Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1)

If you want to read a new series with great thrills, I recommend the Septimus Heap Series by Angie Sage. In the seven books in the series, you will go on quests you have never dreamed of with charms, spells, magyk, and wizards. I recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy, Harry Potter, and other books along those lines.“Magyk,” book one in the Septimus Heap Series, is a great book for any young reader. If you like the Harry Potter series, you will love the Septimus Heap Series. This book takes you on an adventurous journey from the castle, into the woods, and over great marshes. I recommend this for any reader, young or old. It is such a great page-turning book; you will encounter things you never thought you would. Magyk has been the best series starter I have ever read.

I read this book many, many moons ago! I loved it then and I love it now. Things from the book came back to me as I read them.Septimus Heap was taken away as a newborn child with the nurse saying he was dead...he was not. He was taken away to turn him into something else. In his place there was left a baby girl that was found by the father, Silas Heap. It's funny this happens right as their baby is taken.... hmmm.. wonder who she is.So the house is full of Heaps and several years later when the secret finally comes out who Jenna really is, she goes on a journey with the ExtraOrdinary Wizard named Marcia, her father Silas, one brother Nicko, Boy 412 (who was a guard to the wizard tower) and the Heap's dog Maxie. They take a precarious trip to their Aunt Zelda in the swamps.It's such a fun book with all of the little magical things like the Shield Bugs, they are so cool and I want a group of them of my own! My favorite was Jenna's pet rock that she named Petroc Trelawney! I want one, actually I have some rocks around here I intend to paint different colors with little faces. I doubt they will come to life it I pet them though :( I love their Boggart friend too. There are just so many things to like about this book.They have to face a bunch of junk trying to keep away from the bad guys that just want to get Jenna back. They find out some things they never knew. They learn spells and mostly have a good time.It's a great book!MY REVIEWS:www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.comhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1308679508

I purchased this reprinted paperback because it contains the elusive Darke Toad.Thanks to author Angie Sage for mentioning in her blog that Darke Toad is part of this reprint. Now I have a printed copy!My only disappointment is that this paperback edition is newsprint. Very poor quality compared to the original hardcover. But, it contains the Darke Toad, so I should not complain.Five stars for having the Darke Toad!

Septimus Heap is the first book in a series of seven. I am just reading the seventh book. Magyk had me hooked immediately and I've quickly bought each book thereafter. There are unique characters and the plot is fresh. I immediately like the main characters and they have been well-developed through the series. Angie Sage has created a new "world" that is filled with different takes on magic and creatures.

I enjoyed this story a lot. I thought there was some great action. Most of the main characters grew from their experiences. This is a series and there is more to go. I liked the magyk that was done in this book. The author had rules and followed them very nicely throughout the book. I also really liked the ghosts in the book.It is part of a series so be prepared.

My daughter is 7, so, she's young, but she loves me to read chapter books to her. She loves the first few Harry Potters and the first couple books of Fablehaven (too scary now, the rest will have to wait until she's older) and she loves the Spiderwick Chronicles. I was hoping for so much more with this series. Unforunately it's been too slow to get started, not enough magic and I think the writing style is a bit hard for her to understand. It's not really plain and to the point. So, not yet half way through we have stopped reading. I will try and convince her to keep going because I can see so many people have loved these books...but so far, it is rated a 2 for us.***edited 10-11-12*** I have convinced my daughter to keep reading and now we are at the half-way point...it seems to be getting more interesting and more magykal. I have changed my previous review from 2 to 3. But, I am not sure due to the extremely slow start if I will change my review from here. It will take this book becoming seriously amazing to change it at this point. I will keep you posted.

My son's first chapter book was The Hobbit, and we "read" The Lord of the Rings before he was really reading very well by himself. He loves "dark" fantasy. I put "dark" in quotes, because I think if there were ever really any doubt that the protagonist of a book might not be okay, I think he'd have a hard time with it - at least reading it on his own. Magyk has the same epic journey feel as the Lord of the Rings, but the vocabulary and the themes are more in line with a 9 year old's comprehension levels.There are fantastic characters - Boggarts and Magogs and talking rats, ghosts, wizards, and witches - a princess to save, and even a ring. The story lacks a bit of the richness of scenic detail found in similar books, such as the Underland Chronicles and, of course, the Tolkien books, but the characterizations are utterly charming, and the plot is dramatic and well-paced. I recommend this series for young readers who do not scare easily and who have a firm grasp on the concept of fantasy (there is some death and much talk of shooting) as well as for older readers who like the Harry Potter and Tolkien books. The vocabulary sits about at a fourth grade or fifth grade level, but some readers that young may not be ready to read about a heroine whose mother was murdered (with the murder described).

