I was able to read this graphic novel early thanks to NetGalley. I will admit that I only read the first book in the Magicians trilogy and really did not care for it. I just could not get past how whiney and ungrateful the main character was... But I found the one redeeming quality of the book was Alice. She was this universe's Hermione: smart, tough, and easily lovable. I was excited to see that she got her own venue to tell her side of the story set in the Magicians wold. Honestly enjoyed her viewpoint much more than Quinten's...

I requested The Magicians: Alice's Story even though I'm unfamiliar with Lev Grossman's series and the television show. I know both are popular... but this graphic novel is what finally piqued my interest. I thought it would give me a good feel for the characters and the setting, and I was intrigued by the promise of magic and a mythical world.

Unfortunately, the story felt long and was unexciting. We see what Alice was like as a child, observe her relationship with her parents, watch her obsess over an unresolved issue with a sibling, and then witness her time spent at school. Things picked up when the group went to Fillory, but it was also unimpressive. I felt like certain aspects of this story could've been left out to make this a quicker read, but the details started to feel tedious after awhile. I'm sure it was an interesting story for people familiar with the series, since they're already acquainted with the characters and the setting, but I would not recommend this for someone just starting out.

If you are familiar with this series, did you expect the ending? I thought it was rubbish and unnecessary. It made me angry. I did enjoy how everything eventually connected, but I felt like a lot of bad had to happen before something good came out of it.

An interesting story, a peculiar setting, and unique characters make up The Magicians: Alice's Story. I may try the series at some point in the future, and that might make me like this one more. As it stands, it was mostly enjoyable but ultimately unremarkable.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on September 7, 2019.

This was quite good!
There were parts when the novel dragged a little, but I liked the art style.
“The Magicians Original Graphic Novel: Alice's Story” was overall enjoyable and I’d recommend it to fans of the tv show.

I haven't read the Magicians so obviously, this one made no sense to me. Still, I was expecting to get at least half the story, but it seemed to feel very heavy and dense since the start, so I had to abandon it.

Overall, I did enjoy this graphic novel. I love the story of The Magicians. I actually would’ve rated most of the book as 3 stars. I personally would prefer more detailed artwork and the whole of the story wasn’t anything new. The end is what bumped it up to 4 stars. If you’ve read the books and watched the show, you’ll know the events of this graphic novel. It’s still interesting to see Alice’s story in a different medium, I just expected more story that I didn’t already know.

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

The Magicians was a book I found hard to get into but a show I adored. While Alice wasn't a character I felt very connected to in the show this graphic novel brought her to life and made her a more understandable character to me. Her drives and wants were so clear that it was totally clear why she was acting certain ways. The art and flow of the story was gorgeous and I never felt like I was confused about what was happening in any panel or where to read next. I highly recommend this book to fans of either the show or the movie that want to remember just why they fell in love with The Magicians in the first place.

I haven't read The Magicians, but this book sounded interesting to me. It's sort of like a darker version of Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia. The setting is wonderful. It drew me in pretty quickly and I found myself wanting to know more about these characters. The book is paced well too. It did drag a little towards the end. I thought the way the story wrapped up was worth it though. I can't compare this to Grossman's novels, but it feels like a nice primer for them.

Thanks Magicians is such a fantastic book and finally getting to read Alice's story is amazing. Her fierce determination stole my heart and I'm so glad to get more of her.

I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this graphic novel when I read it. Though I have yet to read the actual novels of The Magicians, I wanted to dive into this. I really enjoyed the illustrations and how the authors brought the story to life. I do admit to feeling a bit lost in some parts, mostly toward the end, but I was still able to enjoy the overall story. Definitely geared to a more mature audience, this will appeal to lovers of fantasy and graphic novels.

This graphic novel is perfect for fans of Lev Grossman's "The Magicians" trilogy. It gives readers a look into the story from a new perspective. The book is visually beautiful and the transition of the writing from novel format into a graphic novel was very well done. I thoroughly enjoyed this title and hope to see more of the trilogy in graphic novel form in the future.

Alice Quinn strives hard to be the best. She is magically very powerful, ahead of her age group and capable of adapting to any situation. She attends Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy where she witnesses a terrifying creature from another dimension murder a fellow student in her class. After graduation, Alice wants more from her life than using magic for her own gains, she wants to make a difference. She is soon given the chance when another student who dropped out of school offers her the chance to find the magical world of Fillory, a place she had believed only existed in the pages of her favourite childhood story. But the best stories are based on an element of truth, and Fillory is real, just not as it was in the stories. There is a darkness there and Alice must overcome all of her fears and anxieties to find her true calling and save her friends.
This is the first book of The Magician’s trilogy in graphic novel format and it sticks to its source material faithfully, but from Alice’s point of view. This is interesting perspective to take and Alice is an immediately accessible character, suffering with the need to prove herself after the death of her brother, and social anxiety. She goes through all the highs and lows of being away at college or university including navigating sexual relationships and superior bullies, but with the added threat that if she doesn’t master magic, then it can cost her her life.
Running through is the theme of comparing real life to an imaginary one Fillory. As Alice grows, she realises that Fillory is unsatisfying and so she realises her own life is unsatisfying. She doesn’t want endless empty parties, all her needs catered for by magic. She wants to prove herself. She sees the good in her boyfriend, Quentin, when his actions show him as shallow and self-centred.
There are some changes from the TV series, if that’s the angle bringing you to this, physical appearances of the characters, but that shouldn’t stop you enjoying the story if you’re a fan. It does start a little slowly, setting the scene and building up to the death of a student which sets the characters on this path to find Fillory. From there the action is interspersed with developments in the relationship between Alice and Quentin as they self-destruct in such a realistic manner that I’m sure most of us will identify with them.
With so much focus on Alice, some of the other characters, such as Janet, don’t have the same character development as the books and TV series, but then you can’t have everything with such an indepth study of one character. What we lose in the other characters, we gain in a greater understanding of Alice’s courage.
The artwork is simplistic in a positive way. Instead of each panel being overcrowded with detail and dialogue, space is given for the reader to work things through themselves. Because of its heritage, they could have gone overboard in recreating this much-loved fictional world. Instead we have enough detail for place setting, and concentrates on the emotions of the characters. The panels where Alice and Quentin are at odds are charged with their pain and suffering caused by their own actions, or inactions.
An interesting read, definitely worth getting if you’re a fan of the series already, and if not, there is enough to grab your attention to go and explore more.

Having never read the Magicians book series or knowing anything about it, I very much enjoyed this book! The story was really good as was the artwork. Not knowing anything about this series or the characters did not hinder me in any way while I was reading this. The characters were fully developed and all had good story arcs as the book progressed. I would love if there were more books that centered on each character like this one did one Alice. Overall this was a very interesting read and I would recommend it if you are into fantasy books such as The Chronicles of Narnia and similar titles.

I really enjoyed this as I am a fan of the show. Graphic novels are not what I generally read, but I thought the way it flowed was really great. Loving the way it seamlessly blends with the story of Alice.

I love Grossman's Magicians trilogy, and the show loosely based on them. Quentin, however, is not the most likeable character, so it's great to see the events of the first novel from the point of view of another character. Alice is a character that I've always wished got to stay around for more of the story, and I really liked getting her perspective.

I loved it! As a fan of the original Magicians Trilogy, I was excited to read the story from Alice’s point of view, especially to find out how she felt as she changed form. I think a graphic novel was the perfect format for this story. From the magical walls of Brakebills to the supernatural creatures in Fillory, the illustrations were fantastic. I hope the author will write more graphic novels from the Magicians universe.

As a huge fan of the show this book took me by surprise. Alice is drawn different and a ton younger. Once I got over the characters looking different than I am use to I absolutely enjoyed this. The plot of a back story for her is so enticing in and of itself that it makes you want to keep reading just to find out what will happen.
If you are a fan then this is definitely a must read. It answered so many questions and gave me a better understanding of her as a character by herself.

Having read the first book in The Magicians series, I was able to follow along with the story pretty well. It's very much to the book, which I appreciated. I thought the artwork was well done, a little dark coloring, with darker and imperfect lines to fit the tone of the story. One of the things I liked most was that the characters in the graphic novel were true to the descriptions in the book (unlike in the TV show). I liked them better this way.

I always found myself having a love/hate relationship with Alice so I thought it'd be interesting to learn more about her and to experience things through her eyes. That said I wish that the story covered more than just following along with exactly what happened in the novel. I thought this would cover more of her at home life, her odd relationship with her parents (which was really a sticking point for her in the book) and how the loss of her brother affected her. That loss really turned her life upside down and I wish that more of the effect it had on her was explored. I also felt the ending was a little rushed. While the graphic novel does stay true to the original book, I thought it really lagged at times. It honestly gave me the same feeling I had when reading the original novel, which I admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of because it felt a bit dull. I thought reading it in graphic novel form would make it better, and it was but only slightly.

I'm glad that I read this though. I am curious to know what happened to Alice after the ending. She does make a reappearance in the TV series but I'm not sure about the book (because I stopped reading it). That said, it would be interesting to know if there's anything sentient left. This was not a quick graphic novel read, but it was still enjoyable. Thanks to Netgalley, the authors, and publishers for sending me the e-ARC for an honest review.

Not having read the novels, and only watching the fantastic SyFy show, I guess I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this graphic novel. I thought it was going to be a prequel that explains Alice's background and maybe explored her family dynamic more. What I actually got was an interesting point of view from Alice that shared the novel's story. Or that's what other reviewers said. I didn't get that context, but I don't think it mattered. I was thrown off by the very different portrayals of the characters versus the TV show. The story was a lot of fun though. I think it was a great graphic novel. Good story, good characters. The whole idea of other worlds and portal hopping is fantastic!

'The Magicians: Alice's Story' by Lilah Sturges and Lev Grossman with art by Pius Bak is a graphic novel based on a popular trilogy with an interesting twist. The events of the first book in 'The Magicians' series is retold here through the eyes of one of the characters: Alice Quinn.

Alice lost her older brother when he went to Brakebills College. She tries to get in, but doesn't, so she finds her way in by taking a taxi to the middle of nowhere and walking in. She gets in to the school and meets friends Quentin and Penny. She falls for Quentin, but Penny has always liked Alice too. When they find a way into a magical land only thought to be in a series of children's books, Alice must use her magic to help her friends.

I'm familiar with the series, but I've not read it. I really like the idea of a popular series being retold like this. Alice has a unique perspective on events, and not knowing the character arc of her story, I found some surprises along the way. The art is pretty good as well.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Archaia, Boom! Studios, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

I’ve no idea what I expected going into this novel and I think that why it just didn’t hit the mark for me. I can’t put my finger on why exactly, I was unable to connect with the story.