A review by lande4981
The Magicians: Alice's Story by Pius Bak, Lev Grossman, Lilah Sturges

3.0

Like everyone else, precocious high school senior Quentin Coldwater assumes that magic isn't real, until he finds himself admitted to a very secretive and exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. There he indulges in joys of college-friendship, love, sex, and booze- and receives a rigorous education in modern sorcery. But magic doesn't bring the happiness and adventure Quentin thought it would. After graduation, he and his friends stumble upon a secret that sets them on a remarkable journey that may just fulfill Quentin's yearning. But their journey turns out to be darker and more dangerous than they'd imagined. (from Amazon)

Oh the potential! I only gave this a three because Goodreads doesn't halves, else I would have given it the 2 1/2 it deserved. I had serious problems with this book. I understand that Lev Grossman wanted to pay tribute to his favourite books, etc. But frankly it proved to be more distracting than otherwise. And while I don't expect all protagonists to be angelic/heroic with flaws-that-aren't-really-flaws, Quentin was simply annoying even understanding his depression and other issues. I felt that the school represented a wasted opportunity. No matter who you are, school no matter the level, is a place where one learns, grows, matures. Quentin did only one of these. Yes, he fell in love, but that clearly did nothing for him. He spent five years there why did it not have any impact on him as a person???? No movement made personality wise. The secondary characters could have been better developed, I would have like to know more about Eliot and Janet specifically what influenced their characters, their motivations, etc.

The best part of the book, was of course the section that took place in Fillory..but it came too late, frankly. I couldn't even summon any reaction when tragedy ensues. Sigh.

I will be reading The Magician's King. I'm curious. Hopefully it will be a better experience.

Such potential unfulfilled.