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The Apothecary #2
The Apprentices
Two years have passed since Janie Scott last saw Benjamin Burrows, the mysterious apothecary’s defiant son who stole her heart. On the other side of the world, Benjamin and his father are treating the sick and wounded in the war-torn jungles of Vietnam. But Benjamin has also been experimenting with a magical new formula that allows him to communicate with Janie across the globe. When Benjamin discovers that she's in trouble, he calls on their friend Pip for help. The three friends are thrown into a desperate chase around the world to find one another, while unraveling the mystery of what threatens them all.
Acclaimed author Maile Meloy seamlessly weaves together magic and adventure in this breathtaking sequel with stunning illustrations by Ian Schoenherr.
Acclaimed author Maile Meloy seamlessly weaves together magic and adventure in this breathtaking sequel with stunning illustrations by Ian Schoenherr.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published May 22, 2013
171 people are currently reading
2923 people want to read
About the author
Maile Meloy
33 books887 followersMaile Meloy is the author of the novels Liars and Saints and A Family Daughter, the story collections Half in Love and Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It (named one of the Ten Best Books of the Year by the New York Times Book Review), and the award-winning Apothecary trilogy for young readers. She has received the PEN/Malamud Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship, and was chosen as one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists. Her new novel for adults, Do Not Become Alarmed, will be published June 6, 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 459 reviews
November 17, 2013
This could have been an entertaining book, but Maile Meloy's sequel to "The Apothecary" is unfortunately a much weaker offering. Not only does Meloy chronically underuse her character Janie, she introduces new characters almost at will, dropping them again a few pages later, without realizing their full potential. The plot is choppy, with large segments that do not drive the plot forward sufficiently and make it more jumbled. The ending is, in parts saccharine, and feels like an afterthought.
What is worse, though, Meloy relies heavily on stereotypes, especially regarding the female (and always extremely beautiful) characters and their behavior:
The character Opal only becomes more confident at the end - when she removes her glasses to reveal her stunning beauty, and decides to join the Spring Dance Committee (rather than exploring her considerable mental skills that were so far repressed).
Main character Janie realizes her weakness is ambition (to improve her chemistry skills and research and make a mark in the world of science) and that she should rather care for the man in her life and her family. (Back to the kitchen stove, Janie!)
Character Pip gets to use women for his own means - and this is shown to be a positive trait.
Janie's love interest, Benjamin, gets to throw fits of jealousy and dispatch another character in search of Janie - not to help her as she lost her life's work, but to get her out of the clutches of a rival. Really?
And all the while, our strong, resourceful main character Janie gets to lose her experiment, work as a dishwasher, be kissed by a boy (not kiss him), kidnapped (without trying very hard to save herself), mope around a swimming pool, mope around a house, mope around a cage, ignore a rescue attempt due to more moping and finally get rescued to be immediately kissed again by the main love interest.
Side note: The book also steps up the graphic violence quite a bit from the first book.
All in all, a disappointing sequel.
What is worse, though, Meloy relies heavily on stereotypes, especially regarding the female (and always extremely beautiful) characters and their behavior:
The character Opal only becomes more confident at the end - when she removes her glasses to reveal her stunning beauty, and decides to join the Spring Dance Committee (rather than exploring her considerable mental skills that were so far repressed).
Main character Janie realizes her weakness is ambition (to improve her chemistry skills and research and make a mark in the world of science) and that she should rather care for the man in her life and her family. (Back to the kitchen stove, Janie!)
Character Pip gets to use women for his own means - and this is shown to be a positive trait.
Janie's love interest, Benjamin, gets to throw fits of jealousy and dispatch another character in search of Janie - not to help her as she lost her life's work, but to get her out of the clutches of a rival. Really?
And all the while, our strong, resourceful main character Janie gets to lose her experiment, work as a dishwasher, be kissed by a boy (not kiss him), kidnapped (without trying very hard to save herself), mope around a swimming pool, mope around a house, mope around a cage, ignore a rescue attempt due to more moping and finally get rescued to be immediately kissed again by the main love interest.
Side note: The book also steps up the graphic violence quite a bit from the first book.
All in all, a disappointing sequel.
August 13, 2016
Maile Meloy's first sequel (another is in the works) to last year's 'The Apothecary' takes her central figures of Janie, Ben and Pip on another wide ranging quest to save the world at the height of the cold war. As in the previous installment, Meloy's writing is fast paced and yet manages to capture nuances of character and their internal conflicts. There is a lot going on in the pages of this book, which is often good, but sometimes it's a bit too much -- the narrative spans continents and points of view with abandon. Meloy crams in a boarding school story, a harrowing sequence in the jungles of Vietnam, a James Bondesque denouement on a private island off of Malaysia, a brief stopover in Hawaii, a transatlantic crossing by liner, as well as side trips to post-revolutionary China, the Phillipines and a remote pacific island where the natives have developed a cargo cult following occupation by US forces in World War II. On top of planes, buses, automobiles, and boats of all sizes there's nicely thought out magic, bad bad guys, and a moll with her heart in the right place and nerves of steel.
I do hope that the next installment avoids some of the frenetic plot manipulations that were required to bring together the protagonists for the climactic moments in 'The Apprentices' and focuses instead on the difficult choices that Janie, Benjamin and Pip will have to confront about how to best make a positive difference in the world as they enter adulthood. Meloy's task should be easier as the main characters are reunited and in possession of their memories at the end of the current installment. I also hope that the dastardly Mr. Danby is foiled once and for all, Jin Lo finds happiness, and Pip wins back the affections of Sarah Pennington. For, even with the losses this intrepid group of youthful heroes have faced and Meloy's brilliance in writing unflinchingly about death and loss, I am still rooting for a happy ending.
I do hope that the next installment avoids some of the frenetic plot manipulations that were required to bring together the protagonists for the climactic moments in 'The Apprentices' and focuses instead on the difficult choices that Janie, Benjamin and Pip will have to confront about how to best make a positive difference in the world as they enter adulthood. Meloy's task should be easier as the main characters are reunited and in possession of their memories at the end of the current installment. I also hope that the dastardly Mr. Danby is foiled once and for all, Jin Lo finds happiness, and Pip wins back the affections of Sarah Pennington. For, even with the losses this intrepid group of youthful heroes have faced and Meloy's brilliance in writing unflinchingly about death and loss, I am still rooting for a happy ending.
March 18, 2013
Sometimes, when I am enduring a book hangover, it is difficult for me to get into another book. Luckily, right when I was finishing an amazing novel, I saw the beautifully illustrated cover of The Apprerentices by Maile Meloy. When the first book in this series, The Apothacary, came out, I could not recommend it to enough people, so imaging how happy I was to not only find out that there was a sequel, but that there was a copy waiting for me. In The Apprentices, Meloy follows up the adventures of Janie, Benjamin, and Pip with an equally riveting story. This book if full of historical references, science, magic, love, loss, friendship, loyalty, and intelligence. This is not just a kids book. This is a book that is enjoyable for any age as long as the reader has a little imagination and enjoys a little excitement. Meloy made it easy to dive right into the sequel and I am desperately hoping she is busy writing a third installment.
June 4, 2013
On June 4th, 2013, the release date of this book, The Apprentices, my alarm clock woke me up at 9:00 AM, I got onto the library's website to see if they had the book, AND LOW AND BEHOLD! The Apprentices was there! So I put on some clothes really quick and drove there to spirit the book away and devour the words.
And I did devour the words: I'm a slow reader and this is the first (400 page) book I've finished in ONE DAY! Yay!
That said, it was amazing.
The first book in the series, The Apothecary, was written in first-person, from the point-of-view of Janie Scott; however, this book, The Apprentices, is written in third-person. The author Maile Meloy says (in an interview I've read. I'll add the link later once I find it again) that she likes third-person better because it allows her to be more flexible. And boy oh boy did she use that flexiablity!
Meloy brings back characters the last book and writes from their perspective. The Apprentices has Jin Lo chapters, Marcus Burrows chapters, Benjamin Burrows chapters, Pip chapter, and chapters from a few of the other apothecaries, as well as chapters from Janie Scotts' point of view. Janie gets the most chapters. I'm not really a fan of alternating veiw points, but it kept the pacing up beccause it switched view points. When Janie was going into downtime and didn't really have anything exciting going on, the book switched to a chapter from the view point of Benjamin in Vietnam, healing sick people in the midst of a war.
And that is sort of what I didn't like about it.
Janie, Benjamin, and Pip were separated for the most part during the book. I know it makes sense (when thinking about how the first book in the series ended :( :( :( ), but it just upsets me.
And Ms. Meloy! You forgot about Sergei! I suppose there was nothing more to say about him, especially because Janie and him aren't even in the same country anymore, but Sergei was so endearing. :( I miss him.
I love the author, Maile Meloy. She just has a special way of saying things. She never spends too much time trying to describe the setting or character with fancy words, and she never bores you. This leaves gaps that the imagination (or at least MY imagination) to happily fill in with it's own ideas and I personally love when books leave room for that. When she is describing a character, she mentions a few physical characteristics that may be of interest, and then the character's expression and dialog do the rest of the characterization, which I find awfully clever on Meloy's part.
One more thing Ms. Meloy: MORE MORE MORE APOTHECARY!
And I did devour the words: I'm a slow reader and this is the first (400 page) book I've finished in ONE DAY! Yay!
That said, it was amazing.
The first book in the series, The Apothecary, was written in first-person, from the point-of-view of Janie Scott; however, this book, The Apprentices, is written in third-person. The author Maile Meloy says (in an interview I've read. I'll add the link later once I find it again) that she likes third-person better because it allows her to be more flexible. And boy oh boy did she use that flexiablity!
Meloy brings back characters the last book and writes from their perspective. The Apprentices has Jin Lo chapters, Marcus Burrows chapters, Benjamin Burrows chapters, Pip chapter, and chapters from a few of the other apothecaries, as well as chapters from Janie Scotts' point of view. Janie gets the most chapters. I'm not really a fan of alternating veiw points, but it kept the pacing up beccause it switched view points. When Janie was going into downtime and didn't really have anything exciting going on, the book switched to a chapter from the view point of Benjamin in Vietnam, healing sick people in the midst of a war.
And that is sort of what I didn't like about it.
Janie, Benjamin, and Pip were separated for the most part during the book. I know it makes sense (when thinking about how the first book in the series ended :( :( :( ), but it just upsets me.
And Ms. Meloy! You forgot about Sergei! I suppose there was nothing more to say about him, especially because Janie and him aren't even in the same country anymore, but Sergei was so endearing. :( I miss him.
I love the author, Maile Meloy. She just has a special way of saying things. She never spends too much time trying to describe the setting or character with fancy words, and she never bores you. This leaves gaps that the imagination (or at least MY imagination) to happily fill in with it's own ideas and I personally love when books leave room for that. When she is describing a character, she mentions a few physical characteristics that may be of interest, and then the character's expression and dialog do the rest of the characterization, which I find awfully clever on Meloy's part.
One more thing Ms. Meloy: MORE MORE MORE APOTHECARY!
