theirresponsiblereader's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
3.5
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader as part of a Quick Takes Catch-up post, emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.
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Oh, this was just fun. Gwen and Martin's kids are teens now, and discover the whole magic/computer thing on their own (mostly because Gwen, Martin, and Philip are in major trouble and the teens blame Philip). We get to see some magic that's not in the medieval England or Atlantean model, and see how strange everything in the first 5 books really is through the twins' fresh eyes.
Daniels was his typical great self; Meyers was inventive, clever, and witty (as you expect), and the story was very satisfying.
If this is the end of the road for this series, it was a great way to go. If not? I'm really going to enjoy what comes next.
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Oh, this was just fun. Gwen and Martin's kids are teens now, and discover the whole magic/computer thing on their own (mostly because Gwen, Martin, and Philip are in major trouble and the teens blame Philip). We get to see some magic that's not in the medieval England or Atlantean model, and see how strange everything in the first 5 books really is through the twins' fresh eyes.
Daniels was his typical great self; Meyers was inventive, clever, and witty (as you expect), and the story was very satisfying.
If this is the end of the road for this series, it was a great way to go. If not? I'm really going to enjoy what comes next.
maxramsay's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite reaching the dizzying heights of the first book (and to a lesser extent book 3), but a solid entry by Myer.
krakentamer's review against another edition
4.0
I've really enjoyed this series, and this was a nice change of perspective, both in introducing Martin & Gwen's kids, as well as learning more about Sid and Gilbert.
One note about the audiobook version - I can't be sure, but I think that the reader switched the voices on the Magni halfway through. I seem to remember that at the beginning of the book Magnus Galka had the rough "lunkhead" type voice, while Magnus Rex had the whinier voice, but at some point they seemed to have flipped. Granted, I could be wrong about that, of course. I've actually enjoyed Luke Daniels' reading of this series, as he's done a great job with distinctive voices.
One note about the audiobook version - I can't be sure, but I think that the reader switched the voices on the Magni halfway through. I seem to remember that at the beginning of the book Magnus Galka had the rough "lunkhead" type voice, while Magnus Rex had the whinier voice, but at some point they seemed to have flipped. Granted, I could be wrong about that, of course. I've actually enjoyed Luke Daniels' reading of this series, as he's done a great job with distinctive voices.
teanahk's review against another edition
3.0
Roughly the first third of the book is two newly introduced characters explaining all of the rules of magic to the kiddos. It’s a tedious, seemingly endless info dump.
The next third is like a tv sitcom clip show, or as close as you can get in book form. The sorcerers and kiddos pop into a few events from previous books and just sort of watch stuff happen.
The final third of the book is actually a fairly entertaining wizards book with some ridiculous battles and general foolishness. The last 2 hours or so of the audiobook was actually quite entertaining, it’s a shame the lead up to it was so painful to get through.
The next third is like a tv sitcom clip show, or as close as you can get in book form. The sorcerers and kiddos pop into a few events from previous books and just sort of watch stuff happen.
The final third of the book is actually a fairly entertaining wizards book with some ridiculous battles and general foolishness. The last 2 hours or so of the audiobook was actually quite entertaining, it’s a shame the lead up to it was so painful to get through.
imzadirose's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked parts of this and was really bored by parts. The action around 40-80% was my favorite - until the plagues, then snooze fest for a little while. But still, overall enjoyable and comical at times. Good for mindless reading, or listening in my case. I'd probably read more and overall, I enjoyed this series.
g2pro's review against another edition
3.0
The series is starting to get a little old, nothing new or fresh.
cbabione's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
nithuir's review against another edition
3.0
I dunno, a bit on the boring side. The last part had some annoying parts. Enjoyable but not as much as the first books.
molokov's review against another edition
3.0
Magic 2.0 books are light and fun (and are intended to be this way) with no super deep consequences for their characters, and this one is no different. Focussing on newer characters gives it a bit of a fresh edge, but the narration style seems to have become plainer (if it's not just my failing memory). Still, the story is engaging enough, and the climactic action scene is still quite entertaining.
caleykapowski's review against another edition
2.0
Rumbledethumps is a Scottish dish not an English one! It’s a dish from my home county of The Scottish Borders which is not in or even that close to England
This annoyed me almost as much as the terrible Scottish accents in the fourth book
Those aren’t the reasons for my rating, I just didn’t have anything to add that hasn’t already been said by other reviewers
This annoyed me almost as much as the terrible Scottish accents in the fourth book
Those aren’t the reasons for my rating, I just didn’t have anything to add that hasn’t already been said by other reviewers