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remmerich1's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.75
Pulls together threads from the first two and throws in new ideas of its own, ending up in a place that feels inevitable, like this trilogy could have had no other point. It's funny, it's moving, it's on-the-nose metaphor never gets tiring (politicians enslave demons for power, and are literally consumed by them...) because the plot is so tight, the dialogue so fun, the action so engaging. Bartimaeus is exceptional, reminding me of the best that young people's fantasy can provide (Moggett) and Nathaniel/Mandrake and Kitty are prefect characters for the roles they play here. The Nathaniel/Mandrake dynamic pays off so we'll in this one, and again works so well as a metaphor for how growing up we can ve corrupted. Its really excellent, in its own and to cap off the trilogy
fantasynovel's review against another edition
4.0
I added back a star for that last paragraph, which made me so fucking emotional. I have to admit, though, that the conclusion of the trilogy really did disappoint me. Nathaniel's final battle just didn't feel grand enough, I guess. And the sexism really started to get to me. Plus, Nathaniel's change of heart came way too fast. None of this book made any sense.
victorsvales's review against another edition
4.0
brutally painful, I literally can't stop crying (3am!!!), jonathan stroud doesn't have a goddamn heart or even a single thread of empathy, how COULD he.
manderly's review against another edition
5.0
How could they do this to me! I can't imagine reading this at a young age; my psyche is damaged forever and mine has actually had some time to develop.
komali_2's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
A great conclusion to an amazing fantasy series. It gave a great description of Bartimaeus' past, and the ending seemed to fit just right. I hold no bad memories of the series.
is_book_loring's review against another edition
5.0
“Much has happened since last we met, Bartimaeus," he went on. "Do you remember how we parted?"
"No." I did.
"You set light to me, old friend. Struck a match and left me burning in a copse."
The crow shifted uneasily beneath the cleaver."That's a gesture of endearment in some cultures. Some hug, some kiss, some set each other on fire in small patches of woodland...”
Ptolemy's Gate is an excellent conclusion to this splendid trilogy. It is the best in the series with the strongest characters development -Nathaniel's arc is especially satisfying, the most explored human-magical being relationship, the finest plot and very neat, smartly wrapped up ending. In addition to the most terrific feature in the series which is Bartimaeus and his humorous wit of course, Stroud inserted Bartimaeus' backstory with the wonderful ancient Egyptian magician, Ptolemy, which has become the prominent highlight in the entire trilogy for me. Stroud, very skillfully also resolved the most problematic element in his world: the irritating stereotypes of human magicians by simply cutting back their scenes, replacing them with Kitty Jones' strong characterization and her unique, particular circumstances. He was still terrible with the execution of final battle, mind you, and the funny way he never gave readers the explanation to the supposed historical "pattern" of the out-of-the-blue epidemic resilient DNA in commoners somehow had become not that significant- at least to me, because of that great, marvelous ending.
All in all, it was very fitting conclusion with extraordinary clean slate -which might or might not felt good to other people but it was to me- to a fantasy series that I seldom comes across and I will definitely miss Bartimaeus and his endearing snide comments a lot. (“The mercenary finished his coffee in a single gulp, It must have been piping hot, too. Boy, he was tough.”)
"No." I did.
"You set light to me, old friend. Struck a match and left me burning in a copse."
The crow shifted uneasily beneath the cleaver."That's a gesture of endearment in some cultures. Some hug, some kiss, some set each other on fire in small patches of woodland...”
Ptolemy's Gate is an excellent conclusion to this splendid trilogy. It is the best in the series with the strongest characters development -Nathaniel's arc is especially satisfying, the most explored human-magical being relationship, the finest plot and very neat, smartly wrapped up ending. In addition to the most terrific feature in the series which is Bartimaeus and his humorous wit of course, Stroud inserted Bartimaeus' backstory with the wonderful ancient Egyptian magician, Ptolemy, which has become the prominent highlight in the entire trilogy for me. Stroud, very skillfully also resolved the most problematic element in his world: the irritating stereotypes of human magicians by simply cutting back their scenes, replacing them with Kitty Jones' strong characterization and her unique, particular circumstances. He was still terrible with the execution of final battle, mind you, and the funny way he never gave readers the explanation to the supposed historical "pattern" of the out-of-the-blue epidemic resilient DNA in commoners somehow had become not that significant- at least to me, because of that great, marvelous ending.
Spoiler
Imagine to finally get your long awaited character development of the hero in the story, only to have the writer kill him afterwardAll in all, it was very fitting conclusion with extraordinary clean slate -which might or might not felt good to other people but it was to me- to a fantasy series that I seldom comes across and I will definitely miss Bartimaeus and his endearing snide comments a lot. (“The mercenary finished his coffee in a single gulp, It must have been piping hot, too. Boy, he was tough.”)
rebeccawill's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-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
strawberrysky's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-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
4.75
callunavulgari's review against another edition
5.0
I forgot how much this book completely wrecked me. Like, you're just meandering around living your life and then this book hits you so hard in the heart that you can't breathe for awhile afterwards. The first two books are quality, and the prequel was pretty good, but this book is the most superb shit. I don't care how old I get, this book aimed towards little kids has some of the best writing that I've ever read. And god, by the end every square inch of your heart will ache.
Just. All the stars.
Just. All the stars.