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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
Something about growing older means that I more and more appreciate magic school books told from the perspectives of the teachers. It is deeply, deeply satisfying to read a story in which, yes, you've got some absolutely brilliant teenagers, who do absolutely normal teenage stuff, like being stupid and insecure and fumbling with relationships and dealing with past trauma and expectations about their future lives, but who also are not , in fact, as experienced and skilled as the adults who have spent decades perfecting their abilities in the same skills that the kids are learning for the very first time. Sometimes the smartest thing a kid can do is to get a responsible adult to fix the problem.
This is like Magic For Liars meets Scholomance: a magic school, one of whose main concerns is making sure the baby magicians don't get eaten by demons, but the main plot is much more sophisticated than just 'oooh, there's a big scary demon, let's defeat it!' That happens in the first quarter of the book. What remains is a much more interesting exploration of what happens after you defeat the big bad. What does the government think about the tools you used for such a victory? How does your own sense of self, your own commitment to your role in life, evolve, as you consider what you did to defeat the big bad? One of the best themes of this book is the idea of choosing which self you want to be, and the idea that this is a choice that you make, and can make consciously. The differences between demons and humans -- and indeed the areas in which they overlap -- make the character work really sing beautifully here.
Gosh, I liked this book so much.
This is like Magic For Liars meets Scholomance: a magic school, one of whose main concerns is making sure the baby magicians don't get eaten by demons, but the main plot is much more sophisticated than just 'oooh, there's a big scary demon, let's defeat it!' That happens in the first quarter of the book. What remains is a much more interesting exploration of what happens after you defeat the big bad. What does the government think about the tools you used for such a victory? How does your own sense of self, your own commitment to your role in life, evolve, as you consider what you did to defeat the big bad? One of the best themes of this book is the idea of choosing which self you want to be, and the idea that this is a choice that you make, and can make consciously. The differences between demons and humans -- and indeed the areas in which they overlap -- make the character work really sing beautifully here.
Gosh, I liked this book so much.
dark
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book did not hit for me the way I'm sure it will for others. It's a unique concept and clearly shows a true love for all teachers out there.
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes