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The Last Magician #1
The Last Magician
Stop the Magician.
Steal the book.
Save the future.
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.
Steal the book.
Save the future.
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.
512 pages, ebook
First published July 18, 2017
1894 people are currently reading
100203 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Maxwell
13 books2,053 followersLisa Maxwell is the New York Times Best-Selling author of THE LAST MAGICIAN. Also of UNHOOKED, SWEET UNREST, and GATHERING DEEP. When she's not writing books, she teaches English at a local college. She lives near DC with her very patient husband and two not-so patient boys.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,155 reviews
July 14, 2016
You guys. This book has been such a labor of love. History. Magic. Cute boys in suspenders. It's like magical newsies without the singing or gangs of New York with magic. There is time travel, a badass girl thief, secret societies, a diverse cast, and so much more. I have loved writing these characters and this world and I hope you all love it too!!
July 30, 2019
• Books With Friends July pick
Okay wow this is a new fantasy fave. It has SO many elements that I love:
• Time travel
• Intricate plot
• Complex & lovable characters
• Historical setting (1900s New York)
• Slow burn romance
SO. GOOD.
Okay wow this is a new fantasy fave. It has SO many elements that I love:
• Time travel
• Intricate plot
• Complex & lovable characters
• Historical setting (1900s New York)
• Slow burn romance
SO. GOOD.
March 18, 2021
Reread March 2021: Still just as great as I remembered omg, so many twists and turns and I forgot about slooowwww burnnnn that romance was oh my godddd. I’m here for all of this and so ready for the third book to release!
Original review: This was so good. Like, SO GOOD. I’m so speechless right now I don’t even know what to say. Holy crap.
Original review: This was so good. Like, SO GOOD. I’m so speechless right now I don’t even know what to say. Holy crap.
August 22, 2018
I absolutely LOVED every part of this book, I'm completely enamored with it. The plot is amazing, the characters are amazing, the magic is amazing, the world is amazing. The time traveling aspect is not in the least bit confusing of haphazard because it's written very well.
The book follows Esta's journey into the past to retrieve a book that might just free all Mageus from the Brink. The Brink is a magical barrier that has trapped Mageus in Manhattan and trying to leave means risking being stripped of magic and most likely, your life. For Esta, this journey is the most dangerous task she's ever had and is determined to prove herself.
The story is very well written and it is fast paced book. The story moves quickly and it's very captivating and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I have to mention - THE COVER IS FABULOUS.
This book is definitely one of my all time favorites and I recommend it to everyone, don't hesitate about reading this book. If it's not already obvious my rating for this book is 100% and all 5 stars
LISA MAXWELL I NEED ANOTHER BOOK!
The book follows Esta's journey into the past to retrieve a book that might just free all Mageus from the Brink. The Brink is a magical barrier that has trapped Mageus in Manhattan and trying to leave means risking being stripped of magic and most likely, your life. For Esta, this journey is the most dangerous task she's ever had and is determined to prove herself.
The story is very well written and it is fast paced book. The story moves quickly and it's very captivating and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I have to mention - THE COVER IS FABULOUS.
This book is definitely one of my all time favorites and I recommend it to everyone, don't hesitate about reading this book. If it's not already obvious my rating for this book is 100% and all 5 stars
LISA MAXWELL I NEED ANOTHER BOOK!
February 4, 2025
Did I enjoy this book?
That's a really great question.
I finished The Last Magician and it's like it instantly disappeared from my brain. Although I remember reading it, I cannot actually recall many details of the story at all.
From my limited recollections, there's this girl, Esta, she lives in modern times, but has the ability to travel back through time.
She works for a mysterious Professor, who gives her an assignment to travel to 1902-Manhattan and steal an ancient book that holds some magical secrets.
Esta is told that she also needs to stop the magician, who is apparently after the same magical tome.
The magician is an actual performing magician, think David Blaine, named Harte Darrigan. They are both trying to steal the book from the mysterious and sinister 'Order'.
This Order has worked to try to squash magic and those who wield it.
They've created something called the Brink, which is a force around the island of Manhattan that traps those with magic inside, or something.
There is a lot of action, some fight scenes, some romance, a gang of magical peoples and some other things I can't quite remember.
I did listen to the audiobook and I am questioning whether or not that was the correct medium for me.
It does jump around quite a bit in time, setting and perspectives, particularly in the beginning and I'll admit, I was pretty much lost for the first 300-pages.
Overall, this didn't leave much of an impression on me either way.
There were some aspects I liked, Esta and Harte specifically, and I thought the concept behind it was super intriguing, however, I think it did too much to quickly.
I could totally see this being broken up into two separate books.
While I am happy I read it, I am not even sure I am going to continue on with the series. I might because I already own the second book, but I would seriously need a refresher on this.
There was quite a good plot twist at the end, but that left me pondering how logistically it was possible.
Calculating time jumps, trying to figure out how something could have actually worked. It was a lot. I give it two and a half shrugs up.
That's a really great question.
I finished The Last Magician and it's like it instantly disappeared from my brain. Although I remember reading it, I cannot actually recall many details of the story at all.
From my limited recollections, there's this girl, Esta, she lives in modern times, but has the ability to travel back through time.
She works for a mysterious Professor, who gives her an assignment to travel to 1902-Manhattan and steal an ancient book that holds some magical secrets.
Esta is told that she also needs to stop the magician, who is apparently after the same magical tome.
The magician is an actual performing magician, think David Blaine, named Harte Darrigan. They are both trying to steal the book from the mysterious and sinister 'Order'.
This Order has worked to try to squash magic and those who wield it.
They've created something called the Brink, which is a force around the island of Manhattan that traps those with magic inside, or something.
There is a lot of action, some fight scenes, some romance, a gang of magical peoples and some other things I can't quite remember.
I did listen to the audiobook and I am questioning whether or not that was the correct medium for me.
It does jump around quite a bit in time, setting and perspectives, particularly in the beginning and I'll admit, I was pretty much lost for the first 300-pages.
Overall, this didn't leave much of an impression on me either way.
There were some aspects I liked, Esta and Harte specifically, and I thought the concept behind it was super intriguing, however, I think it did too much to quickly.
I could totally see this being broken up into two separate books.
While I am happy I read it, I am not even sure I am going to continue on with the series. I might because I already own the second book, but I would seriously need a refresher on this.
There was quite a good plot twist at the end, but that left me pondering how logistically it was possible.
Calculating time jumps, trying to figure out how something could have actually worked. It was a lot. I give it two and a half shrugs up.
June 29, 2022
*slams fist on table*
HOW DARE YOU? How dare you leave me all alone with no one to talk about this?
Why are you not reading this series? How are you all not obsessed with it? Why is there no fanart? Why is no one raving about these characters? Why is no one screaming about the wait for the third book?
My mission will be convincing all of you to read this series right now.
I wasn’t expecting to be swept away by this world. I’ve been struggling a lot with fantasy lately because nothing keeps my attention, so when I picked this up I didn’t know what was going to happen. Yes, I was excited about it after hearing Ashley from A dash of ash talking about it, waiting two months for the library copy, and knowing it involved time travel. But I thought I was going to just like it as I don’t usually enjoy historical fiction (fair, this one is “loose” historical fiction, but you know what I mean).
Unexpected result: I was in love at page 50.
I finished reading this two weeks ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it. Every day after finishing it I had to remind myself that I couldn’t look forward to my Last Magician relaxing nights anymore because I was done with it. I also bought my own copy + the second book while I was still halfway through it.
The magic of this book is the atmosphere. Reading about 1900s New York was such an experience. I loved referencing to the map as it helped me visualize the city. Everything felt so freaking real, from the actual city, description of buildings, places, people and the way they lived in that period. I especially enjoyed seeing the realistic way the theater, immigration and women’s issues were incorporated with the fantasy elements.
It was so well done that sometimes I forgot that wasn’t exactly how New York is supposed to be. I still forget it, actually.
The next amazing thing about this book is the cast of characters. They are so fleshed-out and incredible to read about! It’s true that the multiple povs felt a bit too many at the beginning, but it wasn’t difficult to keep track of all of them after 80 pages or so, as they all sound so different from each other.
I loved all of them! Especially Harte (aww what a cinnamon roll!), Esta and Dolph. Esta is the main female character who reminds me the most of Lila Bard. She knows what she wants and she’s not sorry about it.
I also liked Nibsy a lot, he’s so interesting.
All characters gave me conflicting emotions, and for that reason they were so memorable that it’s hard to stop thinking about them.
Of course I have a new OTP. This book has one of the most awesome and slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romances ever. Those two are such thickheads and they made me suffer but I loved it at the same time. At the beginning I thought the romance was going in a completely different direction but I’m so glad I was wrong. I still remember the moment the book proved me wrong and wow, that felt so good. Some of the characters felt older than what they actually were (especially Dolph and Harte) and that’s for sure one of the reasons why I didn’t see it coming.
But that banter omg. I kept turning pages to see where the story was going but also because I was impatiently waiting for Esta and Harte to meet again so they could argue with each other lol.
If you love heists you’ll love this book, I can assure you. The book is full of intrigue and gangs and twists and turns you never see coming. I swear everyone of the characters is part of a gang or something similar but they actually work for themselves. No one is scared of betraying and I should have seen so many things coming but I didn’t!
It’s been a while since I’ve read a time travel book and now I can see how much I missed it. Esta goes back in time but something goes wrong, so she’s stuck in 1902 and the only way to see if she’s moving in the right direction is checking a newspaper article which keeps changing again and again depending on her or other characters’ actions and/or thoughts. You never know if a certain minuscule thing that unexpectedly happens is going to change everything in an instant, like completely deleting someone from existence.
This story has so many layers and it’s amazing!
YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK.
HOW DARE YOU? How dare you leave me all alone with no one to talk about this?
Why are you not reading this series? How are you all not obsessed with it? Why is there no fanart? Why is no one raving about these characters? Why is no one screaming about the wait for the third book?
My mission will be convincing all of you to read this series right now.
“Find the Magician,” he told her. “And stop him before he destroys our future.”
I wasn’t expecting to be swept away by this world. I’ve been struggling a lot with fantasy lately because nothing keeps my attention, so when I picked this up I didn’t know what was going to happen. Yes, I was excited about it after hearing Ashley from A dash of ash talking about it, waiting two months for the library copy, and knowing it involved time travel. But I thought I was going to just like it as I don’t usually enjoy historical fiction (fair, this one is “loose” historical fiction, but you know what I mean).
Unexpected result: I was in love at page 50.
I finished reading this two weeks ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it. Every day after finishing it I had to remind myself that I couldn’t look forward to my Last Magician relaxing nights anymore because I was done with it. I also bought my own copy + the second book while I was still halfway through it.
