Book Review :: The Last Magician, by Lisa Maxwell

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell
ISBN: 1534405313
Series: The Last Magician #1
Also in this series: The Devil's Thief
Published by Simon & Schuster
on 2017-07-18
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 498
Source: Simon and Schuster
Find at Simon & Schuster AUS
Goodreads

In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.

Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.

But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.

Last updated on 14 October 2023

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The Last Magician – My thoughts

It’s mostly only books that I have thoroughly enjoyed that I can’t quite seem to write a synopsis for, and have to leave Goodreads and the back of the book to do it for me. That’s how you know I’ve really enjoyed it. The Last Magician is one of those books.

Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.

I’m sorry, but when that’s the leading line on the back cover, then you know you’re in for one heck of a ride. The Last Magician is one of those stories where all aspects of the novel are wonderfully crafted. Often you’ll get a book that you really enjoyed, but the setting was lacking, or the characters were just average. Not this book, my friends. Not.This.Book.

Esta, as a main character, was superb and I loved how she was there to get the job done (stop the magician. Steal the books. Save the future), and hiccups along the way weren’t going to stop her. She’s stubborn, and while she, like any good character, has flaws, she’s definitely a strong lead. Dolph Saunders, the leader of the gang that Esta joins (knowing that they’re about to begin the heist of the century and steal the book which she needs so desperately needs, as it holds the secrets to destroying the Brink), and while he’s a teeny bit Kaz-esque from Six of Crows  but not as cool (sorry, Dolph). The members of Dolph’s crew are very diverse and uniquely gifted, which is fantastic. There’s Nibs, who acts as the group’s informant, Viola who is the assassin and who has all the feels towards Tilly, the one who looks after them all. Then there’s Jianhyu, who is the spy, and Esta who joins them as the thief.

“Liars do make the best magicians, and he happened to be exceptional.”

Then we have Harte. Oh Harte. Aka the Magician. We’re first introduced to Harte as he rocks the stage as a show magician (always careful not to included too much magic, for fear of being found out), and you’re not really sure if he’s a goodie or a baddie, but eventually, you are totally all for him, and yes, Harte, you’re awesome. Esta and Harte have this something-something happening between them, but it’s never the main focus of the story, so if you’re not into your romance, never fear! It’s there, but it doesn’t run the story.

Speaking of which, the whole time-travelling join-the-heist-to-sabotage-it-to-save-the-future thing is so expertly written, and I never found myself confused with the magic or the time travel aspect (95% of the book happens in 1902, rather than in modern time – quick side note, 1902 is a brilliant time period and more people should write Young Adult fantasy in it, please and thank you). Maxwell definitely set rules for the way Esta’s time travelling abilities behaved, which really worked and definitely made sense. While there was one major scene at the end that I called before it happened, it was only about 3 or 4 chapters before it happened that it even crossed my mind that it was a possibility, so I take my hat off to you, Lisa Maxwell. Bravo.

Overall, definitely a 5-star rating for me. It was an epic adventure through time, magic, heists and 1902 goodness. Definitely recommend grabbing yourself a copy of this book! The second in the series, The Devil’s Thief, is coming out soon. The line on the cover? “Hunt the Stones. Beware the Thief. Avenge the Past.”

Yes. Get in my life.

Have you read The Last Magician?

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I received this book for free from Simon and Schuster AUS in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.