ARC Review~ The Last Magician

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

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell, was an extraordinary read, had a well-written storyline, as well as clever characters to go along with it. The story felt unique, the heist was grand, and the characters always left you questioning. Overall the story and setting were extraordinary and Maxwell did a brilliant job at crafting this tale.

The characters were one of my favourite things about this read. Each had a purpose and each defined the book in its own way. I loved learning about each of the characters affinities, sometimes there were things given away, other times it was hard to figure it out. I connected strongly to the characters, more so then I did the storyline. It strongly held me interested throughout the entirety of this read.

Another aspect that I really enjoyed about this read was the setting and vibes I got from it. We as readers are tossed between modern day New York and 1900 New York, and that outlining idea was very important to the story. The story centred around the idea that Mageus in this world were the slum in the city and the non magical folks were the rich. This in turn made for gangs and gangsters to appear. The magic and gangsters went had in had with this setting, and it made it an unforgettable aspect to the story.

My one minor concern was the disconnection I felt towards the novel at the beginning regarding the plot. This is a time travel novel, so I was a little confused as to what was happening. As well this book jumps right into the storyline, which wasn't a bad thing, it just to me felt like a lot to me. Overall, the story got better as it went on once I understood the necessary time jumps at the beginning.

All in all, I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy historical fictions, and magic. This story was unique and Lisa Maxwell wielded a powerful tale with an even greater twist. I will be looking forward to the second.

Title: The Last Magician
Author: Lisa Maxwell
Publication Date: July 18th, 2017
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 512 pages
Format: Advanced Reading Copy provided by Simon Teen Canada
Description: 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.