February 2, 2016
Normally I would give a summary of the book first, but I really had no idea what was going on. There were at least 3 perspectives, which made the book somewhat confusing, and the change of setting along with the characters made the book altogether very confusing. After reading The Apothecary, I had high hopes for this book. The beginning was exciting, when it was just Janie and her experiment. But then came Pip, Jin Lo, Ben and too many characters to keep track of. I read it eagerly, waiting for it to get better ,but it never did. The only reason I'm giving this a good rating is because I loved The Apothecary and I can't bear to give anything to do with it a bad review.
June 20, 2013
Oh, the joys of an unsolicited ARC that turns out to be the sequel to a book you enjoyed. Prior to the arrival of this book on my doorstep, I had no idea that there would be a sequel to The Apothecary, nor did I have a specific hankering for one. However, since I did like the first, I was excited to discover what would transpire in this installment. Well, lucky me, The Apprentices is an even better read than The Apothecary, maturer in plot, writing and characterization.
Where The Apothecary was very much a middle grade novel, clearly skewing to a younger audience, The Apprentices could really have been published for either middle graders or young adults. Two years have passed since the ending of The Apothecary, bringing Janie from fourteen years old to sixteen. Janie, Benjamin, and Pip have all grown up in the gap between the two novels, still their charming selves but a bit wiser.
Despite the maturer tone, The Apprentices retains the magic of The Apothecary. Once again, evil forces are at work, attempting to do evil things involving atomic bombs and it's up to the apothecary, his son Benjamin, and Benjamin's friends to save the day. Using a book called the Pharmacopoeia, they can create potions that make the improbable possible. For example, they can become birds, much like in The Sword in the Stone.
On top of that, The Apprentices is also historical fiction. In the first book, Janie's parents had moved to England to escape the Red Scare, as they worked in the entertainment industry. The Cold War is still going strong in The Apprentices. In fact, Meloy even touches on tensions in Vietnam, China and North Korea. I love how she weaves the historical elements in, without beating the reader over the head with them.
Meloy's characters are a lot of fun. Janie is brilliant and determined, more concerned with figuring out how to desalinate water than boys. Though she does have fond memories of Benjamin, who left her alone for two years, and another potential suitor in the handsom Raffaello, romance stuff really isn't at the top of her mind. In fact, Benjamin actually spends more of his time thinking about her, worrying that she might have found another boy in his absence. He, too, is incredibly clever, becoming the heir to his father in apothecral (this does not appear to be a word, but I shall make it so) talents.
Pip doesn't spend much time on screen (on page?) in The Apprentices, but he still manages to steal the show. Now a television star in England, he's got a posher accent than before, but he's still the same short, cheeky lad. Enlisted to go find and save Janie in America, he gets cheap passage on a cruise ship in exchange for keeping the daughters of the wealthy entertained. The contacts he makes turn out to be hilarious plot points. No one can resist Pip's exuberant charm.
If you enjoyed The Apothecary, you will not want to miss Meloy's follow up, which exceeds its predecessor, a rarity in sequels. There's action, a bit of romance, history and humor. The Apprentices is a great read for children, teens and adults alike.
Where The Apothecary was very much a middle grade novel, clearly skewing to a younger audience, The Apprentices could really have been published for either middle graders or young adults. Two years have passed since the ending of The Apothecary, bringing Janie from fourteen years old to sixteen. Janie, Benjamin, and Pip have all grown up in the gap between the two novels, still their charming selves but a bit wiser.
Despite the maturer tone, The Apprentices retains the magic of The Apothecary. Once again, evil forces are at work, attempting to do evil things involving atomic bombs and it's up to the apothecary, his son Benjamin, and Benjamin's friends to save the day. Using a book called the Pharmacopoeia, they can create potions that make the improbable possible. For example, they can become birds, much like in The Sword in the Stone.
On top of that, The Apprentices is also historical fiction. In the first book, Janie's parents had moved to England to escape the Red Scare, as they worked in the entertainment industry. The Cold War is still going strong in The Apprentices. In fact, Meloy even touches on tensions in Vietnam, China and North Korea. I love how she weaves the historical elements in, without beating the reader over the head with them.
Meloy's characters are a lot of fun. Janie is brilliant and determined, more concerned with figuring out how to desalinate water than boys. Though she does have fond memories of Benjamin, who left her alone for two years, and another potential suitor in the handsom Raffaello, romance stuff really isn't at the top of her mind. In fact, Benjamin actually spends more of his time thinking about her, worrying that she might have found another boy in his absence. He, too, is incredibly clever, becoming the heir to his father in apothecral (this does not appear to be a word, but I shall make it so) talents.
Pip doesn't spend much time on screen (on page?) in The Apprentices, but he still manages to steal the show. Now a television star in England, he's got a posher accent than before, but he's still the same short, cheeky lad. Enlisted to go find and save Janie in America, he gets cheap passage on a cruise ship in exchange for keeping the daughters of the wealthy entertained. The contacts he makes turn out to be hilarious plot points. No one can resist Pip's exuberant charm.
If you enjoyed The Apothecary, you will not want to miss Meloy's follow up, which exceeds its predecessor, a rarity in sequels. There's action, a bit of romance, history and humor. The Apprentices is a great read for children, teens and adults alike.
August 24, 2023
Reading this as an adult, there are a lot of really cringe YA tropes in this. Both Janie and Benjamin do some things that are really stupid and knowingly harmful. There's a blatant disregard for a lot of things, and they basically throw caution to the wind for somewhat frivolous pursuits. Because of this, there's not a lot of character development. Definitely not as much as the first book, and I couldn't get behind Benjamin's actions at all, or even Janie's.
I did like the multiple POVs that included not just Benjamin and Janie but also Pip and Jin Lo. Both of them are my favorite characters because of how real they are, and I enjoyed seeing their sides of the story.
I also don't like the stereotypical depiction of "the island." While the "John Frum" cult is a real thing, the whole depiction of the foreign island seemed really under-researched. I hated that it was just "the island," making all Pacific Islander nations out to be the same and as something to avoid. I hate seeing these depictions in children's literature especially, because kids who don't have a lot of exposure do pick up on all these microagressions. It creates a narrative that depicts foreign as bad. The necessity of punishment cannibalism in this fictional society only heightens this to make foreign akin to scary.
I want to finish with the Apothecary series. I don't think this book was hurt by middle book syndrome as much, but it will be interesting to see what would be different about the writing of The After-Room.
I did like the multiple POVs that included not just Benjamin and Janie but also Pip and Jin Lo. Both of them are my favorite characters because of how real they are, and I enjoyed seeing their sides of the story.
I also don't like the stereotypical depiction of "the island." While the "John Frum" cult is a real thing, the whole depiction of the foreign island seemed really under-researched. I hated that it was just "the island," making all Pacific Islander nations out to be the same and as something to avoid. I hate seeing these depictions in children's literature especially, because kids who don't have a lot of exposure do pick up on all these microagressions. It creates a narrative that depicts foreign as bad. The necessity of punishment cannibalism in this fictional society only heightens this to make foreign akin to scary.
I want to finish with the Apothecary series. I don't think this book was hurt by middle book syndrome as much, but it will be interesting to see what would be different about the writing of The After-Room.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2013
Sticking to my trend of good YA fiction, I decided to read the sequel to The Apothecary, a book that Rachel recommended. The characters are 2 years older now; Janie is 16 and is a student at a private school in the US, Benjamin and his dad are in the jungles of Vietnam, Pip is a TV celebrity in London, and Jin Lo has returned to China. Lots of drama and action -- Janie is kidnapped, Benjamin takes the avian elixir to turn into a bird to rescue Janie, and there are plenty of bad guys (including some from the first novel), who are intent on causing harm to Janie, Benjamin and his Dad because of their successful halt of the atomic bomb test. This novel is pretty dark -- graphic details of Benjamin and his Dad trying to save people in Vietnam and Jin's recollection of how her family was killed during China's war. Plenty of magic too, like the first novel; this was fast-moving and pretty suspenseful nearing the end. I enjoyed the realistic depiction of how these teens viewed each other and the awkward moments between Janie and Benjamin. Good story for younger readers and adults too!
February 22, 2017
This second installment was a hot mess. I don't care to take the time to review it all. The motivations were silly, the exact-right-time coincidences were too plentiful, and anything having to do with Jin Lo was nonsensical and irrelevant. Can't decide if I'm going to finish out the series or not.
July 22, 2021
This book had so much potential after the masterpiece that is The Apothecary #1. But it just fell so short of my expectations. I feel that this book may have even ruined the first one for me a little, and I don't think I'm going to read the third instalment of the series. The ONLY thing I enjoyed about this book was Raffaelo, the beautiful Italian boy. If it weren't for him, this review would be 2 stars instead of 3.
*warning: minor spoilers*
The whole book felt so dry and predictable. Janie and Benjamin are kept apart for the majority of the book, and their reunion is SO LAME. I didn't feel anything at all. There are FAR too many fortunate coincidences where everything just so happens to work out perfectly. Jin Lo takes up a lot of the book and I have no idea why, it's very random. Her chapters were probably the most boring of them all. There is little character development, and I don't even like Benjamin anymore by the middle of the book. In short, it was simply not good. A very disappointing sequel.
*warning: minor spoilers*
The whole book felt so dry and predictable. Janie and Benjamin are kept apart for the majority of the book, and their reunion is SO LAME. I didn't feel anything at all. There are FAR too many fortunate coincidences where everything just so happens to work out perfectly. Jin Lo takes up a lot of the book and I have no idea why, it's very random. Her chapters were probably the most boring of them all. There is little character development, and I don't even like Benjamin anymore by the middle of the book. In short, it was simply not good. A very disappointing sequel.
June 4, 2017
More magical science in this one! And new characters.
This book was narrated in third-person, switching perspectives. While it was fun to see other characters' points of view, Pip's especially, I think it lost a little something without Janie's narrating voice.
The book had more settings: America, Vietnam, Malaya, China, etc. Each location brought more challenges and more creatures.
Highlights: Pip's journey to America, Benjamin's brilliant invention, and Jin Lo's new discovery.
This book was narrated in third-person, switching perspectives. While it was fun to see other characters' points of view, Pip's especially, I think it lost a little something without Janie's narrating voice.
The book had more settings: America, Vietnam, Malaya, China, etc. Each location brought more challenges and more creatures.
Highlights: Pip's journey to America, Benjamin's brilliant invention, and Jin Lo's new discovery.
November 21, 2020
Entertaining, I liked the first one better though. Janie gets caught up in yet more desperate, mysterious trouble; Benjamin and his father have an extremely rough time wherever they go; and Jin Lo is haunted by her past. Side effects of this book include frustration and confusion. A good audiobook. Warning: there is some language and a married character has a mistress.
July 31, 2024
Meh. Heavy on the teenage romance (for all teenage characters, not just the mains.) What felt like science bordering on magic in the first book became almost completely magic here, and pretty easy most of the time. Overall a letdown after an exciting first book.
October 11, 2024
3.5/5 - This is book #2 of the series. Henry said he liked the story, but downgraded his rating because the dad/Marcus Burrows died and that’s sad. I felt like the story wrapped up too quickly. We have started book #3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2018
Second in the series. Maile Meloy deals with important issues (such as nuclear weapons) while telling an addictive story!
June 10, 2023
not as good as the first, but i still enjoyed it
June 25, 2025
Another good listen, and C also gave this second book 5 stars. Interesting focus moving forward in time to the Vietnam War…
October 30, 2016
Can we cue second book syndrome please? Seriously, romance took a front seat in this book and it was awfully played out.
The Apothecary was wonderful in how all the parts were woven together, all the characters maxed out, filled to the brim with suspense and action. The Apprentices fails on almost all of these counts. A lot of random new characters were introduced, and they’re all pretty shallow and are barely there leaving me rather confused while reading. The narration jumps all around the world and there’s a lot of overlapping narration due to this pesky phenomena (more on that later) and needless to say, that gets pretty confusing too. Finally, the book at once felt too short and too long. The plot is basically an episode of The Amazing Race with no safety measures in place. Too straightforward, predictable, and messily executed.
The main character is still Janie, but she’s grown two years since the last book. The beginning of the book and the whole incident at her new school was very well done actually, I thought I was going to really be able to empathize with her through this book. But then it’s pointed out to her that her sciency mind is a weakness and then she goes into full housewife mode lamenting that she needs to love her parents and her guy more. I loved the chemistry and science part of the first book, and there was so much potential in Janie’s projects but it was all wasted.
The science part is kind of moving in Benjamin’s narration. He and his father are stuck in Vietnam (during the war ofc) treating the injured and it’s obvious that neither of them are happy with what they’re doing. Benjamin wants to be working on more alchemical stuff while his father is being bogged down by the stress of being in the jungle and seeing all these sick people. Anyways, Benjamin manages to get in contact with Janie with some magical alchemical concoction and that kind of sets off the whole book.
See, Janie’s roommate, Opal, has been told she’s stupid all her life by her father - the same father who wants to take Janie’s research. Long story short, she ends up on this Malay island and somehow becomes this SOS beacon that attracts literally everyone of importance. Seriously. Benjamin, his father, Jin Lo, and their whole entourage of people (they pick up like 5 extra people on the way to rescue Janie), Pip (who basically was the third wheel that disappeared from the world) and his party of accomplices, and the Count along with all the villains of the last book convene on this island in the middle of nowhere as if someone called and Apothecary reunion. It’s so ridiculous that Janie is that important to them all.
Then there’s the romance in this book. God, it is so so so so cringe worthy and is so much like a second book. Benjamin throws a hissy fit when he finds out that Janie kissed another guy and I’m like “dude, you literally tossed her out at the end of the last book… get over it asshat.” And then the ending, which I’m guessing is supposed to be cute, just comes off forced. Janie has this sudden epiphany that Benjamin is the one and then he gets super possessive of her and I’m like “children, ya’ll are still like 16. Chill” I was not a fan of how Janie and Benjamin literally flip flop in a blink at the end of the book. No thank you.
Everything I’ve written so far seems pretty ranty, but the thing is that while the whole plot is so dumb, I liked each moment that was written. If only everything could have been tied together in a way that wasn’t so basic and choppy, then I think I could have enjoyed this book much more.
The Apothecary was wonderful in how all the parts were woven together, all the characters maxed out, filled to the brim with suspense and action. The Apprentices fails on almost all of these counts. A lot of random new characters were introduced, and they’re all pretty shallow and are barely there leaving me rather confused while reading. The narration jumps all around the world and there’s a lot of overlapping narration due to this pesky phenomena (more on that later) and needless to say, that gets pretty confusing too. Finally, the book at once felt too short and too long. The plot is basically an episode of The Amazing Race with no safety measures in place. Too straightforward, predictable, and messily executed.
The main character is still Janie, but she’s grown two years since the last book. The beginning of the book and the whole incident at her new school was very well done actually, I thought I was going to really be able to empathize with her through this book. But then it’s pointed out to her that her sciency mind is a weakness and then she goes into full housewife mode lamenting that she needs to love her parents and her guy more. I loved the chemistry and science part of the first book, and there was so much potential in Janie’s projects but it was all wasted.
The science part is kind of moving in Benjamin’s narration. He and his father are stuck in Vietnam (during the war ofc) treating the injured and it’s obvious that neither of them are happy with what they’re doing. Benjamin wants to be working on more alchemical stuff while his father is being bogged down by the stress of being in the jungle and seeing all these sick people. Anyways, Benjamin manages to get in contact with Janie with some magical alchemical concoction and that kind of sets off the whole book.
See, Janie’s roommate, Opal, has been told she’s stupid all her life by her father - the same father who wants to take Janie’s research. Long story short, she ends up on this Malay island and somehow becomes this SOS beacon that attracts literally everyone of importance. Seriously. Benjamin, his father, Jin Lo, and their whole entourage of people (they pick up like 5 extra people on the way to rescue Janie), Pip (who basically was the third wheel that disappeared from the world) and his party of accomplices, and the Count along with all the villains of the last book convene on this island in the middle of nowhere as if someone called and Apothecary reunion. It’s so ridiculous that Janie is that important to them all.
Then there’s the romance in this book. God, it is so so so so cringe worthy and is so much like a second book. Benjamin throws a hissy fit when he finds out that Janie kissed another guy and I’m like “dude, you literally tossed her out at the end of the last book… get over it asshat.” And then the ending, which I’m guessing is supposed to be cute, just comes off forced. Janie has this sudden epiphany that Benjamin is the one and then he gets super possessive of her and I’m like “children, ya’ll are still like 16. Chill” I was not a fan of how Janie and Benjamin literally flip flop in a blink at the end of the book. No thank you.
Everything I’ve written so far seems pretty ranty, but the thing is that while the whole plot is so dumb, I liked each moment that was written. If only everything could have been tied together in a way that wasn’t so basic and choppy, then I think I could have enjoyed this book much more.
June 14, 2022
Continuing off of the previous book, we are greeted with a two-year time skip. Jane is now sixteen and living at a prestigious school with her rich roommate, Opal. She now has most of her memories back from them being wiped at the end of the first book and is now focusing on making a solution to create fresh water by removing salt from ocean water. But oh no! Her experiment is stolen and she is kicked out of school, most likely from Opal jealous of her talents.
The Apprentices is a much weaker story in every way compared to The Apothecary. The plot is unengaging, characters are a shell of what they used to be, and overall, it’s just not as enjoyable.
Most of what happened in the last book has no hold on the story anymore, Jane's parents move back to America (no longer in fear of the government for no apparent reason), and Jane herself doesn’t have any struggles with having two weeks of her memories wiped, even the villains from the last book that were so imposing now have just pissed off, apart from Mr Danby who really does jackshit this whole novel. Everything happens at a snail’s pace, it really feels like nothing is really happening at all. Sections could have been removed and nothing would have changed; Pip feels underused and generally contributes nothing of substance, the whole islander plot with Benjamin was another nothing burger. Don’t even get me started on the Apothecary’s death. Benjamin inadvertently kills his father by fucking around with gas. Shouldn’t the Apothecary have KNOWN? They have the book full of weird spells and concoctions right there! Have you not been studying it for two years? We don’t even get to see the scene in which Benjamin makes the gas that poisons his dad, for no reason really. His whole death was just handled extremely poorly. The end section as a whole just feels very rushed and you can feel how awkward it reads.
Characters as a whole aren’t as interesting to read anymore. Janie is boring and mopes about the entire novel to the point in which she almost misses a rescue attempt. The whole novel we are told how smart she is, but it's never really put into action. She’s just a damsel in distress now, reduced to Ben’s love interest. Ben himself suffers worse; he almost becomes creepy with his relationship with Janie, spying on her and feeling jealous when Janie kisses another boy. Benny, it’s been two years! She knew you for two weeks! Not only that, but he tries to control her action through the powder that links them, which causes Janie to run away from the kiss. Eeek. Other characters aren’t that notable, I’ve already talked about Pip. Mr. Danby is a one-dimensional villain, and so is Opals’ father to a point. I did like the Italian family that Janie boards with, though.
Overall, The Apprentices is a downgrade on the previous instalment, for pretty much every reason. The only way is up from here, hopefully.
Rating: 4/10
The Apprentices is a much weaker story in every way compared to The Apothecary. The plot is unengaging, characters are a shell of what they used to be, and overall, it’s just not as enjoyable.
Most of what happened in the last book has no hold on the story anymore, Jane's parents move back to America (no longer in fear of the government for no apparent reason), and Jane herself doesn’t have any struggles with having two weeks of her memories wiped, even the villains from the last book that were so imposing now have just pissed off, apart from Mr Danby who really does jackshit this whole novel. Everything happens at a snail’s pace, it really feels like nothing is really happening at all. Sections could have been removed and nothing would have changed; Pip feels underused and generally contributes nothing of substance, the whole islander plot with Benjamin was another nothing burger. Don’t even get me started on the Apothecary’s death. Benjamin inadvertently kills his father by fucking around with gas. Shouldn’t the Apothecary have KNOWN? They have the book full of weird spells and concoctions right there! Have you not been studying it for two years? We don’t even get to see the scene in which Benjamin makes the gas that poisons his dad, for no reason really. His whole death was just handled extremely poorly. The end section as a whole just feels very rushed and you can feel how awkward it reads.
Characters as a whole aren’t as interesting to read anymore. Janie is boring and mopes about the entire novel to the point in which she almost misses a rescue attempt. The whole novel we are told how smart she is, but it's never really put into action. She’s just a damsel in distress now, reduced to Ben’s love interest. Ben himself suffers worse; he almost becomes creepy with his relationship with Janie, spying on her and feeling jealous when Janie kisses another boy. Benny, it’s been two years! She knew you for two weeks! Not only that, but he tries to control her action through the powder that links them, which causes Janie to run away from the kiss. Eeek. Other characters aren’t that notable, I’ve already talked about Pip. Mr. Danby is a one-dimensional villain, and so is Opals’ father to a point. I did like the Italian family that Janie boards with, though.
Overall, The Apprentices is a downgrade on the previous instalment, for pretty much every reason. The only way is up from here, hopefully.
Rating: 4/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2018
YIKES! This book was a bit of a disaster! All of the characters I came to know and love in the first book were either changed completely or watered down to the point where I truly didn't care what happened to them anymore. I had a very difficult time just finishing the book because I was so bored. Let's go character by character, shall we?
Janie: Is utterly oblivious to the plot to steal her work. Even when she knows she may be kidnapped she still can't avoid it and doesn't even try to avoid it. Then she spends a lot of time moping around through the whole book. Such a boring character. She also has no empathy for Benjamin when his father dies.
Benjamin: The character I loved so much from the first book completely vanishes. He developed a crazy jealous streak and went so far as to literally control Janie's actions. Sounds borderline abusive to me. But "he means well!" I'm calling BS on this controlling behavior. Also, he KILLS HIS OWN DAD????? I mean, I know it was an accident but seriously Maile Meloy? You couldn't think of a better way to off the apothecary?
Pip: Didn't really care much about him in this book. All he does is run after women and doesn't really help move the plot along at all.
Jin Lo: Did she go crazy? Her whole plot line was extremely confusing and muddled the character. I don't know what was real and what was fake in her story and it's hard to track her motives.
Benjamin's father: He gets his arm shot with an arrow and later he dies. That's about all he does in the book. Also, I don't understand the point of his death but at that point in the book I really didn't care.
The only saving grace for this book is that things finally started to pick up a bit near the end, but really I give it 1.5 stars. Such a huge letdown after I gave the first book 5 stars. I'm not sure weather to read the third book or not, but I probably will with the hope that is reverts back to the original characters.
Janie: Is utterly oblivious to the plot to steal her work. Even when she knows she may be kidnapped she still can't avoid it and doesn't even try to avoid it. Then she spends a lot of time moping around through the whole book. Such a boring character. She also has no empathy for Benjamin when his father dies.
Benjamin: The character I loved so much from the first book completely vanishes. He developed a crazy jealous streak and went so far as to literally control Janie's actions. Sounds borderline abusive to me. But "he means well!" I'm calling BS on this controlling behavior. Also, he KILLS HIS OWN DAD????? I mean, I know it was an accident but seriously Maile Meloy? You couldn't think of a better way to off the apothecary?
Pip: Didn't really care much about him in this book. All he does is run after women and doesn't really help move the plot along at all.
Jin Lo: Did she go crazy? Her whole plot line was extremely confusing and muddled the character. I don't know what was real and what was fake in her story and it's hard to track her motives.
Benjamin's father: He gets his arm shot with an arrow and later he dies. That's about all he does in the book. Also, I don't understand the point of his death but at that point in the book I really didn't care.
The only saving grace for this book is that things finally started to pick up a bit near the end, but really I give it 1.5 stars. Such a huge letdown after I gave the first book 5 stars. I'm not sure weather to read the third book or not, but I probably will with the hope that is reverts back to the original characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2013
This sequel to The Apothecary continues the story of Janie, Benjamin and Pip. It takes place three years after the first book and the three friends are all separated. Janie is attending a private boarding school in the U.S. and working on a science project to desalinate water quickly and inexpensively. But the closer she gets to a solution, the more danger she seems to be in. Benjamin is traveling with his father, the apothecary, in the jungles of Vietnam, helping to heal the wounded in the war. Benjamin has developed a powder that will allow him to communicate with Janie across the world, but it may reveal more than he is prepared to see. Pip is now a television star in Britain, living a cushy life of fame. But he is getting bored, and so is willing to head out to help his friends. The three young people are up against a force that is ruthless, cruel and determined in this dynamic sequel in a great series.
Meloy writes with a great sense of pacing and plot. She manages to keep so many different strands of the story active and interesting, allowing the story space to work itself out with a natural feel. At the same time though, the pacing is tight and controlled, making the book readable and fun. Her writing is both action packed and also intelligent, there are villains and heroes but they are nuanced and their motivations complex. All of this creates a great read for fantasy fans.
A fabulous sequel in a very strong series, this series belongs in all public libraries. Get it into the hands of children who enjoy fantasy mixed with adventure. Appropriate for ages 10-13.
Meloy writes with a great sense of pacing and plot. She manages to keep so many different strands of the story active and interesting, allowing the story space to work itself out with a natural feel. At the same time though, the pacing is tight and controlled, making the book readable and fun. Her writing is both action packed and also intelligent, there are villains and heroes but they are nuanced and their motivations complex. All of this creates a great read for fantasy fans.
A fabulous sequel in a very strong series, this series belongs in all public libraries. Get it into the hands of children who enjoy fantasy mixed with adventure. Appropriate for ages 10-13.
March 26, 2016
Two years after the events in The Apothecary 16-year-old Janie is attending school in New Hampshire. All she knows about Ben and his father is they are somewhere trying to save the world against the looming nuclear threat. She's keeping busy with an experiment to desalinate ocean water.
Her experiment piques the interest of her roommate's father. Suddenly, Janie finds herself expelled from school and her experiment gone. To get it back, she's finds a way to contact Benjamin and unknowingly sets a massive kidnapping plan in motion.
I LOVED this book. I started it at 10 on Saturday morning, and finished it around 9 PM (with one long interruption while I visited my grandmother). The characters are a bit more believable in this one, now that the kids are older and have been through this once already. I particularly love Janie. Too often, women in these stories are extremely stupid. Janie acts like a 16-year-old girl in my mind. She's very smart, but her judgement and common sense still fail her, like most 16-year-olds.
Pip's steamship ride from Great Britain was particularly entertaining. The kid is a natural flirt and he works his way through an entire steamship of partying and flirting with all the teenage girls. The poor guy. I definitely am enjoying this series and am eagerly awaiting the next one.
Her experiment piques the interest of her roommate's father. Suddenly, Janie finds herself expelled from school and her experiment gone. To get it back, she's finds a way to contact Benjamin and unknowingly sets a massive kidnapping plan in motion.
I LOVED this book. I started it at 10 on Saturday morning, and finished it around 9 PM (with one long interruption while I visited my grandmother). The characters are a bit more believable in this one, now that the kids are older and have been through this once already. I particularly love Janie. Too often, women in these stories are extremely stupid. Janie acts like a 16-year-old girl in my mind. She's very smart, but her judgement and common sense still fail her, like most 16-year-olds.
Pip's steamship ride from Great Britain was particularly entertaining. The kid is a natural flirt and he works his way through an entire steamship of partying and flirting with all the teenage girls. The poor guy. I definitely am enjoying this series and am eagerly awaiting the next one.
July 4, 2013
So on one hand, you have a perfectly entertaining Nancy Drew meets adventure YA novel with a large cast of interesting character and a plot that moves along at a nice clip. On the other hand, the plot relies heavily on the damsel in distress trope. The heroine Jeanie is smart and ambitious but is constantly in danger thanks to powerful villainous men, while hero Benjamin and friends are having adventures and are in danger because of their bravery. The female character Jin Lo is more courageous and well rounded. Jeanie's roommate Opal meanwhile is "not smart", "not good at math". "All the boys know where she lives." And she's frequently seen crying and lamenting the fact that her father thinks she is stupid and not the daughter he would have wanted. Another minor character Charlotte, gets her boyfriend or husband into a pickle because she's so bored, and it is implied, more rich than sensible. There is also a few scenes with cannibalistic Pacific Islanders, another horrible stereotype. This is all a shame because the book is otherwise imminently readable and easy to follow even if you haven't read the first book in the series.
