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thelibraryofminds 's review for:
The Amulet of Samarkand
by Jonathan Stroud
This is one of the better books I have read recently: I really enjoyed it. I thought it met a lot of the expectations of YA/children’s fantasy while still being innovative and using the genre to work for it. I actually really like that the protagonist, Nathaniel, wasn’t a self-sacrificing noble twelve year old. I loved that he was selfish and jealous and egotistical, because I think its fun every once in a while to have a somewhat ignoble hero. Who wants to read about the bravest and the kindest in every book? Its nice every once in a while to have a somewhat more flawed character, as he rings true in a different way. I know lovely twelve-year-olds, but I also know several individuals that would react just the way Nathaniel did when he was humiliated. It makes sense, and he wasn’t so unlikable that I wasn’t invested in his character. He just felt like a realistic twelve-year-old boy.
I absolutely loved Bartimaeus: I thought the footnotes were fun, (especially as they reminded me of the footnoterphone from the Thursday next books), and I loved how snarky the demon was. I really enjoy good sarcastic characters, and Bartimaeus met that requirement to a t. He was entertaining and selfish, while having just enough of a sympathetic side to keep me interested in his development. I loved how reluctant he was to work with Nathaniel, and how resentful the relationship was for him.
Plot?: The plot to this is relatively simple, but the way Stroud executes it is entertaining and well-paced. This was one of the books I read recently where I had to remind myself to put it down instead of force myself to read more. That is a good sign.
Recommend: I would definitely recommend this volume, but I’ll save my definite recommendation until I finish the series. If you are a fan of Harry Potter; however, this book would probably be right down your alley.
I absolutely loved Bartimaeus: I thought the footnotes were fun, (especially as they reminded me of the footnoterphone from the Thursday next books), and I loved how snarky the demon was. I really enjoy good sarcastic characters, and Bartimaeus met that requirement to a t. He was entertaining and selfish, while having just enough of a sympathetic side to keep me interested in his development. I loved how reluctant he was to work with Nathaniel, and how resentful the relationship was for him.
Plot?: The plot to this is relatively simple, but the way Stroud executes it is entertaining and well-paced. This was one of the books I read recently where I had to remind myself to put it down instead of force myself to read more. That is a good sign.
Recommend: I would definitely recommend this volume, but I’ll save my definite recommendation until I finish the series. If you are a fan of Harry Potter; however, this book would probably be right down your alley.