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Magic or Madness (Magic or Madness #1)

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 2,485 ratings · 261 reviews

For fifteen years, Reason Cansino has lived a life on the run. Together with her mother, Sarafina, she has moved from one place to another in the Australian countryside, desperate not to be found by Reason's grandmother Esmeralda, a dangerous woman who believes in magic. But when Sarafina suffers a breakdown, Reason is forced to move in with her grandmother in Sydney. The

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Paperback, 304 pages

Published March 16th 2006 by Razorbill (first published March 17th 2005)

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Aug 09, 2007 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who don't like fantasy

Shelves: armchair-travels, award-winners, city-reads, epic-odysseys, library-school, ls583, orphans, other-worlds, science-fiction, strong-women, ya-fic

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 again.

The heroine,...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

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 consisting of thi...more 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 consisting of things like making them walk in straight lines for days--all of that comes to an end. Reason is sent to live with Esmeralda in Sydney. She's expecting the dark, scary house of her mother's stories. The one where Sarafina's cat was murdered. The house where dark magic takes place--imaginary magic, of course, as Sarafina has always said that magic isn't real. It's too illogical.

What Reason finds, however, is a spacious, light house, not at all witchy. There are no animal sacrifices in the living room, no bubbling cauldrons in the kitchen. That can't undo the belief that years of Sarafina's stories have created, though. Reason is sure that something is going on underneath the surface, and she's got to run away and get out of Sydney as soon as possible. She's got to rescue Sarafina from the loony bin where she's been locked up.

Sydney's not all bad, though. Reason meets Esmeralda's neighbor, a boy about her age named Tom. She'll be sorry to leave him behind, but it looks like he's working with Esmeralda, and she's got to get away from the witch.

Reason's escape from Sydney doesn't exactly go as planned. Instead of escaping with her mother and all of her supplies, Reason finds herself on a winter street in New York City, barefoot and with nothing, after stepping through Esmeralda's back door.

She doesn't know how she ended up there, but she's grateful to Jay-Tee, the teenage girl who rescued her from the freezing, alien streets. She thinks that Jay-Tee is just a friendly passerby...But could there be more to it than that? What is going on? How did Reason step through a door from Sydney to New York? That's just not possible. What secrets are being hidden from her?

MAGIC OR MADNESS is a wonderful novel from Justine Larbalestier, who's married to one of my favorite authors of all time, Scott Westerfeld. It's a fascinating story, and the way it's told is a little unconventional: some chapters are told in a first person point of view, in Reason's voice, and others are told in a third person limited point of view, from inside either Jay-Tee's or Tom's mind. These three different points of view could be confusing, but Justine Larbalestier pulls it off wonderfully.

The story itself is quite a page-turner. I read this book when it first came out, and reread it after getting my own copy in paperback, and I loved it both times. The characters are all wonderfully realistic and interesting. Each answer Reason finds only leads to more questions, keeping suspense throughout the story. The writing is fantastic, and I'm really looking forward to the third book in the trilogy, MAGIC'S CHILD, coming in 2007! (less)

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Sep 06, 2007 Lauren Giova rated it 2 of 5 stars 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 brou...more

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Aug 14, 2007 Res rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sff, locus_poll

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 listen or ask qu...more

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Dec 08, 2007 Mandy rated it 4 of 5 stars 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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Nov 17, 2008 Ling rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who loves magic

If you are the one who have magic, you will choose magic or madness?
Reason was a teenager who had magic. Around her family, everyone who used their magic died early, but who didn't use their magic became mad around thirty years old.
What would Reason choose?

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Feb 16, 2007 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult, fiction, fantasy

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 mother taught her...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

_Magic or Madness_ reads beautifully as the first third of a three-part novel. Like most books written in a series, it doesn't actually feel like it's own book because it is just one part of a larger plot arc... to be continued. But one can hardly fault a contemporary author for propelling you into her next book through whatever means necessary.

