Septimus Heap, Book Six: Darke

I’m 25 years old and yes I read these books. I read the first book because my sister had bought one 10 years ago and I decided to try it out. I thought the book was ok but nowhere near Harry Potter or other books of this genre. I continued to read them as I’m the type of person that will stick to a series once I start it. Well, I’m glad I did because as the series continues I have grown attached to all of these characters. More and more get added on to the point where I am constantly awaiting for my favorites to resurface to see what they are up to next. Sage has a way of weaving these seemingly separate character stories together into a beautiful web. This novel was my favorite so far as we start where the previous book left off. Alther was banished and Septimus is the only one (of course) who can get him back, by venturing into the Darke Halls. Meanwhile Merrin Meredith is up to no good, and this time he actually succeeds in doing something! In the past this character has been a sort of joke, with his threats of evil towards our heroes. Somehow Merrin has used the power of the two faced ring to create a Darke Domain, which begins to take over the Castle and is a threat to the Wizards Tower as well! All of our favorite characters make at least one appearance. Beetle is definitely my favorite of all of our heroes and he has a very large part in this book, and a very happy ending as well. Sometimes I forget that these kids are only 13 since they all seem to have the weight of the world on their shoulders. None of the adults treat the characters as kids, and I suppose that is why these books are so appealing to children. However the writing and adventure is mesmerizing so adults should enjoy them as well. I really wish I had a kid to read these to as I can only imagine how much more fun they are when sharing this adventure with someone that is actually in the target audience. I really look forward to the next book, Fyre. I am sad that I’m getting to the end of these books but am happy to see there is a spinoff series in the same world. I just hope these characters make another appearance!

Our Daughter finished the Harry Potter Series a couple of years ago and was looking for another series to get into. She took some time and read the Secret Benedict Society and loved it but was looking for that magical touch. Her cousin lent her the first of this series that he had from when he was younger and she was hooked. She used birthday money to buy the rest of the series and then asked for the three book series related to this for Christmas. She's about to finish that series and gives it a big thumbs up!

If you haven't read these books and enjoy fantasy you need to read them. Fun plotlines, relatable characters, each book feels different but continue the same vibe. Great story. Better, in my opinion, than another series about a teen wizard.

Amazing series, amazing author, great read, merrin is a horrible kid,

Confession: I'm 39 years old and I love to read young adult fantasy literature (thank you JK Rowling)! I started reading the Septimus Heap series on recommendation a few years ago, and just finished reading the latest in the series, Darke. Though I enjoyed the story and, like a good story after it's finished, I thought about the characters and their outcome for a few days afterward, even looking forward to the next book. A lot of stuff was going on throughout this book. Characters were brought back from everywhere, so much so, that I had forgotten who some of them were. A majority of the story doesn't even involve Septimus at all. A lot of focus was put on Beetle and Jenna. Why other characters were even mentioned in the story, I have no idea. They had no integral part to the story unless it was some very slick foreshadowing for an upcoming book. As far as the story goes: Jenna and Septimus are preparing to celebrate their very important 14th birthday. At this time, Jenna will become official Queen and Septimus will take on a very important part of his wizard training--dealing with darke magic. It's dangerous, but every wizard must pass through this phase. Some don't make it back. Of course, this pair cannot peacefully celebrate a birthday without danger following close behind!

Although primarily focused on entertaining young adults, I have found this entire series to be entertaining and fun to read. The characters are easy to relate to and their adventures never fail to engage. I have enjoyed every one of the Septimus Heap books and I am by no means a young adult. I highly recommend these books to anyone who enjoys a fun, rollicking adventure with all the trimmings!

This book is very good. It's exciting, detailed, it explains what's happening well. I think that it's almost like Harry Potter but better. I recommend it.

I thought when I started reading this series I thought I wasn't going to like it but the more I read the more I loved it! And I loved this book altogh sad was magical funny adventurous and a bit scary. It will always be one of my favorite books of all time. Septimus will hold many in suspenion and excitment! I would recommed it to kids teachers parents and pretty much anybody! It so much more magical and awesome with the wonderful mind of Angie Sage. Sh is deffentily on the leval of J.K.Rowling. I love this book!!!

so i have to buy this in english and now i finally can read the rest! Ho letto i primi quattro libri quando uscirono aspettando con ansia e invece non si sa per quale motivo la salani editori ha smesso di pubblicarli! è una storia fantasy davvero bella e appassionante, adoro che la scrittrice sia così dettegliata in tutti i suoi personaggi anche quelli poco importanti per la storia. Ora proverò a leggerli in inglese e anche se sarà difficilissimo, non vedo l'ora di sapere come continua la storia di Septimus Heap

Mein Sohn hat mich mit den Büchern angesteckt. Er hatte keine Lust, Englisch zu lernen und ich dachte, wenn ich ihm ein Buch auf deutsch und auf englisch schenke, würde ihn das vielleicht motivierten, das englische zu lesen und dann ggf. im deutschen nachzuschlagen. So habe ich das Buch mit ihm gelesen und es hat mich gleich gepackt. Ich habe mir die vorigen Bücher von ihm geliehen und gelesen und bin mittlerweile weiter als er. Nur lese ich sie seitlich lieber im Original, weil trotz einer sehr gutem Übersetzung oft Wortspiele und Doppeldeutigkeiten verloren gehen. Insgesamt ein weiteres, wie erwartet spannendes und packendes Buch, von der ersten Seite an.

Read all the other books. All of them are great. The product arrived quickly with no damage. If you liked Harry Potter, you'll probably like this series. The characters and storyline are great. One of the best fantasy series.

Great book. Couldn't put it down. A book for any age who enjoys mystical story lines and who loves dragons. A must read.

I have read all this series in ebook form, and for once that worked greatly to my advantage as I had not realised, when my preorder became available, that I was getting the kindle edition long before the hard back hits the shelves in the UK. Why we in the UK should be made to wait so long is not clear to me, as this is a perfect summer read for children and young adults, as well as adults who enjoy a thoroughly engaging tale, with a huge cast of wonderful characters. If you found Darke first, please note that this is part of a series that starts with the book "Magyk". Magyk is a wonderful piece of writing and you should go and buy it now. No seriously, right now! If you are still reading this review it is either because you ignored my advice (shame on you) or you have enjoyed this series so much that like me you are still reading it as quickly as you can. If that is the case, I am wasting my time telling you how good a story it all is, so here are some thoughts on the latest book. Darke begins on the eve of Septimus and Princess Jenna's 14th birthday. They are on the brink of adulthood as measured in their society, and things are changing. Septimus is also about to embark on yet another extraordinarily dangerous parts of his apprenticeship - Darke Week. Add to that a banishing accident with poor Alther, and the return of some other shady characters and you have all the elements of another page-turning tale. Your only regret reading this is likely to be that the story is over, and you have to wait so long for the next installment. I give the story five stars. It is as good as ever. If I have some minor criticisms, these would be that maybe the humour was not quite so quick coming as earlier books. And yet the quirky humour is still very much in evidence. There are also some literary references that may or may not suit the story (depending on your mood). A refernce to "Their and Back Again lane" pays homage to "The Hobbit" and the character Bertie Bott will certainly have everyone thinking of every flavour beans. This series bears some resemblance to Harry Potter of course. It is about a student in magic (or magyk at least). It is to span 7 books, and the quirky humour is reminiscent of JK Rowling's style. But these books are anything but derivative or formulaic. This is a very different tale in a very different world, and is in no way a Harry Potter clone. So I am not quite sure why we have Bertie Bott! But like all the other characters, Bertie is interesting. I particularly like Angie Sage's endings (and the epilogues), and this book is no exception. A first class read. It may not be the best book I have ever read in my life but it richly deserves five stars.