The magic of this book is the atmosphere. Reading about 1900s New York was such an experience. I loved referencing to the map as it helped me visualize the city. Everything felt so freaking real, from the actual city, description of buildings, places, people and the way they lived in that period. I especially enjoyed seeing the realistic way the theater, immigration and women’s issues were incorporated with the fantasy elements.
It was so well done that sometimes I forgot that wasn’t exactly how New York is supposed to be. I still forget it, actually.
“So what do I tell Dolph?” Nibsy called.
Harte turned, walking backward for a few steps. “Tell him I’m still not interested in the suicide mission he’s cooked up.” Not when he had plans of his own.
The next amazing thing about this book is the cast of characters. They are so fleshed-out and incredible to read about! It’s true that the multiple povs felt a bit too many at the beginning, but it wasn’t difficult to keep track of all of them after 80 pages or so, as they all sound so different from each other.
I loved all of them! Especially Harte (aww what a cinnamon roll!), Esta and Dolph. Esta is the main female character who reminds me the most of Lila Bard. She knows what she wants and she’s not sorry about it.
I also liked Nibsy a lot, he’s so interesting.
All characters gave me conflicting emotions, and for that reason they were so memorable that it’s hard to stop thinking about them.
Of course I have a new OTP. This book has one of the most awesome and slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romances ever. Those two are such thickheads and they made me suffer but I loved it at the same time. At the beginning I thought the romance was going in a completely different direction but I’m so glad I was wrong. I still remember the moment the book proved me wrong and wow, that felt so good. Some of the characters felt older than what they actually were (especially Dolph and Harte) and that’s for sure one of the reasons why I didn’t see it coming.
But that banter omg. I kept turning pages to see where the story was going but also because I was impatiently waiting for Esta and Harte to meet again so they could argue with each other lol.
“I’ve decided I kind of hate you, you know.”
He found himself smiling. “I assure you, sweetheart, the feeling is mutual.”
If you love heists you’ll love this book, I can assure you. The book is full of intrigue and gangs and twists and turns you never see coming. I swear everyone of the characters is part of a gang or something similar but they actually work for themselves. No one is scared of betraying and I should have seen so many things coming but I didn’t!
It’s been a while since I’ve read a time travel book and now I can see how much I missed it. Esta goes back in time but something goes wrong, so she’s stuck in 1902 and the only way to see if she’s moving in the right direction is checking a newspaper article which keeps changing again and again depending on her or other characters’ actions and/or thoughts. You never know if a certain minuscule thing that unexpectedly happens is going to change everything in an instant, like completely deleting someone from existence.
This story has so many layers and it’s amazing!
YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK.
“And what if we make everything worse?” [...]
“We still have to try.”
May 5, 2019
I FINALLY FOUND A SERIES TO FILL THE "IM WAITING FOR THE DIVINERS BOOK 4" HOLE IN MY HEART, GOD BLESS.
I picked this up on a whim because the audiobook sample sounded good and I needed a book about a heist or thieves for a ReadAThon prompt. I ended up loving it SO MUCH. This book has so many things I love, let us tick them off: historical fantasy, early 20th-century setting, magicians, secret societies and gangs, angsty romance, heists, thieves, morally grey characters, and PLOT TWISTS ALL OVER THE PLACE. And, it's got The Diviners vibes to the max.
The Last Magician follows Esta, a thief and magician from modern day New York with an affinity for time. In her New York, magic has been all but wiped out, due to the growing power and influence of an anti-magic group called The Order. But Esta has a chance to stop the order when she is sent back in time, to 1902 New York, to retrieve an ancient book holding the secrets of magic that was destroyed by a magician in the time. Doing so will allow her to stop The Order and destroy the Brink, a dark energy barrier around the island of Manhattan, trapping the magicians inside. But to find the book Esta will have to infiltrate a gang, locate the magician, steal the book, and get back to her own time without getting caught up in the past.
I really loved what Lisa Maxwell did with this book. She dropped us into a world and just let the tension slowly build. I really enjoyed how we follow Esta in 1902 and don't know anything that is going on, just like her. The way Maxwell weaves together the worldbuilding, the characters and the plot was GREAT. I saw some people say this was boring and had nothing happening but I disagree - Maxwell doesn't need Things to be happening exactly because there is so much happening with the world and the characters, and the tension and plot movement all comes from how everyone is interacting with this world which is - literally trying to kill them. But that aside, I thought this did have excellent plot elements - gangs, heists, secret societies, weapons of mass destruction. I really enjoyed it from beginning to end. ESPECIALLY, the end.
I just loved the whole world of this book. The set up of New York and the way magic existed in this world was so interesting. I loved the set up of all the magicians being trapped in Manhattan, and how that was affecting the dynamics between the different magic users. The different gangs, and groups, and the exploration of their cultures was also great. I really, really love books that explore how culture develops in groups isolated from the rest of society, and in survival circumstances. I also thought Maxwell did a good job at creating a range of characters who exist in the same conditions but react to and interact with the world so differently. Plus, the 1900s setting was great because I love historical fiction and just like, having fun running amok in history.
I loved the characters in this too! (I’m SORRY I’m just saying I loved I loved I loved to everything but I can’t help it I loved this book). All of them were well written and complex. Most had more of a dark side than anything but their stories and motivations were compelling. Again, I liked that Maxwell slowly revealed their character depths and backstories. Everyone in this is basically a little bit morally skewed due to their situation and I thought Maxwell really drew that out for the reader in an interesting way.
Esta ➤ Our main character. She’s a thief and a magician with an affinity for time. Adopted by another magician and living in a kind of X-Men style school for magicians, she is sent back in time to find the book her adoptive father needs to save the magicians of her time. I loved Esta!! She’s a bit reckless and unruly at times, and a bit stubborn too but I loved her heart and her charisma! She definitely takes what she wants and I just loved how much she stuck up for herself?? and didn’t give a fuck?? iconic legend?? Anyways she was easily my favourite I love her.
Dolpe ➤ Leader of the gang Esta infiltrates. Dolphe is hard to pin down in terms of characterisation but I found him intriguing. Of all the characters, he is probably the on working most in shades of grey and it was INTERESTING.
Harte ➤ A magician who used to work for Dolphe, who Dolphe wants to rejoin the gang to help with their heist. Harte is an interesting character .. I’m not sure if I 100% like him yet? Some actions were .. iffy. But I LOVED his dynamic with Esta. The two have such a hate/love thing going on, it reminds me of Evie and Sam from the Diviners. But I really loved their banter and their scenes together were fun. Harte has the potential to be sweet so I have big hopes for the next book.
Viola ➤ Member of the gang and an assassin. Her brother works for a rival gang trying to take Dolphe down. She is also a lesbian. I wish she had been in it more because she’s cool and we deserved more scenes of her and Esta together though the few they had were GREAT.
Nibsy ➤ Dolphe’s right-hand man who takes Esta under his wing. I LOVED NIBS AS A CHARACTER. He is the kind of character I always enjoy (sweet but is also kinda a weasel) Not sure why but I always find them interesting. Like Dolphe, Nibs is a character who kinda has more depth than is revealed which I enjoyed about his character too.
I have seen some mixed reviews of the next book but I'm trying not to let them get me down because I have HIGH HOPES. Maxwell has spun such a unique and fun tale here and set up the plot in a way that is going to just lead to more and more reveals. I barely even covered the whole expanse of the plot in this book but there's going to be SO MUCH happening in book two and I'm excited.
I really loved this book, it drew me in and then just kept the tension and the reveals coming. Maxwell doesn't hand you everything, but I liked her ability to slowly unspool the story and keep me guessing. I was engaged right until the very end, and this managed to excite me in a way I haven't been excited about a new series in a while, so hooray !
I picked this up on a whim because the audiobook sample sounded good and I needed a book about a heist or thieves for a ReadAThon prompt. I ended up loving it SO MUCH. This book has so many things I love, let us tick them off: historical fantasy, early 20th-century setting, magicians, secret societies and gangs, angsty romance, heists, thieves, morally grey characters, and PLOT TWISTS ALL OVER THE PLACE. And, it's got The Diviners vibes to the max.
“his life might have been built on illusions, but his death would be his greatest trick. ”
The Last Magician follows Esta, a thief and magician from modern day New York with an affinity for time. In her New York, magic has been all but wiped out, due to the growing power and influence of an anti-magic group called The Order. But Esta has a chance to stop the order when she is sent back in time, to 1902 New York, to retrieve an ancient book holding the secrets of magic that was destroyed by a magician in the time. Doing so will allow her to stop The Order and destroy the Brink, a dark energy barrier around the island of Manhattan, trapping the magicians inside. But to find the book Esta will have to infiltrate a gang, locate the magician, steal the book, and get back to her own time without getting caught up in the past.
“Regret was for people who dragged their past along with them everywhere”
I really loved what Lisa Maxwell did with this book. She dropped us into a world and just let the tension slowly build. I really enjoyed how we follow Esta in 1902 and don't know anything that is going on, just like her. The way Maxwell weaves together the worldbuilding, the characters and the plot was GREAT. I saw some people say this was boring and had nothing happening but I disagree - Maxwell doesn't need Things to be happening exactly because there is so much happening with the world and the characters, and the tension and plot movement all comes from how everyone is interacting with this world which is - literally trying to kill them. But that aside, I thought this did have excellent plot elements - gangs, heists, secret societies, weapons of mass destruction. I really enjoyed it from beginning to end. ESPECIALLY, the end.
I just loved the whole world of this book. The set up of New York and the way magic existed in this world was so interesting. I loved the set up of all the magicians being trapped in Manhattan, and how that was affecting the dynamics between the different magic users. The different gangs, and groups, and the exploration of their cultures was also great. I really, really love books that explore how culture develops in groups isolated from the rest of society, and in survival circumstances. I also thought Maxwell did a good job at creating a range of characters who exist in the same conditions but react to and interact with the world so differently. Plus, the 1900s setting was great because I love historical fiction and just like, having fun running amok in history.
“Find the Magician,” he told her. “And stop him before he destroys our future.”
I loved the characters in this too! (I’m SORRY I’m just saying I loved I loved I loved to everything but I can’t help it I loved this book). All of them were well written and complex. Most had more of a dark side than anything but their stories and motivations were compelling. Again, I liked that Maxwell slowly revealed their character depths and backstories. Everyone in this is basically a little bit morally skewed due to their situation and I thought Maxwell really drew that out for the reader in an interesting way.
Esta ➤ Our main character. She’s a thief and a magician with an affinity for time. Adopted by another magician and living in a kind of X-Men style school for magicians, she is sent back in time to find the book her adoptive father needs to save the magicians of her time. I loved Esta!! She’s a bit reckless and unruly at times, and a bit stubborn too but I loved her heart and her charisma! She definitely takes what she wants and I just loved how much she stuck up for herself?? and didn’t give a fuck?? iconic legend?? Anyways she was easily my favourite I love her.
