The Magic Thief: Lost (2009)

Enjoyable, but not nearly as touching or as much fun as the first book.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). ( )

Second book of The magic thief series,Conn is now officially wizards apprentice. He experiments with magic and magic talks to him in mysterious ways. This time its not a magic thief but something evil that is going to hit the city. Only Conn understands it and tries to bring it to the notice of other wizards but with the least success. He finds his own ways to keep the city safe and also its magic...
( )

A highly enjoyable continuation of the events of the first book, expanding the cast of characters, the scope of the world, and the complexity of the plot.

Some of my favorite bits:

Conn and his understated personality. He keeps so much inside, but there's just enough insight that I felt for him greatly, particularly at a certain point midway through when some very bad things happen, and at the end. There was one paragraph at the end that just got me in the heart, because the whole book had (at least in my mind) built up to it. I love that!

Rowan. I enjoyed getting to see more of her and (because I am a romantic sap) I am already eagerly anticipating how the relationship between she and Conn will develop in future books as she and Conn get a little older. Especially with Argent in the mix (I was very glad to see Rowan already putting Argent in his place though, heh).

The underlying mystery. I'm intrigued by the way magic seems to work in this series and particularly Conn's relationship to the magic of Wellmet and the various animals that are associated with the magics. I am looking forward to learning more about what is really going on in book 3. Also, the dragons!

I stampeded through this in a day, and it was great fun; still I had a few complaints that made me give this 4 stars instead of five. Here's a list!

1. I felt Conn's actions were crossing the line from go-getter to selfish and thoughtless more than once (meaning he did things that were obviously pretty stupid and put a lot of other people in danger); there was also a bit of Harry Potter syndrome going on as Conn just KNEW better than anyone else and rushed headlong into things despite several trustworthy people cautioning him in a quite reasonable fashion.

2. Another thing that reminded me of HP was the wonky balance of power, meaning the antagonists leveled up or were presented as stronger while the protagonists didn't, but still fights etc. always worked out (think HP and friends defeating Death Eaters with the Expelliarmus spell). There was also a lot of bumbling around on the side of people who were supposed to be professional fighters and guards that wasn't really believable to me, and I couldn't quite swallow the fact that Rowan (as the heiress of the duchess) kept being in the midst of things with approximately 3 people accompanying her for safety.

3. Kerrrrn. I liked her character in the first book, but this time I thought she was being used as a portable obstacle or something. One moment there was some sort of development, a sort of grudging acceptance of Conn, and the next she was back to being mindlessly antagonistic. I found that slightly annoying. Not her, but the shifting back and forth between the two without any obvious reasons. I hope she'll be allowed to unfold in the later books.

4. Not enough Benet.

5. Needs more Nevery snark.

I still *really* liked the book, it was a good adventure, an easy read and a fun story, and I regret nothing. I'm already looking forward to the next part, and the 4th part (next year, I think?), and if things keep up, I'll be reading this until the author gets tired of it. ( )

I loved how this book was filled with adventure and lots of suspense. I can't wait to read Found! ( )