Magic or Madness (Magic or Madness Trilogy, Book 1)
by Justine Larbalestier
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Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com
Reason Cansino has always been taught to fear her grandmother, Esmeralda. Reason's mother, Sarafina, has taken them all over Australia, mostly to remote Aboriginal settlements. Reason has only been to a real school once, but Sarafina has taught her lots of things, mostly math and some science.
Reason has been happy with her life, but when Sarafina goes crazy--really crazy, as in trying to kill herself instead of her usual craziness consistin...more
Reason Cansino has always been taught to fear her grandmother, Esmeralda. Reason's mother, Sarafina, has taken them all over Australia, mostly to remote Aboriginal settlements. Reason has only been to a real school once, but Sarafina has taught her lots of things, mostly math and some science.
Reason has been happy with her life, but when Sarafina goes crazy--really crazy, as in trying to kill herself instead of her usual craziness consistin...more
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Read in January, 2008
I got a free Advance Reading Copy of this book a few years back, and never got around to reading it. It's the first in a trilogy, and as of now, not only has this one been officially released, the other two books have also been published. So much for my advance reading.
Basic plot: Reason (yes, that's her name) and her mother have been on the run from her evil grandmother for most of Reason's life. When Reason's mother is hospitalized for mental illness, Reason is sent to live with said evil ...more
Basic plot: Reason (yes, that's her name) and her mother have been on the run from her evil grandmother for most of Reason's life. When Reason's mother is hospitalized for mental illness, Reason is sent to live with said evil ...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
People who don't like fantasy
I’ve never been into books about dragons and fairies and whatnot (I don’t even care for Lord of the Rings), but Larbalestier’s magic is so suffused with real, temporal, relational implications that it was easy to overlook the unicorn-adorned fantasy sticker on the book’s spine. Magic, in this world, does not rely on the wand-and-spell clichés that make Harry Potter so endearing, instead finding inspiration in psychic energy that flows from humans to the natural world and back aga...more
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Read in August, 2007
The one where Reason's mother goes mad, leaving Reason in the clutches of the grandmother she's been taught is a wicked witch.
I enjoyed this, though like many YA books it was more of a snack than a full novel. (It only lasted me a day and a half! I had to make a special evening trip to the library so as not to face a bookless night!)
I enjoyed spending time with Reason; unlike a lot of YA heroines, she's not whiny, nor are her problems trivial. She is exasperatingly unwilling to l...more
I enjoyed this, though like many YA books it was more of a snack than a full novel. (It only lasted me a day and a half! I had to make a special evening trip to the library so as not to face a bookless night!)
I enjoyed spending time with Reason; unlike a lot of YA heroines, she's not whiny, nor are her problems trivial. She is exasperatingly unwilling to l...more
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
People who want just a taste of the fantasy world.
I have to first start off with the point of view, or points of view i should say. Reason, the main character started the story off by narrating in first person. But as the story proceeded and introduced more characters the telling was twisted into third person with these new characters as the focal point. I found this more irritating than confusing and wished the story would have been told from one point of view preferably Reason's. I believe the maintaining of Reason's narration would have...more
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Read in August, 2007
This is a YA book but I was completely enthralled. I like all books that have to do with magic or witches but this book takes the cake.
I don't usually do a synopsis but here's a short one: Reason and her mother Sarafina are on the run from Reason's grandmother Esmerelda. However, when Sarafina goes crazy, Reason is placed with her grandmother. Nothing about Esmerelda's home in Syndey, Australia is what she expected and when she walks through the back door and ends up in New York City, she h...more
I don't usually do a synopsis but here's a short one: Reason and her mother Sarafina are on the run from Reason's grandmother Esmerelda. However, when Sarafina goes crazy, Reason is placed with her grandmother. Nothing about Esmerelda's home in Syndey, Australia is what she expected and when she walks through the back door and ends up in New York City, she h...more
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Read in September, 2007
This book was bucking for four stars but the last twenty pages ruined it. The "final battle" was oddly staged, confusing and not very well written. I ended up skimming it. The conclusion was also disappointing. It felt like the author was either trying for a "non-traditional" ending (not perfect and fuzzy happy) or bucking for a sequel. If non-traditional, then I'm kind of spooked - what a weird student-teacher dynamic - and annoyed, since not enough ends were tied up ...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Magic lovers who like a twist
This book is about Reason Cansino and she lives in Australia. Her mother and her have been traveling the outback trying to escape her crazy grandmother. Although her mother becomes insane and is sent to a care place. So Reason is put in the care of her grandmother. Reason's mother, Sarafina, has told her of all of the bad things about the house and her mother. She believes her to be an evil woman who does evil deeds. But as Reason lives there more often, she is becoming to realize that her grand...more
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Read in April, 2008
At first I didn't know if I would like this book that much. I was interested in it because the author is Scott Westerfeld's wife...I think Scott is great, but I just wasn't too confident I would like his wife's book..I mean they aren't as popular as Scott's.
Well, I enjoyed this book. It kept me reading and I finished it pretty quickly. The book does take on different points of views, but that didn't really bother me as it might some. The main character is a mathy person. Kind of reminds me o...more
Well, I enjoyed this book. It kept me reading and I finished it pretty quickly. The book does take on different points of views, but that didn't really bother me as it might some. The main character is a mathy person. Kind of reminds me o...more
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Read in February, 2007
I enjoyed this better than the other teen sci-fi trilogy I've been reading (Westerfield's Uglies/Pretties/Specials). And it is related--apparently Westerfield was a mentor for this author.
Anyway, good stuff. Reason has been raised in the Outback by her mother, constantly running from an "evil" grandmother. The duo gets caught and mom is hauled off to a psychiatric hospital. Now, Reason finds that her grandmother doesn't seem that scary or evil, but she can't go against what her mot...more
Anyway, good stuff. Reason has been raised in the Outback by her mother, constantly running from an "evil" grandmother. The duo gets caught and mom is hauled off to a psychiatric hospital. Now, Reason finds that her grandmother doesn't seem that scary or evil, but she can't go against what her mot...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Everyone that loves a book that fluidly tie into one another and switch the area of perception.
The reason that this struck a fancy to me was the fact that it involved magic...plus the cover to Magic's Child which looked really neat.^^
***Now that I have finished reading the book like two days ago I can't help but to say that I love the book very much.They ended it in such a way that it really ties into the title of the next book.From "Magic or Madness" to "Magic Lessons".Just from the title I can predict that the three of them,if no more appear,will start their trai...more
***Now that I have finished reading the book like two days ago I can't help but to say that I love the book very much.They ended it in such a way that it really ties into the title of the next book.From "Magic or Madness" to "Magic Lessons".Just from the title I can predict that the three of them,if no more appear,will start their trai...more
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
ages 13 and up
This is a good one! What if you inherited magic from your mother, a magic that you must use or go crazy? But if you DO use it, it uses you up, and the more you use it, the sooner you die.
This is what 15-year-old Reason Cansino discovers when her mother, who had denied any existence of magic and kept them constantly moving, has a breakdown that puts her in a mental hospital. Now Reason must go to live with the grandmother she has always been told was evil. Why else would she find the bones of ...more
This is what 15-year-old Reason Cansino discovers when her mother, who had denied any existence of magic and kept them constantly moving, has a breakdown that puts her in a mental hospital. Now Reason must go to live with the grandmother she has always been told was evil. Why else would she find the bones of ...more
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Read in May, 2008
This first in a fantasy trilogy is a very fast paced read. Reason's mother goes insane, so she has to go live with her grandmother, the source of her mother's insanity, or so she has been led to believe. Reason tries to avoid contact with Esmerelda, but decides she needs to run away. Little does she know running away will send her from Australia to New York. The book is full of action, a little violence, and is a good entry in the urban fantasy genre.
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Read in July, 2007
The author sets up an interesting choice: if you were born with a magical gift, would you use it and die young or ignore it and go insane? This first book in the trilogy sets up plenty of possibilities for the other two books; we quickly discover that we can trust no one and that even our protagonists have nasty skeletons in their closets. Just as we begin rooting for one character, Larbalestier casts dark shadows upon their motives. A quick and exciting read, with an interesting dual setting i...more
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This was a really fun book! Typical story - girl is living with delusional mother in the Australian outback. Girl's mother is taken away. Girl goes to live with grandmother she's never met. Girl walks through grandmother's back door in Sydney and ends up in New York City... Lke I said, typical right? :)
Another reason I am partial to this book is that I had the great opportunity to hang out with Justine and Scott a bit at a library conference. They are two super cool folks and completely do...more
Another reason I am partial to this book is that I had the great opportunity to hang out with Justine and Scott a bit at a library conference. They are two super cool folks and completely do...more
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recommends it for:
10 and over
This book is great for people who love fanatsy and magic. I liked this book because it kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I think it let itself down abit because someitmes it got a bit boring. Also it had a little to much fantasy and they writer went overboard just a tiny bit. But over all I really enjoyed it. It had its moments but I would recommend it and I am definaltely going to read the rest of the series :P
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Read in January, 2008
this is a young adult fiction piece that the librarian I'm working with in the children's department couldn't stop raving about. Its pretty good, like most fantasy for kids, it moves fast, has precocious main characters, and energetic descriptions of the world. If you liked Harry Potter, and you are looking for more coming of age books in magical settings, then go for it.
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It was interesting I guess, at least kind of a unique concept, but the author's use of dramatic irony drove me up the wall. I get that the characters arent going to find out everything as fast as the readers sometimes, but they should have the SENSE to work some of it out! the characters just got on my nerves.
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Read in April, 2008
I'm not sure how I came across this book, but I'm glad I checked it out from the library & didn't buy it. It was really just ok for me (that sounded like Randy from American idol - dawg). Anyways, I wouldn't recommend it. I don't even think I will bother reading the other 2 books in the trilogy.
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Reason Cansino has spent her life with her unusual mother in the bush, moving frequently, keeping to herself, and learning how to guard against her bizarre grandmother, Esmeralda. But when her mother goes insane she needs to live with Esmeralda....
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