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directorpurry's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child abuse and Abandonment
ptork66's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
avsdhpn's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Another strangely addictive read. The story of a djinn and an apprentice magician as they snark back and forth while trying to uncover the mysteries surrounding the named amulet and the magician who has it in their possession. The narrative is split between a third person chapters that focus on Nathaniel and first person chapters from the perspective of Bartimaeus, complete with all his witty self-referential footnotes. Bartimaeus as a character is what makes the book hard to put down.
Very good world building. This almost feels like a cynical answer to Rowling's Harry Potter Universe where Magicians rule over "commoners" (or non-magical folk) in an almost mundane dystopia. Unwanted children are sold to the government to be trained as apprentices to begrudging masters. Magic is not innate to the caster; rather, it takes practice and knowledge to summon demonic spirits to do one's bidding and weave webs of spells to ensure the entities don't double cross them.
Very good world building. This almost feels like a cynical answer to Rowling's Harry Potter Universe where Magicians rule over "commoners" (or non-magical folk) in an almost mundane dystopia. Unwanted children are sold to the government to be trained as apprentices to begrudging masters. Magic is not innate to the caster; rather, it takes practice and knowledge to summon demonic spirits to do one's bidding and weave webs of spells to ensure the entities don't double cross them.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment