The Magicians by Lev Grossman

The Magicians (The Magicians, #1)

by Lev Grossman

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...

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

Share
Rating: 3.5 Stars

A school where you major in magic? Count me in. There are a lot of cool magical things about this story, and also a lot of human issues to reflect upon. Quentin's journey is not a happy one. It's a cycle of him striving for something, and then once he has it, thinking it's not enough. There was quite a few times that I wanted to just give him a smack.



I do think that this journey was necessary in order for him to recognize the good things he had in his life. I would definitely classify this as a coming of age story, because in the end, Quentin has grown and changed and maybe even become a better person.

Overall: magically entertaining with good world building, but a slightly frustrating MC.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 November, 2016: Finished reading
  • 27 November, 2016: Reviewed