The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Septimus Heap: Magyk

Series: Septimus Heap #1

Author: Angie Sage

Genre: Middle Reader, Fantasy, Adventure, Magic

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

Septimus Heap is the seventh son of the seventh son. After he’s born, Septimus is declared dead, and the midwife takes him away. His father is on his way back from getting herbs for his new baby when he finds another baby in the forest. He takes her home and learns that his son is dead. The Heaps take in this baby as one of their own. Ten years later Marcia shows up on their doorstep saying their daughter is in danger and they must run.

The way this book was described to me was the Weasley family in medieval times. I also have read that this series is a “charming series for kids not ready for big, dark fantasies,” per Common Sense Media. With that, I went into this book very hopeful for a high fantasy, feel-good wizard book.

I haven’t read the Harry Potter books in years, but I didn’t get Weasley vibes from the Heap family. While this family was cute, there was a lack of unity within the family. I enjoyed the parents, Silas and Sarah Heap, older brother Nicko, and Jenna. The other brothers: Simon, Sam, Edd and Erik, and Jo-Jo weren’t really in the book, which didn’t help with a feeling of unity.

The best part of this book was the characters. Boy 412, Nicko, Jenna, Aunt Zelda, Marcia, Maxie, and Silas and Sarah were wonderful characters. They were all different and had such depth to them. I love books with dogs and Maxie is one of my favorite literary dogs. He had a personality that came through the page instead of just being there. Aunt Zelda was unique and what I aspire to be when I’m older. I felt so sympathetic towards Boy 412. Angie Sage did a good job of writing a traumatized person for children to read and understand. Boy 412 also didn’t talk until three-fourths of the way into the book. There were mixed perspectives throughout the book, so there wasn’t a large period of time with Boy 412’s perspective, though I still got a good sense of who he was.

I will say that the antagonists of the book, DomDaniel and the Supreme Custodian, fell a little flat. I got some understanding of them, especially DomDaniel, but not a very in-depth understanding of them. I hope in the later books, there will be a greater understanding of them.

I struggle with setting descriptions, which can make it difficult to get into fantasy books at times. This book wasn’t too setting description heavy, unlike other books, which made it easier to read, but I still struggled with it a little. Overall, this world is appealing, and I felt immersed in it, though there were times when I was little confused based on how it was described.

Magyk is a really good book, with wonderful characters and an interesting setting. The shing star of the book was the characters, with every character-great or small- shining through in their own unique way. This book is appealing to all ages and everybody will enjoy it.

Goodreads Page for: Magyk by Angie Sage