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The Inquisitor's Apprentice (Inquisitor's Apprentice #1)

by Chris Moriarty (Goodreads Author), Mark Edward Geyer (Illustrator)

3.5 of 5 stars 3.50 · rating details · 385 ratings · 126 reviews

The day Sacha found out he could see witches was the worst day of his life . . .

Being an Inquisitor is no job for a nice Jewish boy. But when the police learn that Sacha Kessler can see witches, he’s apprenticed to the department’s star Inquisitor, Maximillian Wolf. Their mission is to stop magical crime. And New York at the beginning of the twentieth century is a magical...more

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by Harcourt Children's Books (first published September 12th 2011)

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Newbery 2012

53rd out of 136 books — 546 voters

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20th out of 23 books — 3 voters

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Jun 01, 2011 Laurel rated it 4 of 5 stars

More complete review/pondering on the blog: http://laurelsnyder.com/?p=1111

This book is admirably well plotted, really tight and compelling. The pace is brisk, but well detailed too--and characters are nicely developed. Just generally well written.

I am in LOVE with the setting and the premise. The idea of magic-as-replaced-by-machines, of capitalists as the villains behind the end of "old world" magic. It's brilliant. The way all of these historical characters and institutions (Edison, Houdini,...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Melissa McCauley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: unfinished

To be completely honest: I don’t know a kid who would want to read this. The witchcraft aspect, which is supposedly the major storyline, is very quickly buried in the history of New York. Fans of historical fiction (like the American Girls series) keep reading for characters they can identify with and care about.

I think the book is trying to be too many things, and therefore does none of them well. The plot bumbles around and spins its wheels, the witchcraft is given very short shrift, the chara...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf, ya-children

I like Chris Moriarty's science fiction, so I was excited to see that she wrote a young adult fantasy book. It did not disappoint. It is set in New York City, largely in the Lower East Side, around the turn of the 20th century. My family is from the same immigrant group as Sacha's, and I've read about and visited the area. The author had me on page 2, where she mentioned the Pentacle Shirtwaist Factory, a magic-universe version of the Triangle factory that later burned down. Then she had the mot...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Alex Templeton rated it 5 of 5 stars

A friend gave me this book, saying that it had made her think of me, and I’m so very glad she did. This was a wonderful charmer of a story, which--happiness!--is the first in a series. In turn-of-the-century New York, a New York in which magic is a part of everyday life but forbidden for all but the upper classes. Sacha Kessler discovers that he can see magic being performed, and becomes apprenticed to head magic inquisitor, Maximillian Wolf, to try and track down improper uses of magic. He quic...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Gabriel C. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, cory, 2012

There has got to be a special place in Hell for people who have a handful of diamonds and take a huge turd right in the middle of them. This one-star review is a blazon of my displeasure at Ms. Moriarty for taking the care to set up:
1) a coherent, engaging world,
2) interesting, sympathetic, diverse, and sufficiently complicated characters, and
3) a well-proportioned conflict...

and then ruin it all with pacing. With PACING. I have never written any YA fiction, but I've read a fair amount, and I'...more There has got to be a special place in Hell for people who have a handful of diamonds and take a huge turd right in the middle of them. This one-star review is a blazon of my displeasure at Ms. Moriarty for taking the care to set up:
1) a coherent, engaging world,
2) interesting, sympathetic, diverse, and sufficiently complicated characters, and
3) a well-proportioned conflict...

and then ruin it all with pacing. With PACING. I have never written any YA fiction, but I've read a fair amount, and I've read a LOT of YA fiction that fails miserably at 1, 2, and/or 3 and still gets pacing right on the whole. Moriarty manages to get it impossibly wrong in both directions simultaneously.

Mostly things were too fast. This should have been the first two or maybe three books in the series. One whole book could have been devoted just to getting the two of them through the tests, getting to know each other, developing a grudging admiration for one another, for Payton, for introductions to Shen. Yes, I know, that's not the strongest book. But YA readers eat that shit up and what's more, it would have been better than what we ended up with instead.