The first book in the Septimus Heap chronicles. This is my second time of reading and I enjoyed them even more this time.It tells the story of Septimus who is the 7th son of a 7th son and, therefore, magykal! He is stolen from his mother, Sarah, as a newborn baby but is replaced by a newborn baby girl whom the Heaps bring up as their own. However, unbeknown to the Heaps, Septimus is placed in the 'Young Army' and, when he is old enough, he is sent on 'Do or Die' exercises. Does he get back with his family? You will have to read the book to find out!There are 7 books in the series, each one as unputdownable as the previous one.It truly is a Magykal story ! I bought the series of 7 books for my grandson, aged 10, who is enthralled. I am keeping my own set to read again, probably when I get to 80! (Now 73!) Get them all - you will not regret it! I prefer these books to Harry Potter!

The Heap family lose a child: the seventh son of a seventh son. On the same day, they gain a daughter. Fast forward ten years...The scene is set for much wizardry. There are Ordinary Wizards, an ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Apprentices, an evil Necromancer and a whole host of strange creatures, some lovable, some less so.Comparisons with Harry Potter are inevitable; but this isn't a copy; it isn't derivative. Sure, there re echoes of JKR, but also echoes of Tolkien, C S Lewis, and every other fantasy book that's ever been written for children. Because there always will be; there are only so many stories to be told. But Angie Sage has put her own spin on the eternal story of good versus evil and produced a great new set of characters. They don't replace Harry and their friends, but they certainly deserve a place on the same shelf.Although I'm long past the age group this book is aimed for, I absolutely loved it and devoured it in two days. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. Highly recommended.

When I picked up this book, everyone in my family thought the book looked like a common morbid wizard story you commonly find. In truth, I treaded carefully with this study, thinking it may get morbid or plain nasty. I shouldn't have judged the cover! This book wasn't morbid, although I did skip a chapter that had loads witchery in it. (I don't like reading about witchery when it's the main focus of the chapter.) But for most of the story, this book is great! It features adventure, drama, humour and of course, lots of mis-spelled magic words. (They spell Magic Magyk, spell Flight Flyte and Dark Darke. I actually had a lot of fun saying these deliberate misspellings aloud :D ) As well as that, there's a lot of mystery and the conclusion, (where they discover who Septimus Heap is) genuinely surprised me.However, because of all the mystery, I think it's only worth one read because knowing what's going to happen really ruins the mystery if you read it again.Hope this honest review helps, have a nice day.

Just finished this on my Kindle. I was reluctant to buy it at first thinking it would just be a Harry Potter rip off, just somebody cashing in on the back of JK Rowling. However, curiosity got the better of me when I read a review here in which a lady said her 11-year-old son, who normally doesn't like to read, saw the book, asked his mum if she would buy it for him and then proceeded to read it almost non-stop. I am glad I did buy it. Like that 11-year-old boy I too wanted to keep reading it without putting it down. That review was written in June 2005, which means the boy subject in that review must be 18 by now - I feel old! >.< )It seems to have been written so that young teenagers would enjoy it without getting bogged down in over zealous descriptions and intricate plots. It is a vary easy read.The story seems to centre on the main character, though I guess you could say there are several main characters, who is simply known as Boy 412, a 10-year-old orphan who is conscripted into the Young Army. Captured by the enemy (or so he thinks) he refuses to utter a word throughout almost the entire story. He is wisked off from the castle he knows as home and becomes embroiled in a plot against the Extra-Ordinary wizard (who has "captured" him), a sort of chief wizard. I became quite attached to him and was hoping he would make it to the end.I vary much enjoyed the story and as the story progressed I did start to figure out the ending, but it was still great to see it unfold before my eyes. It is totally different from Harry Potter, though there are one or two things that crop up in the story that remind you of Harry Potter (Boggarts and a character called Rupert Grinch - Rupert Grint who plays Ron Weasley in HP? >.< ) but that is where any similarity ends really.I look forward to reading the sequel  Flyte: Septimus Heap Book 2 Note on the Kindle version: Good formatting and only only typo that I saw right at the vary end where a Shield Bug is called a Shield Bag. Other than that; perfect. Flyte: Septimus Heap Book 2

It's a very well written story around a family of wizards, it draws you in with it's twists and turns. In it's conclusion it leaves you satisfied yet wanting more & the next book in the series. This book was recommended to me by my wife, after discovering it in the library at the school she works at and reading it herself. Having read many fantasy stories and really enjoying this one. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series, in fact I've already bought the next one on my kindle fire.