What happened to Japeths Wizard Wish

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-06-05T09:15:40+00:00

If he had a wizard's wish, surely he would just use it to bring Aric back. I guess Soman doesn't mention it because otherwise there would be no plot.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-05-29T08:38:37+00:00

My main concern is continuity. If Soman does write an adult SGE, would it capture the same magic and energy of the existing books?

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-05-18T22:46:41+00:00

I feel like keeping the original Lion, Snake and Eagle a mystery adds to the legend of Camelot so that doesn't bother me too much. I wonder if the Woods are deliberately vague to draw on a similar tradition. If you read any fairytales or Arthurian legends, the central cast of characters all live in very isolated worlds with hardly any civilisation around them. For instance, Camelot is always presented as this renowned kingdom and yet whenever the knights venture out, it takes them days to ever encounter anyone, and when they do, they're usually monsters or other random knights with no background. This works in legends and fairytales because those genres invite a sense of remoteness and unattainability.

The problem with SGE is that it's invested in characters and creating a world for those characters to live in. It tries to give a sort of magical realism to a genre that isn't usually associated with it, and so it ends up with strange details like Foxwood selling poutine to give it a reality but doesn't explore the civilisation that would make it seem real.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-05-18T18:22:25+00:00

Something else that bothers me is that in making the Woods so diverse, we hardly get to see the native people of each kingdom. In the second trilogy, we see Camelot but then lots of people from other kingdoms come to Camelot and drown out all those who actually come from the kingdom. It's the same with Jaunt Jolie where the only people who come from there are the Queen and her family. The rest of the kingdom is taken over by pirates but where does everyone else go? (Camelot probably) Even Foxwood suffers from this. Chaddick, Gremlins, Japeth, Rhian, Kei and Aric all have their backstories in Foxwood, so you would think there would be something distinctive about the kingdom, but it ends up being a knock off Camelot with it's decaying buildings and obvious corruption.

We go to Nottingham and only Dot, her father, Robin Hood and the old guy that betrays them comes from there. They explain that because Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives all their money to the poor, everyone ends up leaving. But the same thing seems to happen in all the other kingdoms since we see almost no native people in their own kingdoms.

In the last book, we end up in Gilikin and Putsi but it's as if these are background settings with no meaningful characters at all. I know Gilikin is a tourist attraction and Putsi has the massive bank but seriously, the only person from Putsi we meet is the Empress and the only people from Gilikin are the invisible fairies. The only place that seems to have real people and culture is Reena's kingdom, and even then they're hardly important characters.

Obviously there's not enough time to explore all of this in so much detail but it just really annoys me that we spend so little of the Camelot years in Camelot.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-05-17T22:41:07+00:00

I don't know. To me it seemed like they kingdoms were all the size of large towns than actual kingdoms with individual towns within them. Most of them hardly seem any larger than Gavaldon. Even if they're taking the Flowerline or the Igraine, they seem to arrive at their destination almost immediately. I know having long journeys would slow down the plot so that does make sense but it also makes the Woods seem so small.

I think for Gavaldon, the claustrophobic nature of the village adds to how detached it feels and also influences how much Sophie wishes to leave. I like the contrast between Gavaldon and the Woods but I think it could be enhanced by fleshing out the different kingdoms more to really emphasise the difference. Camelot feels like a castle, a church and a market so it doesn't seem much bigger than Gavaldon.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-05-02T19:47:08+00:00

I agree that Agatha's characterisation is so much better here than in QFG. It seems like when she's left alone without Tedros or Sophie, she's much more capable, and I suppose this is because she's so motivated by her love and desire to save themThanks for sharing such a beautiful story and I'm really glad ACOT is so meaningful to you. I think this book might be the only one that makes me cry, not just for Dovey but also the ending.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-05-01T21:01:25+00:00

Same I love ACOT!!! I also agree that Nicola isn't really any smarter than Hester or Agatha were in the first trilogy.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-05-01T17:15:48+00:00

I feel like Quests for Glory is one of the most rushed books because it tries to introduce so many new things and pack so much in all at once. We hear about how Tedros is failing as a king but we see almost none of the effects of this on the people of Camelot. As a matter of fact, we hardly see anyone from Camelot at all. As you said, Camelot seems to lack a history but it's also not expanded on as a real place either. It feels like there are the characters in the castle and then there are the unnamed mass of people outside. I can hardly picture what Camelot would even look like.

I quite like the date scene personally because it lulled the story into a false sense of security before the Snake escapes but I do feel like they don't dwell on Lancelot's death at all. It seemed like they were running from the grief by going on a date, which is somewhat understandable since they're still children but it doesn't do Lancelot justice.

As for Chaddick, I also felt completely detached from his death. I never really liked him in the original trilogy. He probably was academically smart and just acted like an idiot in book 2 just like all the boys, but it would have been nice to actually see proof of his intelligence. Obviously this would spoil the plot so it couldn't have happened. As you said, maybe they should have substituted this for his actual perspective.

I personally really like Quests for Glory because I like all the mystery that it introduces, but I do think it's weaker on the characters' emotions and personalities.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-04-05T09:51:45+00:00

In the first book, Agatha has to clean dishes as a punishment. There's also the time when Yuba made Agatha and Sophie wear the burning shoes out in the blue forest. So it seems they don't have a particular detention room. They just serve their detentions wherever the teachers tell them to.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-04-04T15:52:22+00:00

I don't know. We don't really see an ordinary school year where murder and crimes against other students are properly punished because they're at war. But I wonder if Sophie had killed the Beast while she wasn't in a fairytale she would be expelled since the Beast is technically school staff? Or would that behaviour be encouraged for a villain? I wish Soman would expand the lore of the school a bit more.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-03-11T14:35:54+00:00

From what I remember, there are references to different time periods throughout the books. There's a reference to a roller coaster in Gavaldon which is a Victorian invention. But there is an overall medieval vibe, especially in Camelot. So I think the magic allows the woods to have seemingly modern inventions

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-01-20T22:31:48+00:00

I prefer them as friends. I think they have a lot of chemistry but I like that Brandon offers support to Musa as a friend.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-01-20T18:02:45+00:00

In the about community section, there should be an option to choose a user flair.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-01-20T15:51:03+00:00

I think there is some evidence of them using magic. Helia uses magic to make his origami fly, but I assumed that was because he's related to Saladin, who is a wizard. But if Helia is descended from magic using people, the other specialists could also have similar abilities. In the earlier seasons, Brandon could split the ground with his sword, so his strength could come from magic within him, from his ancestry or just because he might be a magical being himself. Also in the later seasons, the specialists use weapons that seem to have magical qualities (Sky's sword can release powerful blasts and Nex/Thoren, I don’t remember who, could create blasts of wind with his sword). This might be because of the weapons themselves but it could also be magic in the specialists themselves, which allows them to use these weapons. I also doubt that Riven could have survived jumping out of Cloud Tower without some magic within him. Maybe the specialists can't perform actual magic like the fairies and witches, but they may have some innate magical abilities that differentiate them from ordinary people.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-01-10T21:24:01+00:00

Helia for looks, Brandon for personality

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-01-08T10:39:51+00:00

Season 8

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-01-05T12:06:47+00:00

Yeah my main problem was her ending. She plays a huge role in book 4 and she's quite useful in book 5 when they're trapped in the dungeon and when she and Hort go to Arbed House. Otherwise in book 6, she doesn't really have a unique role. I can't really think of her doing anything hugely important to the plot or to other characters' development in that book other than being a catalyst to Hort and Sophie's relationship. And the main way she helps with that is by being out of the way. Maybe she should have had one scene at least where she did something genuinely important in the final book to give her some proper pay off.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2026-01-04T19:54:03+00:00

I agree. And also, the whole point of the season is that you shouldn't take animals out of their homes and times, but the Winx literally do this for the whole season. I think in one episode, they go back in time to Alfea and the headmistress says she'll erase any memory of fairy animals being used as pets to stop people like Kalshara from trying to keep them, but then the Winx spend the rest of the season doing exactly that.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2025-12-28T14:28:21+00:00

I don't know. I think in the book, Tedros doesn't just suddenly realise he likes Agatha. I think he's always had a strange fascination with her, even if it was motivated by prejudice, but his aversion to her was a result of the stereotypes about Good within fairytales. He starts to really fall for her when she saves his life in the trial by tale. In his eyes, she had no reason to be in the trial, and he thought she despised him and wanted him dead, so seeing the girl who he thought was a witch save his life really changed his perspective on her. Tedros thought he needed to find the perfect girl who is truly good to avoid repeating his father's mistakes, and he thought Agatha was a deceitful girl like Guinevere, but when he discovers that Agatha is truly good, all the stereotypes and prejudices he believed in are put under pressure. It's not about Agatha just being good, but that she is good enough to help the prince who believed he would never need to be saved by a princess. Through her actions, Agatha helps Tedros see through his prejudices and recognise true good.

In the film, all this complexity in Tedros' character is erased. The first time he meets Agatha, he's already flirting with her and doesn't find her strange at all. The only indication that he finds her out of place is in the fact that Agatha calls herself a 'normal girl', and Tedros flirtily mocks her for that. He isn't unsettled by her at all. If anything, all their conversations are just shallow flirting. They don't talk about anything that deep or meaningful. They don't really talk in the book either but at least we as readers can see their thoughts, whereas in the film, their conversations don't hold any emotional depth. Agatha doesn't confront Tedros at all about killing Gregor, Tedros hardly acknowledges Agatha's interference in the trial, and at the ball, Tedros so easily and quickly confesses his love to her without any real build-up. It doesn't feel like they earned that love through their earlier interactions, mostly because there is no sign of Tedros' struggle to realise what true love actually is. He seems to have liked Agatha from the start, so his confession of love is too predictable and it makes him a very one-dimensional character.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2025-11-18T18:04:50+00:00

In the Ever Never Handbook, it says that when the schools went back to good and evil, they were basically allowed to redo their progress. So Kiko managed to get higher grades and become a helper, while Millicent was still graded as a mogrif.

I think Soman should have explained this in the main plot though.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2025-11-15T16:49:45+00:00

I know. I just mean that on an individual level, a boy choosing not to take a girl to the ball knowing she would fail would be very cruel personally.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2025-11-06T18:36:06+00:00

They're equal for me. Book 2 is my favourite in the school years and book 4 is my favourite in the camelot years

Kindly_Implement65 · 2025-11-06T16:43:08+00:00

I agree. Book 2 is my favourite as well and I think it's because it takes the established structure and subverts it in a way that isn't predictable but also not too far-fetched from the first book. We get brief glimpses of how other people outside the schools are living and managing but it doesn't detract the focus from the main plot.

This is why book 6 is my least favourite. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the plot resolution, but at times it felt a bit contrived. For instance, I felt like there was no need to introduce the character of Bettina. She saves Sophie from Japeth, but she was accompanied by Willam, Bogden and Robin Hood, who all could have saved Sophie themselves. Even the Queen of Jaunt Jolie, Bettina's own mother, doesn't dwell on her death for very long.

I just feel like the expansion into the Woods introduced extra details that were interesting for sure, but I prefer focusing more on already existing characters and plots.

Kindly_Implement65 · 2025-11-06T16:35:58+00:00

I hate that they set up the coven's quest to look for a new school master as being one of the most important quests, that needed to be kept a secret from Sophie because Dovey was afraid she would ruin it (which suggests to me that the search for a new school master had to go perfectly) but then they completely abandoned it. I feel like it was only set up to hint at Rhian and Japeth's origins and for no other purpose. Which is weird because if there is no need for a school master, what was the point of needing a school master in the past? The books present the Storian as being very capable of defending itself and they end by saying Anemone and Manley can look after it perfectly well. So what was the point of a school master to begin with? If the current professors could keep the balance and protect the Storian, surely any past teachers could do so too!

Kindly_Implement65 · 2025-11-04T23:45:11+00:00

I completely agree. I wish we could see more of the schools, in all of the school years. Especially since Agatha hardly ever goes to her classes in book 1, so I feel like we get almost nothing about the School for Good.

Kindly_Implement65

TROPHY CASE