I returned to the world of Fillory after a long break from the first book and found myself enjoying this second entry in the series much more. The story here somewhat feels haphazard in its construction, though the revelations it comes to are much more satisfying.

In this entry, we discover what Julia was up to during the events of the first book. Her current state is one of mystery and as the layers of what happened to her are revealed, the more we understand why she is the way she is. It does make me wish that her story was more interwoven into the first book, but the way that it’s paced here and how each part gives her more depth makes the exposition here much more substantial. Mainly, the events that unfold here come from Quentin’s boredom. If this were the only hook and Julia’s story wasn’t told here, it would be pretty dull. Quentin partakes on a quest for the golden keys on a whim, and they lead him to some interesting places that are off the map in Fillory. It gives the reader time to believe in the magic of the setting through his and the other characters’ exploration, though we do spend some time on Earth as well. I found the world of Fillory to be a character in and of itself. The intricacies of the magic in the world and the lore that is unveiled kept me fully engaged throughout the story. When the focus shifts to more earthly pursuits, Julia’s story was what truly interested me.

Julia and her friends (other hedge witches) were attempting to contact a god. Each person in her group had their own reasons for doing so and all of their motivations were believable human ones. Getting to know her group and the reasons for what they were doing was emotionally compelling. While Quentin and his friends were trying to take down the Beast, Julia was simply trying to survive in a world that she hated. Her methods of coping were drug usage and desperate foraging for magical knowledge. Though she can seem contemptible at first, I believe her to be the most exceptional character in the series. Her struggles are understandable and I was sympathetic to her, even if some of her actions were rash and self-destructive. With her finding a community of like-minded people, essentially a family, she gained a place to belong and her journey to discovering them pulled my heart strings. While her story seems disconnected from Quentin’s at first, the two converge in a seamless way.

The Magician King is not really focused on Quentin and I think it benefits from the new perspective. This isn’t to say that Quentin is a bad character or that I don’t like him, it’s just that this time around, Julia is the star of the show. With her background being integral to the goings-on this time around, the story is more grounded than it may seem at first. It takes time to explore Fillory and the magical underground on Earth, so it’s a little slow, but the payoff is worth it. For a book two, this should incentivize you to continue on to the third entry.