Lindsey's Library

Critique

This series is often compared to Harry Potter, but I think in many ways it’s much different. The only parallels that I see are that it involves a boy, who at one point is an orphan, and magic. Definitely written for a younger audience, the Septimus books have a tendency to be a little silly sometimes and the endings easily resolved. However, in contrast, Sage deftly creates an interesting world with often odd and humorous characters who have the ability to surprise the reader. The plot structures of each story vary, and, to any fantasy reader’s great joy, she doesn’t use the same antagonist throughout every single book. Some of the characters switch sides, and other, new bad guys emerge as the series progresses. Also, unlike many series writers, Sage will start a chain of events that last throughout several books, continuing to hook readers from book to book. She does not wrap everything up neatly, but is still able to finish a book in a way that makes the story seem complete. Then, the reader has the anticipation of discovering how some of the issues that arise in earlier books will unravel in later additions. 

As each book passes, more and more interested elements reveal themselves about the world that Angie Sage has created. I love the concept of the House of Foryx, the Witch’s Way, the Queste and how it was initially intended to work, but that it was distorted from its original purpose. Also, Hotep-Ra showing up in the House of Foryx was another great twist that I didn’t see coming.  On a literary note, Sage has proven to have a keen ability to continue to evolve her characters from story to story in a way that’s not only enticing to readers, but also shows a larger character arc that makes the characters seem very palatable. I could imagine myself in this world, interacting with these magical people. Septimus and Jenna especially wrestle with many internal issues that often mirror the difficult circumstances that happen around them. It’s brave of Sage to show that the two main protagonists can make the wrong decisions, which lead to catastrophic things happening in not only their lives, but the lives of everyone else around them as well. Even throughout books four and five, Jenna still struggles over the fact that her decision to lead Septimus into the room with the two-way mirror in book three has split her family apart. I recommend all the books in this series to readers 9+.

The other books in the Septimus Heap series so far are Magyk (book 1), Flyte (book 2), Physik (book 3), and Syren (book 5).