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A review by sarah2438
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
1.0
If you put aside the main character, the book is pretty fun. It's very much adult Harry Potter crossed with adult Narnia. Maybe not always the most original, but if you miss those stories then it's fun to read this twist on them. Really my only serious gripe with the book is Quentin, but when that's your first-person narrator, it becomes such a pretty critical issue. (See Quentin rant below.) I would love to know more about Penny, Eliot, and Alice beyond what Quentin saw and thought of them because they all seemed so interesting, but unfortunately, Quentin is a self-absorbed pig, so they ended up feeling a bit underdeveloped for me. With him aside, the twist at the end relating to the final book didn't shock me as much as I think it was intended to. Twists need some sort of clues or buildup to get you invested and making your own guesses about what's gonna happen, and I didn't experience that here.
**Spoilers**
If I wasn't reading this to impress the guy I'm seeing, I would've DNF'd on page 11 when Quentin says "Unpretty women were so much easier to deal with in some ways-- you didn't have to face the pain of their probable unattainability." (For context: he literally just met this paramedic, who is currently working over a corpse.) Quentin is an insufferable misogynist that gives strong incel-vibes. (His hide-a-coin type magic tricks at the beginning did NOT help that image and honestly made me cringe.) All of his thoughts about women are how attractive they are and how they can serve his own needs, whether that's stroking his ego or being a sexual object. It was honestly disgusting and never seemed to improve. When he wasn't around women, Quentin did have funny moments-- I like a sarcastic douche. But he also spent most of the pitying himself, which got tiring. And yeah, he was obviously struggling with things, like disillusionment, depression, and lacking a sense of purpose. But none of those are valid excuses to cheat on your girlfriend with a threesome, and then have the nerve to be upset with her when she dumps your ass and sleeps with someone else. And when you play a stupid prank that results in major trauma to everyone in the school and the murder of a classmate, just own up to it, and don't move on after a week. God I just really hate this man and did not see any redeeming qualities in him.
Might still read the next book if this guy will let me near it after seeing my thoughts on the first one.
**Edit: He dumped me so I'm lowering my review from 2.5 to 1 star cause let's be honest, that's what it deserves. Don't curve your book review for a man, if he's recommending a bad book then take that as the red flag that it is.
**Spoilers**
If I wasn't reading this to impress the guy I'm seeing, I would've DNF'd on page 11 when Quentin says "Unpretty women were so much easier to deal with in some ways-- you didn't have to face the pain of their probable unattainability." (For context: he literally just met this paramedic, who is currently working over a corpse.) Quentin is an insufferable misogynist that gives strong incel-vibes. (His hide-a-coin type magic tricks at the beginning did NOT help that image and honestly made me cringe.) All of his thoughts about women are how attractive they are and how they can serve his own needs, whether that's stroking his ego or being a sexual object. It was honestly disgusting and never seemed to improve. When he wasn't around women, Quentin did have funny moments-- I like a sarcastic douche. But he also spent most of the pitying himself, which got tiring. And yeah, he was obviously struggling with things, like disillusionment, depression, and lacking a sense of purpose. But none of those are valid excuses to cheat on your girlfriend with a threesome, and then have the nerve to be upset with her when she dumps your ass and sleeps with someone else. And when you play a stupid prank that results in major trauma to everyone in the school and the murder of a classmate, just own up to it, and don't move on after a week. God I just really hate this man and did not see any redeeming qualities in him.
Might still read the next book if this guy will let me near it after seeing my thoughts on the first one.
**Edit: He dumped me so I'm lowering my review from 2.5 to 1 star cause let's be honest, that's what it deserves. Don't curve your book review for a man, if he's recommending a bad book then take that as the red flag that it is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail