An inventive fantasy of epic proportions, spiked with everything from witty spirits to “magical espionage”, The Amulet of Samarkand, the first book of the The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, is a spellbinding novel that could capture any bibliophile’s heart. “The main character, Bartimaeus, is really funny…his narration is awesome, it’s a really well written story,” junior Tessa Rauch said. The Amulet of Samarkand tells the tale of Nathaniel, a young magician-in-training who summons Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni to help him exact revenge on a ruthless magician, embarking on an adventure laced with intrigue. Despite the thrilling story line, for Rauch, the real fun lies in the intricacies and memorability of the characters, as well as the distinctive setting. “It’s interesting because its not really set in any time period that we know…it feels like the 1800s but the technology is advanced. [It’s like the] last days of the British empire,” she said. Rauch believes this book would appeal to any reader who likes fantasy storylines that don’t follow the same blueprint as most teenage novels, such as Divergent or The Hunger Games. “Its not really the normal teen novel you think of…it doesn’t follow the same template, it isn’t  love triangle-y at all,” she said. Rauch enjoys this book, largely due to her love of the clever writing, even as the enchanting story line and characters of this novel are sure to cast a spell on any willing reader.

Quote from book: “Haven’t you done enough for a lifetime? Think about it—two power—crazed magicians killed, a hundred power—crazed magicians saved…” wrote Jonathan Stroud.

List of Tessa’s Recommended Series:

1. Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling — “Its really well written, all of the characters are interesting, which is unusual for a book…they all have their own personalities.”
2. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien — “I think Tolkien’s world building is amazing, its insane the amount of depth he put into it…there is this whole history of Middle Earth he’s created with different languages for each creature.”
3. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull — “Its pretty lighthearted [and] well written. I like hearing about all the different creatures in its particular world.”