The characters in _Magic or Madness_ are vivid if sparely drawn. There is little breathing time in this fast-paced novel in which the reader, like Reaso...more

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Dec 08, 2008 Julia rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA readers, magical fantasy

Shelves: urban-fantasy, ya

Reason is a 15 year old girl who’s moved from place to place in the Australian outback every few months, on the run from Reason’s grandmother Esmerelda. Sarafina, her mother, attempts suicide, is hospitalized and Reason goes to live with Esmerelda in Sydney. Reason loves math, does Fibonacci numbers to calm herself and has always been told what an evil witch Esmerelda is. In Sydney she makes her first friend in Tom the boy next door, who designs fabulous clothes. Walking out Esmerelda’s back doo...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Michele Wen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-2013

Magic or Madness was a really interesting book because it was really one of the only books I have ever read that is about magic. There was a lot of mysterious moments in is book that kept me wanting to read more and on the edge. There were so many secrets and different things going on in the story. The main character, Reason, has been running away from her grandmother with her mother her whole life because her mother claims that Reason's grandmother is evil and uses magic for bad purposes and to...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Joanna Price rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: si-624, public-library, girls, magic, madness, new-york, australia, grandmother, ages-14-18, ya-novels, award-winning

ages 14-18. In Magic or Madness, Reason Cansino and her mother Serafina are on the run from Serafina's mother.Serafina teaches Reason to reject magic as false and learn math and science. But Serafina is slowly going insane, and eventually Reason is sent to her grandmother's in Australia. When she steps through a door of her grandmother's home and finds herself in New York City, she has to face the startling reality that magic does exist and that she is connected to it. This book is a strong meta...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Andrea Blythe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Reason has lived a transient life with her mother, moving from town to town in the outback of Australia. All her life she and her mother have fled her grandmother, a woman who is evil, who believes that she can cast spells, who believes she is a witch. But Reason knows better, because her mother has taught her that magic is not real; there is no magic; her grandmother is not really a witch.

However, things change when her mother goes insane and Reason is sent to live with her grandmother in Sydne...more

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Jan 11, 2011 Ithlilian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

A mother that drags her child from village to village running from an evil witch may not seem quite sane. That would be because she's not. Her child, Reason, the main character, seems to think her mother is perfectly ok even though she tried to kill herself twice. It really leads you to think that the evil witch grandmother can't be that bad. So when Reason is shipped off to live with the crazy witch, we assume the grandmother will turn out normal. Not quite. There is the cat with it's throat cu...more

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Jan 12, 2010 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fantasy

Okay, first off, a word about the author: Justine Larbalestier is awesome. I was lucky enough to meet her and hear her read a short story a few months ago, and she was incredibly charming and delightful. I’ve since started reading her blog, which is also charming and delightful. I kind of adore her, because not only does she seem like an awesome person, but also in large part because her writing is just so good. So on with the review!

Magic or Madness is great. It’s some of the best, cleanest, mo...more Okay, first off, a word about the author: Justine Larbalestier is awesome. I was lucky enough to meet her and hear her read a short story a few months ago, and she was incredibly charming and delightful. I’ve since started reading her blog, which is also charming and delightful. I kind of adore her, because not only does she seem like an awesome person, but also in large part because her writing is just so good. So on with the review!

Magic or Madness is great. It’s some of the best, cleanest, most polished writing I’ve found since starting this blog. It’s also a compelling story with amazing characters, and it hits me at a number of levels this blog was created in large part to discuss. First, Reason is a fantastic, dynamic female character. As you may be able to guess from her name, she’s a logical, math-oriented person. She constantly assesses what’s going on around her, makes plans, and follows through, even when she’s emotional. I was absolutely struck by how well characterized she is; one of my favorite things about the book is that, when she’s confronted with magic in such a way that she can no longer deny it, Reason immediately begins to try and pin down the internal logic and rules magic must follow—because everything has logic and rules, it’s just a matter of finding patterns. So Reason is smart and active, and one of the best female protagonists I’ve read in awhile.

Next, the book also achieves what a lot fail on: the cast is racially diverse. Of the three teenage protagonists, two are non-white. Reason is biracial; her father is Australian Aboriginal and her mother is white. Jay-Tee (a new friend) and her family are Hispanic.

