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dragonarmy 's review for:
The Amulet of Samarkand
by Jonathan Stroud
I don't see why there are so many comparisons to Harry Potter. Magic? Yes. Great Britain? Yes. That's about it though.
The first entry in the Bartimaeus series was surprisingly refreshing, funny, quirky, and absolutely strange. It's definitely a book for a younger audience, but at the same time, I know MANY parents that would have completely flipped if they found their child reading this book when I was a kid. This is so much more "witchy" than anything Harry Potter ever comes close to! We've got demons, pentacle circles, death, murder, and near child-abuse (I guess we get that at the Dursley's) all in Book #1.
The book is fun. The character of Bartimaeus is so interesting and so different from the human main character, Nathaniel, that it is as if two different authors are writing the alternate perspectives.
I'm not sure if I will continue the series, but I'm glad that I read The Amulet of Samarkand. I would suggest it to fantasy-loving young adults but would advise most kids to stay away for now.
The first entry in the Bartimaeus series was surprisingly refreshing, funny, quirky, and absolutely strange. It's definitely a book for a younger audience, but at the same time, I know MANY parents that would have completely flipped if they found their child reading this book when I was a kid. This is so much more "witchy" than anything Harry Potter ever comes close to! We've got demons, pentacle circles, death, murder, and near child-abuse (I guess we get that at the Dursley's) all in Book #1.
The book is fun. The character of Bartimaeus is so interesting and so different from the human main character, Nathaniel, that it is as if two different authors are writing the alternate perspectives.
I'm not sure if I will continue the series, but I'm glad that I read The Amulet of Samarkand. I would suggest it to fantasy-loving young adults but would advise most kids to stay away for now.