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m4ferglez's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Tw for somewhat explicit rape scene near the end (p. 375)
You can probably skip most of it and not miss much of the plot progression.
Writing a good sequel can be hard, but Grossman absolutely stuck the landing on this one.
A lot of my issues with the first in the series were solved here, namely Quentin is a lot less annoying and seems a lot mor proactive on this one. I found Julia to sometimes fall into the same overly melodramatic depression Quentin seems to keep falling into in The Magicians, but her storyline is interesting enough to put up with her.
Really good stuff, if you liked the first in the series you’ll love this one.
You can probably skip most of it and not miss much of the plot progression.
Writing a good sequel can be hard, but Grossman absolutely stuck the landing on this one.
A lot of my issues with the first in the series were solved here, namely Quentin is a lot less annoying and seems a lot mor proactive on this one. I found Julia to sometimes fall into the same overly melodramatic depression Quentin seems to keep falling into in The Magicians, but her storyline is interesting enough to put up with her.
Really good stuff, if you liked the first in the series you’ll love this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Rape
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit
deathmetalheron's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
The Magician King starts off much slower than its predecessor. It splits the narrative between POVs of Julia and Quentin. Julia's parts are all very interesting and worth reading, and in the first quarter of the book are the real incentive to continue going. Quentin's sections in the first 100 pages are quite dull and seem to be very repetitive in regards to his stasis at the beginning of the first book--it feels very retread, and there isn't enough world-building and (necessary) characterization of Julia to continue going.
However, once Julia and Quentin and thrown back to Earth the stakes are immediately raised and they continue going farther and farther, and The Magician King ramps up the same level of introspection and satire that made the first Magicians so lovely. Gone are the Harry Potter analogues, as the group is firmly in Narnia territory. Grossman's sardonic and sarcastic prose sits very well and his consistent references make it truly powerful.
About three-quarters in this book becomes near impossible to put down--Julia joining the Free Trader Beowulf culminates in the reader's realization that just as much as Brakebills, the underground magic scene is just as conceited and loopy and will guarantee Julia nothing. The climax--while unbelievably tragic and graphic--sends home the fact of Dean Fogg's assessment that magic pretty much ruins everyone.
The ending of this book is actually chef's kiss. In a complete send-up of fantasy endings, Quentin achieves all and loses everything. It is so beautifully funny and ironic that I was literally busting up laughing.
If this book were a duology or simply an 800 page story, this ending would be succinct. I know the trilogy will continue but if it ended here--I truly think it would've been a powerful story.
However, once Julia and Quentin and thrown back to Earth the stakes are immediately raised and they continue going farther and farther, and The Magician King ramps up the same level of introspection and satire that made the first Magicians so lovely. Gone are the Harry Potter analogues, as the group is firmly in Narnia territory. Grossman's sardonic and sarcastic prose sits very well and his consistent references make it truly powerful.
About three-quarters in this book becomes near impossible to put down--Julia joining the Free Trader Beowulf culminates in the reader's realization that just as much as Brakebills, the underground magic scene is just as conceited and loopy and will guarantee Julia nothing. The climax--while unbelievably tragic and graphic--sends home the fact of Dean Fogg's assessment that magic pretty much ruins everyone.
The ending of this book is actually chef's kiss. In a complete send-up of fantasy endings, Quentin achieves all and loses everything. It is so beautifully funny and ironic that I was literally busting up laughing.
If this book were a duology or simply an 800 page story, this ending would be succinct. I know the trilogy will continue but if it ended here--I truly think it would've been a powerful story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Gore and Death
Minor: Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Vomit
guppyur's review against another edition
4.0
I'm going to be including a bit of discussion about The Magicians, the predecessor to this book, during this review. I am assuming that anyone reading the sequel has read the first volume, such that that discussion will not constitute spoilers for anyone.
_______________________
Not sure I know what I think of this one. It's the followup to the widely acclaimed (but polarizing) The Magicians, which to me was an exercise in genre subversion. I thought the first book did a lot of interesting things, but I also found it depressing.
Before I go on, I should add that I probably don't have the appropriate literary grounding and my opinions should likely be disregarded. I am reliably informed that The Magician King is designed to directly parallel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis' third Narnia book, which I haven't read as I didn't like the first one as a kid. So it's quite possible that I'm missing important allusions that would make it more akin to the first book.
The Magician King takes place some time after the end of The Magicians, with Quentin and his friends ruling over Fillory. It's split into two different perspectives: Quentin's, in the present, and Julia's, in a retelling of how she learned to do magic without attending Brakebills. Both have their high points; Julia's was the more interesting to me for much of the book.
Magicians seemed determined to hammer home the idea that life isn't a fairy tale and things aren't always fair and don't always work out well. Some of that tone is left in King, but a number of the sharp edges have been sanded off.