There are millions of details that also enhanced the book for me. One that really resonated for me was when the characters took a trip to uptown Manhattan—extremely uptown. The description of the area (and how there were no yellow cabs around, an anomaly in the city) was dead-on accurate—which I know, because they were in my neighborhood. It was presented just right, and that was enough to make me confident that the details throughout the book were all accurate as well as enriching.

And then there’s the way magic worked—and the book played out. Magic can make or break a fantasy book; too often, it’s used as a dues ex machina to get the hero out of trouble. From reading her blog, I learned that Justine (I call her by first name because I wish we were BFF) specifically created the magic in Reason’s world so that can’t happen. Instead, the magic itself is as much a curse as a blessing, and (as you might gather from Reason’s reaction to it) it follows rules as unbreakable as the laws of physics. It isn’t a short cut or a plot device; it’s a mystery, and one that’s potentially deadly if not solved.

Full review: http://www.active-voice.net/2008/02/0...(less)

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Jun 17, 2009 cat.r.piller rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to cat.r.piller by: nobody, i found it

You'd be better off not reading this review. Or the book jacket, for that matter. Close the window, step away from your computer, buy the book -- you'll like it, I promise -- and open it to the first page, and begin. Make sure you have a couple hours free, because you're not going to put it down till you're done. Now that you've either already read the book, or are still holding out for me to explain why you ought to, I'll begin. Reason Cansino is an Australian teenager who's been on the run wit...more You'd be better off not reading this review. Or the book jacket, for that matter. Close the window, step away from your computer, buy the book -- you'll like it, I promise -- and open it to the first page, and begin. Make sure you have a couple hours free, because you're not going to put it down till you're done. Now that you've either already read the book, or are still holding out for me to explain why you ought to, I'll begin. Reason Cansino is an Australian teenager who's been on the run with her mother, Sarafina, since she was born. They ran from Sarafina's mother, who was evil and crazy and believed in magic. Sarafina does not believe in magic, and has taught Reason all about numbers and science and logical explanations. But now Sarafina has gone crazy herself and is locked in a mental asylum in Sydney, and Reason is taken away by her grandmother: Esmeralda, the wicked witch.
Reason knows all about Esmeralda -- how she made Sarafina's life hell by demanding that she believe in magic, how she sacrificed cats in bloody ritual spells, how she eats nothing but frogs and snails and brains. But Sarafina taught Reason well, so even though Esmeralda seems nice -- and no brains or dead cats are in evidence -- Reason knows not to speak to her or eat any of her food, and is ready to make her escape.

Think you know where this is going? You're wrong. Sort of.

Oh, you think it's going the other way? Wrong too. Maybe.

The most obvious virtue of Magic or Madness is its simple, page-turning style. Like her husband, fantasy/sf/YA writer Scott Westerfeld, Justine Larbalestier writes books that stay in your hands like they were coated with Krazy Glue, until you've turned the very last page. Reason's unusual voice -- half scientist, half snarky Australian teenager -- is one of the best parts of the book, and though the other two narrators, who appear later, are interesting and likable, I'm always happy to see Reason's narrative return. Though Reason is my favorite, all the characters are distinct and intriguing: a teenage boy who designs clothing, the mysterious Esmeralda, the long shadow cast by the mostly offstage Sarafina, a vampiric sugar daddy, and a Chicana New Yorker who isn't quite as street-smart as she thinks she is. Which brings me to the next thing that's striking about the book, which are its settings.
Magic or Madness takes place in Sydney and New York City, and both are drawn with such vivid detail that, to a reviewer who knows New York (as Reason does not) but not Sydney (as Reason does) that both cities become equally alien, equally disconcerting, and equally enticing. Larbalestier captures the culture shock that an unwary traveler can fall victim to when even countries where English is spoken can seem impossibly different from each other, and where even that English can sound like a foreign tongue. This is the first fantasy I've ever read that gets the effect of having a character transported to Elfland without ever leaving the fields that we know.
This is the first book in a trilogy, and though there's some resolution, it ends on something of a cliffhanger. The second book is Magic Lessons

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Aug 26, 2009 Margot rated it 2 of 5 stars

Not bad. Not great either, but a very interesting concept. Magic exists, but it comes with a hefty price. One you can't avoid. Either you use your magic but you die early, or you ignore your magic and go insane. It's told from the point of view of several characters across the chapters, but the author does a good job keeping you abreast of who's talking without making it forced.

