I will start by saying that I absolutely loved the first book, The Magiciansso of course, the greater the fall. I considered giving The Magician King three stars just for the handful of times it literally made me laugh out loud, but I finally decided that wasnt enough to offset the storys flaws, and I settled on 2.5 stars.
I agree with other reviewers who found the background story on Julia intriguing and engaging. To me, that was the best part of the book. However, I also thought those sections were overwritten at times.
The present time (Quentin -- or Quentin/Julia) story really lacked complexity and sophistication. Those sections were like reading an adventure in a childrens book. It seemed like the author just threw in whatever struck his fancy at the time. The plot felt random and unplanned, almost as if Grossman had never intended to write a sequel and had to hurriedly come up with something at the behest of his publishers.
I probably still will read the third installment in hopes of experiencing something akin to the captivation I felt with The Magicians, but Im definitely not waiting on the edge of my seat anymore for its publication.
I agree with other reviewers who found the background story on Julia intriguing and engaging. To me, that was the best part of the book. However, I also thought those sections were overwritten at times.
The present time (Quentin -- or Quentin/Julia) story really lacked complexity and sophistication. Those sections were like reading an adventure in a childrens book. It seemed like the author just threw in whatever struck his fancy at the time. The plot felt random and unplanned, almost as if Grossman had never intended to write a sequel and had to hurriedly come up with something at the behest of his publishers.
I probably still will read the third installment in hopes of experiencing something akin to the captivation I felt with The Magicians, but Im definitely not waiting on the edge of my seat anymore for its publication.
