Rating: 
First and foremost, if you haven’t read the first two books of this trilogy (The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem’s Eye), I wouldn’t start with this one. Without all the back-story there’s a lot to miss. That being said, I think this might have been the best of the three.
We’re back in London, after the downfall of the Lovelace affair, and Nathaniel/Jonathan Mandrake, is now Information Minister. The Commoners are growing restless, the war in America is going poorly, and Bartimaeus has been kept in service for so long that his powers are all but gone. The government is beginning to split into factions, everyone is always looking over their shoulders, and the lower magicians seem to be plotting something.
It turns out the elusive Hopkins is returned. Finding him becomes top priority. In the meantime, Mandrake also learns that Kitty Jones is not, as he had thought, dead. Finding her then becomes his top priority. And just when it seems like things might be falling into place….everything comes apart.
The entire government is kidnapped, the streets overflow with commoners who’ve noticed a lack of government response, and Mandrake and Kitty have fallen into the middle of a most sordid plot.
This was the quickest read of the trilogy, for me, and even though I knew it was winding down, in the end I harbor hopes that perhaps there will be another story someday.
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Rating:
When Dulcie’s Father accidentally kills himself, it’s a bit of a shock. When her mother decides to move them off to California, it’s more than Dulcie is prepared to take. When she finds out her mother intends to get rid of her father’s truck, she officially draws the line: she takes it and drives herself back to Connecticut.
Upon arrival, she meets not her grandfather, as expected, but a girl she’s never seen before standing in the flowers. Roxanne, who now works for Dulcie’s grandfather, knows exactly who Dulcie is, and that her grandfather has been expecting her.
The welcome isn’t as warm as she had hoped. Turns out taking off and going cross-country as a teen worries your elders. But Frank does agree to let her stay. She even gets her old job back, though as punishment she will receive no pay for the summer. She also has to call her mother. This stipulation is easier to get around: she knows when her mother is going to be at work, and always makes sure to call when she won’t be there.
Back at work as a janitor, Dulcie makes fast friends with Roxanne, whom Frank has somewhat adopted, as it seems she’s not necessarily well taken care of at home. The night Dulcie drops by with her to get fresh clothes on their way to dinner with Dulcie’s suprise-visiting mother, Dulcie finds out just how bad Roxanne’s home life is. This harsh glimpse at events causes a flurry of actions on multiple fronts, which almost lead to disaster.
In the end, Dulcie, who’s always known who she is, gains a greater understanding of relationships, friendships, love, and home. Roxanne, who’s never had it great, adopts Dulcie’s family. While perhaps no one’s ended up quite where they expected, they all know they’ve found their place.
An excellent book, worth reading again (and again).
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