Now Payton and Shen and her place are cutouts, Rosie's help and Antonio's presence are inexplicable, the slow arc of Sacha and Lily's relationship is wrecked by not having enough points plotted on the graph, the resolution is simultaneously nonexistent and too pat, there is not even a trace of a familial confrontation (yes, I know, it will come later, but we deserve a hint of it in the first book), let alone a confrontation or admission of mistake vis a vis Wolf. This is piss-poor.

When I think about it, I want to blame this part on an editor. I want some scum editor to have told her to cut half the book because it was too long and slow. She has talent and I don't want to think this was her fault.

The other problem was definitely her fault.

There was just one thing that was too slow, and it was the most irritating and awful thing that it could have been: Sacha's development. We get it. He wants to be self-reliant. We get it. He knows too much and won't let anything on. We get it, he wants to stay out of trouble and keep it all secret. It's a million times too belabored, especially as readers who know that all of the problems will go away or at least be ameliorated if he shares some of his secrets with the other good guys. Look, I'll accept that he's not going to do it, but you don't need to underline it that many times. Every time it's annoying and frustrating. Show him opening up bit by bit, not wishing that he was opening up bit by bit.

It reminds me of the structure of "Just My Luck" where the writers made Chris Pine and Lindsay Lohan a band manager and a party promoter rather than a band member and someone for whom parties are promoted. Both of the characters were at one remove from where they were supposed to be, and it really weakened the structure of the whole thing.

I'm extremely disappointed. This is much worse than when a talentless hack writes drivel because I know that she could do so much better.(less)

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Jul 04, 2012 Jan McClintock rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarty is a colorful YA fantasy set in an alternate New York City circa turn-of-the-20th-century. Magic abounds, although it's illegal, and when a young Jewish boy, Sacha Kessler, discovers he can see it happening, he is immediately recruited by the police department's head inquisitor, Maximilian Wolf. Their job is to find and stop others using magic, even though Sacha's has a personal conflict of interest. His fellow apprentice, Lily Astral, is from one of...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Lisa Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one

Recommended to Lisa by: Sci fi convention

I was given an Advance Copy. As an educator who is always looking for new YA lit, I read it.

I give Moriarty two stars for character development and accurate historical references to 1900 New York and tenement living. The story moved at a fine pace and was somewhat engaging. The remaining 3 stars?

1. The story ended abruptly - too abruptly for my liking. While I do believe that the genre of YA lit always needs to grow, this book does NOT have a universal quality that I could give to any reader.

2...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Maybe adult fans of The Amazing Adventures of Kavilier and Clay. ??

Shelves: tag-2012-13, ya-2011, young-adult

The Inquisitor's Apprentice would appear to be an alternate history of NYC circa the late 1890's/early 1900's wherein NYC is controlled by all varieties of magic/witchcraft with the robber barons (Morgan, Astor, Vanderbilt, etc. --though the names are slightly changed) vying to eradicate real magic so they can replace it with their own version of industrialized "magic,"; in other words, machines. Thirteen-year-old Sasha Kessler can "see" magic so he is apprenticed to a top level police inquisito...more The Inquisitor's Apprentice would appear to be an alternate history of NYC circa the late 1890's/early 1900's wherein NYC is controlled by all varieties of magic/witchcraft with the robber barons (Morgan, Astor, Vanderbilt, etc. --though the names are slightly changed) vying to eradicate real magic so they can replace it with their own version of industrialized "magic,"; in other words, machines. Thirteen-year-old Sasha Kessler can "see" magic so he is apprenticed to a top level police inquisitor who investigates magical crimes. Sasha shares his apprenticeship with Lily Astral, a thirteen-year-old debutante who wants to be more than a socialite. When it appears that Thomas Edison is the target of a dbbyuk, a malevolent possessing spirit that was summoned to assasinate him, Inquisitor Wolf and his team are called to investigate. But Wolf's investigation leads Sasha to some very startling conclusions about himself and his family.

The premise sounds way more interesting than the novel is in the end. Unfortunately, I was goodly confused for a majority of the story, due in large part undoubtedly with my own unfamiliarity with Judaism and Jewish practices. Not to mention my decided lack of expertise in turn of the century NYC. So, while I understood to whom in many instances the author was referencing in pointing an accusatory finger at the robber barons, I was puzzled that he used the real names of others like Houdini and Teddy Roosevelt. Why did he do that? Is there a greater significance that I missed? Is there a deeper theme, a greater moral? Is it an allegory about immigration and being "American?" I felt like that was a big theme throughout the novel but only cursorily addressed in the dénouement. Also, I would have to say the characters are a bit flat and not fully realized. I didn't feel any particular affinity for any of them, even when Sasha was in mortal danger. It leaves off as though it will be a series but I won't rush out for the next one. I'll be surprised if this one gets much circulation in my library. LN(less)

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Mar 06, 2012 IndyPL Kids Book Blog rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, favorites

Sacha lives in New York City in the early 1900s. His New York City is a little different than ours though, in Sacha’s New York City there’s magic, which would be cool except it’s illegal.

“Sacha had never quite understood why magic was illegal in America. He just knew that it was. And that his mother and practically every other housewife on Hester Street cheerfully ignored the law whenever disapproving husbands and fathers - not to mention the NYPD Inquisitors - were safely elsewhere.” page 5

In S...more Sacha lives in New York City in the early 1900s. His New York City is a little different than ours though, in Sacha’s New York City there’s magic, which would be cool except it’s illegal.

“Sacha had never quite understood why magic was illegal in America. He just knew that it was. And that his mother and practically every other housewife on Hester Street cheerfully ignored the law whenever disapproving husbands and fathers - not to mention the NYPD Inquisitors - were safely elsewhere.” page 5

In Sacha’s New York some people are a lot like the Dursley’s - suspicious and afraid of magic, so they’ve outlawed it. They even have special policemen called Inquisitors that try to find people doing magic and arrest them. Some people, like Sacha’s family and his neighbors, secretly DO use magic for harmless things - like Mrs. Weasley’s knitting needles. They don’t use magic for cheating or hurting other people and they are very, very quiet about it.

One day when Sacha is at the bakery with his Mom he sees something strange - an aura, or light around the baker’s head. Before he can stop himself he asks what the baker did, because he knows what it looks like - magic! Instantly an NYPD Inquistor appears and Sacha is summoned to the police station for several days of testing for his “magic aptitude.” If Sacha can “see” magic - what a great Inquisitor he would be! What if all the burglars in our world had a light shining around their head, wouldn’t that make police work easy!

Sacha really doesn’t like the idea of being an Inquisitor. What’s he supposed to do, turn in his own Grandpa? On the other hand, Inquisitor’s pay is really good and helping his family like his older sister does is something Sacha really wants. When he passes all the aptitude tests Sacha becomes an apprentice to The Master Inquisitor himself, Maximillian Wolf, and his adventures as a magic crime-fighter begin. Author: Chris Moriarty

For more: http://www.imcpl.org/kids/blog/?p=11804 (less)

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Feb 29, 2012 Stephanie Jobe rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have finally dived into my ARC pile from ALA, which is terribly exciting but also terrible news for my homework. It is set in turn of the century (circa 1900) New York but not exactly the one we learned about in school. This world is filled with magic. Sasha’s life as a thirteen year old Jewish boy with parents who immigrated from Russia living in tenements with the whole family squeezed into one room of a two room apartment trying to squeeze out a living from the terrible factories. Then Sash...more I have finally dived into my ARC pile from ALA, which is terribly exciting but also terrible news for my homework. It is set in turn of the century (circa 1900) New York but not exactly the one we learned about in school. This world is filled with magic. Sasha’s life as a thirteen year old Jewish boy with parents who immigrated from Russia living in tenements with the whole family squeezed into one room of a two room apartment trying to squeeze out a living from the terrible factories. Then Sash realizes he can see magic and he becomes apprenticed to the most prominent Inquisitor, Maximillian Wolf. Sasha is then thrown into a whole side of New York that he never knew before.