Dolpe ➤ Leader of the gang Esta infiltrates. Dolphe is hard to pin down in terms of characterisation but I found him intriguing. Of all the characters, he is probably the on working most in shades of grey and it was INTERESTING.
Harte ➤ A magician who used to work for Dolphe, who Dolphe wants to rejoin the gang to help with their heist. Harte is an interesting character .. I’m not sure if I 100% like him yet? Some actions were .. iffy. But I LOVED his dynamic with Esta. The two have such a hate/love thing going on, it reminds me of Evie and Sam from the Diviners. But I really loved their banter and their scenes together were fun. Harte has the potential to be sweet so I have big hopes for the next book.
Viola ➤ Member of the gang and an assassin. Her brother works for a rival gang trying to take Dolphe down. She is also a lesbian. I wish she had been in it more because she’s cool and we deserved more scenes of her and Esta together though the few they had were GREAT.
Nibsy ➤ Dolphe’s right-hand man who takes Esta under his wing. I LOVED NIBS AS A CHARACTER. He is the kind of character I always enjoy (sweet but is also kinda a weasel) Not sure why but I always find them interesting. Like Dolphe, Nibs is a character who kinda has more depth than is revealed which I enjoyed about his character too.
“They were sitting on opposite sides of the board, playing each other in hopes of gaining the same prize.”
I have seen some mixed reviews of the next book but I'm trying not to let them get me down because I have HIGH HOPES. Maxwell has spun such a unique and fun tale here and set up the plot in a way that is going to just lead to more and more reveals. I barely even covered the whole expanse of the plot in this book but there's going to be SO MUCH happening in book two and I'm excited.
I really loved this book, it drew me in and then just kept the tension and the reveals coming. Maxwell doesn't hand you everything, but I liked her ability to slowly unspool the story and keep me guessing. I was engaged right until the very end, and this managed to excite me in a way I haven't been excited about a new series in a while, so hooray !
March 4, 2019
WHAT. WHAT. WHAT. Just Happened??!!
My mind is reeling after the last 20 pages.....
Full review to come. But first, sleep.
My mind is reeling after the last 20 pages.....
Full review to come. But first, sleep.
November 2, 2017
I actually bought this book because the cover is so pretty.
But it was a very interesting book. I loved that it envolved time travelling. I did find it a bit slow at times. But overall I really enjoyed it!
But it was a very interesting book. I loved that it envolved time travelling. I did find it a bit slow at times. But overall I really enjoyed it!
July 2, 2019
Edit on 5/12/18
I’m officially bumping this rating from a 4.5 to a full 5 stars! I started reading through it again and I realized that this book is incredible, amazing, and all the good adjectives that I can’t think of right now. That is all. You may proceed.
The Review
Wow. I did not expect to like this book as much as I did.
The first time I picked it up was back in August and only read the first chapter or so before I put it down. I didn’t know when I would pick it back up until my friend Katherine Paperback Dreamer messaged me on Goodreads about doing a buddy read with her. And honestly, this time when I picked it up I didn’t want to ever put it down at all!
This book is a slow burning one. It builds slowly, carefully crafting its plot and forming its characters. It gives us backstory and motivations, it gives us all the intricate and juicy details that many books nowadays seem to skip over. But, once everything gets going it is a magic-filled rollercoaster and I didn’t want it to stop!
Usually, when I love a book its because the characters are amazing, and trust me, these characters are. Think of an Oceans Eleven/ Six of Crows type crew and then throw in a bucket load of magic, time travel, and 1900’s New York. Add all of that, and so much more, and you get the awesomeness that is The Last Magician.
Esta, the main character of the novel, is a girl with the ability to manipulate time. She is also a skilled thief and a total badass. Harte, the other main character, is a tricky, mysterious man with questionable motives and the ability to outsmart everybody. Together, along with a group of a terrific cast of characters, must, as the blurb says, “Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.” All while evading the Order, a secret society that seeks to hunt, kill, and destroy all magic wielders. No pressure, right?
The book is action-packed and full of twists and turns. The world is richly crafted and the characters are absolutely golden. If you like action, magic, time travel and carefully planned heists, this book is for you!
I can’t believe I almost didn’t read this!
I’m officially bumping this rating from a 4.5 to a full 5 stars! I started reading through it again and I realized that this book is incredible, amazing, and all the good adjectives that I can’t think of right now. That is all. You may proceed.
The Review
Wow. I did not expect to like this book as much as I did.
The first time I picked it up was back in August and only read the first chapter or so before I put it down. I didn’t know when I would pick it back up until my friend Katherine Paperback Dreamer messaged me on Goodreads about doing a buddy read with her. And honestly, this time when I picked it up I didn’t want to ever put it down at all!
This book is a slow burning one. It builds slowly, carefully crafting its plot and forming its characters. It gives us backstory and motivations, it gives us all the intricate and juicy details that many books nowadays seem to skip over. But, once everything gets going it is a magic-filled rollercoaster and I didn’t want it to stop!
Usually, when I love a book its because the characters are amazing, and trust me, these characters are. Think of an Oceans Eleven/ Six of Crows type crew and then throw in a bucket load of magic, time travel, and 1900’s New York. Add all of that, and so much more, and you get the awesomeness that is The Last Magician.
Esta, the main character of the novel, is a girl with the ability to manipulate time. She is also a skilled thief and a total badass. Harte, the other main character, is a tricky, mysterious man with questionable motives and the ability to outsmart everybody. Together, along with a group of a terrific cast of characters, must, as the blurb says, “Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.” All while evading the Order, a secret society that seeks to hunt, kill, and destroy all magic wielders. No pressure, right?
The book is action-packed and full of twists and turns. The world is richly crafted and the characters are absolutely golden. If you like action, magic, time travel and carefully planned heists, this book is for you!
I can’t believe I almost didn’t read this!
November 30, 2017
4.5 stars
“Liars Make the best Magicians, and he happened to be exceptional!"
I have seen The Last Magician a few times at the bookstore but have never really been interested in it. It wasn't until I heard it involved historical fiction, magic, and a heist, I knew I had to get my hands on it. To be perfectly honest, after reading Six of Crows, I developed a love for heist stories. I may have read one or two in the past, but now I want more. And The Last Magician didn't disappoint.
500 pages of pure enjoyment!
The Last Magician is part heist part exploration as our main character, Esta, travels back to 1902 New York to find a book that may have the answer to destroy a barrier surrounding Manhattan Island, preventing people with magic from leaving. But it isn't an easy journey. Not only does she need to steal the book, someone named the Magician also wants the book.
As you can see, this is a heist story and
I L O V E D IT!!!
Keep in mind, it doesn't top Six of Crows (nothing will ever top Six of Crows or my precious beautiful children) but it was still a good story. It's not a carbon copy of Six of Crows. It's different in many ways and I appreciate that.
If anything, the plot was what won me over! I not only love heist stories, but I also like historical fiction, mainly sometime between the 1700s and the 1970s. Add in magic and a good cast of characters, it was a really fun adventure. Lies, deception! What more could you want?
Then we have our cast of characters.
Esta is feisty, has a stubborn personality, has some flaws, but is a good character. She has her own set of morals and values the truth from people as well as friendship. A good lead character.
Harte (the Magician) is the equivalent of someone who is mysterious and be a bit tricky at times. You can never know what's going through his mind. He starts off as someone who probably isn't trustworthy, but his character we well developed as the story went along and I grew to love him!
Plus Esta and Harte have this tension between them. This story doesn't have a strong focus on romance, but it's there. They fit together just on how they interact and their personalities.
The other characters were just a great as Esta and Harte.
There's Dolph who is basically Kaz and-
Kaz: Did you compare me to someone?
Me: No Kaz, no one could ever be like you. You're perfect in every way. *whispers* I love you.
Kaz: Good.
... anyway, Dolph is the boss of a gang. He's a complex character that is neither good or bad. He does what he does for his gang, even if it hurts them. So, yes, he is like Kaz but different.
Then there's the other characters: Nibs, an informant for the gang. Viola, the assassin, Jianhyu, the spy; and Tilly, who takes care of the gang. Much like Dolph, they are not what they appear and have their own complexity. Not to mention it's good to see some diversity. Jianhyu is Chinese and Viola is a lesbian.
They may not be like the Dregs from Six of Crows, but I still think of them as good characters.
The magic system in this world was very different than any others I have seen. It is magic but it's not. Each Mageus has their own ability. An example would be how Esta can manipulate time, Jianhyu can turn invisible, and Viola can literally stop your heart. There is also talk about Alchemy and how that itself can be tied with magic and the Mageus' abilities. It's a good system that isn't complicated.
The one tiny flaw I have with the story would be the time travel part. It's pretty much common knowledge that there is no such thing as a perfect time travel story. There will always be loopholes that can't be explained, leaving unanswered questions. Hell, I still have questions about the time travel stuff in the Passenger duology. Not that I'm asking for a perfect time travel story. Just one where it's not that confusing. It's a minor flaw, but still a flaw.
There is a lot of potential for the sequel (Lisa did confirm that she is writing a sequel) to be even better and I can't wait until it's released. And it looks like it's going to be a duology!
Verdict
I'm very glad I got to read The Last Magician. It can be intimidating because of the size. It took me a while to read because of school... and because I'm a lazy mofo. But it's still a good story with great characters.
Thanks for reading my review!
-Cesar
“Liars Make the best Magicians, and he happened to be exceptional!"
I have seen The Last Magician a few times at the bookstore but have never really been interested in it. It wasn't until I heard it involved historical fiction, magic, and a heist, I knew I had to get my hands on it. To be perfectly honest, after reading Six of Crows, I developed a love for heist stories. I may have read one or two in the past, but now I want more. And The Last Magician didn't disappoint.
500 pages of pure enjoyment!
The Last Magician is part heist part exploration as our main character, Esta, travels back to 1902 New York to find a book that may have the answer to destroy a barrier surrounding Manhattan Island, preventing people with magic from leaving. But it isn't an easy journey. Not only does she need to steal the book, someone named the Magician also wants the book.
As you can see, this is a heist story and
I L O V E D IT!!!
Keep in mind, it doesn't top Six of Crows (nothing will ever top Six of Crows or my precious beautiful children) but it was still a good story. It's not a carbon copy of Six of Crows. It's different in many ways and I appreciate that.
If anything, the plot was what won me over! I not only love heist stories, but I also like historical fiction, mainly sometime between the 1700s and the 1970s. Add in magic and a good cast of characters, it was a really fun adventure. Lies, deception! What more could you want?
Then we have our cast of characters.
