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myrandaelayne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
audreypalz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It’s hard to decide how to rate this book. On the one hand, I found it really engaging and interesting, better than the first book, and Julia’s point of view was a nice refreshing change from Quentin’s POV. HOWEVER the author’s weird sexist inclinations (and yes, I say author, not character, because this stuff was present in both Quentin and Julia’s POV), which were present in the first book, felt especially bad in this one, and then you have a culminating rape scene at the end, which made me have the thought, hey, maybe men shouldn’t be allowed to write about women being raped anymore. Maybe we need to be done with that. . Anyway, a very interesting, very flawed book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
ticklemetiff's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual violence
ohclaire's review against another edition
2.0
As a woman, I can’t recommend the last few chapters… one female character gets raped and as a consequence looses her humanity?? and then another gives up her research to stay somewhere she never wanted to go to I hate that there are so many female characters in these books and yet… they all kinda feel like sacrificial manic pixie dream girls. Will be reading the next book tho just because but there is so so much self loathing in it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
ryrei's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
fruitcd's review against another edition
Whereas the first book critiqued American obsession with recreating English academic institutions and post-academia depression, this book is more interested in exploring the people who never had access to that system in the first place. The institutional gatekeeping of knowledge and what happens to people who want access to that knowledge is discussed through the magic-as-metaphor framework that Grossman was so fond of in the first book, and magic does double duty here as a metaphor for addiction as well. We also finally get to learn what happened to Quentin's childhood friend Julia, get a closer look into Fillory, and continue Quentin's never-ending struggle against depression and escapism. I loved all of these bits and thought the underground magic scene and Quentin's Voyage of the Dawn Treader plotline were both very fun!
However, I have major major problems with the end of Julia's arc. Yes, Grossman is drawing on old pagan magic traditions in that portion of the book, and gaining godlike powers through a god raping you is one of those traditions, but it doesn't make the implication that being raped literally took away Julia's humanity and made it so that she couldn't live in the human world(s) afterwards any more pleasant. Other tragic things like Quentin's depression and even Julia's "addiction" to magic feel like they really have time to breathe and be discussed in a sympathetic way, but the "reveal" that Julia was raped is the abrupt end of her POV and her story, and we never really get to see her struggle to come to terms with her assault or get any kind of meaningful discussion about the impact that sexual assault can have on someone's life. She's just shoved out of a hole in the back of the world. I'm not putting a spoiler tag on this because I want people to know what they're getting into when they pick up this book.
Other than that, I really enjoyed this book, but Julia's treatment just left such a bad taste in my mouth!
However, I have major major problems with the end of Julia's arc. Yes, Grossman is drawing on old pagan magic traditions in that portion of the book, and gaining godlike powers through a god raping you is one of those traditions, but it doesn't make the implication that being raped literally took away Julia's humanity and made it so that she couldn't live in the human world(s) afterwards any more pleasant. Other tragic things like Quentin's depression and even Julia's "addiction" to magic feel like they really have time to breathe and be discussed in a sympathetic way, but the "reveal" that Julia was raped is the abrupt end of her POV and her story, and we never really get to see her struggle to come to terms with her assault or get any kind of meaningful discussion about the impact that sexual assault can have on someone's life. She's just shoved out of a hole in the back of the world. I'm not putting a spoiler tag on this because I want people to know what they're getting into when they pick up this book.
Other than that, I really enjoyed this book, but Julia's treatment just left such a bad taste in my mouth!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
aggbutterfly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I found this book a lot more enjoyable than the first one, Quentin was more likeably unlikable. This book also felt more whimsical than the first one and it really made Fillory interesting to read. I like how we got Julia's perspective and how she became to be a magician
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
noom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Violence
quinn_glattlygrosh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape