Ptolemy's Gate

Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The final installment of The Bartimaeus Trilogy (which I finally read!) doesn't disappoint, but it does take some commitment. At 501 pages, this wasn't a flimsy read, especially considering it's been over 10 years since I read the second book and even more since the first.

First thoughts: I miss YA - note to self to read more of it! Reading this reminded me of all the joys of reading as a teenager: getting involved in fantastic worlds full of dynamic characters, losing track of time, creating my own fan fictions.

First thoughts 2.0: Did I wait too long to read this? It took me a bit to remember who characters were and where we last saw them. This isn't a fluffy trilogy - especially this last book - so it helped me to re-read at least the summaries of the first two books.

Favorite quote: "It's not about doing. It's about being. Don't expect to understand it: you're a human - you can only see surfaces, and then you want to impose yourself upon them."

Themes: the messiness of humanity, the balance between spontaneity and legacy, the impermanence and resilience of life.

Recommended for: any YA buffs, teachers, fans of Harry Potter/Charlie Bone/etc, parents with tweens & teens, and young adults, of course.

Final thoughts: I have to give this book five stars, despite a slow start. I'm satisfied with how the whole trilogy ended, and can't think of anything I'd change, except to know more (aka, continue the series). I guess I'd change my own reading so that I read all three books closer together!


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