It splits the story between Sydney, Australia and NY, NY, with characters from both locations. So the English is either...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Missririz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-magic-fantasy

Membaca cerita yang bertemakan sihir memang benar-benar menyihir, dapat membuat kita mengkhayalkannya seolah-olah sihir itu nyata. Bayangkan, betapa asyiknya bisa meperbaiki kacamata yang pecah dengan satu kalimat mantra seperti Hermione atau membuat benda terbang dengan hanya mengucapkan "wingardium leviosa", apalagi bisa pergi kesuatu tempat dengan hanya menyentuh sepatu butut dan terbang menggunakan sapu. Aaaah menyenangkan sekali walau hanya bisa membayangkannya saja. Cerita tentang sihir ju...more Membaca cerita yang bertemakan sihir memang benar-benar menyihir, dapat membuat kita mengkhayalkannya seolah-olah sihir itu nyata. Bayangkan, betapa asyiknya bisa meperbaiki kacamata yang pecah dengan satu kalimat mantra seperti Hermione atau membuat benda terbang dengan hanya mengucapkan "wingardium leviosa", apalagi bisa pergi kesuatu tempat dengan hanya menyentuh sepatu butut dan terbang menggunakan sapu. Aaaah menyenangkan sekali walau hanya bisa membayangkannya saja. Cerita tentang sihir juga tidak pernah ada habisnya dan tak lekang oleh waktu, karena tema sihir yang kelihatannya "itu-itu saja" trnyata bisa digali dari banyak sisi, dipadu dengan mitos-mitos kuno dan ditambah dengan efek "wah" dan "wow" yang dramatis. Karena itulah saya selalu lebih tertarik dan tergoda untuk mendahulukan membaca cerita bertemakan fantasy "witch and wizard" atau paranormal stories.

Magic or madness, seperti judulnya, merupakan cerita tentang sihir. Akan tetapi sihir disini bukan jenis sihir yang bisa digunakan untuk bersenang-senang, karena ada harga yang harus dibayar ketika menggunakan sihir yang dimiliki. Bahkan jika sihir itu tidak digunakan, juga ada akibat yang terjadi. Nah lo, kaya makan buah simalakama.

Reason cansino, gadis 15 tahun yang selama hidupnya dalam pelarian bersama ibunya, Sarafina. Bukan buronan polisi, melainkan buronan neneknya sendiri, Esmeralda yang diyakini Reason sebagai penyihir jahat menurut cerita-cerita dari ibunya, yang tidak mempercayai adanya sihir seperti halnya Reason. Pada suatu hari, ibunya jadi gila sehingga harus masuk rumah sakit jiwa dan Esmeralda pun berhasil menemukan Reason dan tidak ada pilihan bagi Reason untuk melarikan diri lagi dan menolak tinggal dirumah neneknya. Namun dia tetap bertekad akan melarikan diri sesegera mungkin ketika ada kesempatan.

Rahasia besar segera muncul ketika Tom, tetangga Esmeralda yang menjadi teman Reason, mengajaknya menelusuri riwayat keluarga melalui sebuah monumen di pemakaman. Dari situlah Reason mengetahui bahwa sebagian besar wanita dalam keluarganya mati pada usia yang sangat muda. Ditambah lagi ibu Tom juga mengalami kegilaan dan berada di rumah sakit jiwa yang sama denan ibu Reason. Rahasia-rahasia ini akan terkuak pada akhir cerita.

Semakin banyak lagi misteri ketika Reason membuka pintu di rumah Esmeralda yang ternyata adalah sebuah portal yang menghubungkan antara tempatnya berada-- Sidney, dan New York. Disana ia bertemu dengan Jay-Tee yang menjadi sahabatnya dan bersama-sama mereka menghadapi pria jahat bernama Jason Blake.

Yang lebih menarik dari karakter Reason adalah kemampuan matematikanya. Ia dapat mengetahui secara pasti jumlah benda atau jumlah orang pada satu ruangan dengan akurat, meskipun jumlahnya ratusan. Bilangan Fibonacci adalah favoritnya, menghitung hasil fibonacci hingga angka jutaan adalah semacam ritual yang ia lakukan ketika sedang kalut. Nah lho, jadi pengen bisa kaya Reason gitu :D

Namun, terlepas dari ide cerita dan tema yang bagus, hanya bisa ngasih 3 bintang untuk buku ini. Alur ceritanya sangat lambat dan sebagian besar rahasia yang terkuak berada pada akhir cerita, sekitar 50 halaman terakhir. So, jati diri Reason dan inti ceritanya pun baru ketangkep diakhir cerita.
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Sep 22, 2011 Shelley Daugherty rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book weaves the 'what if' factor to the magic realm. Reason's mother has done everything she can to keep her from finding out that she might possess magic. But in the process, it has driven her mad. When Reason is left alone because her mother is locked away in an asylum, Reason will have to live with the "witch" better known as her grandmother. The one person her mother was trying to keep her away from. But Reason is resourceful and she plans to get away as soon as she possibly can to avoi...more

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Mar 15, 2011 Alisha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

I have alluded (or more like outright stated) in my previous reviews my love of anything to do with witches and magic. Even thinking about anything remotely to do with magic instantly brings me back to a much more innocent place in my life. Ever since this, okay I’ll say it, obsession with this type of world started, I’ve been searching for books about magic that would take me back to the wonderment I first felt by watching something about it (Charmed) and reading something about it (Harry Potte...more I have alluded (or more like outright stated) in my previous reviews my love of anything to do with witches and magic. Even thinking about anything remotely to do with magic instantly brings me back to a much more innocent place in my life. Ever since this, okay I’ll say it, obsession with this type of world started, I’ve been searching for books about magic that would take me back to the wonderment I first felt by watching something about it (Charmed) and reading something about it (Harry Potter). Some of the books have been good, but most of them have been a tad on the mediocre side. Magic or Madness, unfortunately, falls under the latter.

First of all, the main character, Reason was completely inconsistent. No 15 year old is that naïve. It just doesn’t happen. After a while, it did start to grate a little. In fact, every time Jay-Tee was getting annoyed at the same thing and wanting to punch Reason, I kept thinking that she should totally go for it. And as the story progressed, I was wishing for naïveté to come back because Reason was starting to turn into a damn idiot. But going back to the inconsistent part, she was taught to be on guard and a bit on the paranoid side. However, she just stands by and swallows all the fake crap that people tell her. It was like everyone else was saying “Dance, puppet, dance!” and Reason was all, “I shouldn’t…but OKAY!!!!” And then there are moments when she starts being wise (after like 24 hours which also makes it inconsistent) and then goes back to being an idiot. In fact, I found reason and Tom (her maybe love interest in the future) both idiots. Tom was all “I have to SAVE Reason”, yet all he does for most of the book is stop by a café or a restaurant to eat something. He was equally as useless as Reason.

The only characters I even remotely liked were Jay-Tee and Esmeralda. I found Jay-Tee to be refreshing and I’ve always been drawn to “troubled” characters. Mostly because they tend to be less annoying than the actual goody-goodies in YA books (and this is coming from someone who was a complete goody-goody in high school). I was also extremely intrigued by Esmeralda. So much that I was hoping that she would narrate some chapters of the book (yes I know it’s a YA book so I should’ve known she wouldn’t). Again, it could be my love of “troubled” characters shining through. The magic in the Magic or Madness was also intriguing. It’s too bad that it was only lightly touched upon in this book.

So, Magic or Madness was a bit of a bust for me. I just didn’t find Reason’s portrayal realistic. Neither was Tom, come to think of it. Will I read the second book? Probably. But only because of that interesting storyline involving Esmeralda that I think may come up. But it sure as hell won’t be anytime soon.(less)

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Sep 02, 2010 Stevecrandell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, grades-9-and-up

I like the way this story mixes magic and real-world wonders. And how the magic itself can be good and evil, no matter who might attempt to harness it.

