The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell Review

Title: The Last Magician

Author: Lisa Maxwell

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction

Series: The Last Magician, book one

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

I found this book through a recommendation I found online, and it sat in my library stack for a while, staring at me, beautiful and ominous all at once. And I was busy reading another book, and it went back to the library soon. My husband was looking for a book to read in his spare time, and so I recommended it and let him read it before me. He ended up devouring it in a week and told me to read it as soon as I was done with the book I was currently reading. I did, and I was absolutely blown away! This book is a strange, heady cocktail of historical fiction, fantasy, romance, action, and adventure, all culminating into a rip-roaring tale that captured my heart and turned the gears of my mind at high speed, leaving me breathless and shocked long after the last page.

Esta is a thief, one of the best. But what makes her different is that she can harness magic to literally stop time! When she is sent to Gilded Age New York to steal a magical book that could change the past and the future, she discovers a diverse case of characters, all of them gifted with strange abilities, just like her. But this isn’t the New York of 2017, and dangerous, dark forces, human and otherwise, are converging upon them, forcing a race against the clock. And that’s not even including the troubling chemistry between herself and Harte Darrigan, a mysterious, handsome magician whose easy smile and charm hide a dark past and even more dangerous secrets. Will Esta succeed in her quest, or will everything fall apart?

I really, really liked this book, my husband’s opinions notwithstanding. It was unusual and exciting, a fun, adventurous blend of fantasy, historical fiction, romance, and action. The pacing was snappy and breakneck, and though it was difficult to get into at first because of the different viewpoints, I was captivated by Esta, and her journey from the present to gorgeous, dangerous Gilded Age New York, where magic hides in plain sight and brutal gangs fight for supremacy. I loved Esta and the cast of supporting characters, especially in the past. I was absolutely spellbound, and I was frantically turning pages in order to finish it, both because of needing to return it and the even greater desire to find out what was going to happen. I had no idea who to trust: the cold, shady Dolph, mob boss and protector of the neighborhood, beautiful, feisty assassin Viola, second in command, quiet, unnerving Nibs, and Jack, the poor little rich boy who wants the book for his own purposes. This book was pretty much perfect, down to the ending that’s shocked me to my core, to this day. I’m so excited that there’s going to be a sequel, because that cliffhanger was one heck of a doozy! The bottom line: A deliciously twisty, fast-paced adventure through time and history, The Last Magician is one of my favorite books of 2017, and I just can’t wait for more! Next on deck: Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows!