadi serang penyihir hebat, namun ego kekanak-kanakannya menyeretnya pada suatu masalah yang cukup rumit. Berawal dari kunjungan beberapa penyihir yang memiliki kuasa besar di pemerintahan berkunjung ke rumah masternya. Perlakuan masternya dan rekanannya yang selalu memandang rendah talentanya dan perlakuan semena-mena yang dilakukan mereka membuat Nathaniel kesal. Saat kesabarannya habis, Nathaniel mengucapkan mantra suruhan untuk melukai teman-teman masternya salah satunya Simon Lovelace, penyihir tampan, dingin, ambisius, bertalenta dan licik. Simon Lovelace tidak terima dikerjai seorang penyihir cilik hingga dia pun membalas perbuatan Nathaniel dengan menyiksanya. Master Nathaniel yang seharusnya melindunginya malah ikut-ikutan menambah penderitaannya.
Setahun setelahnya, saat ilmu Nathaniel telah cukup, ia melakukan pemanggilan jin, Bartimaeus, untuk mencuri barang berharga milik Simon Lovelace, Amulet Samarkand. Karena Nathaniel percaya Simon memiliki niatan buruk untuk menjadi penguasa dunia.
Selalu suka dengan gaya penulisannya si Jonathan Stroud. Makin dibaca, ikut deg-deg-an juga bacanya... Kisah yang kelam yang sangat menarik.
Interesting world! Totally lost interest in the series after this first book.
This was a pleasant surprise. It's been sitting on my shelf as one of those books I should read so I know the field. I didn't think much of it. On reading I discovered a well-written, well-structured book that exceeded all expectations. It has everything you want in a 19th C. demon book. Good writing, complex characters, and big set pieces that make you go "oo."
An alternate reality magical fantasy book that takes place in the UK. Magicians are taken in as apprentices to a master at a young age. Some children with magical inclinations can be forfeited by their parents in return for some money. The masters hire tutors for the child while also guiding them and protecting them. Nathaniel, the main character for this book, has a strained relationship with his master Arthur Underwood after Underwood failed to protect him from Simon Lovelace, a high powered wizard. As a way to seek revenge, Nathaniel eventually summons Bartimaeus to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from Lovelace and frame Underwood. Things then spiral beyond any sort of control when a whole conspiracy is unveiled and Nathaniel is in over his head.
The book alternates between a first "person" POV from Bartimaeus and a third person POV for Nathaniel. Bartimaeus' chapters tend to have many footnotes. Though they were used to give the reader more information or just snarky asides, I ended up skipping a lot of them. I felt that the footnotes brought the flow of the book to an abrupt halt at the wrong times. Maybe it'd be something to read during a re-read.
A 3.8star book. Nathaniel's chapters were definitely lacking some depth, being from the third person POV, they could have offered the readers more information.
The book alternates between a first "person" POV from Bartimaeus and a third person POV for Nathaniel. Bartimaeus' chapters tend to have many footnotes. Though they were used to give the reader more information or just snarky asides, I ended up skipping a lot of them. I felt that the footnotes brought the flow of the book to an abrupt halt at the wrong times. Maybe it'd be something to read during a re-read.
A 3.8star book. Nathaniel's chapters were definitely lacking some depth, being from the third person POV, they could have offered the readers more information.