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atsumeri's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
elbycloud's review against another edition
5.0
So far so good-just on chapter 3 but I'm captivated. I loved the Harry Potter series; the tag line put me off a bit (about making Harry Potter seem like weak tea). Getting past that, it's a good follow up read.
camping4life's review against another edition
1 paperback copy as part of the trilogy box set
Finished again: 4/22/24
Audiobook this time…. 14 hours and 5 mins (Libby tracked it)
So many details I did not remember from last time…
Finished again: 4/22/24
Audiobook this time…. 14 hours and 5 mins (Libby tracked it)
So many details I did not remember from last time…
cyndireadsbooks's review against another edition
2.0
This just felt very derivative. From Hogwarts to Mr. Tumnus, it just felt like a paler version of other, better, works.
scijessreads's review against another edition
1.0
This is one of those times where the TV show is better than the book. On paper, I could not form an attachment to any of the characters, and it all felt “mean,” for lack of a better descriptor. The plot has always been interesting, however the execution in book form was rough.
tracyreally's review against another edition
4.0
I would say "if you like Harry Potter, read this" except it's more like "if you like books about magic, read this," since if you like magic you probably read Harry Potter anyway. The only things that are Harry Potterish about this book are that there are kids and they go to magic school. But the rest is different, and it's not precious at all. It's also prettily written, if that can be a descriptor. And there is some sex. See! So not Harry Potter. Harry would never have sex.
Like 90% of the books I read these days (and no, I am still not over The Ghost Writer), the last part was my least favorite, but I didn't scream and throw it on the ground or anything.
Like 90% of the books I read these days (and no, I am still not over The Ghost Writer), the last part was my least favorite, but I didn't scream and throw it on the ground or anything.
lootgoblin's review against another edition
3.0
Lev Grossman’s The Magicians is a cross between Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia, but it is not as good as these books. However, since I like both of these series, I found this book to be interesting. Even though this review may sound very negative, I still recommend reading the book and enjoying it despite its flaws.
I found the story to be entertaining and engaging, and it was a rather unpredictable fantasy novel. That is why I liked the book as much as I did. Even though it has a few similarities to the aforementioned books, there were still some aspects that were original and kept me reading. I also liked that in this book magic is actually hard to do and has its consequences. You have to be a genius (to start off with) and then take a series of special tests just to get into the college.
One thing I didn’t like about the plot was that it felt a little rushed. The characters spent five years at their college of magic and it was over half way through the book. There wasn’t much detail about the inside of the school or the classes they had to take, and too much detail about all the sex and drinking that was going on. It was pretty much just a brief overview of the college of magic and what the characters have to go through to graduate. Then, the rest of the book is everything that happens after graduation, which consists of a lot of drinking, sex, and hanging around in an apartment for quite a bit of time until someone decides to go to another dimension. A lot of the book is also spent describing the Fillory books, including details about the characters in it, as well as the creatures and main plot points.
Basically, describing the 5 years at the school, what happens in the Fillory books, and what happens after graduation was just a little too much information for such a short book. If it was a little longer with more important details in it then it might have been even more entertaining than it was.
I didn’t see much character development throughout the entire book. Quentin was depressed no matter what happened. Even when his dreams come true he still wants something more. I just got annoyed by all of his unhappiness and making bad choices. That just made a lot of the book depressing. However, I did like Alice. I think she was the only character I really enjoyed. There was a little bit of character development with her and I felt like I knew her better than the rest of the characters. Also,the other characters you don’t get to know very well, which makes it difficult to remember who is who towards the end of the book.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia because it has aspects from those books. Just don’t go into it believing that it is Harry Potter for adults because its not as good. I am glad that I read the book because it just felt like a different experience, and I will be reading the sequel.
I found the story to be entertaining and engaging, and it was a rather unpredictable fantasy novel. That is why I liked the book as much as I did. Even though it has a few similarities to the aforementioned books, there were still some aspects that were original and kept me reading. I also liked that in this book magic is actually hard to do and has its consequences. You have to be a genius (to start off with) and then take a series of special tests just to get into the college.
One thing I didn’t like about the plot was that it felt a little rushed. The characters spent five years at their college of magic and it was over half way through the book. There wasn’t much detail about the inside of the school or the classes they had to take, and too much detail about all the sex and drinking that was going on. It was pretty much just a brief overview of the college of magic and what the characters have to go through to graduate. Then, the rest of the book is everything that happens after graduation, which consists of a lot of drinking, sex, and hanging around in an apartment for quite a bit of time until someone decides to go to another dimension. A lot of the book is also spent describing the Fillory books, including details about the characters in it, as well as the creatures and main plot points.
Basically, describing the 5 years at the school, what happens in the Fillory books, and what happens after graduation was just a little too much information for such a short book. If it was a little longer with more important details in it then it might have been even more entertaining than it was.
I didn’t see much character development throughout the entire book. Quentin was depressed no matter what happened. Even when his dreams come true he still wants something more. I just got annoyed by all of his unhappiness and making bad choices. That just made a lot of the book depressing. However, I did like Alice. I think she was the only character I really enjoyed. There was a little bit of character development with her and I felt like I knew her better than the rest of the characters. Also,the other characters you don’t get to know very well, which makes it difficult to remember who is who towards the end of the book.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia because it has aspects from those books. Just don’t go into it believing that it is Harry Potter for adults because its not as good. I am glad that I read the book because it just felt like a different experience, and I will be reading the sequel.
ceitidh13's review against another edition
1.0
Honestly, I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as I thought I would, nor as much as I wanted to. The side characters in this book seemed to have wonderful back stories but were woefully under documented. The treatment of characters was also rather lacking. Overall the plot could have been better, I found myself bored more often than not while reading it. It seemed more as though the author tried to mash together Harry Potter/The Chronicles of Narnia/A Wizard of Earthsea but demand that they hadn't. Though the sequels may be better I highly doubt I will read them, nor do I overly recommend this one.
altalune97's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I got a bit bored when they got to Fillory, it was all a bit weird and felt like Narnia vibes. I liked the final scene with the beast and Alice, it definitely picked up again there and i liked the bit with the centaurs.
Overall though it felt like something was missing?? There wasn’t really any stakes until that scene when the beast showed up in Fillory , usually fantasy i read has the danger lurking the whole time but this didn’t really have that.
I thought Quentin wasn’t that interesting and was a bit of a miserable prick lol
Kinda liked that he and alice ended up being a bit fucked up and it didnt resolve itself - not read much where that tends to happen so added a bit of something different for me.
I did enjoy when they were turned into geese though and the southern school .
Didn’t fully scratch the itch for me. 2.5 stars i think at most.
⭐️⭐️ - okay but had a few issues
Overall though it felt like something was missing?? There wasn’t really any stakes until that scene when
I thought Quentin wasn’t that interesting and was a bit of a miserable prick lol
Kinda liked that
I did enjoy
Didn’t fully scratch the itch for me. 2.5 stars i think at most.
⭐️⭐️ - okay but had a few issues
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - enjoyed it while reading but won’t think about again