Esta is feisty, has a stubborn personality, has some flaws, but is a good character. She has her own set of morals and values the truth from people as well as friendship. A good lead character.
Harte (the Magician) is the equivalent of someone who is mysterious and be a bit tricky at times. You can never know what's going through his mind. He starts off as someone who probably isn't trustworthy, but his character we well developed as the story went along and I grew to love him!
Plus Esta and Harte have this tension between them. This story doesn't have a strong focus on romance, but it's there. They fit together just on how they interact and their personalities.
The other characters were just a great as Esta and Harte.
There's Dolph who is basically Kaz and-
Kaz: Did you compare me to someone?
Me: No Kaz, no one could ever be like you. You're perfect in every way. *whispers* I love you.
Kaz: Good.
... anyway, Dolph is the boss of a gang. He's a complex character that is neither good or bad. He does what he does for his gang, even if it hurts them. So, yes, he is like Kaz but different.
Then there's the other characters: Nibs, an informant for the gang. Viola, the assassin, Jianhyu, the spy; and Tilly, who takes care of the gang. Much like Dolph, they are not what they appear and have their own complexity. Not to mention it's good to see some diversity. Jianhyu is Chinese and Viola is a lesbian.
They may not be like the Dregs from Six of Crows, but I still think of them as good characters.
The magic system in this world was very different than any others I have seen. It is magic but it's not. Each Mageus has their own ability. An example would be how Esta can manipulate time, Jianhyu can turn invisible, and Viola can literally stop your heart. There is also talk about Alchemy and how that itself can be tied with magic and the Mageus' abilities. It's a good system that isn't complicated.
The one tiny flaw I have with the story would be the time travel part. It's pretty much common knowledge that there is no such thing as a perfect time travel story. There will always be loopholes that can't be explained, leaving unanswered questions. Hell, I still have questions about the time travel stuff in the Passenger duology. Not that I'm asking for a perfect time travel story. Just one where it's not that confusing. It's a minor flaw, but still a flaw.
There is a lot of potential for the sequel (Lisa did confirm that she is writing a sequel) to be even better and I can't wait until it's released. And it looks like it's going to be a duology!
Verdict
I'm very glad I got to read The Last Magician. It can be intimidating because of the size. It took me a while to read because of school... and because I'm a lazy mofo. But it's still a good story with great characters.
Thanks for reading my review!
-Cesar
October 31, 2018
“But then, liars do make the best magicians, and he happened to be exceptional.”
...
Oh, how I wanted to love this book. The Last Magician has a fantastic premise, and I hoped that this one would become a new favorite.
But it didn't.
I was...slightly disappointed by this? Don't get me wrong, this book was enjoyable and wholly decent. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to be desired in this story.
In The Last Magician, we follow Esta, our leading lady who lives in present day New York City and steals ancient magical artifacts for a mysterious professor. Unknown to us normal folk, mageus (or people with magical abilities) live among society in secret, and Esta has the power to jump backward through time. And in this world where magic users exist, a magical barrier called the Brink has locked in the mageus of Long Island for centuries. The Order is out to squash the last of the mageus into oblivion, and the only hope for the future is Esta: at the beginning of the story, she's tasked with travelling backward in time to 1902, to steal an ancient book that will be the key to saving the world.
And to do this, she must infiltrate Dolph Saunders' gang, the most notorious crime boss in all of New York City.
Sounds amazing, right?!
Yeah, it was...fine. But nothing special.
Lisa Maxwell had a lot of great ideas for The Last Magician, but many of them were executed with minimal effort. For instance: Esta can travel back in time thanks to her magical abilities, and because of this, she's tasked with infiltrating Dolph Saunder's gang in 1902. Dolph is set up to be this badass, morally ambiguous crime boss with a dark past, and I liked his introduction into the story. However, Maxwell never fully developed Esta's friendships with Dolph and his gang.
I felt throughout a majority of this book that the characters were merely tolerating one another, and I never bought their relationships. It left me feeling hollow. Why should I care about these characters if they don't care about each other?
Some of the side characters were pretty interesting, but incredibly underdeveloped. I would've liked to have learned more about Jianyu; he was so cool!
Esta and Harte were the only characters in The Last Magician that were given considerable development, and because of that, I really enjoyed them and their relationship. Their romance was...actually pretty sexy. Not gonna lie, some of the romantic moments in here were really well-written and had my heart-racing. These two definitely had great chemistry.
If more of the characters were developed with the amount of care that Harte and Esta were, I think I would've loved this book a lot more.
Also, Maxwell really utilizes the time period in this book. It's glitzy and glamorous, but also dark and fully of mystery. It's apparent the author did a lot of research going into this book, and the historical setting of turn-of-the-century New York City imbued with magic was well-done here. Even though magic is not fully explained in this book, you get a sense that this world has known of its existence for centuries.
While I understand that Esta being from the future is supposed to heighten the drama and tension, her reasons for needing to get back to the present, besides returning the magical book to her mentor, were pretty flimsy. I didn't buy her familial bonds with anyone in the present day, so I didn't care whether she made it back or not.
Also, this book is long. Way longer than it probably should've been. I was pulled into this book because of its premise, and I was so excited for the big heist that was promised. However, much more time was spent on other elements of the story that didn't need to be. If Maxwell had tightened up the pacing of this book, and developed interesting, believable relationships among the MCs and side-characters, this book would've been awesome. As it stands, there were parts of this book that I really enjoyed (Harte's magic shows were great.), but the elements that I wanted to love were lacking.
I enjoyed this book. Really, I did. But my high expectations, paired with the fact that everyone but me really seems to love this book, had me feeling a little underwhelmed towards the end. Will I read the next book? I'm not sure yet.
Overall, The Last Magician was enjoyable, but nowhere near as good as I wanted it to be.
...
Oh, how I wanted to love this book. The Last Magician has a fantastic premise, and I hoped that this one would become a new favorite.
But it didn't.
I was...slightly disappointed by this? Don't get me wrong, this book was enjoyable and wholly decent. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to be desired in this story.
In The Last Magician, we follow Esta, our leading lady who lives in present day New York City and steals ancient magical artifacts for a mysterious professor. Unknown to us normal folk, mageus (or people with magical abilities) live among society in secret, and Esta has the power to jump backward through time. And in this world where magic users exist, a magical barrier called the Brink has locked in the mageus of Long Island for centuries. The Order is out to squash the last of the mageus into oblivion, and the only hope for the future is Esta: at the beginning of the story, she's tasked with travelling backward in time to 1902, to steal an ancient book that will be the key to saving the world.
And to do this, she must infiltrate Dolph Saunders' gang, the most notorious crime boss in all of New York City.
Sounds amazing, right?!
Yeah, it was...fine. But nothing special.
Lisa Maxwell had a lot of great ideas for The Last Magician, but many of them were executed with minimal effort. For instance: Esta can travel back in time thanks to her magical abilities, and because of this, she's tasked with infiltrating Dolph Saunder's gang in 1902. Dolph is set up to be this badass, morally ambiguous crime boss with a dark past, and I liked his introduction into the story. However, Maxwell never fully developed Esta's friendships with Dolph and his gang.
I felt throughout a majority of this book that the characters were merely tolerating one another, and I never bought their relationships. It left me feeling hollow. Why should I care about these characters if they don't care about each other?
Some of the side characters were pretty interesting, but incredibly underdeveloped. I would've liked to have learned more about Jianyu; he was so cool!
Esta and Harte were the only characters in The Last Magician that were given considerable development, and because of that, I really enjoyed them and their relationship. Their romance was...actually pretty sexy. Not gonna lie, some of the romantic moments in here were really well-written and had my heart-racing. These two definitely had great chemistry.
If more of the characters were developed with the amount of care that Harte and Esta were, I think I would've loved this book a lot more.
Also, Maxwell really utilizes the time period in this book. It's glitzy and glamorous, but also dark and fully of mystery. It's apparent the author did a lot of research going into this book, and the historical setting of turn-of-the-century New York City imbued with magic was well-done here. Even though magic is not fully explained in this book, you get a sense that this world has known of its existence for centuries.
While I understand that Esta being from the future is supposed to heighten the drama and tension, her reasons for needing to get back to the present, besides returning the magical book to her mentor, were pretty flimsy. I didn't buy her familial bonds with anyone in the present day, so I didn't care whether she made it back or not.
Also, this book is long. Way longer than it probably should've been. I was pulled into this book because of its premise, and I was so excited for the big heist that was promised. However, much more time was spent on other elements of the story that didn't need to be. If Maxwell had tightened up the pacing of this book, and developed interesting, believable relationships among the MCs and side-characters, this book would've been awesome. As it stands, there were parts of this book that I really enjoyed (Harte's magic shows were great.), but the elements that I wanted to love were lacking.
I enjoyed this book. Really, I did. But my high expectations, paired with the fact that everyone but me really seems to love this book, had me feeling a little underwhelmed towards the end. Will I read the next book? I'm not sure yet.
Overall, The Last Magician was enjoyable, but nowhere near as good as I wanted it to be.
June 12, 2021
i really enjoyed this story. i didn't think i would like it because i don't really read or care much for historical fiction and i didn't know how i'd love the time travel. i actually ended up really loving the time travel aspects of it especially the way it was described. although i could see how this book is compared to the diviner's especially because of how characters driven it is this but it also is plot driven, which i loved because it was a good balance of both. another thing i loved was the chapter titles. i can't wait to jump into the sequel!
September 11, 2017
A new chapter of the struggle of people with magical powers with those who don't.
And I admit, I checked the first 3 chapters because of the COVER.
and a very trusted friend told me it reminded her with The Diviners, my all time favorite., also Six of Crows.
But it's the cover...come on.
And it turned out everything I wished for in Urban Fantasy..
Time Travel, Early 1900s, Real historical character facts, Magic...and a Magician..
The Last Magician..
God I love it so much. I love how rich the characters are, how the plot twisted the Time brilliantly.. how there was TOO MUCH going on , I repeat, Too much of the plot and the action that felt like FULL actual 4 weeks that we spent in New York 1902..
So till I make a Full Review, Please Please Please Lisa Maxwell please don't be tempted to stretch what's left in your brilliant story to do more books... I believe it can ends in one, or two maximum. (If one big volume would make it please stop at that.)
Don't make as many YAs that ruins the story by stretching it.. in this book was a bit long in some parts yet it was okay and very well paced.
And I can't wait for the second book.. I promise to buy the 2 parts if in a box set.
Mohammed Arabey
From 3 Sep. 1902
To 7 Sep. 2017
And I admit, I checked the first 3 chapters because of the COVER.
and a very trusted friend told me it reminded her with The Diviners, my all time favorite., also Six of Crows.
But it's the cover...come on.
And it turned out everything I wished for in Urban Fantasy..
Time Travel, Early 1900s, Real historical character facts, Magic...and a Magician..
