Tagged: magyk
Queste by Angie Sage
(Cover picture courtesy of Queste Wiki.)
There’s trouble at the Castle, and it’s all because Merrin Meredith has returned with Darke plans for Septimus. More trouble awaits Septimus and Jenna in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of the very first Chief Hermetic Scribe, who is determined to send Septimus on a deadly Queste. But Septimus and Jenna have other plans—they are headed for the mysterious House of Foryx, a place where all Time meets and the place where they fervently hope they will be able to find Nicko and Snorri, who were trapped back in time in Physik. But how will Septimus escape the Queste?
Queste, like all the books in the Septimus Heap series, is filled with nonstop action, humor, and fantastical adventure as Septimus continues his journey of Magykal self-discovery.
As you may remember, I wasn’t overly fond of Magyk, the first book in the Septimus Heap series. Still, I kept on with the series because it showed potential and now that I’ve read the fourth book, I’m certainly glad I did. With each book, Angie Sage’s writing got better, the characters became three dimensional and the world-building improved greatly.
Queste follows Septimus and Jenna as they try to bring Nicko and Snorri back to the present. The only problem is that Septimus has drawn the Questing Stone and must go on a Queste. Questing had been abolished because too many Apprentices died while on their Questes, but a loophole exploited by a villainous ghost revives them. In Queste, Angie Sage created a lot more suspense than she did in her previous three books. It suits the maturing writing style throughout the series, which allows fans to grow up along with the books.
Angie Sage rotates between different points of view, which can be confusing in the wrong hands, but she handled it well. Queste is a bit more dark than the other three books, although it still has some of that humour Angie Sage is known for. I would highly recommend this book for kids ages 8-12 who love fantasy.
And yes, I would even recommend it to adults and teens who love a bit of light reading once in a while.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Physik by Angie Sage
(Cover picture courtesy of HarperCollins Children’s Books.)
When Silas Heap unSeals a forgotten room in the Palace, he releases the ghost of a Queen who lived five hundred years earlier. Queen Etheldredda is as awful in death as she was in life, and she’s still up to no good. Her diabolical plan to give herself everlasting life requires Jenna’s compliance, Septimus’s disappearance, and the talents of her son, Marcellus Pye, a famous Alchemist and Physician. And if Queen Etheldredda’s plot involves Jenna and Septimus, then it will surely involve Nicko, Alther Mella, Marcia Overstrand, Beetle, Stanley, Sarah, Silas, Spit Fyre, Aunt Zelda, and all of the other wacky, wonderful characters that made magyk and flyte so memorable.
(Summary courtesy of Amazon.)
With heart-stopping action and a dash of humor, Angie Sage continues the fantastical journey of Septimus Heap.
Physik is probably my favourite book in the entire Septimus Heap series so far and I’ve read the first five of them. Why is it my favourite? Well, the characters are much better developed, Angie Sage is a bit more descriptive so we get a better idea of what the world looks like and we get to see the Castle at the height of its glory.
Jenna has matured more in this book and is more of a princess than she was in Magyk or Flyte. Septimus is also moving right along in his Apprenticeship when it gets rudely interrupted by Marcellus Pye and the horrible Queen Etheldredda. I don’t want to give too much away, but Queen Etheldredda isn’t just any ordinary ghost, which causes even more trouble for Septimus and Jenna. We also get introduced to a new character, Snorri, who is my personal favourite because of her backstory, her cat and her special Spirit Seeing abilities.
The world of Septimus Heap is also much more developed and we get to see a lot of origins of the traditions we find in the first two books. Along the way, we learn about Physik, which is this world’s version of science. In a weird reversal of our world, Magyk is looked upon as more reliable than Physik and Marcia even goes so far as to laugh at Septimus when he wants to learn more about it. There isn’t much laugh-out-loud humour in Angie Sage’s books, but they’re not completely dark and serious either, which is what makes them great for ages 9-12. The illustrations at the beginnings of every chapter also do so much to enhance the reading experience.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Flyte by Angie Sage
(Cover picture courtesy of Free eBooks.)
It’s been a year since Septimus Heap discovered his real family and true calling to be a wizard. As Apprentice to Extra Ordinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, he is learning the fine arts of Conjurations, Charms, and other Magyk, while Jenna is adapting to life as the Princess and enjoying the freedom of the Castle.
But there is something sinister at work. Marcia is constantly trailed by a menacing Darke Shadow, and Septimus’s brother Simon seems bent on a revenge no one understands. Why is the Darke Magyk still lingering?
Bringing fantasy to new heights, Angie Sage continues the journey of Septimus Heap with her trademark humor and all of the clever details readers have come to love.
Although I gave Magyk, the first book in the Septimus Heap series, a mediocre review, I still continued on with the series as it had potential. As it turned out, that was the right decision.
Now that Septimus has been found and reunited with his family and Jenna has finally been claimed as the lost princess (something that was obvious from the beginning), Angie Sage begins to focus more on their character development. They are able to grow beyond their archetypes and readers will be much more sympathetic to them, especially when there’s an unexpected betrayal in the family from Simon. Simon himself is kind of your stereotypical tortured Judas: he’s angry at being passed over for an Apprenticeship in favour of a much younger person he doesn’t believe is really his brother. Unfortunately, he doesn’t really grow beyond this stereotype, but for a book meant for ages 9-12 he’s a decent enough villain.
What I like about Flyte is that we see a lot more of Septimus’ world and learn a lot more about it as well. Now that Septimus is Marcia’s Apprentice, we also learn a little more about Magyk, although we still don’t learn as much as I would like. However, the book is meant for people much younger than I am, so I don’t think it will bother many readers. Aside from the fact we never really learn what the source of Magyk is, Angie Sage has still created an interesting fantasy world that readers will love. It’s not completely unique and you will find a lot of fantasy tropes, but she does put her own spin on things so it doesn’t stray too far into the annoying cliché range.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Magyk by Angie Sage
(Cover picture courtesy of My Escape From The Real World.)
Septimus Heap, the seventh son of the seventh son, disappears the night he is born, pronounced dead by the midwife. That same night, the baby’s father, Silas Heap, comes across an abandoned child in the snow—a newborn girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take her 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?
Some people have been calling Angie Sage’s Septimus Heap series “the next Harry Potter.” Honestly, those words have been thrown around so carelessly that I don’t think they have meaning anymore. Magyk and the other six books in the series are good, but they’re certainly not on the level of Harry Potter.
Magyk is for ages nine and up and I think kids around that age will really enjoy the series. Angie Sage has created a quas-Medieval world (with plenty of twists and diversity) populated with all kinds of characters that kids will love. Her plotting is decent enough and does throw some unexpected twists, but a lot of the ‘twists’ were predictable, even when I was in the target age group. Obviously, Septimus is still alive. I mean, it’s called the Septimus Heap series. Still, there were a few pleasant surprises and most kids won’t be able to see them coming.
Aunt Zelda, Jenna, Silas, Boy 412 and Marcia are all colourful characters. They may seem a bit shallow to older readers, but Angie Sage’s target age group will love them. As a bonus, this isn’t your typical children’s book where the adults have it all wrong: the adults help the main characters (who are children). Magyk also has great messages about believing in yourself and you can’t judge people by their appearances. The writing style is a bit more simplistic than other books aimed at the 9-12 age group, but the plot, world-building and characterization more than make up for it.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.