The Last Magician

I read the New York Times book review section regularly and I love it when they have a section on children’s and young adult books, there are usually some great reads in it and The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell was one that I finished up last weekend. You know it’s good when you stay up past your normal bed time to finish it.

The book moves between modern day and the early 1900s in a version of New York City where there are people who have magical affinities but they are discriminated against by The Order, even going so far as to put up a barrier around the city that will kill magicians if they try and leave. Esta, the main character, uses her affinity to stop and slow time along with moving back and forth in time. And she’s trying to defeat the order by prevent The Magician from becoming powerful in the past.

Maxwell’s descriptions of 1902 New York City were great, along with the various affinities she came up with for different characters. It’s an enjoyable adventure as well as a bit of a mystery to figure out which characters were indeed trustworthy and which weren’t. And, honestly, I loved the character of Esta and her great one liners and spunk. It was a fun escape from the awfulness of current world news.