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A review by soramun
The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell
4.0
This story takes place in present day New York where a headstrong thief named Esta and her crew work together to steal precious magical items. Whether it be from the past or the present, Esta uses everything her adoptive father has taught her, to bend time and the people around her to her will. Finally, after many years of training, she is ready to pull one of the biggest heists of her life from one of the trickiest people she's ever come across; The Magician. With the fate of all Magical people held in her hands, Esta must go back in time to steal an ancient book which has the ability to change everyone's future. But, New York in 1902 is full of territorial gangs and members of the Order who exterminates magic users every chance they get. Unfortunately she's going to have to choose who to trust and there's not enough time for mistakes, not even for her.
From start to finish this is one of the most thrilling books I've read all year. Maybe even my entire life. It reminded me a lot of how I felt when reading Six of Crows and even Lord of Shadows. The character development was spot on and although I cared more for certain characters than others, ALL of the people in this story played their roles perfectly. Lisa Maxwell does a fantastic job of building up each and every back story so that when something happens, you're either biting your nails in anticipation or laughing out loud at someone's victory. Not to throw any shade, but this is everything I had wanted in Caraval. There's magic, trickery, a really good love story, betrayal, and a game of wits and power. Also, I am a lover when it comes to stories set in older eras. The details made me really feel like I was bouncing around the entire city of Old New York. Maxwell's writing just flowed so well together that it almost felt like I was watching a movie play out (I would love to see this as a movie tbh). The twists and turns were almost too much for me to bare at one point which I absolutely CRAVE in stories. This is one of those books that the ending never spoils because it's more about the journey toward the end, than the actual ending itself and the journey was freakin fantastic.
A couple of things I did have a problem with was one, the ending. It left on such a cliff hanger that I was just sitting on my bed like, "What just happened??". I don't know yet whether this was a stand a lone or if she plans on writing a second book or companion book. I just really hope she does something to fill in the blanks. Also, there was a bit of science that explained a few things towards the end that confused me a little. Maybe it's because I don't know that much about science, but I might have to reread to understand a bit better and make sure it wasn't just a bunch of fluff to try and wrap things up nicely. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book immensely. I haven't seen too many people on BookTube talk about it yet and some people I noticed on social media seemed to push the book to their TBR but anyone who enjoyed Six of Crows or any novels about heists, gangs, magic, and or the early 20th century will enjoy this book. Just give it a chance!
From start to finish this is one of the most thrilling books I've read all year. Maybe even my entire life. It reminded me a lot of how I felt when reading Six of Crows and even Lord of Shadows. The character development was spot on and although I cared more for certain characters than others, ALL of the people in this story played their roles perfectly. Lisa Maxwell does a fantastic job of building up each and every back story so that when something happens, you're either biting your nails in anticipation or laughing out loud at someone's victory. Not to throw any shade, but this is everything I had wanted in Caraval. There's magic, trickery, a really good love story, betrayal, and a game of wits and power. Also, I am a lover when it comes to stories set in older eras. The details made me really feel like I was bouncing around the entire city of Old New York. Maxwell's writing just flowed so well together that it almost felt like I was watching a movie play out (I would love to see this as a movie tbh). The twists and turns were almost too much for me to bare at one point which I absolutely CRAVE in stories. This is one of those books that the ending never spoils because it's more about the journey toward the end, than the actual ending itself and the journey was freakin fantastic.
A couple of things I did have a problem with was one, the ending. It left on such a cliff hanger that I was just sitting on my bed like, "What just happened??". I don't know yet whether this was a stand a lone or if she plans on writing a second book or companion book. I just really hope she does something to fill in the blanks. Also, there was a bit of science that explained a few things towards the end that confused me a little. Maybe it's because I don't know that much about science, but I might have to reread to understand a bit better and make sure it wasn't just a bunch of fluff to try and wrap things up nicely. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book immensely. I haven't seen too many people on BookTube talk about it yet and some people I noticed on social media seemed to push the book to their TBR but anyone who enjoyed Six of Crows or any novels about heists, gangs, magic, and or the early 20th century will enjoy this book. Just give it a chance!