Review: The Magician King by Lev Grossman

Blurb

Meet Quentin Coldwater, king of the bizarre and wonderful land of Fillory. But he is getting restless, even in heaven a man needs a little adventure. So when a steward is murdered on a morning’s hunt Quentin gets exactly that. But this quest is like no other. What starts as a glorified cruise to faraway lands soon becomes the stuff of nightmares…

I award this novel four out of five stars

Today I’m reviewing the second novel of the Magician series. A fantastic series that has been made into a TV show for the SyFy channel. It’s one of my much-loved shows, if you haven’t seen it yet, and you’re a fan of fantasy, I highly recommend it.

Feel free to check out my review of the first novel The Magicians. Lev Grossman’s writing is awe inspiring. He’s easily one of my top ten favorite authors. His descriptive way of defining the ordain and extraordinary is effortless and imaginative.

I loved the journey into Julia’s life, and her harrowing route to becoming a Magician. I was fully engrossed in every chapter from her point of view. Her crippling depression was well written and I felt accurate. I could fully identify with her darkness.

I missed the terrific characters from the first novel; Alice, Janice and Eliot were hardly mentioned. This was a shame. They were well developed, complex characters, bringing a lighter touch of comedy and love for Quinten.  I didn’t fully connect with some of the others. We experienced Poppy, Josh and Penny through the Quinten’s lens. They weren’t always favourites of his, it made for comical encounters or lacklustre ones.

I adore Quinten’s mind, his restlessness. I loved how the seemingly inconsequential threads lined up to complete Quinten’s quest. And although I routed for a happy conclusion, Que’s acceptance of his journey and the consequences made for a surprising and satisfactory ending. Leaving a beautiful hook for the next novel, whilst tying off all the loose threads.

There were parts of the novel which dragged, hence four stars instead of five. In places, Grossman’s elaborate writing slowed the plot and pace. I struggled to maintain reading, it took weeks to finish. But once the momentum of the Magician King’s quest finally took off, I was once more engrossed until the bittersweet end.

---

Thank you for reading. Have you read The Magician series? If so, what did you think? Or drop me a message about what you’re currently reading. Until next time, take care my friends. 🙂

Pinterest    Instagram    Twitter    Facebook

LinkedIn   Tumblr

© Author Lorraine Ambers and http://www.lorraineambers.com, 2018.

Review – The Magicians by Lev Grossman

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Blurb.

In a secret world of forbidden knowledge, power comes at a terrible price …

Quentin Coldwater’s life is changed forever by an apparently chance encounter: when he turns up for his entrance interview to Princeton he finds his interviewer dead – but a strange envelope bearing Quentin’s name leads him down a very different path to any he’d ever imagined.

The envelope, and the mysterious manuscript it contains, leads to a secret world of obsession and privilege, a world of freedom and power and, for a while, it’s a world that seems to answer all Quentin’s desires. But the idyll cannot last – and when it’s finally shattered, Quentin is drawn into something darker and far more dangerous than anything he could ever have expected …

I award this novel 5 stars.

Review

Quinten is a mathematical genius. Though he’s the top of his class, Quinten feels as if he doesn’t quite belong, that perhaps he was meant for something else. (A feeling I’m familiar with.) Brakebells reveals a life that he was born to be part of. Inserting him in with other students of equal or better talents.

Not only is the story set in an urban fantasy setting but the novel also makes way for the introduction to Fillory. A world thought to be only an author’s creation, that later turns out to actually exist.

The magicians have a magic system with clear consequences for misuse and a unique way of performing the spells by using finger signals. I loved the distinctive performance of casting magic.

The plot drives a suspenseful and engaging momentum. Lev Grossman writes a dark and addictive fantasy, with entertaining and inspirational descriptions. A smart and gripping view of complex relationships. Whilst delving into the experiences of new adulthood. With amusing pop culture references, that bring well-developed characters to life.

The young adults experiment with the excitements of magic and life, giving into impulses and crashing into the fallout of their consequences.

The Magicians is the first in a trilogy and has been made into a successful TV series. I highly recommend bingeing on both.

© Author Lorraine Ambers & http://www.lorraineambers.com, 2016