July 17, 2013
I received an advance copy of The Apprentices. This is the review I wrote for LibraryThing Early Reviewers:
This book, The Apprentices, is the sequel to Meloy's The Apothecary in which the reader is first introduced to the main characters, Janie and Benjamin. The reader of The Apprentices is gently informed/reminded of the events in the previous book allowing immediate entry to the story. The characters are well-developed as is the plot, with well-timed twists to keep the reader's interest. The magic within the story is quite creative; a kind of telepathy involving seeing through a distant person's eyes, characters becoming birds able to fly, and the ability to breathe underwater.
I appreciated the strong female characterization of Janie and Jin Lo, the positive presentation of friendship and family, and the themes of perseverance and loyalty. The illustrations, while not totally complete in the ARC, were oustanding.
This book is highly recommended for middle-grade audiences.
(There is no compensation from LibraryThing in return for my review.)
This book, The Apprentices, is the sequel to Meloy's The Apothecary in which the reader is first introduced to the main characters, Janie and Benjamin. The reader of The Apprentices is gently informed/reminded of the events in the previous book allowing immediate entry to the story. The characters are well-developed as is the plot, with well-timed twists to keep the reader's interest. The magic within the story is quite creative; a kind of telepathy involving seeing through a distant person's eyes, characters becoming birds able to fly, and the ability to breathe underwater.
I appreciated the strong female characterization of Janie and Jin Lo, the positive presentation of friendship and family, and the themes of perseverance and loyalty. The illustrations, while not totally complete in the ARC, were oustanding.
This book is highly recommended for middle-grade audiences.
(There is no compensation from LibraryThing in return for my review.)
June 26, 2016
“The Apprentices”, the second installment in a trilogy by Maile Meloy, was an enjoyable book, but has flaws. The story starts out simple, with Janie in a new school attempting a chemistry experiment. It gets fast paced, with the reader enveloped in the fast developing plot. The problem is that seeing how the story jumps from very different places, and very different points of views, that it is sometimes hard to understand what has happened and what is going on. Sometimes even, the characters know information that the reader does not, which can get annoying and confusing. Many new characters were introduced, which also makes it difficult to keep track of everything. However, the characters were all developed more, which allows the reader to immerse in the story.
There were some parts in which the end of the chapter left the reader on their toes, encouraging them to read more. I feel as if this story was well thought out and planned, but it would be better if it was a bit less chaotic. Overall, this was a good story and I can’t wait to read the last installment in this trilogy.
There were some parts in which the end of the chapter left the reader on their toes, encouraging them to read more. I feel as if this story was well thought out and planned, but it would be better if it was a bit less chaotic. Overall, this was a good story and I can’t wait to read the last installment in this trilogy.
December 13, 2017
I loved the Apothecary (book one in this series) and was excited to begin this second volume. It was a bit of a let down. This second book feels much less carefully crafted, from the basic plot to the language in each individual sentence. It also felt as though the author couldn't quite nail down her audience. There are a few thoughts attributed to the main characters that felt very much as though an adult woman was speaking through them. This felt like a case in which the author could have finished the story with only a companion volume instead of a trilogy. A main event that predicates the third book could easily have happened at the end of book one. I'm not sure I would have missed anything had we simply progressed to book three.
October 14, 2014
I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads.
I really enjoyed this book. Having not read the first book in the series, it was easy to fall into the story.
The characters are not all children, and the interaction between them was at many times touching. The adventures are non-stop, and take place within an authentic historical backdrop. There are spear wielding natives, wealthy sultans, machine gun fire, first kisses, broken hearts and harrowing sea journeys. Adventure readers of all ages will enjoy this story.
With any kind of luck, I'll be reading the next volume.
I really enjoyed this book. Having not read the first book in the series, it was easy to fall into the story.
The characters are not all children, and the interaction between them was at many times touching. The adventures are non-stop, and take place within an authentic historical backdrop. There are spear wielding natives, wealthy sultans, machine gun fire, first kisses, broken hearts and harrowing sea journeys. Adventure readers of all ages will enjoy this story.
With any kind of luck, I'll be reading the next volume.
Read
May 2, 2023So, The Apprentices picks up several years after The Apothecary. Janie is 16 and in boarding school. There a lot of things I don't want to spoil, so it'll be hard to talk about the plot.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel. Meloy has a lovely voice in both The Apothecary and The Apprentices, and there are plenty of new characters. I felt perhaps that there might have been a little too much going on, though, from too many points of view. The ending chapter didn't give me a lot of closure, either.
I wanted more Janie and Benjamin. I know Meloy's writing another book, so maybe that one will have more of their relationship.
BEA13 ARC
Overall, I enjoyed the novel. Meloy has a lovely voice in both The Apothecary and The Apprentices, and there are plenty of new characters. I felt perhaps that there might have been a little too much going on, though, from too many points of view. The ending chapter didn't give me a lot of closure, either.
I wanted more Janie and Benjamin. I know Meloy's writing another book, so maybe that one will have more of their relationship.
BEA13 ARC
December 15, 2013
I've mixed feelings about this sequel. While I wanted to know more about each of the characters from the first book, the choppiness of their story lines left me hanging in the wind. So, too, I was seriously disappointed by Janie's strong and vibrant intelligence being reduced to a victim's mentality that needed rescue by a boy. The story moved along sprightly, but the climax was mediocre, and the resolution was lackluster. I may read the final tome just to follow the story, but the earlier depth from the beginning of the novel has faded away so significantly that I don't hold much hope for a powerful ending novel. Meh!
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