The Wizard's Dilemma (Young Wizard's Series)

I took a long time reading this book because the subject matter (illness and disease) upsets me quite a bit more than any of the other books in the series. I kept taking breaks because thinking about what Nita and her family go though is very upsetting to me. That said the book deals with it well

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and the story is interesting as always.

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Nita has to face up to her mother being very sick and Kit has been distracted by other matters. She's convinced that their relationship has trouble, but it's those troubles of finding places in their partnership and how they work with each other. The Lone Power offers her choices but what are the

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costs of those choices.

I like the solidity of this series. The charcters are interesting and the world consistent.

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Nita faces her greatest challenge in facing the Lone Power's attack on her mother in the form of cancer. Very moving addition to the series.

Nita's battle with The Lone Power becomes a lot more personal in a head-to-head over the life of one of her loved ones. Meanwhile, Kit is busy exploring a new part of the creative universe... one which has even the Senior Wizards baffled!

Another entertaining volume in the series that will be

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enjoyed by anyone who liked the previous 4! :)

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Duane Duane's wonderful YA'Young Wizardry' series is an imaginative, engaging retelling of the adventures of two budding wizards, Nita and Kit, as they journey through space and time, while still having to cope with the daily mundaneities of life and school. 'The Wizard's Dilemma' is perhaps the

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most rewarding yet.

For the first time, a rift seems to have developed between the two friends, one borne of misunderstandings and the natural emotional upheavals that are just a part of life when you're their ages (13-15). They're both faced with individual challenges – even staggeringly overwhelming ones – without managing to reach out to each other. Can they reconnect before the Lone One manages to destroy Nita?

Emotionally meaty as this book is (and it does indeed become heartbreaking, especially near the end when Nita is being torn apart inside), there are many lighthearted aspects that are just plain delightful to read about. We meet a variety of extremely colorful alien creatures so imaginative you just know Duane had a great time inventing them. You also get to know Kit's playful dog Ponch a little better and join the two as they adventure through various colorful universes. You can really tell Duane's imagination was running full gear here. So many little details to enjoy.

Now, since mortality is a key theme in this book, it does run to super-saccharine at the end, unfortunately, which is the main reason this is a four-star review instead of five. But overall, its a delightful, wildly imaginative chapter in the series, and I finished wanting more.

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The Young Wizards' series takes a very serious turn in this installment, as Nita's mother is revealed to be suffering from a brain tumor. While Nita is determined to use her wizardry to save her mother's life, the task may be beyond her powers. Nita matures considerably in this installment, as does

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her relationship with Kit, and the conclusion imparts a valuable lesson. This book is less fun to read as earlier books in the series, considering the subject matter, but is definitely worthwhile.

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In a similar vein to the previous books in the series: a fairly serious take on urban fantasy, with rather scientific wizardly problems to deal with, as well as the demands of life as a teenager.

I thought Duane did (as usual) a very good job of articulating the psychological side:

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misunderstandings that seem silly and obvious from the outside, yet are built on understandable and reasonable steps. The miscommunications that erupt here were beyond criticism, with doubt and pride and irritation imposing meaning that was never there. The wizarding is also interesting, as Duane has obviously thought hard about what it is her wizards actually do.

That being said, I could've done without the cancer plotline. It feels really overused to me now, as the go-to Dramatic Personal Problem. Why does nobody's family ever get crippling arthritis, or serious diabetes? Chronic illness offers plenty of stress and difficult decisions, and the creeping slowness is deceptively dangerous. But beyond that, I'm not really looking for people angsting over sick relatives in my YA fantasy. I can get that pretty much anywhere, thanks. I'm happy with people fighting magical problems while trying to balance a fairly normal home life. Unfortunately, that plotline is the heart of this book, so it's not like you can ignore it. I'll give it its due, it's implemented pretty well - the magical side is interesting and it's tied into other events in the book.

Oh, I was also unhappy about a couple of what felt like "screw you" moments, like one character I quite liked being wiped out on a whim. It doesn't entirely make sense to me that the metaphysics works that way (everyone would be dead if it's that easy), and it also just felt like a cheap shot for emotional impact. My enjoyment of this series is definitely declining, sadly.

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Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez start to experience some of the painful parts of growing up. Their friendship is changing, Nita's having scale problems in her approach to magical tasks, Kit's dog Ponch is doing strange things, and Nita's mother is ill. Nita is not the most secure and confident

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personality to start with, and she's definitely not having any fun. Not quite an idiot plot; I had just about reached the point of screaming at Kit and Nita that they needed to actually tell each other what was going on, when they finally did. Mrs. Callahan turns out to have few surprises of her own, too.

If you like the series, you'll enjoy this one, but it's definitely not the place to start.

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To what lengths would you go to save someone you love?

I cried while I read this book. Actually, just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. The Wizard’s Dilemma is a book with a lot of emotional difficulty to it, but that’s part of what makes it so powerful.

The Wizard’s Dilemma is the

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fifth installment in the Young Wizard’s series, which starts with So You Want to Be a Wizard. I don’t think you necessarily need to have read all four of the previous books to understand this one, but I think it will be more forceful if you are already attached to the characters.

“Trying to save a life is always worthwhile,” said the Pig. “But the bigger work can be a lot easier sometimes.”

Nita and Kit have the first big fight of their friendship. To make matters worse, Nita’s mom is soon diagnosed with cancer. Some problems cannot always be solved with magic…

“And willpower may not be enough,” Nita said softly. “Trying my best… still may not be enough.” She swallowed hard. “Loving her… no matter how much… it doesn’t matter. It still may not be enough.”

As I said earlier, The Wizard’s Dilemma is a very powerful and emotionally charged book, mainly due to the all to real situation Nita faces in regards to her mother. This is a book about things falling apart and not knowing if they can be put back together again.

The Wizard’s Dilemma also included some firsts for the series. This is the first book where we get Kit’s POV and his dog Pounch appears as a significant secondary character. Kit’s and Pounch’s explorations were a much needed lighter note to an otherwise very dark book. Kit’s sister Carmela also made a brief first appearance, which I find exciting since she goes on to be one of my favorite secondary characters of the series.

However, the heart of the novel is Nita’s fear and grief over the possibility of losing her mom.

“It’s not fair,” Nita said softly. “How come I only get to really know you now, when I’m going to lose you?”
“I don’t know if you can ever lose me, honey. I’m your mother. There’s a bond neither of us can break unless we want to. And it doesn’t have to hurt.”

So far in my reread, I find The Wizard’s Dilemma to be the best book in the series. This series and book in particular has so much to recommend it – the intermingling of magic and science, a strong moral underpinning, and a truly emotional heart.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.

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This one is quite depressing.

Would have been my favorite in the series thus far if not for the ending. I found it profoundly dissatisfying.