The Magicians

The Magicians is, obviously, about magic. Magic done realistically, if there is such a thing. I hate to use the 'blank meets blank' cliche to describe it BUT it reminds me of Harry Potter and Narnia written for adults in an upstate New York setting (at one point the characters even reference a trip to Albany! Cheap pops for my hometown!).

Just as not all animated works are made for children, not all books about magic are for children. The characters drink, swear, and have sex. Just like real teenagers! And that's what I enjoyed about this book. I didn't have to roll my eyes at Boy character and Girl character (or boy character and boy character, this book portrays a gay relationship--bonus points for making the gay character one of the coolest in the book) chastely holding hands and even kissing once at the finale. The book also doesn't portray marriage as the most perfect thing two people can do...marriages can be messed up and children can be pissed about it.