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" As a previous said, too pessimistic for a main character. Made the book very painful to get through. "
- Scott, 2/15/2014
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" The story is engaging, though slow to start; I'm 3/4 through and it's just now starting to pick up. I've heard the second book is better so I will persevere "
- Erica, 1/17/2014
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" I gave up. Awful, awful book. I hated everyone and everything in it. "
- Dinsdale, 1/11/2014
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" an interesting concept , several of them actually, are shoehorned into this book with an extremely unlikable lead character and scarcely fleshed out secondary characters. ugh could have been so much better. didn't live up to the hype. at all. "
- Kirsty, 12/29/2013
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" This is kind of an unfair book for me to rate. It was fine, I guess, but pretty much the opposite of what I look for in a fantasy novel. I liked (view spoiler)[the scene where the otherworldly wizard appeared in the classroom (hide spoiler)] but not really anything else. "
- Ash, 12/26/2013
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" I honestly was ready to like this book, until the ending came around. I kept waiting for our main character to be satisfied with what he had or to grow or something! He didn't change at all, started out depressed..ended up still depressed and complaining. The guy needs to go to therapy!I just couldn't stand him and the only character I actually liked ended up sacrificing herself for this pathetic guy after he cheated on her. The book would have been better from her point of view honestly. I just felt empty and indifferent after I finished reading it and that's not what I expect from a good book. I don't think I will be reading the next one because I expect he will not go through any personal growth. This book just wasn't for me. "
- Nadia, 12/15/2013
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" A good story, but clearly a rip off of Rowling, Tolkein, and Lewis. "
- Eryn, 12/3/2013
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" I liked both these books. Quick reads and very engaging. "
- Loretta, 11/30/2013
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" Adult Harry Potter. An equally inventive magical universe with more drama and serious subject matter. "
- Terence, 11/27/2013
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" So far the main character reminds me of my sister's ex who I hated and is a loser...I hope my opinion changes soon. "
- Holly, 11/10/2013
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" I liked this book for the first half and then really hated the second half but I'm somehow left with this need to continue the series. While I was reading it, I was so distracted by the fact that it was so much like other books i could almost not get into it. "
- Allison, 11/4/2013
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" Again, maybe the magic of audiobooks makes me love it, but I really, really loved it. I want to go to Brakebills and then disappear into Fillory forever. "
- Thara, 8/30/2012
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" A quirky, strange amalgamation of the Harry Potter and Narnia books, with a little dose of The Talisman, but written by/for jaded hipsters. That may sound like an insult, and it kind of is, but I still enjoyed the book for the most part. "
- Brian, 7/13/2012
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" Literary fiction trying too hard to pass itself off as genre fiction and instead falling flat at both. "
- Andrew, 3/28/2012
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" I put off reading this book because I've seen lots of bad reviews. I'm glad I finally read it. This book is brilliant! Great characters, great story and beautiful writing. "
- Katerina, 3/25/2012
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" The entire time I was reading this, I couldn't tell if I hated it or loved it. For those of you who have seen the Silver Linings Playbook, the scene where Pat throws the book out the window is precisely how I felt at the end. Nonetheless, I will be proceeding to the Magician King. "
- Hannah, 1/29/2012
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" Like Harry potter, but with drugs and sex "
- Rohit, 8/31/2011
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" Extremely interesting premise and first half of the book, but it seemed to become incredibly boring and fell back into the cliches which it tried so hard to avoid. Not bad, though.
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- Kaworu, 5/22/2011
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" It took me some time to get going on this novel, but once I was into it, I loved the story. I wanted to see where Quentin and the rest of the magicians went and how they got there. Really compelling.
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- Miriam, 5/22/2011
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" Lev's writing is beautiful. The story combines magical realism and fantasy, and I dare say that it took a bit of magic to turn out a story this layered and thoughtful and emotionally satisfying. I am looking forward to the sequel, and I'm searching out Codex, Lev's previous work.
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- Melissa, 5/19/2011
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" liked but didn't love. must be getting old.
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- Birdy, 5/17/2011
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" I'm ambivalent about this book. Some parts were excellent (the first scene with the Beast freaked me out) but it didn't quite hang together and felt like three books smooshed together. I would have preferred more interesting characters and more world building.
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- Emily, 5/17/2011
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" This was a good fantasy read - it is definitely it's own unique story although the back cover of the book compares it to a Harry Potter for adults. It is not like Harry Potter. The book really picks up steam toward the end of the story and leaves you hanging - now to wait for the sequel.
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- Mary, 5/17/2011
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" Interesting and a bit strange - sort of like The Chronicles of Narnia mixed with Harry Potter and a bit of gratuitous violence.
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- Rachel, 5/13/2011
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" Stunning, wonderful book. It's a fantasy book for obsessive fans of fantasy, and it's a fantasy book for anyone who dislikes fantasy. I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved it, and I've been waiting for the sequel since the night I stayed up all night to finish reading it.
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- Jolene, 5/12/2011
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" There were parts of this book that I truly enjoyed, the setting, supporting characters, and overall plot were great; however the main character was not hard to overcome. I was very unhappy with him as a character and his growth (often lack there of) throughout the novel.
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- Michael, 5/12/2011
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" Overall I liked this book. I liked the adventure. I liked it as part thriller, part teenage angst novel. There really isn't one character that I could say I related to or even liked. Each one had some some self imposed agony.
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- Letty, 5/11/2011
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" I couldn't finish it. Quentin, the main character was a pompous jerk and I was getting tired of his whining. Maybe fantasy isn't my thing; the plot was too slow to arrive and just got too cheesy for me.
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- Molly, 5/10/2011
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