The Last Magician..
God I love it so much. I love how rich the characters are, how the plot twisted the Time brilliantly.. how there was TOO MUCH going on , I repeat, Too much of the plot and the action that felt like FULL actual 4 weeks that we spent in New York 1902..
So till I make a Full Review, Please Please Please Lisa Maxwell please don't be tempted to stretch what's left in your brilliant story to do more books... I believe it can ends in one, or two maximum. (If one big volume would make it please stop at that.)
Don't make as many YAs that ruins the story by stretching it.. in this book was a bit long in some parts yet it was okay and very well paced.
And I can't wait for the second book.. I promise to buy the 2 parts if in a box set.
Mohammed Arabey
From 3 Sep. 1902
To 7 Sep. 2017
March 22, 2017
This twisty tale of alchemy and magic in Gilded Age New York will keep you guessing until the very last page.
October 28, 2017
I really found the twists and turns of this book incredible. I love the world building and the characters are so intriguing. I loved Unhooded by Maxwell and was excited to read another book authored by her, and I was NOT disappointed at all!
Overall, a fun adventure with magic and corruption...always an amazing combination!
Overall, a fun adventure with magic and corruption...always an amazing combination!
September 23, 2018
I don't have enough words to explain how much i loved this book.
One of the best reads of 2017.
No, scratch that!
It's one of the best reads ever
Parties, extravagant jewels, magic tricks, raw power, betrayals and friendships and swoon-worthy romance ; the Last Magician was not confusing one bit, things took time to build up, and then the world manifested beautifully and the characters burst from the pages and I was in complete owe of the story.
I need to recover from this amazing adventure and work on properly reviewing it.
full review: https://thebookishword.wordpress.com/...
One of the best reads of 2017.
No, scratch that!
It's one of the best reads ever
Parties, extravagant jewels, magic tricks, raw power, betrayals and friendships and swoon-worthy romance ; the Last Magician was not confusing one bit, things took time to build up, and then the world manifested beautifully and the characters burst from the pages and I was in complete owe of the story.
I need to recover from this amazing adventure and work on properly reviewing it.
full review: https://thebookishword.wordpress.com/...
March 26, 2019
Rating: 4 stars
(Based on personal enjoyment: 3 to 3.5 stars)
What would happen if Six of Crows and Passenger had a lovechild?
It would probably look and feel a lot like The Last Magician…
The best part of that analogy is that is does not only match the themes and feel, but also my eventual rating and enjoyment: Six of Crows is an easy five star, and an all time favorite of mine. Passenger was a two star, and had in my opinion quite some issues. The Last Magician lands somewhere in between, having a little of both.
Had I first stumbled upon this book, knowing nothing about it, I’m sure it would have been a pretty easy sell. The cover is stunning and I won’t lie: thief/rogue stories are somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine.
So, let’s address the elephant in the room, the reason why I didn’t run for the bookstore upon release date: the author.
I try not to judge authors based on a single book, but my experience with Maxwells previous book The Last Magician was so bad that it left quite a sour taste in my mouth. It was one of only 2 books I DNF-ed in 2016.
This left me apprehensive and putting off this book for a long time. Nonetheless, everybody deserves a second chance, and I can say that Miss Maxwell redeemed herself with this one.
The Last Magician is an exciting, action packed heist-novel with elements of magic and time travel, involving an interesting cast of characters. Similarly to Six of Crows, it was this cast of characters that carried the story. Each member of the crew has a distinct personality and a unique (magical) skill set. Our main character Esta is a smart, strong woman, without falling into the obvious clichés of being a strong female character. She often does what suits her well, not interested in being a hero, but just doing her job. She does however, care much for her crew, which puts her in some tight situations.
The side characters are all very unique, and I liked most of them. Yes, some of them fall into cliché territory, but it’s honestly hard to avoid that with a large cast of (YA) fantasy characters these days.
As far as plot and pacing goes: The Last Magician absolutely hits the ground running: before page 20 the characters are heisting and adventuring away, running around an being held at gunpoint. Despite this start, I hesitate to call the novel in its entirety “fast paced”. In fact, at times it dragged quite a bit.
It’s actually quite paradoxical; there is action on almost every page, yet nothing of real importance happens for a long time. Many of the actionscenes seemed not to move the plot forwards too much, yet serve as little adventures of their own. Those scenes are great to set up characters, mainly in the first act of the story, and I didn’t mind them there. Later on however, I think they should have been edited down, to make room for the main plot to develop further.
This would be my biggest critique of The Last Magician, and it’s more of an editing critique than a writing one. It is also where we get into “Passenger-territory”. This book did not need to be 500 pages long. In all honesty, I think it could have easily dropped 200 of those, without losing too much. It reminds me of Passenger, in the sense that this feels like a “forced-duology”. I obviously haven’t read the sequel yet, but if it’s similar in style and set up to The Last Magician, than it could have easily been edited down and released in a single standalone novel. I think I would have personally enjoyed that novel more than I did this one.
Lastly, I have to say that despite this being better than Unhooked, I am still not a fan of Lisa Maxwells writingstyle. The majority of times it is okay, but it has some serious cringe-inducing paragraphs (mostly regarding descriptions of male characters bodies), that are honestly enough to make me drop a star from my personal enjoyment-rating.
That being said: I think The Last Magician is a book that many YA-readers will adore. There is a lot here to love: adventure, thieving, time-travel, a cool cast of characters and a hint of romance. If you like Passenger, Six of Crows, or even A Darker Shade of Magic, this might be one you will enjoy as well.
(Based on personal enjoyment: 3 to 3.5 stars)
What would happen if Six of Crows and Passenger had a lovechild?
It would probably look and feel a lot like The Last Magician…
The best part of that analogy is that is does not only match the themes and feel, but also my eventual rating and enjoyment: Six of Crows is an easy five star, and an all time favorite of mine. Passenger was a two star, and had in my opinion quite some issues. The Last Magician lands somewhere in between, having a little of both.
Had I first stumbled upon this book, knowing nothing about it, I’m sure it would have been a pretty easy sell. The cover is stunning and I won’t lie: thief/rogue stories are somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine.
So, let’s address the elephant in the room, the reason why I didn’t run for the bookstore upon release date: the author.
I try not to judge authors based on a single book, but my experience with Maxwells previous book The Last Magician was so bad that it left quite a sour taste in my mouth. It was one of only 2 books I DNF-ed in 2016.
This left me apprehensive and putting off this book for a long time. Nonetheless, everybody deserves a second chance, and I can say that Miss Maxwell redeemed herself with this one.
The Last Magician is an exciting, action packed heist-novel with elements of magic and time travel, involving an interesting cast of characters. Similarly to Six of Crows, it was this cast of characters that carried the story. Each member of the crew has a distinct personality and a unique (magical) skill set. Our main character Esta is a smart, strong woman, without falling into the obvious clichés of being a strong female character. She often does what suits her well, not interested in being a hero, but just doing her job. She does however, care much for her crew, which puts her in some tight situations.
The side characters are all very unique, and I liked most of them. Yes, some of them fall into cliché territory, but it’s honestly hard to avoid that with a large cast of (YA) fantasy characters these days.
As far as plot and pacing goes: The Last Magician absolutely hits the ground running: before page 20 the characters are heisting and adventuring away, running around an being held at gunpoint. Despite this start, I hesitate to call the novel in its entirety “fast paced”. In fact, at times it dragged quite a bit.
It’s actually quite paradoxical; there is action on almost every page, yet nothing of real importance happens for a long time. Many of the actionscenes seemed not to move the plot forwards too much, yet serve as little adventures of their own. Those scenes are great to set up characters, mainly in the first act of the story, and I didn’t mind them there. Later on however, I think they should have been edited down, to make room for the main plot to develop further.
This would be my biggest critique of The Last Magician, and it’s more of an editing critique than a writing one. It is also where we get into “Passenger-territory”. This book did not need to be 500 pages long. In all honesty, I think it could have easily dropped 200 of those, without losing too much. It reminds me of Passenger, in the sense that this feels like a “forced-duology”. I obviously haven’t read the sequel yet, but if it’s similar in style and set up to The Last Magician, than it could have easily been edited down and released in a single standalone novel. I think I would have personally enjoyed that novel more than I did this one.
Lastly, I have to say that despite this being better than Unhooked, I am still not a fan of Lisa Maxwells writingstyle. The majority of times it is okay, but it has some serious cringe-inducing paragraphs (mostly regarding descriptions of male characters bodies), that are honestly enough to make me drop a star from my personal enjoyment-rating.
That being said: I think The Last Magician is a book that many YA-readers will adore. There is a lot here to love: adventure, thieving, time-travel, a cool cast of characters and a hint of romance. If you like Passenger, Six of Crows, or even A Darker Shade of Magic, this might be one you will enjoy as well.
March 4, 2019
Wow! I really enjoyed this one! :D
I seriously loved every minute of this book, which is not something that I can say very often. The plot was compelling and full of so many twist and turns, most of which I genuinely didn’t see coming. The world-building and atmosphere was so well described, that it virtually transported me back in time along with them.
This book was filled with well written, complex, and likeable characters and they were definitely one of the main reasons I loved it as much I did. Not everyone was who they seemed to be and I was constantly trying to figure out who to trust.
The story was mainly centred around a girl called Esta, who was a thief living in the modern day New York, with the ability to slow down time and travel through it. She was tasked with retrieving something from the past (in 1902) and to do that, she had to gain the trust of a gang. Over the course of the book, you witness her conflict as she finds herself growing attached to the people around her, even though she knew that she would eventually have to betray them.
She was a fiery, strong and amusing main character and I loved how she refused to take any shit, despite the time period that most of the book was set in. One of my favourite moments was when she put Jianyu in his place “you can either get over your fragile masculine pride and put on the damn skirt, or deal with the Order yourself” 😂
There were many other POVs throughout, which seemed like a bit much at first, but it does become easier to keep track of all of them as the story progresses ,and I feel like it helped to add more depth to certain characters.
Without wanting to sound too dramatic, I would literally die for Harte Darrigan. He was probably my favourite character in this and there were times when all I wanted to do was just hug him, especially when I found out more about his backstory. He was charming, flawed and I loved how passionate he was about performing. He deserves the world and I love him a lot ok.
I also really liked Viola, who was another strong female character, (who also happened to be a lesbian) and Jianyu ( who I empathised with a lot when he was subjected to racial slurs.) I hope we get to know more about these two in the next book!
Even during some of the slower moments, the interactions between all of the characters were amazing and kept me invested in the plot. I found myself grinning like an idiot during most of the Harte and Esta dialogue😂
The romance was well done, I loved the way their relationship naturally progressed throughout the book, and it in no way overshadowed the plot. If you are a fan of the whole enemies to lovers trope ,then you might appreciate this!
