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The Magickers #3
The Dragon Guard
As the Magickers seek the third and most important Gate into the magic-filled land of Haven, the elder members are being stricken by a strange ailment that drains their power and ages them. And the Dark Hand is more than willing to take advantage of the Magickers' weakness to strike...
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 19, 2017
LOVE this series! I've read it a couple of times, and enjoyed it each time. Yes, there are some parallels to the Harry Potter series, but how can there not be? It's about teenagers and magic, there are bound to be some similarities. However, even with occasional similarities, it is a completely different animal, and was for me, VERY enjoyable. My only dislike was that the series ends after book 4, I would have liked to see it continue on for a book or two more.
June 13, 2025
2025 Reread
I honestly don't think I've read a more frustrating book in a while. I really pushed myself through this one, which I can only hope gets paid off in the next one... which was the entire reason I kept reading. the Dragon Guard is severely choppy, the characters make the most frustrating decisions, and it didn't really come together until the second half and even then it's still really choppy.
I honestly don't think the strategy of switching up POVs worked well. There were just too many characters to get away with doing so. There's one point, before Jason's big soccer game, where we check in with Ting... a nothing-burger of a check in. Made me want to throw the book across the bathroom I've been reading it in. It just felt severely unfocused.
The issue of the adult characters also rears its head again. I have a whole list on my phone haranguing Gavan's really bad planning in terms of teaching the 7 Magicker children... one of whom (Danno) is barely mentioned and apparently just fine off wherever he ended up. Tomaz just fucks off for most of the book on his own project, Eleanora is knocked out because of the whole Jennifer thing, and Aunt Freya is doing something secretive that makes her unhelpful. That's not even mentioning Khalil and Isabella... one of which has a very spoiler-ific reveal so I won't be talking about it, but it's still... ugh. So frustrating. Anyway, the main issue is Gavan wanting to do this Academy thing and not having the resources to even teach 7 kids or get the results he wants out of Jason in particular... just... what the hell, man.
Which then brings me to Jon and Brennard. Yeah... Brennard's supposed to be giving this "Dark Lord" energy and he's just not. Jon's largely usurping that, but also isn't at the same time. They really don't do a whole heck of a lot except loom in the background, being very, very vaguely menacing. I just... my head's smacking a wall with how much I, as a reader, do not care about the "villains" of the piece.
I do care a lot more about Jason. Jason is a good POV character. He's the main character we should be following the entire time, but, as I said to begin with, The Dragon Guard is just so choppy. It's like Drake was unsure as to whether or not Jason could hold the story on his own and so had to keep switching POVs because Jason couldn't be everywhere... which is fair, but also, as I'm typing this, I'm thinking about the "runtime" of the book. I think having Jason be the main POV character would have made the book shorter as well. I don't personally think that would have been a bad thing, but... yeah. It's just too much.
I am really, really hoping The Bone Gate is better. I truly don't remember, just like I only remembered, like, two details from The Dragon Guard. It's been a long while.
I honestly don't think I've read a more frustrating book in a while. I really pushed myself through this one, which I can only hope gets paid off in the next one... which was the entire reason I kept reading. the Dragon Guard is severely choppy, the characters make the most frustrating decisions, and it didn't really come together until the second half and even then it's still really choppy.
I honestly don't think the strategy of switching up POVs worked well. There were just too many characters to get away with doing so. There's one point, before Jason's big soccer game, where we check in with Ting... a nothing-burger of a check in. Made me want to throw the book across the bathroom I've been reading it in. It just felt severely unfocused.
The issue of the adult characters also rears its head again. I have a whole list on my phone haranguing Gavan's really bad planning in terms of teaching the 7 Magicker children... one of whom (Danno) is barely mentioned and apparently just fine off wherever he ended up. Tomaz just fucks off for most of the book on his own project, Eleanora is knocked out because of the whole Jennifer thing, and Aunt Freya is doing something secretive that makes her unhelpful. That's not even mentioning Khalil and Isabella... one of which has a very spoiler-ific reveal so I won't be talking about it, but it's still... ugh. So frustrating. Anyway, the main issue is Gavan wanting to do this Academy thing and not having the resources to even teach 7 kids or get the results he wants out of Jason in particular... just... what the hell, man.
Which then brings me to Jon and Brennard. Yeah... Brennard's supposed to be giving this "Dark Lord" energy and he's just not. Jon's largely usurping that, but also isn't at the same time. They really don't do a whole heck of a lot except loom in the background, being very, very vaguely menacing. I just... my head's smacking a wall with how much I, as a reader, do not care about the "villains" of the piece.
I do care a lot more about Jason. Jason is a good POV character. He's the main character we should be following the entire time, but, as I said to begin with, The Dragon Guard is just so choppy. It's like Drake was unsure as to whether or not Jason could hold the story on his own and so had to keep switching POVs because Jason couldn't be everywhere... which is fair, but also, as I'm typing this, I'm thinking about the "runtime" of the book. I think having Jason be the main POV character would have made the book shorter as well. I don't personally think that would have been a bad thing, but... yeah. It's just too much.
I am really, really hoping The Bone Gate is better. I truly don't remember, just like I only remembered, like, two details from The Dragon Guard. It's been a long while.
March 14, 2008
i thought that this book had a meandering plot line as well. there was an illness that was sapping energy/ life from the older magickers, but they really never delved into it until near the end. even then, it was left fairly unresolved. i did like Jason's friendship with the dragon, and the final opening of the fire gate using the dragon. i really enjoyed the character of the dragon, and was glad that he became more present in this book. i also thought it was dumb that despite finding the perfect world, no one seemed to realize that there could be other people there. especially since someone was "trading" with them. i also thought that the ending of this was a little too abrupt. i did like the characters, and hopefully all unresolved questions will be resolved in the last book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2015
This was an action pack as Jason searches for the 3rd gate before the Dark Hand attacks again. The elders are still fighting over if help should be given with Haven and teaching of the Jason's group. The darkness is coming and what of the dragons?
January 23, 2011
Actually, I am enjoying this series, although it isn't as good as Tolkien, or Rowling or Lewis, it is pretty good.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews