THE LAST MAGICIAN by Lisa Maxwell centers in both modern-
day and early 20th century Manhattan in a world that is
heavily influenced by magic. Those who possess this
magic are termed Mageus. The problem is there are fewer
and fewer Mageus around and the ones who do exist are
severely oppressed and forced to live in the shadows. To
make matters even worse, the Mageus are trapped by what
is called "The Brink". The Brink being an energy barrier
that traps them on the island. Those Mageus who attempt
to escape and cross the brink are painfully stripped of
all magic and left essentially for dead. However, one
talented Mageus named Esta has the ability to travel back
in time to old New York at the turn of the 20th century.
Once there, she hopes to steal a special book that
supposedly contains the secrets about who or what created
The Brink and that will hopefully lead to the answers
that will change the course of history. The only problem
is the people who she needs to steal the book from are
both well-protected and not that easy to steal from. Old
New York is also a very dangerous place where magic is
much more volatile and unpredictable. To carry out her
ultimate goal Esta must infiltrate the shadowy
organization that guards the secret book, risking her own
life and the lives of those people she holds most dear.
Along the way she will encounter villains from the past
unlike any she has ever come across before.
I was extremely impressed by THE LAST MAGICIAN.
The concept of people who are gifted with magic being
segregated and shunned was one that I had read before,
but Lisa Maxwell handled it more deftly than most. I
also enjoyed the idea of travelling back and forth in
time to attempt to alter the events that lead to the
dystopian totalitarian modern-day environment that the
Mageus are forced to live in. Esta is a multi-layered
protagonist who shows a vulnerable side that makes her
more believable as a character. Too many times we see
protagonists as indestructible and perfect, who always
make the correct decisions no matter what gets thrown at
them. Here we have a strong female character who is also
prone to doubting herself at times. This doesn't take
away from her strength; on the contrary, it shows that
she has the ability to critically think about situations
and problems that arise. Lisa Maxwell is a new author
who I hadn't really heard of before picking up this book.
I'm glad that I did though because this was a very
enjoyable book that will appeal to anyone who enjoys
dystopian, time travel, or even traditional fantasies. I
expect to hear more and more accolades as it becomes more
widely-read. I thoroughly enjoyed THE LAST MAGICIAN and
was impressed by both the world-building and the
magnificent writing. Highly recommended!
From Unhooked author Lisa Maxwell comes a captivating new
world filled with magic and deception, about a girl who
must travel back in time to find a mysterious book that
could save her future.
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.
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