A review by brendaclay
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier

3.0

I'm re-reading this because I finally got the other two books in the trilogy! Fifteen-year-old Reason has grown up on the run with her young mother, moving constantly to stay out of the clutches of her evil grandmother, Esmeralda. But when her mother goes crazy and is placed in a mental hospital, Reason is sent to Sydney and Esmeralda's care. There, while plotting her escape, she steps through the back door and finds herself suddenly in New York City. Totally confused, she's "rescued" by another teenager named Jay-Tee and her sinister guardian. Things are way more complicated than they appear, and over time Reason pieces together two life-altering truths - she and her family are magical, and they must either use their magic and die young, or not use it and go mad. END OF BOOK ONE!