Magyk

This is another book that I read aloud to my daughter but would not have finished otherwise. I am mystified by the plethora of good reviews for this one. The story is tired and scattershot; the so-called main character is largely missing; it's far longer than it needs to be; all the magic is of the deus ex machina variety; the writing style is by turns condescending, obtrusive, and dull; and the plot is hard to discern. Even with all that said, I've read (or attempted to read) others that were worse. My best indicator of how well it was received by my daughter is if she asks to immediately get to the next one in the series or not. She did not ask about this one (and if she did, there's no way I would've read it). This book held no surprises, moved at a snail's pace, and contained only cardboard characters. Next up will be a book of my choosing.