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tinyzap 's review for:
The Magicians
by Lev Grossman
This has all the good interest points for someone into hidden world fantasy with magic. The magical world building was fairly well removed from expectations of what a magical school might be like (eg Harry Potter). The students are genuinely in danger sometimes and there is no deus ex machina to save the day. Important plot points are made clear but their full gravitas is well masked until their respective culmination. The characters are sometimes weak, but overall genuine to their literary stereotypes. The pacing was a bit arbitrary and chapter phrasing is somewhat boring but the plot and major events are fairly enthralling. Some of the language seemed incredibly and uselessly pretentious which may or may not have been intentionally sardonic. All that said, it was also a rather poignant and eloquent way to tell the story of someone with crippling depression-- without falling into any stereotypes or nonchalant fixes for said illness. In this instance the protagonist is written very genuine and sometimes frustratingly so.
Ultimately the book kept my attention all the way to the end, even though I wanted to give up during some parts. It was a great read which I enjoyed more than I thought I would.
Ultimately the book kept my attention all the way to the end, even though I wanted to give up during some parts. It was a great read which I enjoyed more than I thought I would.