The first few pages I definitely had an “eek! Yiddish!” moment but after that brief immersion moment I was relieved to find that Moriarty only used the words where their meaning could be understood in context. There are also a range of historical references to people and places with many of them slightly changed. I think this showed me just how much time Moriarty spent thinking about this alternate history. No, the kids reading it probably won’t get all the references but I was about this age when I learned about this period and even this many years later I kind of felt like I was in on a secret when I suddenly made the connection. Obviously the concept had intrigued me that this was the first ARC I picked up. I’ve always wanted to see more magical historical fiction that wasn’t just a tiny slip of superstitions being true. Thus that part alone had me definitely excited. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book with a Jewish protagonist before other than The Devil’s Arithmetic. It’s a lot to introduce a alternate but realistic history, an integrated magical system and a religion that is only vaguely familiar to many readers but she pulls it off impressively. Also there were definitely hints or more accurately references to a sequel. It seemed as if there is little doubt. To me this book seems like an excellent way to encourage a historical fiction reader towards fantasy or vice versa. I was definitely impressed.

ARC from ALA Annual Conference

This is the first book in the NYPD Inquisitor series.(less)

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Feb 03, 2012 Kristy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: juv

I thought this was one of the better juvenile chapter books about magic that I have read. The author was not afraid to use colorful language and to dig into class differences and ignorance. The story focuses on a 13 year old Jewish boy who discovers he has the power to see magic happening and is immediately drafted into the NYPD, as a magical inquisitor's apprentice. The setting is an alternate New York, around the turn of the century, where magic is real, but outlawed. Thomas Edison, J.P. "Morg...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Leann rated it 4 of 5 stars

The story begins with Sacha, a Jewish boy who had a unusual talent of being able to see witches. The story is set in an alternate early 20th century New York complete with all kinds of sorcery and magic. The New York police make Sacha an Inquisitor apprentice and he must work with the best inquisitor in the city, Maximillian Wolf, who also has some strange secrets and behaviors. The Wobblies (Industrial Witches of the World) are causing problems for the city and they live above Sacha’s apartment...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ncbla

The book's endpapers show New York as it was a century ago, and the book itself highlights New York at the turn of the century. Thirteen-year-old Sacha Kessler can see witches or the magic they create, making him invaluable to Maximillian Wolf, who is the New York Police Department's star Inquisitor. The job of the Inquisitors is to stop magical crime, and in this alternative universe, readers will recognize real characters such as Harry Houdini and Thomas Edison, but they'll also meet a cast of...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Eva rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mediocre

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. New York City di awal abad ke-19... tempat segala ras, bangsa, dan etnis berkumpul dan bersaing, disatukan dalam sebuah Mimpi Amerika yang absurd namun diyakini secara teguh. Tempat dimana baseball adalah agama baru ketimbang sepak bola, dan tempat dimana sihir mulai disingkirkan.

Wow, sihir?

Kita tidak bicara NYC membosankan yang kita kenal. Kita bicara New York City yang dikuasai Wall Street Wizards dan pabrik pakaian terbesar di sana bernama Pantacle Shirt Factory. New York dimana sihir gaib me...more

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Dec 23, 2011 Hilary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, grades-5-6, grades-7-8, historical-fiction

When it is discovered that Sacha Kessler has the ability to see witches, he is appointed to be the apprentice of New York Cities most famous detective - Inquisitor Wolf. Along with another apprentice, Lily, they set out to try to solve the mystery of who tried to kill Thomas Edison and why.
Pluses - Sacha and Lily are great characters. Sacha, the good kid from the tenements with the loving family who are trying to make it in the USA. Lily, the little rich girl who is tough and doesn't take no fo...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Alison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Full review to come soon...in the mean time, thoughts:

Was a bit of a beatup on rich bankers, and certainly parallels can be drawn to modern anti-capitalism protests, but for the most part it provided an interesting read about an alternative late 1800s New York from a young Jewish boys perspective; an alternative reality where magic exists but those corruptly in power want to stamp it out and have it replaced by machinery. Machinery that they'll be selling.

Not being as familiar with new York, Am...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Doug rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Inquisitor's Apprentice is set in a vividly rendered alternate late-19th-century New York city. Magic exists in this world, but -- officially, at least -- it is controlled by wealthy industrialists like "J. P. Morgaunt," a character clearly inspired by J. P. Morgan (some more sympathetically rendered historical figures appear under their real names). Thirteen year-old Sacha Kessler discovers that he can see the use of magic, and swiftly finds himself apprenticed to Inquistor Wolf, who works...more The Inquisitor's Apprentice is set in a vividly rendered alternate late-19th-century New York city. Magic exists in this world, but -- officially, at least -- it is controlled by wealthy industrialists like "J. P. Morgaunt," a character clearly inspired by J. P. Morgan (some more sympathetically rendered historical figures appear under their real names). Thirteen year-old Sacha Kessler discovers that he can see the use of magic, and swiftly finds himself apprenticed to Inquistor Wolf, who works in an elite police task force charged with the regulation of magic.

Moriarty delivers a plot compelling enough that I was able to read this book on the subway without getting motion sick (a rarity). Some plot points are a tad predictable -- it is immediately clear that Sacha's pride must lead to a comeuppance -- but I found the ways even the requisite elements unfolded satisfying; and there were plenty of unexpected thrills (and chills; there is a dash of horror in Moriarty's mix). Sacha is both engaging and a little off-putting, a neat trick. Moriarty does an excellent job of portraying the world through his eyes, so we see how he comes to decisions most readers would probably disagree with to some extent.

I loved the complexity of Moriarty's milieu. Sacha's life is impacted by economic disparity and prejudice, but the novel isn't preachy in the least. The role of magic in society has some obvious metaphorical parallels (Prohibition and intellectual property issues both came to my mind) but it also works on a straightforward literal level. I also loved the integration of some folkloric elements that haven't been done to death in recent years.

It is clear that Sacha's gradual-coming-of-age will occupy more than one book; he does some significant growing up in this one, but he's got a way to go. Moriarty ties up Sacha's first major case with Wolf and company well enough, but leaves some things decidedly unresolved. Often this annoys me a bit, but in the present case it just leaves me very impatient for the continuation of Sacha's story.
(less)

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Oct 10, 2011 Sharon Tyler rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarty and illustrator Mark Edward Geyer is an alternated history novel intended for children between nine and thirteen. It takes place in New York during the 1800's, in a world where magic exists, but is outlawed. Of course, laws do not stop housewives from dabbling in a little magic to make a little money or their lives a little easier. It is the jobs of Inquisitors to police magic and arrest those that misuse magic to commit crimes. Sacha is a nice Jewis...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Allison rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: speculative-fiction, magical-realism, kids, galley, fantasy

This books was excellent and a really fun read. Echoes of Holly Black's "White Cat" and Michael Chabon's "Yiddish Policeman's Union" this book reimagines a turn-of-the-century New York City where magic is as common and diverse as the growing immigrant population. The main character is Sascha, a Russian Jewish immigrant who discovers that he has the ability to see magic, and is recruited by the magic-crimes police division, the Inquisitors. This book was funny, tongue-in-cheek, inventive, and at...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Kaye rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, steampunk, pre-release, netgalley, summer-2011

Welcome to steampunk 1800's Brooklyn. Crowds still stream in and out of Coney Island. There are the crowded tenements, overflowing with life and love and family in the midst of hard work and American dreams. There is Edison, the Wizard of Menlo...er, Luna Park, and J.P. Morgaunt and the Astral family all in their own pursuit of the best that money can buy.

And then there is Sacha, an ordinary Jewish boy who discovers that he has a not so ordinary (or wanted) ability: the ability to see the use of...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: male-pov, mystery, original-concepts, dragged-out-plot, amazing-antagonist, netgalley, bittersweet-ending, witches

Read via NetGalley

An amazing puzzle that makes no sense unless you are the author or you have finished this book. Gladly, I am one of them. This book was an amazing mess of little details that form one huge picture. This book is pretty good.

I admit, the reason why I read this book because the cover is really similar to The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I really liked that book even if it was mostly pictures and few words. Even if the covers are similar, they tell the story differently. The Inquisito...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Chrissy rated it 4 of 5 stars

A lively, funny and genially spooky novel set in a fabulous alternate reality turn of the 20th century New York City. The mystery at the heart of this novel is original and compelling but the real treat is the magical new York locale. At first glance this book's setting may sound hokey since it could be seen as an American version of Harry Potter's world. In less deft hands this premise would have been disaster. Instead, Moriarty, provides a delightful alternate history in which old world Kabbal...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Howard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, first-reads

This is an overall enjoyable read. The main characters are all interesting and likeable, with personality traits and quirks well rendered and believable. The alternate New York, divided by ethnicity, wealth, and types of magic, is vivid enough to become a character itself at times. The smooth, flowing writing style keeps the story moving at a nice even pace, never bogging down into tedium.

There are, however, a couple quibbles.

The consistently smooth writing style never seemed to convey a sense...more

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Nov 28, 2011 April Steenburgh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya

It was an accident, Sacha revealing the magic behind a seemingly innocent bit of Jewish food in a time and place where homegrown magic is frowned upon if not illegal. Sacha, who seemingly has no magical talent of his own can see witches. Thus starts his apprenticeship to Maximillian Wolf and his entanglement with historical greats like Thomas Edison, Harry Houdini, and Teddy Roosevelt as a deadly sort of magic unfurls around him. Sacha and fellow apprentice Lily will follow Wolf through a New Yo...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Marie-Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

New York, ein magischer Melting Pot! Lower East Side, Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts: Als Ermittler für magische Angelegenheiten bei der New Yorker Polizei zu arbeiten, ist eigentlich kein Job für einen Jungen. Aber als sich herausstellt, dass Sascha Kessler, Sohn jüdischer Einwanderer aus der ärmlichen Lower East Side, tatsächlich Magie sehen kann, verändert sich sein ganzes Leben. Sascha geht bei dem erfolgreichen Star-Ermittler Maximillian Wolf in die Lehre und gemeinsam jagen sie eine unheimlic...more New York, ein magischer Melting Pot! Lower East Side, Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts: Als Ermittler für magische Angelegenheiten bei der New Yorker Polizei zu arbeiten, ist eigentlich kein Job für einen Jungen. Aber als sich herausstellt, dass Sascha Kessler, Sohn jüdischer Einwanderer aus der ärmlichen Lower East Side, tatsächlich Magie sehen kann, verändert sich sein ganzes Leben. Sascha geht bei dem erfolgreichen Star-Ermittler Maximillian Wolf in die Lehre und gemeinsam jagen sie eine unheimliche Schattenseele, einen Dibbuk, der die ganze Stadt in Angst und Schrecken versetzt.

"Der Seelenfänger" ist der Auftakt zu einer magischen Reihe, die viele verschiedene Komponenten zu einer schönen Story vereint.
So gesehen spielt "Der Seelenfänger" in einem Paralleluniversum, denn dieser Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts ist unserem nur in groben Zügen ähnlich. So treten bekannte Persönlichkeiten dieser Zeit auf den Plan, üben aber eine andere Funktion aus. Ebenfalls ist Magie dort allgegenwärtig und sehr passend in die Handlung mit eingearbeitet. Chris Moriarty hat ihre eigene Welt geschaffen, die eine historische und magische Atmosphäre auf den Leser ausübt und ihm auf interessante Weise das jüdische Alltagsleben näher bringt, ohne das dieser Aspekt einen zu aufdringlichen Part in der Geschichte zugewiesen bekommt.
Dabei ist "Der Seelenfänger" spannend und authentisch zu lesen, denn, wenn man einmal von der Magie absieht, ist das Leben zu der Zeit in New York deckungsgleich mit unserer Vergangenheit und bekommt durch den magischen Part einen besonderen und einzigartigen Charme.
Die kriminalistische Handlung wurde ausgeklügelt erarbeitet, sie offenbart zwar gewisse Elemente ziemlich schnell, doch treten andere erst am Ende ans Licht und behalten bis dahin eine angenehme Portion Spannung bei.
Ich freue mich schon auf weitere Bände dieser etwas anderen Reihe, die durch ihre schöne Atmosphäre einen gewissen Reiz auf mich ausgeübt hat.

Sasha ist der Hauptprotagonist dieses Buches. Aufgrund seiner Hintergrundgeschichte beweist sein Charakter viel Authentizität, sowie Ecken und Kanten.
Die Nebencharaktere sind interessant ausgearbeitete Protagonisten, wobei ich mir bei allen in dieser Geschichte auftauchenden Personen ein etwas dreidimensionaleres Bild erhofft hätte, da bestimmte Aspekte doch ziemlich im Dunkeln gehalten werden. Ich hoffe, dass wir in den Folgebänden mehr über diese Charaktere erfahren.

Mit einer angenehm und flüssig zu lesenden Sprache schafft Chris Moriarty eine einzigartige Atmosphäre in ihrem Buch, wodurch man als Leser immer weiterlesen möchte bis das Ende erreicht ist. Die Autorin hat mit viel Kreativität und Phantasie eine schöne Welt erschaffen, in der man gerne verweilt.(less)

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Jun 06, 2012 The Library Lady rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-fiction

Enjoyable for a middle aged Jewish woman who was raised in the Bronx, who has read a good deal of history, and recognizes all the references.

For kids?

Maybe if they live in NY and have a fair grasp of Jewish history and culture.
Otherwise, they are going to get hopelessly ferschimmelled amidst all the mishegosse in this book. Nu?

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Dec 10, 2012 Becca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: child-protaganist, coming-of-age, fantasy, judaism, speculative-fiction

This was really cute and unique. A perfect blend of tenement historical fiction, with really spot on accurate Jewish American history with a kid's fantasy book, with all the bells and whistles of typical YA fantasy.

Major props for the creativity - this is probably the only book ever written to combine a Dybbuk and Thomas Edison in more or less the same plot. Also, the magic feels well thought out with a clear culture of how magic is and isn't used and how this varies among the upper and lower cl...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Aviva rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy, children-s-books

This book made me laugh in so many places. I really liked that the main character was a kid from a Jewish ghetto in an alternate version of turn of the century NYC. The changed names of famous folks (i.e. Vanderbilk) were cute the first time around but rapidly got kind of old long before the end of the book. (And there's undoubtedly more books coming ...)

But. You knew there was a but coming, didn't you? I felt like the book plodded along when it should have raced. There was no real depth to any...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Melody rated it 2 of 5 stars

This didn't work for me at all- from the cute, slightly changed names (VanderBilk, JP Morgaunt & etc.) to the almost claustrophobic Jewish arcana that filled every page- it simply didn't grab me, and I'm wondering how it is faring with the middle grade audience it's aimed at. I never quite got a sense of how Sascha's magic worked, or how, exactly, the Inquisitors work. Lily was also predictable, I thought- plucky rich girl who has an unhappy home life and has unsuspected depths. The story ar...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Natalie Cheetham rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: gstba-2013

New York City at the turn of the century is enchanted with magic. Each immigrant group has their own brand of magic, and there are others too, like the Wall Street Wizard J.P. Morgaunt, and the Wizard of Luna Park, Thomas Edison. Sacha Kessler, a "nice Jewish boy," is content with his life outside of all the magic until one day, quite by accident, he discovers that he can see witches. From the moment the words leave his lips, his world is turned upside down; he becomes an apprentice to the renow...more

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Historical Fiction

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Young Adult

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Mystery

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Childrens > Middle Grade

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Science Fiction > Steampunk

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Literature > Jewish

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Childrens

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Fantasy > Magic

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Paranormal > Witches

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About Chris Moriarty

I am the author of SF novels SPIN STATE and SPIN CONTROL, and winner of the 2006 Philip K. Dick Award. Upcoming books include GHOST SPIN and THE INQUISITOR'S APPRENTICE, a middle grade fantasy set on New York's Lower East Side, circa 1900. I also have a regular book review column in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

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The Watcher in the Shadows (Inquisitor's Apprentice #2)

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10173501-the-inquisitor-s-apprentice?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1302020480l/10173501.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10173501-the-inquisitor-s-apprentice?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarty[/url]

The Inquisitor's Apprentice (Inquisitor's Apprentice #1)

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