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lilith89ibz 's review for:
The Amulet of Samarkand
by Jonathan Stroud
I first read this book when it was translated into Spanish, and then I read the full series several times after that. It was one of my favourite books growing up. I was only slightly apprehensive that it wouldn't have aged well, but I am pleasantly surprised.
Unlike other books about a 12-year-old wizard trying to defeat an evil wizard, this book has nuance and it actually addresses the systemic issues of having a totalitarian government of powerful wizards whose only source of power is literally enslaving magical beings. Would you look at that, it can be done! And not a single fat-phobic comment in sight! Amazing.
Even more interesting is that Nathaniel is not a saint. He's been abandoned and abused, but he's a kid who's very impressed with himself, and he truly believes that being a wizard makes him better than the "commoners". And when you're 12, that's a perfectly normal thing to believe if that's what you've been told your entire life. Would you believe there's room for personal growth and the protagonist isn't perfect from the beginning?
I'm starting the second book right now, and I can't wait to get to the prequel that I never got to read when it first came out.
Unlike other books about a 12-year-old wizard trying to defeat an evil wizard, this book has nuance and it actually addresses the systemic issues of having a totalitarian government of powerful wizards whose only source of power is literally enslaving magical beings. Would you look at that, it can be done! And not a single fat-phobic comment in sight! Amazing.
Even more interesting is that Nathaniel is not a saint. He's been abandoned and abused, but he's a kid who's very impressed with himself, and he truly believes that being a wizard makes him better than the "commoners". And when you're 12, that's a perfectly normal thing to believe if that's what you've been told your entire life. Would you believe there's room for personal growth and the protagonist isn't perfect from the beginning?
I'm starting the second book right now, and I can't wait to get to the prequel that I never got to read when it first came out.