Another thing that I found particularly interesting, was how the news clipping she held onto, kept shifting whenever she altered the future in some way. I feel like this added an extra layer of suspense.
I’m not going to lie and say I understood absolutely everything that was going on, time travel in general confuses the hell out of me, and there was so much happening sometimes that I struggled to keep up. I do, however, feel like it was written in a way that stopped it from being as confusing as it perhaps could have been.
When it comes down to a book about gangs and heists, there is always going to be that comparison with Six of Crows, but for me, they are very different and I wouldn’t go into this expecting the same kind of experience. Obviously there are some similarities, but I loved both of these books in different ways.
Overall, I highly recommend this book, and can’t for the life of me understand why it doesn’t have more love!
I seriously loved every minute of this book, which is not something that I can say very often. The plot was compelling and full of so many twist and turns, most of which I genuinely didn’t see coming. The world-building and atmosphere was so well described, that it virtually transported me back in time along with them.
This book was filled with well written, complex, and likeable characters and they were definitely one of the main reasons I loved it as much I did. Not everyone was who they seemed to be and I was constantly trying to figure out who to trust.
The story was mainly centred around a girl called Esta, who was a thief living in the modern day New York, with the ability to slow down time and travel through it. She was tasked with retrieving something from the past (in 1902) and to do that, she had to gain the trust of a gang. Over the course of the book, you witness her conflict as she finds herself growing attached to the people around her, even though she knew that she would eventually have to betray them.
She was a fiery, strong and amusing main character and I loved how she refused to take any shit, despite the time period that most of the book was set in. One of my favourite moments was when she put Jianyu in his place “you can either get over your fragile masculine pride and put on the damn skirt, or deal with the Order yourself” 😂
There were many other POVs throughout, which seemed like a bit much at first, but it does become easier to keep track of all of them as the story progresses ,and I feel like it helped to add more depth to certain characters.
Without wanting to sound too dramatic, I would literally die for Harte Darrigan. He was probably my favourite character in this and there were times when all I wanted to do was just hug him, especially when I found out more about his backstory. He was charming, flawed and I loved how passionate he was about performing. He deserves the world and I love him a lot ok.
I also really liked Viola, who was another strong female character, (who also happened to be a lesbian) and Jianyu ( who I empathised with a lot when he was subjected to racial slurs.) I hope we get to know more about these two in the next book!
Even during some of the slower moments, the interactions between all of the characters were amazing and kept me invested in the plot. I found myself grinning like an idiot during most of the Harte and Esta dialogue😂
The romance was well done, I loved the way their relationship naturally progressed throughout the book, and it in no way overshadowed the plot. If you are a fan of the whole enemies to lovers trope ,then you might appreciate this!
Another thing that I found particularly interesting, was how the news clipping she held onto, kept shifting whenever she altered the future in some way. I feel like this added an extra layer of suspense.
I’m not going to lie and say I understood absolutely everything that was going on, time travel in general confuses the hell out of me, and there was so much happening sometimes that I struggled to keep up. I do, however, feel like it was written in a way that stopped it from being as confusing as it perhaps could have been.
When it comes down to a book about gangs and heists, there is always going to be that comparison with Six of Crows, but for me, they are very different and I wouldn’t go into this expecting the same kind of experience. Obviously there are some similarities, but I loved both of these books in different ways.
Overall, I highly recommend this book, and can’t for the life of me understand why it doesn’t have more love!
April 13, 2018
"The only rule that counted was to not get caught..."
Buddy read this book with my friend Shreya
I FRIKIN LOVE THIS BOOK AND COVER CAUSE HOLY HELL THEY'RE AMAZING
This book was so enchanting. It had my heart from the first page and I knew when I started it, I was in for one hell of ride. Little did I know that this book would turn out to be one of my absolute favorites! From the writing to the plot to the characters, everything was so well done and I was incredibly astonished to see that not many people liked it.
Okay so now we're at one of the main parts of the review where you get to know what exactly this book is about if you haven't read it yet. Basically it follows Esta, a young mageus, who is sent on a mission back in time to steal a very special book that could very well determine the fates of all the Mageus. Here mageus are kind of like magicians except they are looked down upon by the common people because of the Order's influence. The 'order' exterminates all the mageus from the city by taking them to the brink. The brink is a magical barrier of some sort that strips the mageus of his/her powers- which vary from each mageus - and often kills them. The order masks their fear of them with hatred. The brink allows mageus to enter the city but it is impossible to leave.
Esta is really fun to read about in this book. Her powers are really unique as well. I mean, I don't know about y'all but I haven't read any book where any of the characters has the ability to slow down time. She's also very smart but that could probably be because she's a one of a kind pickpocket. She can steal absolutely anything. Or so she thought.
I thought for a fact that the time travelling aspect in this book was quite unique. It fit so well into the storyline and though generally time travelling in books can be extremely confusing and ruin the whole book if not done well, this book definitely does not have that fault. It wasn't disorganised.
If you haven't read this book y'all please go read it. My only complaint is that I have to wait god knows how long for the next one... *sighs*
An adventure back in time. A race against the clock. A girl who is determined to prove herself.
Buddy read this book with my friend Shreya
I FRIKIN LOVE THIS BOOK AND COVER CAUSE HOLY HELL THEY'RE AMAZING
This book was so enchanting. It had my heart from the first page and I knew when I started it, I was in for one hell of ride. Little did I know that this book would turn out to be one of my absolute favorites! From the writing to the plot to the characters, everything was so well done and I was incredibly astonished to see that not many people liked it.
Okay so now we're at one of the main parts of the review where you get to know what exactly this book is about if you haven't read it yet. Basically it follows Esta, a young mageus, who is sent on a mission back in time to steal a very special book that could very well determine the fates of all the Mageus. Here mageus are kind of like magicians except they are looked down upon by the common people because of the Order's influence. The 'order' exterminates all the mageus from the city by taking them to the brink. The brink is a magical barrier of some sort that strips the mageus of his/her powers- which vary from each mageus - and often kills them. The order masks their fear of them with hatred. The brink allows mageus to enter the city but it is impossible to leave.
Esta is really fun to read about in this book. Her powers are really unique as well. I mean, I don't know about y'all but I haven't read any book where any of the characters has the ability to slow down time. She's also very smart but that could probably be because she's a one of a kind pickpocket. She can steal absolutely anything. Or so she thought.
I thought for a fact that the time travelling aspect in this book was quite unique. It fit so well into the storyline and though generally time travelling in books can be extremely confusing and ruin the whole book if not done well, this book definitely does not have that fault. It wasn't disorganised.
If you haven't read this book y'all please go read it. My only complaint is that I have to wait god knows how long for the next one... *sighs*
An adventure back in time. A race against the clock. A girl who is determined to prove herself.
December 1, 2020
(3,5)
”Regret was for people who dragged their past along with them everywhere”.
Este libro tiene una combinación muy especial entre fantasía, ficción histórica, viajes en el tiempo, relación de enemies to lovers y robos. Y sí, todo suena genial, pero no me fascinó porque, en el fondo, me recordó un poco a Six of Crows y ya saben cómo me va con ese tipo de libros. Aunque, hey, si a ustedes les gustó ese libro de Leigh Bardugo y disfrutan de las tramas como de thriller medio fantástico, seguro les encantará The Last Magician.
Dicho esto, aquí nos encontramos con Esta, una chica que hace parte de un grupo de personas tipo X-Men en el Nueva York contemporáneo. Gracias a su habilidad de manipular el tiempo, Esta se ha vuelto un componente muy valioso en una banda que roba artefactos antiguos y mágicos de otras eras para intentar proteger algo de la magia que queda en la época actual, pues por culpa de una organización llamada La Orden, estas habilidades se han ido extinguiendo y los Mageus han quedado atrapados en Manhattan. Así que cuando Esta y su superior localizan en el NY de 1902 un libro antiguo que podrá salvar la magia, deciden que ella intentará robarlo antes de que The Magician lo use y acabe con toda la esperanza para siempre.
Debo admitir que The Last Magician es un libro entretenido y que te mantiene enganchado durante todas sus páginas, a pesar de que a veces la explicación del contexto opaca un poco la acción real. La verdad es que me gustó mucho el concepto de los viajes en el tiempo y de la habilidad que tiene Esta para manipular hasta los más pequeños momentos. Siento que Lisa Maxwell usó muy bien este poder de Esta y no hizo de la trama algo tremendamente confuso, cosa que pasa a veces con los libros que involucran viajes en el tiempo. Además, Esta como personaje es genial. Es una chica que no se deja pisotear, que responde ante cualquier cosa y que tiene una personalidad muy fuerte y decidida. Y me gustó que fuera igual o más terca que yo, jajaja.
Ahora, creo que mi parte favorita de todo el libro fue ver cómo Esta y Harte Darrigan interactuaban. Este hombre es el supuesto Last Magician al que esta tiene que neutralizar para evitar que use aquel libro misterioso, pero a medida que lo va conociendo se da cuenta de que no es la persona que pintaban. De hecho, Harte es un personaje increíble, lleno de facetas, misterios y con una personalidad de lo más coqueta y valiente. En serio lo amé. Y es que cada que Esta y Harte hablaban era como ver una pelea de personalidades sassy impresionante. Además, estaba clarísimo que se atraían, pero como pensaban que estaban en bandos opuestos todo era muy tensionante y maravilloso.
Creo que, honestamente, me interesaban más las conversaciones entre Harte y Esta que la trama en general. Es decir, sí, estaba bien cómo Esta quería infiltrarse en las bandas y poder robar el libro y tal, pero para mí no era lo más importante. Ahora, lo que sí debo admitir es que las últimas 50 páginas son absolutamente tremendas. ¡Hay un montón de revelaciones y de giros de trama espectaculares! De verdad, todo lo que sucede al final es bastante sorprendente y hace que entiendas muchas de las cosas que se han ido narrando a lo largo del libro. Así que, nada, gracias a ese final trepidante y a que necesito que Esta y Harte sean felices, creo que voy a seguir con esta trilogía.
”Regret was for people who dragged their past along with them everywhere”.
Este libro tiene una combinación muy especial entre fantasía, ficción histórica, viajes en el tiempo, relación de enemies to lovers y robos. Y sí, todo suena genial, pero no me fascinó porque, en el fondo, me recordó un poco a Six of Crows y ya saben cómo me va con ese tipo de libros. Aunque, hey, si a ustedes les gustó ese libro de Leigh Bardugo y disfrutan de las tramas como de thriller medio fantástico, seguro les encantará The Last Magician.
Dicho esto, aquí nos encontramos con Esta, una chica que hace parte de un grupo de personas tipo X-Men en el Nueva York contemporáneo. Gracias a su habilidad de manipular el tiempo, Esta se ha vuelto un componente muy valioso en una banda que roba artefactos antiguos y mágicos de otras eras para intentar proteger algo de la magia que queda en la época actual, pues por culpa de una organización llamada La Orden, estas habilidades se han ido extinguiendo y los Mageus han quedado atrapados en Manhattan. Así que cuando Esta y su superior localizan en el NY de 1902 un libro antiguo que podrá salvar la magia, deciden que ella intentará robarlo antes de que The Magician lo use y acabe con toda la esperanza para siempre.
Debo admitir que The Last Magician es un libro entretenido y que te mantiene enganchado durante todas sus páginas, a pesar de que a veces la explicación del contexto opaca un poco la acción real. La verdad es que me gustó mucho el concepto de los viajes en el tiempo y de la habilidad que tiene Esta para manipular hasta los más pequeños momentos. Siento que Lisa Maxwell usó muy bien este poder de Esta y no hizo de la trama algo tremendamente confuso, cosa que pasa a veces con los libros que involucran viajes en el tiempo. Además, Esta como personaje es genial. Es una chica que no se deja pisotear, que responde ante cualquier cosa y que tiene una personalidad muy fuerte y decidida. Y me gustó que fuera igual o más terca que yo, jajaja.
Ahora, creo que mi parte favorita de todo el libro fue ver cómo Esta y Harte Darrigan interactuaban. Este hombre es el supuesto Last Magician al que esta tiene que neutralizar para evitar que use aquel libro misterioso, pero a medida que lo va conociendo se da cuenta de que no es la persona que pintaban. De hecho, Harte es un personaje increíble, lleno de facetas, misterios y con una personalidad de lo más coqueta y valiente. En serio lo amé. Y es que cada que Esta y Harte hablaban era como ver una pelea de personalidades sassy impresionante. Además, estaba clarísimo que se atraían, pero como pensaban que estaban en bandos opuestos todo era muy tensionante y maravilloso.
Creo que, honestamente, me interesaban más las conversaciones entre Harte y Esta que la trama en general. Es decir, sí, estaba bien cómo Esta quería infiltrarse en las bandas y poder robar el libro y tal, pero para mí no era lo más importante. Ahora, lo que sí debo admitir es que las últimas 50 páginas son absolutamente tremendas. ¡Hay un montón de revelaciones y de giros de trama espectaculares! De verdad, todo lo que sucede al final es bastante sorprendente y hace que entiendas muchas de las cosas que se han ido narrando a lo largo del libro. Así que, nada, gracias a ese final trepidante y a que necesito que Esta y Harte sean felices, creo que voy a seguir con esta trilogía.
August 13, 2017
There's gonna be a book 2... Right? RIGHT??????? I need more!!!! Also that last 10% was a constant tornado. Read it for the love/hate between Esta and Harte (those names tho!!!!!!!) so good, kinda info-dumpy in the beginning but the rest of the plot makes up for it entirely. Also, TIME TRAVEL ANYBODYYYY?????
November 20, 2023
”but then, liars do make the best magicians, and he happened to be exceptional.” ♡₊˚
this is like my third or fourth time rereading this book, and it’s amazing how much i still love it. i’ve been in a hella slump lately (which is why it took my over two weeks to finish this) and i figured going back to some books i’ve already loved might help. i’m determined to finally read the last three books in this series this time!! i loved my girl esta, and i loved dolph’s character a lot more this go around. harte has my heart, obviously. i’m very excited to see where this story goes!! <3
reread in december; five stars ∗
all of the stars | this reread just solidified the fact that this book is definitely one of my all time favorites. i’m so nervous to pick up the sequel but good lord, i need to know what happens next!
..... W H A T?!?
i’m literally speechless right now. like ??? holy frick i loved this book sososo much!!
okay so the characters were all a m a z i n g! some people have compared it to six of crows and i mean i can kinda see that but we can’t compare all heist books to six of crows, ya know? yes, viola was strikingly similar to inej but honestly i feel like that was one of the only similarities? idk.
anywho, esta was such a kick ass main character! she reminded me a lot of my baby delilah bard, which only made me love her even more. harte darrigan was a dream. i love magicians (*cough* adam parrish *cough*). i loved dolph very much (i think mainly because i imagined him as young hugh jackman for some reason?)
ughh the plot!!! this has so many things put together: time travel, history, magic, hate-love trope (ish), etc. i was kinda worried about it all mixing together but i should not have. lisa maxwell executed this perfectly! i genuinely was not prepared for ANY of the plot twists, even though i did have a few ideas (that were so wrong but oh well.) i think this is one of the only books where i’ve literally gasped out loud? i was just amazed.
overall this was such a fun read! i’m so glad that i decided to pick this book up. now i am restlessly and eagerly anticipating the sequel because I NEED ANSWERS!!!!
this is like my third or fourth time rereading this book, and it’s amazing how much i still love it. i’ve been in a hella slump lately (which is why it took my over two weeks to finish this) and i figured going back to some books i’ve already loved might help. i’m determined to finally read the last three books in this series this time!! i loved my girl esta, and i loved dolph’s character a lot more this go around. harte has my heart, obviously. i’m very excited to see where this story goes!! <3
reread in december; five stars ∗
all of the stars | this reread just solidified the fact that this book is definitely one of my all time favorites. i’m so nervous to pick up the sequel but good lord, i need to know what happens next!
..... W H A T?!?
i’m literally speechless right now. like ??? holy frick i loved this book sososo much!!
okay so the characters were all a m a z i n g! some people have compared it to six of crows and i mean i can kinda see that but we can’t compare all heist books to six of crows, ya know? yes, viola was strikingly similar to inej but honestly i feel like that was one of the only similarities? idk.
anywho, esta was such a kick ass main character! she reminded me a lot of my baby delilah bard, which only made me love her even more. harte darrigan was a dream. i love magicians (*cough* adam parrish *cough*). i loved dolph very much (i think mainly because i imagined him as young hugh jackman for some reason?)
ughh the plot!!! this has so many things put together: time travel, history, magic, hate-love trope (ish), etc. i was kinda worried about it all mixing together but i should not have. lisa maxwell executed this perfectly! i genuinely was not prepared for ANY of the plot twists, even though i did have a few ideas (that were so wrong but oh well.) i think this is one of the only books where i’ve literally gasped out loud? i was just amazed.
overall this was such a fun read! i’m so glad that i decided to pick this book up. now i am restlessly and eagerly anticipating the sequel because I NEED ANSWERS!!!!
July 17, 2019
READ THIS BOOK
August 23, 2017
4.5 STARS The only reason this wasn't a 5 star and sitting on my favourite shelf was because of the ending... but it was still utterly amazing...
This book, from page 1, was memorizing, magical and definitely something that pulled me in, almost magnetic in nature. I loved it! However, that ending was a little disappointing.
I've never read any of Lisa Maxwell's books before and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, the writing style was amazing, the world building intriguing and the characters were believable, I fell for this book from page 1!
My only gripe is the ending, I love a book where it does leave something to the imagination but I felt this could have been portrayed more, given a bit more oomph and not as rushed as it suddenly felt...... or was that me just being disappointed because it had to end somewhere?
The ingenious workings behind the scenes had me guessing throughout the book, when I wasn't guessing at how it was going to end, I was trying to foresee the future within the pages, an amazing imaginative storyline, one that I could rave about for weeks... regardless of my disappointment at that ending, I still loved it!!!!
Highly recommended.
This book, from page 1, was memorizing, magical and definitely something that pulled me in, almost magnetic in nature. I loved it! However, that ending was a little disappointing.
I've never read any of Lisa Maxwell's books before and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, the writing style was amazing, the world building intriguing and the characters were believable, I fell for this book from page 1!
My only gripe is the ending, I love a book where it does leave something to the imagination but I felt this could have been portrayed more, given a bit more oomph and not as rushed as it suddenly felt...... or was that me just being disappointed because it had to end somewhere?
The ingenious workings behind the scenes had me guessing throughout the book, when I wasn't guessing at how it was going to end, I was trying to foresee the future within the pages, an amazing imaginative storyline, one that I could rave about for weeks... regardless of my disappointment at that ending, I still loved it!!!!
Highly recommended.
December 9, 2020
CW:
4.5 Stars
Well after a confusing start this ended up being a brilliant fantasy heist story.
This novel began with some very loose world building and skipped around different story threads. My interest was waning quickly. It was at about the 30% mark that everything fell into place and from that point I was absolutely hooked. It is an incredibly full cast of characters which may not appeal to some Readers as you get thrown around across time and between perspectives. However, the tie up of all these threads is phenomenal and worth the earlier head scratching. The characters were diverse and engaging. I thoroughly recommend this book for those who love complex fantasy stories. I suggest having book 2 lined up though because the ending feels more like a beginning if that makes sense. I can honestly say I loved this.
4.5 Stars
Well after a confusing start this ended up being a brilliant fantasy heist story.
This novel began with some very loose world building and skipped around different story threads. My interest was waning quickly. It was at about the 30% mark that everything fell into place and from that point I was absolutely hooked. It is an incredibly full cast of characters which may not appeal to some Readers as you get thrown around across time and between perspectives. However, the tie up of all these threads is phenomenal and worth the earlier head scratching. The characters were diverse and engaging. I thoroughly recommend this book for those who love complex fantasy stories. I suggest having book 2 lined up though because the ending feels more like a beginning if that makes sense. I can honestly say I loved this.
March 19, 2019
“his life might have been built on illusions, but his death would be his greatest trick.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s 1902 and a mysterious magician steals the most powerful book to the magical universe, never to be seen again. A century later, magic is almost extinct, and the last, surviving, magician is sent back in time to steal the book before it vanishes with The Magician to save the future. From there starts the concoction of the biggest illusion spectacle of all, to steal the book from under the most watchful eyes.
If you’re a fan of time travel from Doctor Who or The Umbrella Academy, I think you’ll have a great time with this book.
Before writing my review (more of a gush, let's be honest,) I’ve read a few others and the main highlighted problem of this book is that it’s pretty dense and intricate. It’s something that I personally love because it makes the magic system even more fascinating than I could have imagined, but I know that some people have raised this dense factor as an issue as it confused them. Be aware, The Last Magician is a book that needs your devoted attention and a working brain. Lisa Maxwell doesn’t give you all of the answers, it’s a pretty 50% writer 50% reader book, and I don’t see that often in YA. I’m a partisan of “the best books are the result of a collaboration between the reader and the writer” school of thought so I was satisfied with that, but if you like books that explain everything to you, The Last Magician won’t be it.
Continuing on that thought, I love the fact that The Last Magician doesn’t explain shit. The book start straight in the action, you have piece the story together because you’re in the character’s head, it’s realistic like that, she’s not explaining why she’s doing what’s she’s doing and how in her thought process because she knows it already. It’s a great show of Deep POV and I stand behind it. The only reason you find information to grasp is because it’s discussed in a conversation, and even then, it feels vivid because of how realistic the dialogues are.
The world-building is fascinating, and I can’t wait to read more of it. The way the magician use magic is interesting and I wish that part was explained more because their powers just seemed to be ‘there’ and ready to be used? Their powers are described as an extension of their mind, a sort of sixth sense if you will but it doesn’t go much farther than that. Which means that magic is innate to mages. I think we’ll dive into that more in the next book as it focuses more on the magic side of things and less on the heist which took an important chunk of the first book.
The most interesting, in my opinion, is how there’s a sort of magical, electrical shield which unable magicians of leaving New York, it’s one of the most important parts and I love how it’s described in the book (which I won’t discuss because of spoilers.) The way the order pulls their alchemy and try to mimic magic to obtain power and control immigration was incredible, I think my favourites parts of this book were mostly composed of alchemy talks and machinery building.
I think the characters were well-developed as well, Esta was interesting and her deep POV offered a unique opportunity to develop her character and Maxwell handled that well. The Magician (which I won’t name because of spoilers) was my favourite character, he was charming and sarcastic yet vulnerable because his entire life was built on illusions and lies. He gave us some of the best quotes, (including the one on top) and his relationship with Esta brought me the feels. I thought it was daring and cute because they both forced the other to be better and stronger. I ship it.
I also loved Dolph, I thought he was insightful, smart and cunning but kind as well. He wasn’t a villain, he wasn’t a hero, he was just someone. And I think that’s one of the book greatest’s strengths, the characters feel as shady as people and I admire that.
The only real problem I had was the villain, he felt really flat and underdeveloped when we had plenty of opportunities to develop him. I only loved this line by the end which just encapsulates the character perfectly “you’re standing here, monologuing like some cartoon villain,” and that’s exactly what he felt like; underdeveloped and stereotyped.
A quick summary of my thoughts; the writing style is enchanting, the plot is fast-paced and entertaining, the romance is swoon-worthy, the characters are well-developed, and the world-building is dense. In overall, I think The Last Magician is a strong debut for a series and I can’t wait to see if the second book is even better.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s 1902 and a mysterious magician steals the most powerful book to the magical universe, never to be seen again. A century later, magic is almost extinct, and the last, surviving, magician is sent back in time to steal the book before it vanishes with The Magician to save the future. From there starts the concoction of the biggest illusion spectacle of all, to steal the book from under the most watchful eyes.
If you’re a fan of time travel from Doctor Who or The Umbrella Academy, I think you’ll have a great time with this book.
Before writing my review (more of a gush, let's be honest,) I’ve read a few others and the main highlighted problem of this book is that it’s pretty dense and intricate. It’s something that I personally love because it makes the magic system even more fascinating than I could have imagined, but I know that some people have raised this dense factor as an issue as it confused them. Be aware, The Last Magician is a book that needs your devoted attention and a working brain. Lisa Maxwell doesn’t give you all of the answers, it’s a pretty 50% writer 50% reader book, and I don’t see that often in YA. I’m a partisan of “the best books are the result of a collaboration between the reader and the writer” school of thought so I was satisfied with that, but if you like books that explain everything to you, The Last Magician won’t be it.
Continuing on that thought, I love the fact that The Last Magician doesn’t explain shit. The book start straight in the action, you have piece the story together because you’re in the character’s head, it’s realistic like that, she’s not explaining why she’s doing what’s she’s doing and how in her thought process because she knows it already. It’s a great show of Deep POV and I stand behind it. The only reason you find information to grasp is because it’s discussed in a conversation, and even then, it feels vivid because of how realistic the dialogues are.
The world-building is fascinating, and I can’t wait to read more of it. The way the magician use magic is interesting and I wish that part was explained more because their powers just seemed to be ‘there’ and ready to be used? Their powers are described as an extension of their mind, a sort of sixth sense if you will but it doesn’t go much farther than that. Which means that magic is innate to mages. I think we’ll dive into that more in the next book as it focuses more on the magic side of things and less on the heist which took an important chunk of the first book.
The most interesting, in my opinion, is how there’s a sort of magical, electrical shield which unable magicians of leaving New York, it’s one of the most important parts and I love how it’s described in the book (which I won’t discuss because of spoilers.) The way the order pulls their alchemy and try to mimic magic to obtain power and control immigration was incredible, I think my favourites parts of this book were mostly composed of alchemy talks and machinery building.
I think the characters were well-developed as well, Esta was interesting and her deep POV offered a unique opportunity to develop her character and Maxwell handled that well. The Magician (which I won’t name because of spoilers) was my favourite character, he was charming and sarcastic yet vulnerable because his entire life was built on illusions and lies. He gave us some of the best quotes, (including the one on top) and his relationship with Esta brought me the feels. I thought it was daring and cute because they both forced the other to be better and stronger. I ship it.
I also loved Dolph, I thought he was insightful, smart and cunning but kind as well. He wasn’t a villain, he wasn’t a hero, he was just someone. And I think that’s one of the book greatest’s strengths, the characters feel as shady as people and I admire that.
The only real problem I had was the villain, he felt really flat and underdeveloped when we had plenty of opportunities to develop him. I only loved this line by the end which just encapsulates the character perfectly “you’re standing here, monologuing like some cartoon villain,” and that’s exactly what he felt like; underdeveloped and stereotyped.
A quick summary of my thoughts; the writing style is enchanting, the plot is fast-paced and entertaining, the romance is swoon-worthy, the characters are well-developed, and the world-building is dense. In overall, I think The Last Magician is a strong debut for a series and I can’t wait to see if the second book is even better.
August 10, 2017
Okay.... I don't get it. I'm looking at the barrage of 4-5 star reviews and thinking "Did we read the same book?". Everything about this book is weak. Except maybe the original idea for the plot which I think could have been AWESOME. But definitely didn't turn out that way. I feel like if I cared enough to try, I could go through and poke so many holes in this story it would look like a noodle strainer. But not as durable. Like a strainer made out of sand. Cause that's totally a thing.
The characters aren't fully developed and there is no tension in the relationships (even though the author tells us there is). People died and I felt nothing (Which sort of makes me sound like a monster? But it's not my fault the characters didn't feel real!). Also, OMFG the lack of trust. That's probably why I didn't care about any of the relationships. HONESTY IS IMPORTANT, PEOPLE. There is a grand total of zero healthy relationships in this book. Not even any friendships. That's not fun to read! Why would I root for these people? And the male lead Harte was hedging on abusive, so please don't romanticize him. Ladies, you can do better.
Even though there were a number of plot twists I didn't see coming, they didn't shock me. They didn't feel real or relevant or something - I don't even know. It was all just so blah.
And the Magic system was frustrating and lackluster. Sure, okay, everyone has different affinities with no apparent structure, I can accept that. But Maxwell uses this as a sort of mystique and doesn't explain any of the specific characters' affinities, only hints at them. Which is infuriating and unnecessary.
I read the book in a few days and finished it a few minutes ago and I feel like I've forgotten half of it already. I'm disappointed because the plot is actually a great idea, but it was mucked up with poor execution.
The characters aren't fully developed and there is no tension in the relationships (even though the author tells us there is). People died and I felt nothing (Which sort of makes me sound like a monster? But it's not my fault the characters didn't feel real!). Also, OMFG the lack of trust. That's probably why I didn't care about any of the relationships. HONESTY IS IMPORTANT, PEOPLE. There is a grand total of zero healthy relationships in this book. Not even any friendships. That's not fun to read! Why would I root for these people? And the male lead Harte was hedging on abusive, so please don't romanticize him. Ladies, you can do better.
Even though there were a number of plot twists I didn't see coming, they didn't shock me. They didn't feel real or relevant or something - I don't even know. It was all just so blah.
And the Magic system was frustrating and lackluster. Sure, okay, everyone has different affinities with no apparent structure, I can accept that. But Maxwell uses this as a sort of mystique and doesn't explain any of the specific characters' affinities, only hints at them. Which is infuriating and unnecessary.
I read the book in a few days and finished it a few minutes ago and I feel like I've forgotten half of it already. I'm disappointed because the plot is actually a great idea, but it was mucked up with poor execution.
July 29, 2018
“The only rule that counted was to not get caught.”
Masterpiece alert.
Esta, our main character, is funny, smart and has her priorities straight. She's perfect omg. She's a formidable pickpocket from our time and has some old magic, she can manipulate time and also travel through it with a magical stone. Her mission is to steal an old book from 1902 and in order to do that she has to infiltrate Dolph's gang of thugs.
Our second protagonist is Harte, a magician from 1902 who used to be part of Dolph's gang but who got out and built a new decent life for himself. Dolph wants to steal the book Esta's after and he wants Harte's connections and magic. Harte is amazing. He's funny, flirty, badass, stubborn and his mother is his weakness. I want to hug him, constantly.
AND GODDAMN ARE ESTA AND HARTE SHIPPABLE AF. I NEED THEM TO BE TOGETHER. THE ENEMIES TO LOVERS TROPE IS MY WEAKNESS.
The rest of the crew is amazing, too!
There's Dolph who's an older version of Kaz Brekker.
There's Viola, an Italian assassin who doesn't need her hands to kill.
There's Nibs, Dolph's right hand.
There's Jianyu, who's Chinese and can manipulate light and make himself invisible.
The last 100 pages will give you at least 4 heart attacks because it's basically one plot twist after another, all unguessable and painful af.
Masterpiece alert.
Esta, our main character, is funny, smart and has her priorities straight. She's perfect omg. She's a formidable pickpocket from our time and has some old magic, she can manipulate time and also travel through it with a magical stone. Her mission is to steal an old book from 1902 and in order to do that she has to infiltrate Dolph's gang of thugs.
Our second protagonist is Harte, a magician from 1902 who used to be part of Dolph's gang but who got out and built a new decent life for himself. Dolph wants to steal the book Esta's after and he wants Harte's connections and magic. Harte is amazing. He's funny, flirty, badass, stubborn and his mother is his weakness. I want to hug him, constantly.
AND GODDAMN ARE ESTA AND HARTE SHIPPABLE AF. I NEED THEM TO BE TOGETHER. THE ENEMIES TO LOVERS TROPE IS MY WEAKNESS.
The rest of the crew is amazing, too!
There's Dolph who's an older version of Kaz Brekker.
There's Viola, an Italian assassin who doesn't need her hands to kill.
There's Nibs, Dolph's right hand.
There's Jianyu, who's Chinese and can manipulate light and make himself invisible.
The last 100 pages will give you at least 4 heart attacks because it's basically one plot twist after another, all unguessable and painful af.
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