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The Magickers #4
The Gate of Bones
The Magickers have gained permanent access to the realm of Haven. But the forces of the Dark Hand are about to release a maelstrom of evil energy that could destroy not only the Magickers, but all of Haven.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
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84 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 14, 2008
wow the ending of this was abrupt. they closed the gate of bones, saved Haven, and poof! there was the end. they did wind up having problems with the natives, which was understandable, but slightly annoying. i thought it was a bit far fetched that they rescued Isabella and FireAnn so easily. i also thought that the "bad guys" became a bit too evil for reality (yes i'm talking about reality in a fantasy story). they became so evil that they were uninteresting. they would always choose the most evil path, no matter what. it made them predictable, which made them boring. also, the drain on the magickal powers due to being in Haven was beyond silly. it was just another plot point meandering from what was going on. this was actually worse than the other books as far as keeping up with the "basic" plot. there also were still some unresolved issues, such as the developing romance between Jason and Bailey, and the disassociation that they felt between themselves and the other people that lived in Haven. i also didn't like that the young magickers' parents were okay with them all moving to Haven with little to no fuss. it seems that "home schooling" means that no one even checks to see if you're gone from the house. it was a little unreal. overall, i wasn't terribly happy with this book (mostly because of the abrupt ending).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2012
This seemed like it was rushed to be written and needed a bit more editing. There were a few places where I had to reread a bit to make sure I hadn't skipped anything when it seemed to change subjects abruptly. It also needs a better ending. There are many loose ends that need to be tied up but as this one was first published in 2004 and I can't find any more of the series I think we are to be left hanging.
February 6, 2011
I enjoyed this series, and the very fact that I finished all four books (because I have a hard time finishing series, I get bored) My only criticism is that the world Drake created wasn't developed enough, I found myself being confused on how the plot led to a certain place.
January 20, 2021
It's been a long time since I read the first three books, but I remember loving them when I did. This one just didn't hold the same thrall. It felt like the author just wanted to be done with this series through most of the book, especially as we got to the last 12 pages. The entire final battle happened in about 4 pages, and the rest of the book wrapped up in the remaining 8. Not to mention how ridiculously easy it was to save Bailey, and why would Jonnard leave her unguarded anyway? Then I had to check before I rated this book to see if there was another book to follow, because there were SO MANY LOOSE ENDS. Why did Ting except to be able to talk to the wolfjackals, and did she ever ? What happened to the leucators? What happened to Gregory the Grey!?!?!?!?!? I kind of wish I hadn't finished this series, because this final book left such a bitter taste in my mouth compared to the other three books.
June 17, 2025
I'm really... kind of torn about this one. The Gate of Bones was definitely better than The Dragon Guard, but it had its own problems. It mostly felt like the endgame of this book should have been rescuing Eleanora and Fire Ann, but that ended up being fairly anti-climactic... and then the actual ending seemed to take forever in getting there. I was honestly bored by the time the book decided to close the Gate, both literally and figuratively.
The Gate of Bones was definitely much less choppy, though it still somewhat suffered from choppiness. Most of the story focused on how the Magickers were dealing with their new world and some of the ways in which that new world worked. Haven was semi-interesting, though there wasn't a whole lot of explanation as to how society functioned there. There's definitely a vague medieval-ish/Renaissance-y vibe, but it's also rather disparate so... just strange.
I did find it just as frustrating as Bailey and Ting that the girls were left behind for a lot of the "questing" stuff. There's an understanding as to why, but at the same time... not great. I thought for a hot second that Jonnard was going to develop a crush on Bailey and boy and I glad his quest for Power superseded all of that. The last thing this semi-convoluted stuff needed was Jonnard thirsting after Bailey. I'm not super happy that Bailey essentially got damseled a couple of times, too.
We finally get confirmation as to what Aunt Freya is guarding, though what's actually going to happen on that front is up in the air at the end. I won't spoil it, but it's kind of the only reason I'm about to go on to the fifth Magickers book (only available digitally, but at least there's an actual ending to this thing).
There's also some more philosophical discussion between Jason and The Dragon. Much dithering over whether or not Jason chose correctly, mostly because Jason doubts himself. Other than that, though, Jason's not actually the main focus of this one... his bits aren't really focused on any more than the others.
But yeah, The Gate of Bones was overall alright. I would honestly have been fine leaving the story here, but, as I've already got the fifth and final one... *much shrugging ensues* Guess we'll see how that goes.
The Gate of Bones was definitely much less choppy, though it still somewhat suffered from choppiness. Most of the story focused on how the Magickers were dealing with their new world and some of the ways in which that new world worked. Haven was semi-interesting, though there wasn't a whole lot of explanation as to how society functioned there. There's definitely a vague medieval-ish/Renaissance-y vibe, but it's also rather disparate so... just strange.
I did find it just as frustrating as Bailey and Ting that the girls were left behind for a lot of the "questing" stuff. There's an understanding as to why, but at the same time... not great. I thought for a hot second that Jonnard was going to develop a crush on Bailey and boy and I glad his quest for Power superseded all of that. The last thing this semi-convoluted stuff needed was Jonnard thirsting after Bailey. I'm not super happy that Bailey essentially got damseled a couple of times, too.
We finally get confirmation as to what Aunt Freya is guarding, though what's actually going to happen on that front is up in the air at the end. I won't spoil it, but it's kind of the only reason I'm about to go on to the fifth Magickers book (only available digitally, but at least there's an actual ending to this thing).
There's also some more philosophical discussion between Jason and The Dragon. Much dithering over whether or not Jason chose correctly, mostly because Jason doubts himself. Other than that, though, Jason's not actually the main focus of this one... his bits aren't really focused on any more than the others.
But yeah, The Gate of Bones was overall alright. I would honestly have been fine leaving the story here, but, as I've already got the fifth and final one... *much shrugging ensues* Guess we'll see how that goes.
July 2, 2012
This whole series was an interesting read. I enjoyed the take on magic that Emily Drake used. The thing that most bothers me though is the fact that this series is clearly unfinished and there is no indication that another book will ever be published. There's just too many loose ends by the time this fourth book wraps up. So, if you want an easy but entertaining read, pick this series up, but be forewarned that you'll be wanting another book, to clean up loose ends, that will probably never be written.
September 16, 2013
Last read ( has been at 7 years ago)
This one was my least favorite of the series it felt like she tried to hard , to create something new, which made it seem like it jumped around alot and became very strange at parts.
When I last read this book I felt very disappointed in it , I enjoyed the series and I read this and I was like wtf did I just read.
She could have done a better job in my opinion, but I'm still hoping for more which I doubt will ever happen :(
This one was my least favorite of the series it felt like she tried to hard , to create something new, which made it seem like it jumped around alot and became very strange at parts.
When I last read this book I felt very disappointed in it , I enjoyed the series and I read this and I was like wtf did I just read.
She could have done a better job in my opinion, but I'm still hoping for more which I doubt will ever happen :(
July 26, 2015
The Magickers are under attacked and it only gets worse when Dark Hand finds the bone gate. What is Jason to do to protect the people of Haven and rescue all from the fate he has drag them all into. With this book the excitement has gotten even more fun to read.
July 18, 2011
I was disappointed the ending was so abrupt.
I'd read more of this series, if for no reason than to see what happens with the unresolved plot threads.
I'd read more of this series, if for no reason than to see what happens with the unresolved plot threads.
June 27, 2012
THE BOOK IS OK.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews