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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
Reviews for this book stated it as Harry Potter for adults. While it took some liberty with actually incorporating death and tragedy that I wish J.K. would have used (especially in the last book), it was fairly predictable but random with some twist. Somewhat exciting and original, but in the end fairly hoo hum.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Clearly inspired amidst the Narnia and Harry Potter craze, this is the reality check. Quentin is deeply flawed and at many times so pretentious and unlikeable, almost Holden Caufield levels of sad boy, just with magical abilities. The fact that every woman’s breasts were described felt a little overkill, even for a teenage boy narrator.
I enjoyed the story and was moved, even when it was depressingly realistic. This is not cozy, it is not a simple and just happy ending. It delves into the grey areas. Maybe all the Harry Potter adults should read this.
This quote really has stuck with me, “Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there's nothing else. It's here, and you'd better decide to enjoy it or you're going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever.”
I enjoyed the story and was moved, even when it was depressingly realistic. This is not cozy, it is not a simple and just happy ending. It delves into the grey areas. Maybe all the Harry Potter adults should read this.
This quote really has stuck with me, “Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there's nothing else. It's here, and you'd better decide to enjoy it or you're going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
What an odd little story. I am not sure how I feel about this book. It seemed to start off slow and then changed style completely as it neared the end. The main character is fairly uninteresting and inexplicably morose. There is little depth to his character. In fact, I found little depth in almost every single character. It felt like a young adult book. I found myself skimming through some of the more uninteresting parts to get to the juicy ones and then being disappointed once I got there.
Meh.
That being said, I was fairly entertained. I love the whole "hidden magic in the real world" thing. I might give other books in the series a try.
To be honest, I watched a few episodes of the show before I started the book. The character development in just the few episodes I saw was far superior to the character dev in the book.
Meh.
That being said, I was fairly entertained. I love the whole "hidden magic in the real world" thing. I might give other books in the series a try.
To be honest, I watched a few episodes of the show before I started the book. The character development in just the few episodes I saw was far superior to the character dev in the book.
I wanted so much to stick with this and like this but I just couldn’t. The writing was so terrible, and the characters had absolutely no depth. So annoyed because I loved the premise of this!
This is a difficult book to review. It held my interest and I really liked some parts of it, but it just felt a little all over the place. The first half of the book covers Quentin's entire schooling at Brakebills - all 5 years of it - so there were often times when I wished there had been more written about certain parts of it. We barely got to see what classes were like and I sometimes felt like the author rushed through other parts that could have been great had they been fleshed out more. Then there's a weird depressing post-graduation section before jumping into Fillory. Fillory was interesting, but again, just felt a little disjointed. We would jump from one thing to the next without much connection.
I also think something I had a lot of trouble with was not caring about any of the characters.When Alice died, I just didn't care. And she's probably the most sympathetic character! I didn't care when any of the characters died, to be honest. That being said, I still wanted to see what happened, so there's something to this story. I'm not sure if I'll continue with the rest of the trilogy, though.
I also think something I had a lot of trouble with was not caring about any of the characters.
Sometimes the stars align for certain books. If ever there has been a book that felt written for me, it is The Magicians. Which is strange because even as an avid fantasy reader, I’ve never read Narnia or Harry Potter (clear inspirations for this book). But when I was 18 and struggling my way through my first semester of college, this book spoke to me through its escapism (as most magic school books do) and also through its realistic portrayal of a flawed young adult within an adult narrative.
***SPOILERS***
This book was borrowed from my aunt. It was the copy my parents used to own. My dad never read it, so it must've been my moms. So from the start I was invested just from a personal standpoint .It grabs your attention by starting with weird stuff from the beginning. Slowly easing you into the weirdness that is to come.
I loved the beginning and the end. The school part was very fun to read, and could have been longer in my opinions, just a tad. The part where they go to Fillory was very exciting. Finally learning how the book that seemed so important fit in with the story. I did not like the part where they lived in NYC and just partied and did drugs. It was kinda boring and made the whole world lose its magic. I do understand it though, it makes the change to Fillory even more exciting.
Book one seemed mostly like a setup for the trilogy. An introduction to the world and its magic system, this lacked a lot substance though. The magic system is intense and intricate. But how you learn and become better OA the whole school part is kind of a mystery. It was a lot of ups and downs getting to the resolution, but it did make me curious for the next book. The ending I would have predicted halfway through the book. But you take so many different paths to get there than I expected. That by the end I wasn't sure how it was going to end anymore. But it did make sense. No matter how hard you would try. Keeping himself away from Fillory was never going to work
Most of the main characters were pretty well rounded out. And most of them changed throughout the book.
I sympathized with Quentin part of the time, but most of the time I found him quite insufferable and wanted to beg him to just enjoy the moment or whatever.
Being truly free and happy only as animals.
It was quite fast paced which kept it interesting. I missed a chunk of world building though. I have a good idea on what it looks like, and who the people are. But how the magic system in the world works is still a bit of a mystery.
I love old boarding schools and doorways to magical worlds.
This book was borrowed from my aunt. It was the copy my parents used to own. My dad never read it, so it must've been my moms. So from the start I was invested just from a personal standpoint .It grabs your attention by starting with weird stuff from the beginning. Slowly easing you into the weirdness that is to come.
I loved the beginning and the end. The school part was very fun to read, and could have been longer in my opinions, just a tad. The part where they go to Fillory was very exciting. Finally learning how the book that seemed so important fit in with the story. I did not like the part where they lived in NYC and just partied and did drugs. It was kinda boring and made the whole world lose its magic. I do understand it though, it makes the change to Fillory even more exciting.
Book one seemed mostly like a setup for the trilogy. An introduction to the world and its magic system, this lacked a lot substance though. The magic system is intense and intricate. But how you learn and become better OA the whole school part is kind of a mystery. It was a lot of ups and downs getting to the resolution, but it did make me curious for the next book. The ending I would have predicted halfway through the book. But you take so many different paths to get there than I expected. That by the end I wasn't sure how it was going to end anymore. But it did make sense. No matter how hard you would try. Keeping himself away from Fillory was never going to work
Most of the main characters were pretty well rounded out. And most of them changed throughout the book.
I sympathized with Quentin part of the time, but most of the time I found him quite insufferable and wanted to beg him to just enjoy the moment or whatever.
Being truly free and happy only as animals.
It was quite fast paced which kept it interesting. I missed a chunk of world building though. I have a good idea on what it looks like, and who the people are. But how the magic system in the world works is still a bit of a mystery.
I love old boarding schools and doorways to magical worlds.
If you have depression of any degree...do not read this book. An adult Harry Potter is a stretch since HP had lots of really likable characters and this one has...maybe one. I also really didn’t care for the third person P of V the story was told from. I felt like we didn’t really get to know the main characters better had it been told from one of their perspectives. I’m undecided if I care how the series continues. It took a looooong time for Book 1 to get anywhere interesting.
Absolutely love love love the show so I thought I’d read the books. Just found it far less enjoyable than the show and I gave up as I was getting somewhat bored and really couldn’t stand Quentin as a character