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saramedici's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lsparrow's review against another edition
4.0
a re-read. I love this series - Bartimaeus is a character you cannot help but love. probably my favorite story world by this author.
winterscape's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic entry into the Bartimaeus books. If you need a Barty fix after the original trilogy, this is definitely going to scratch that itch. It's fun, light, and quick - so take it as a small treat and not a serious entry into the trilogy and you'll get much more out of it.
Nothing would make me happier than if Jonathan Stroud continued to add one-off books about Bartimaeus through history to the sequence.
Nothing would make me happier than if Jonathan Stroud continued to add one-off books about Bartimaeus through history to the sequence.
bzodonnell's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
jackiehorne's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. Bartimaeus is great, as usual, but the first half of the novel really drags.
feeflebrief's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good and witty, with all the Bartimaeus charm. Holds up well to the original trilogy.
meme_too2's review against another edition
4.0
If you are a Bartimaeus fan, you will love this. It's not quite as wisecracking as the others, but he's still lol funny. I love the detailed footnotes. I'm not sure I liked the girl in this one very much. She was kind of resistant to emotion. Good fun!
wrentheblurry's review against another edition
5.0
Closer to 4.5 stars, but I'm so enamored of Bartimaeus that I'm happy to round the score up. I read this aloud to my 12 year old son, who gives it 4 stars (he also is a fan of Bartimaeus).
This prequel to the Bartimaeus trilogy follows a similar style as those books; the chapters alternate between the viewpoint of everyone's favorite djinni, and someone else, in this case, Asmira.
In Bartimaeus, Stroud has crafted one of my most favorite characters. He's intelligent, arrogant, powerful, snarky, and oh so very witty. Sometimes the Bartimaeus books can drag on too long, and overflow with details about the surroundings. In this title, Stroud perfectly walked the line of providing vivid details without making the reader wish that something would just HAPPEN, already.
Bartimaeus' new foil is Asmira, a hereditary guard (as in, her mother and grandmother did the same thing) to the Queen of Sheba. King Solomon has demanded an extreme payment from this Queen, and so Asmira is sent to see about correcting the problem.
I found everything about the book enjoyable, from the set-up of Bartimaeus and Asmira meeting, to their adventure together, to the conclusion. While both my son and I guessed (and correctly, I might add) certain aspects of the ending, it took away none of the delight and surprise. Heck, the whole thing made me want to revisit the second Bartimaeus book, which I gave up on, and finish the trilogy.
I'll have to see about that. For now, I'm happy to savor the joy that is having seen Bartimaeus through another rollicking adventure.
This prequel to the Bartimaeus trilogy follows a similar style as those books; the chapters alternate between the viewpoint of everyone's favorite djinni, and someone else, in this case, Asmira.
In Bartimaeus, Stroud has crafted one of my most favorite characters. He's intelligent, arrogant, powerful, snarky, and oh so very witty. Sometimes the Bartimaeus books can drag on too long, and overflow with details about the surroundings. In this title, Stroud perfectly walked the line of providing vivid details without making the reader wish that something would just HAPPEN, already.
Bartimaeus' new foil is Asmira, a hereditary guard (as in, her mother and grandmother did the same thing) to the Queen of Sheba. King Solomon has demanded an extreme payment from this Queen, and so Asmira is sent to see about correcting the problem.
I found everything about the book enjoyable, from the set-up of Bartimaeus and Asmira meeting, to their adventure together, to the conclusion. While both my son and I guessed (and correctly, I might add) certain aspects of the ending, it took away none of the delight and surprise. Heck, the whole thing made me want to revisit the second Bartimaeus book, which I gave up on, and finish the trilogy.
I'll have to see about that. For now, I'm happy to savor the joy that is having seen Bartimaeus through another rollicking adventure.