hgranger's review against another edition
3.0
Quite clever and witty. Having the djinni as the narrator was an interesting twist. Nathaniel was annoying, but Bartimaus was a good counterweight to the boy. The plot was fairly well executed. A solid first installment in the series.
marshmallowbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good start to a trilogy. I listened to the audiobook, and the reader was pretty good. The story is told from the points of view of Bartimaeus, a haughty djinn, and Nathaniel, a young magician with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. I much preferred the point of view of Bartimaeus over Nathaniel. Maybe because it was in first person, or maybe because the narrator didn't seem to have to work as hard to pull off the voice, or maybe because at times Nathaniel was a bit of a whiny 12-year-old.
The story didn't move quite as fast as I'd expected, but it was interesting enough to keep me listening until the end. It wasn't really until the end, the last few chapters, that I felt like anything really was happening, and then the excitement was over a little to quickly. I would have preferred a little more anticipation building up to it, but in the end, I am wondering what the next installment has in store.
The story didn't move quite as fast as I'd expected, but it was interesting enough to keep me listening until the end. It wasn't really until the end, the last few chapters, that I felt like anything really was happening, and then the excitement was over a little to quickly. I would have preferred a little more anticipation building up to it, but in the end, I am wondering what the next installment has in store.
jenjen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
deneenernst's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
elle_loves_reading's review against another edition
5.0
I devoured this book and absolutely loved it. What a fantastic little imp that Bartimaeus character is! Looking forward to the next one! :-)
woolfen's review against another edition
4.0
4 Stars.
A book from my childhood, which held up really well. Light and easy. Stroud's worldbuilding is really strong, with clearly defined rules which help sustain the world. Some of the subtlety of the critiques of empire were lost on me the first time I read it, so it was nice to revisit.
A book from my childhood, which held up really well. Light and easy. Stroud's worldbuilding is really strong, with clearly defined rules which help sustain the world. Some of the subtlety of the critiques of empire were lost on me the first time I read it, so it was nice to revisit.
bigbear73's review against another edition
4.0
A pleasant diversion from the trilogies, anthologies and other epics I'm working on, and more than interesting enough for me to look for book two. A great spin on the world of magic with enough real life drama thrown in to make you think. The narrator on the audiobook is a definite bonus.
junghoseok's review against another edition
5.0
This was everything I needed in life--a London full of magicians who summon/enslave djinn for their own uses, a 12-year-old Slytherin who's out for revenge, and a sarcastic jinni narrator who's too old for this crap.