Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk by Angie Sage

Amy says:   

My thriftiness got the better of me again and I downloaded this book for free from Barnes and Noble.  I read it to see if it was something my 9 year-old daughter might be interested in.  Being that is the first in a series of six, I was hoping to like it so she would have another go-to series to keep her busy for at least the first part of summer. She reads faster than I do so it won't last her the whole summer, but I might be able to get three or four weeks of peace out of a six book series. 

My main complaint with this book also happens to be one of my pet peeves:  words misspelled on purpose.  As evidenced in the title, magyk is misspelled  and is misspelled throughout the entire book.  In fact, most words dealing with wizardry and sorcery are as well, with no explanation given.  I should probably loosen up and just roll with it, but I can't.  Also unexplained were words in bold print for seemingly no reason.  Again, they were words dealing with the topic at hand but I found it almost overwhelming to have so  many words in bold print on EVERY. SINGLE. PAGE.  Annoying. 

I also must admit that I am a Harry Potter snob, so it was unlikely I was going to give this book a fair shake.  I tried, but I just couldn't get into it.  There were a multitude of characters, so much so that it was hard to keep them all straight.  If I had trouble, I doubt a 9-12 year-old could keep up either.  The one thing I did appreciate was the love and unity of a solid family unit around the main characters.  It was a refreshing change to see wizard characters with the support of a family to get them through their scary and sometimes deadly troubles. 

Book summary:  At birth, Septimus Heap is carried away for dead, and his father, Silas Heap, is entrusted with a baby girl.  When the villainous Supreme Custodian tries to assassinate the now 10 year-old Jenna, who, it turns out, is the daughter of the murdered queen, the girl flees to the Marram Marshes along with some family members, the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, and a young army guard known only as "Boy 412."  Pursued by the servants of the Necromancer DomDaniel, and aided by an engaging array of magical beings, they finally prevail in a satisfying and fairly exciting conclusion.