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bnorton20's review against another edition
4.0
I actually liked this book better than The Magicians. I found Julia's back story much more interesting than anything else that was going on in the book.
njtigers's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? Yes
4.25
specialk3782's review against another edition
4.0
This was a lot of fun to read. I was in the fence about the first book but things really improved in the series with the second book. I just love portal fantasy and this is a fantasy quest adventure with portal travel. The pacing was improved over the first book and only one time during the book did I feel it was dragging. I really enjoyed the background of how Julia learned her magic and going on the journey of how it started to the ending of the book. I also liked the plot line of the underground magic world on earth. Overall I think it was a good next book in the series. 4*
laraph's review against another edition
5.0
A slow paced adventure story, more about process than end results. The same sense of humor from the first book pervades; if you loved that one, you'll love this one. Great follow up that goes half into the story of Julia of the time covering book 1 while the other half continues the story where book 1 left off for all.
dataphyte's review against another edition
2.0
When a character is nothing but flaws, it's not clear that there really is a character there at all. In other words, spare me.
straylight's review against another edition
3.0
Personally, I enjoyed the first book in the series a bit more than this one. This one felt rather disjointed and all over the place in comparison. It's a good read, and well written, but the storyline just didn't sit as well with me.
ktymick's review against another edition
1.0
Lazy fantasy references supplant most descriptions in the book, and the dialogue is dribble. Characters, despite aging into their twenties, still show no sign of maturity. Inflicts sexual trauma on his female lead just for kicks. Grossman is an inconsequential author with an inflated sense of self-worth.
To go further, Grossman continues to describe female anatomy with uncomfortable frequency, and his adult characters' desire to have sex runs rampant, veering into predatory. He also devotes half the book to a female character, Julia, a misfit genius whom he's admitted to having based on himself, which in hindsight comes across as groan-worthy narcissism. All meandering threads of the plot lead to the final climax, the second-to-last-chapter, culminating in a brutal rape of the female lead for little reason besides the author wishing to inflict trauma upon her. This rape turns into victim blaming, as the reader is told that Julia is to blame for all the events in the book due to the ritual she performed that led to her assault. Grossman explains his rationale for including this scene in an interview here:
"The real answer is, 'I don't know.' I knew from the beginning that that was what was happening -- something ... a really terrible, traumatic violation would have to occur to Julia, and not something external to her, that she felt got under her skin and corroded and corrupted her. I always knew that was going to happen to her. And you should ask my therapist why I did that."
In his pithy deflection of this question, he reveals not only his low caliber of authorship, but a woefully flippant attitude toward sexual abuse.
There are neat ideas in here, but they are buried so far below unforgivable layers of lazy prose, incredibly banal dialogue and an unabashed misogynistic tone that I can't muster enough respect for Grossman as an author to continue this series.
To go further, Grossman continues to describe female anatomy with uncomfortable frequency, and his adult characters' desire to have sex runs rampant, veering into predatory. He also devotes half the book to a female character, Julia, a misfit genius whom he's admitted to having based on himself, which in hindsight comes across as groan-worthy narcissism. All meandering threads of the plot lead to the final climax, the second-to-last-chapter, culminating in a brutal rape of the female lead for little reason besides the author wishing to inflict trauma upon her. This rape turns into victim blaming, as the reader is told that Julia is to blame for all the events in the book due to the ritual she performed that led to her assault. Grossman explains his rationale for including this scene in an interview here:
"The real answer is, 'I don't know.' I knew from the beginning that that was what was happening -- something ... a really terrible, traumatic violation would have to occur to Julia, and not something external to her, that she felt got under her skin and corroded and corrupted her. I always knew that was going to happen to her. And you should ask my therapist why I did that."
In his pithy deflection of this question, he reveals not only his low caliber of authorship, but a woefully flippant attitude toward sexual abuse.
There are neat ideas in here, but they are buried so far below unforgivable layers of lazy prose, incredibly banal dialogue and an unabashed misogynistic tone that I can't muster enough respect for Grossman as an author to continue this series.
itsdaltonjamesm's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
Still can’t believe such shite books made such a great show
lesliemerah1's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't impressed by the strong language or vulgar scene at the book's end. What is it with Grossman and foxes?
katyakasha's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this much more than the first book. Now that the world has been created, the story can just tell itself. For the most part, I enjoyed learning more about how Julia learned magic. Overall I did enjoy the book it was just hard not to compare it to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.