Initial Impressions 9/9/16: This was really interesting! I loved the vibes and overall feeling right off the bat. It's really Harry Potter meets Narnia for adults. I think my one real "hang-up" about the book is that it was quite piece-y. The book was a lot of moments of the school year (to start with, adult life later on) all put together but unlike in other books that deal with long periods of time, this book didn't quite flow like I had hoped. BUT there were plenty of interesting and quite shocking moments that really kept me interested and really brought the book together. This was one of those things that I probably should have seen coming but I TOTALLY DIDN'T and it was awesome. 
 I really got hooked on the overall vibe of the book and was left wanting to immediately continue the series! There were a few things that I thought we could have done without here and there but overall, it was an engaging read and quite different than your stereotypical or trope-y fantasy/magic school story. 
 Full review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 11/9/16: I had heard so many things about THE MAGICIANS before starting the book and naturally with the TV show having been out for quite some time, it was on my radar, piquing my curiosity. I purchased the audiobook through an Audible sale and when I was in the particular mood for it, it was finally time start it! I wasn't totally sure how it would go since the TV show seems to be a little different (well, now that I've read it) so I had an idea in my head. I was happy and surprised at how the book turned out! 
 I loved the vibes and overall feeling right off the bat. It's really Harry Potter meets Narnia for adults, so the comparisons really do kind of hold up there! The Harry Potter feel is much more in the beginning with a hidden magical school and an entire society of magicians that the "regular human" world doesn't know anything about. I didn't think the Narnia part would hold up, aside from the fictitious childhood favorite book of the characters, but then it really came in strong in the ending! I really got hooked on the overall vibe of the book and was left wanting to immediately continue the series! There were a few things that I thought we could have done without here and there but overall, it was an engaging read and quite different than your stereotypical or trope-y fantasy/magic school story. I really loved the adult feel to it (although some moments felt somewhat unnecessary) but I always love the feel of a childhood favorite that now has an adult edge. It's fun to see characters learning about a magical school in an older setting and how differently things are handled as older teens/new adults. 
 I think my one real "hang-up" about the book is that it was quite piece-y. The book was a lot of moments of the school year (to start with, adult life later on) all put together, but unlike in other books that deal with long periods of time, this book didn't quite flow like I had hoped. BUT there were plenty of interesting and quite shocking moments that really kept me interested and these moments really did end up bringing the book together. I think the book spanned a longer period of time than I had expected and I was surprised how quickly it jumped all the way through Quentin's entire school career. I knew this was more of an adult book but I had expected the schooling part to be more drawn out. It was actually really interesting though... sort of a line between a children's/MG/young adult magical novel and an adult magical novel. The focus is quite different and looking back on it, I think it's neat to see the different perspective that an overall plot arc might have with the final result on a character becoming an adult instead of just the years of school. 
 The ending was not what I was expecting but it was quite good! After a few lulls from random bits of time at school, I wasn't quite sure where the book would even end up... But it really all did come together in the end! This was one of those things that I probably should have seen coming but I TOTALLY DIDN'T and it was awesome. It also definitely left things open for the next book and sure had me itching to pick up book two! I'll have to find some time to sit down with this one since it's a longer audio but I definitely want to continue on!