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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
daphelba's review against another edition
4.0
So here's the thing...
I'm sort of reviewing this book as "A Review of the Series So Far".
Quentin IS too grumpy and unhappy for his own good, but he starts to address this toward the end of book two.
Quentin and other characters discuss how much they desire a world with magic, where you can wave your hands, waggle your fingers and make your dreams come true with minimal effort. They desire it so they feel they deserve it...but really, I can't think of a single person that doesn't wish they had magic at least one day a week. My house would be cleaner, I'd be smarter, and I'd find some way to make a little more money.
And then once they HAVE magic they think they are entitled to it.
I can understand this to a point. If you know something greater and easier exists, life would always seem a little grayer without the ability to have that thing, especially when you had it fully in your grasp.
I've seen the bad reviews...
...and I agree with them. Mostly.
I'm sort of reviewing this book as "A Review of the Series So Far".
Quentin IS too grumpy and unhappy for his own good, but he starts to address this toward the end of book two.
Quentin and other characters discuss how much they desire a world with magic, where you can wave your hands, waggle your fingers and make your dreams come true with minimal effort. They desire it so they feel they deserve it...but really, I can't think of a single person that doesn't wish they had magic at least one day a week. My house would be cleaner, I'd be smarter, and I'd find some way to make a little more money.
And then once they HAVE magic they think they are entitled to it.
I can understand this to a point. If you know something greater and easier exists, life would always seem a little grayer without the ability to have that thing, especially when you had it fully in your grasp.
Despite the whining, and the hard-to-like characters, I still really like this series.
Something about the way Grossman writes this fantasy world and all of his subplots like "Why?" is not an important question. The way the Fillory books were so much like C.S. Lewis' Narnia, but somehow more magical, more enticing, and I wanted them to be real so badly. The way I'm hardly sympathetic to any of his characters, yet I still want to read about them.
I'm frustrated at times. I want to smack a character. Rip out some pages. Give up. But I'm halfway through with book number three and I want to know how he pulls it all together.
lindseyannd's review against another edition
4.0
Julia’s story is what kept me going. And the ending! Such a turn of events.