Chrissy’s Review: Magyk by Angie Sage

Magyk (Septimus Heap #1)
written by Angie Sage
published by HarperCollins, 2005

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Apple Books, Target, Walmart, Kobo, Book Depository, Goodreads

Why did I pick this book? I chose to read this book because I am a huge Harry Potter fan and fantasy fiction fan. Yes, I know, I’m a thirty-three-year-old mom of two, but I like to read books that allow me to escape everyday life and walk through a world of fantasy.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, I did, and I will read the next book in the series, Flyte. However, I found it to be slow in a few parts and kind of confusing. There is so much detail–Magykal spells and charms but not a lot of explanation. For example, why is the Physik Woman called the Physik Woman? Why is the White Witch the White Witch? Theses are only two of many questions that I asked myself. However, these questions did not stop me from finishing this book. The answers were not needed to continue reading the story . . . the answers would have been nice though.

Some of the characters talk incessantly to the point that you just want to say, “Enough, I get the point.” But that is the charm of these characters and you get the feeling that the other characters listening to them feel the same as you, “Enough already!” These parts made me chuckle a bit because of how real they felt to me.

Another confusing/off-putting part was the author’s use of capitalization, which didn’t quite make sense to me. I know they are there for a reason, but I’m not sure what that reason is. And the “misspellings”–i.e. Darke, Magykal, Physik–take a while to get used to. But once you get past that, it is an enjoyable read. I laughed out loud at some parts and felt my breath catch at others. And I wanted to know what happened at the end.

 

Would I recommend it? Yes. My advice is to stick with it to the end. It is worth it.

Will I read it again? Too soon to tell. I want to see how the rest of the series plays out.

 

 

About the book – from Goodreads: The first part of an enthralling new series leads readers on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters, clever charms, potions and spells. Ages 9+.

The 7th son of the 7th son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby’s father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a newborn girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son, Septimus?

The first part of this enthralling new series leads readers on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters, clever charms, potions and spells, and a yearning to uncover the mystery at the heart of this story…who is Septimus Heap?

Angie Sage writes in the tradition of great British storytellers. Her inventive fantasy is filled with humor and heart: Magyk will have readers laughing and begging for more.

 

 

 

* This post contains affiliate links.

** This post first appeared on Every Free Chance Books (everyfreechance.com) on October 17, 2011. Book cover, graphics, and links updated on February 20, 2018.