Immediately after reading it, I felt I "enjoyed" The Magician King more than its predecessor -- I found The Magicians quite depressing -- but that The Magicians was the book that did more interesting things. After sleeping on it, I'm not sure that's fair, as King still does plenty of heavy lifting; it's probably impossible for it to make as strong an impression as the first book, since its assault on the genre is already known.
_______________________
Not sure I know what I think of this one. It's the followup to the widely acclaimed (but polarizing) The Magicians, which to me was an exercise in genre subversion. I thought the first book did a lot of interesting things, but I also found it depressing.
Before I go on, I should add that I probably don't have the appropriate literary grounding and my opinions should likely be disregarded. I am reliably informed that The Magician King is designed to directly parallel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis' third Narnia book, which I haven't read as I didn't like the first one as a kid. So it's quite possible that I'm missing important allusions that would make it more akin to the first book.
The Magician King takes place some time after the end of The Magicians, with Quentin and his friends ruling over Fillory. It's split into two different perspectives: Quentin's, in the present, and Julia's, in a retelling of how she learned to do magic without attending Brakebills. Both have their high points; Julia's was the more interesting to me for much of the book.
Magicians seemed determined to hammer home the idea that life isn't a fairy tale and things aren't always fair and don't always work out well. Some of that tone is left in King, but a number of the sharp edges have been sanded off.
Immediately after reading it, I felt I "enjoyed" The Magician King more than its predecessor -- I found The Magicians quite depressing -- but that The Magicians was the book that did more interesting things. After sleeping on it, I'm not sure that's fair, as King still does plenty of heavy lifting; it's probably impossible for it to make as strong an impression as the first book, since its assault on the genre is already known.
tabatha_shipley's review against another edition
2.0
What I Did Like:
+The backstory for Julia is (mostly) excellent! It contrasts wonderfully with the tale of the Brakebills crew and adds a layer of realism to the idea of magical training. I will say it takes a terrible and lazy turn though.
+Quentin’s ending works. I liked the sort of unexpected twist and what that may do to the story. It’s one of those endings where you didn’t see it coming but then you look back on everything you know and realize you probably should have seen it coming. I like those.
Who Should Read This One:
-If you really loved the first book and characters, you may enjoy the way their journey continues even more than I did.
My Rating: 2 Stars
For me the unlikeable main character, odd pacing, and graphic unnecessary scene made the entire book problematic.
For Full Review:
https://alltherightreads.com/2023/07/17/2023-book-review-the-magician-king/
+The backstory for Julia is (mostly) excellent! It contrasts wonderfully with the tale of the Brakebills crew and adds a layer of realism to the idea of magical training. I will say it takes a terrible and lazy turn though.
+Quentin’s ending works. I liked the sort of unexpected twist and what that may do to the story. It’s one of those endings where you didn’t see it coming but then you look back on everything you know and realize you probably should have seen it coming. I like those.
Who Should Read This One:
-If you really loved the first book and characters, you may enjoy the way their journey continues even more than I did.
My Rating: 2 Stars
For me the unlikeable main character, odd pacing, and graphic unnecessary scene made the entire book problematic.
For Full Review:
https://alltherightreads.com/2023/07/17/2023-book-review-the-magician-king/
beefygordito's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
sinestrogirl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
s_h_a_r_i's review against another edition
2.0
What a horrible book. The plot was even more all over the place than in the Magicians, the characters were... What exactly? Background noise? Hard to tell, since they hardly related to one another.
And then, of course, comes the-oh-so-essential (NOT) rape scene of the one strong (or remotely intetesting) female character in the entire book. That really was the last straw for me, in an already ridiculous book. I suppose male writers just cannot help it. They HAVE to rape their female characters, and for some reason think of that as a "learning experience" for them, from which they grow. What a load of BS. Fuck that.
Such a fine example of how one shitty bit in a book turns it into a complete waste of time for me. I hope there is never a third book in this series and if there is, i hope to be wise enough not to bother.
And then, of course, comes the-oh-so-essential (NOT) rape scene of the one strong (or remotely intetesting) female character in the entire book. That really was the last straw for me, in an already ridiculous book. I suppose male writers just cannot help it. They HAVE to rape their female characters, and for some reason think of that as a "learning experience" for them, from which they grow. What a load of BS. Fuck that.
Such a fine example of how one shitty bit in a book turns it into a complete waste of time for me. I hope there is never a third book in this series and if there is, i hope to be wise enough not to bother.
ncat999's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book more than the first, mostly due to Julia's backstory, and Quentin's circumstances at the very end. And as much as people complain about Quentin's attitude, I thought he was somewhat more mature this time around, and kinder, although far from perfect. I appreciate that being a king and living a literal fantasy life hasn't cured him of his personality faults, and that he can still feel restless and bored. Seems like a more realistic depiction of what "coming of age" is really about.
notagoose_'s review against another edition
This rating would be very different without one scene at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
andlooksaround's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape