The Sinister Booksellers of Bath: A magical map leads to a dangerous adventure, written by international bestseller Garth Nix

Product Information

Although this is the second book in the series, I haven’t read the first one. This book is so well written though that I had no problems keeping up with the plot, especially because certain things from the first book were referenced to and included. This is the sequel and while it maintains the good humor and charm of the first book, I found it to be largely disappointing. While I love Merlin and Vivian, Susan has gotten significantly more irritating, overearnest and precious. I especially don’t care for characters in fantasy novels who get high and mighty about refusing to get their hands dirty when it comes to any sort of violence, while (of course!) being more than willing to let others take care of the tough stuff when they’re actually threatened. Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Susan resists her role in this whole story, and is whittled down to a very whiney character and she honestly treats Merlin like crap. Merlin wants to see her and she has dumbed their relationship to scheduled days. He, who has been in this business far longer than Susan's known of its existence, tries to keep her as safe as he can - because all she does is complain that she doesn't want to be apart of this, and when the time comes for her to really be afraid and need protection to yells at him. Susan doesn't deserve to be "The Chosen One" Character, she hasn't made me care enough about her, to believe that she can be anything more than a student. Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing 'Hail the Conquering Hero Comes' or possibly 'Roll Out the Barrel'. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter. Susan, our heroine, is drawn into trouble with Merlin and Vivien, when the girls follow him into a magical map and make a gruesome discovery of piles of dead bodies. There are 26 and since we’ve already seen the death of the last one, whose surname began with a Z, we know the cycle will begin again with an A, but not just any A - Susan Arkshaw. Susan is a demi-human, her father being the Old Man of Coniston. This gives her the power to commune with stone and metal: useful traits in dealing with the serial killer entity from the Old World, the Lady of Stone.

Success!

I also adored Merlin in both books. He’s a very colourful character, who might also be called downright weird, but he wears his quirkiness with pride and can charm even the most sceptical people. He is also very aware of his own shortcomings and is not afraid to admit his mistakes. But first and foremost, he is very warm and caring and always thinks about others before himself. Susan, Merlin, Vivien and the lot lead us through a busy schedule in their crusade against a murderous magical entity. Bath is beautifully depicted, with never enough tea and buns. And in the run Susan will find out a few things about herself, while Merlin outfits keep you awed, surprised and entertained. The pacing is really uneven, and that makes it difficult to invest in the action, particular in the middle of the book when things slow down considerably without any positive trade offs in terms of plot and structure. I love this world. There's a familiarity to it that's comforting. In my opinion, fantasy works best when there's a root that we can cling to. Then you can add the fantastical side without having to consult a map, (although I do like a map) or reread where on earth we are. Susan is a good character who in this book grows in statue. Merlin is still the wonderful oddball he was in the first installment. The old mystical world is still as enchanting. The humour is still there in spadefuls. The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.

If you're a fan of Neil Gaiman, you will probably love this book, which offers generations of gods, wizards, and half-humans, all with a variety of powers. It didn't work as well for my as I'd wished, but I think I'm probably an outlier. Most readers who find it in their hands will probably be more enthusiastic. This probably wouldn’t work as a stand -alone as there are a lot of references to the previous adventures of Susan and Merlin so feel that you need to read the earlier book before this one.And I need Merlin to just keep being his best self. (He is my sweet baby and he deserves good things, and honesty... his relationship with Susan is just not convincing me.) If you love all things British enjoy it with a fresh pot of tea, china teaware and a generous portion of lemon drizzle cake. You will need sustenance just in case (likely) you cannot put it down. It should really go without saying that for a voracious book reader (like myself!) books about books, or libraries, or bibliophiles should be an automatic win. I need less of Susan trying to fight EVERYTHING. (seriously, I get resisting your destiny but, christ she is exhausting.)

In comparison, whilst generally still quirky, the secondary characters are still a little nondescript, however, although the point is the need to focus on events around Susan. The charm of these books is largely due to the irrepressible Merlin, who winds up in said strange and dangerous garden because he can’t resist a mysterious bee; he also happens to be wearing Elizabet Bennet’s outfit from a BBC Pride and Prejudice adaptation (he borrowed it from a wardrobe assistant, as one does): I know that Garth can write. And I did say that I would want to read the next book in the series. And here it is! The characters were great. They were developed well and relatable. I really liked the growing relationship between Merlin and Susan, the witty banter between the characters and seeing the type of magic used in this world.If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.” With at least a couple of Susan’s problems solved, for the time being, it’s not entirely clear if there will be a third volume. But surely there are yet more cities with more mysterious bookshops to be explored. I'll still be around for whatever book comes next, but my expectations will be far lower, honestly I'm a bit disappointed with how different my experiences have been with book one and two. All the characters are excellent especially our core group of three. Merlin is always fun with his outrageous dress sense, Vivian is calm, cool and collected, and Susan is developing her skills so fast she scares herself. She also seems to have an innate ability to know what to do when faced with these mythical beings.