15-year-old Reason Castino has spent her entire life on the run from powers that threaten to tear her apart and drive her insane. She’s eventually forced to join the modern world - all the action takes place in Sydney and New York City. She finds her first two teenage friends: Tom – who dreams of being a celebrity fashion designer; and Jay Tee –...more

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Jun 17, 2010 Kalyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, completed-series

This series centers around Reason who has to go live with her grandmother when her mother goes crazy. Esmeralda, her grandmother, chose magic but her mother, Sarafina, chose madness. This book is where Reason discovers the world of magic, this fundamental dilemma of her family, and her own magic. She also meets two friends - Tom and Jay-Tee - who help her to navigate the new discoveries in Sydney and in New York City respectively.

This promises to be a very interesting series. I was a little ann...more

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May 20, 2010 Angela Pan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Reason stepped through her grandma's backdoor. She was transfer to New York City, my magic. When she got there a girl call Jay-Tee took her in because of Jason,Reason's grandfather. Reason found out that Jason is her grandfather and she has magic. Reason learned more about Jay-Tee thanks to Jason and Jay-Tee's brother, Tom. Reason's friend from Sydney, Tom, and Reason's grandmother is looking for Reason.

So far isn't bad but isn't really consider good. It started getting better when Reason mat T...more

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Feb 01, 2010 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Reason's mother ends up in a mental hospital and she goes to live with her grandmother, who she's been told all her life is an evil witch. Turns out, she kinda is, as Reason ends up going through a door in the house and finding herself no longer in Sydney, Australia, but New York City, America.

She doesn't know who to trust, but manages to make friends anyway. She learns more about magic and her own past.

She also finds out that NYC doesn't have pizza with beetroot on it. Eeeeew! Or pizza with pin...more

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May 05, 2008 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 14-16, fantasy

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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Dec 18, 2011 Lightreads rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, urban-fantasy, young-adult

Disappointing. Larbalestier's Liar -- when it impressed and when it didn't -- that book was interesting. It was thinking and messing with the boundaries of young adult fiction and just doing stuff.

This book is none of the above. It's just a couple hundred pages in which stuff happens. And I was frankly confused, because this is a universe where people -- women, mostly -- have a choice between the assumption of power and death on one hand, or eventual mental illness (unspecified) on the other. M...more

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Apr 18, 2009 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-sci-fi

I really was not a fan of this book. I thought Larbalestier's writing was just strange. Some of her sentence structure just made no sense and it got on my nerves. Then she jumped from first person narrative to 3rd, which made no sense to me either. I didn't add anything to the book only made it look unedited and just strange. I've never read a book that jumped back and forth like this. It would have been better had she just stayed with one style the whole way through. Also, you never start a boo...more

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Feb 04, 2010 Nenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book brings new insight about magic. It's not something that is easy to achieve, nor a shortcut to life's problem. So, in term of theme and ideas, this book satisfies me.

Yet, there are a couple thing that that quite bothers me. The writer didn't give any clue whatsoever about switch of the character point of view. One chapter told story from Reason (the main character), and suddenly the next chapter the story is told from Tom's point of view. I have to read at least one and a half page to...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Utami rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sampulnya serem. Tapi suka warna biru-birunya ituuuu… Ahahahaha…

Anyway, buku ini bercerita tentang Reason, atau yang biasa dipanggil Ree. Seorang gadis 15 tahun yang selama ini hidup berpindah-pindah bersama Sarafina, ibunya. Ree punya kemampuan sangat khusus di bidang Matematika. Dia menenangkan diri dengan menghafalkan deret Fibonacci, dan mampu langsung mengetahui jumlah dari segala sesuatu yang dia lihat. Selama hidup bersama ibunya, Ree dipaksa untuk percaya bahwa Esmeralda, neneknya sendir...more Sampulnya serem. Tapi suka warna biru-birunya ituuuu… Ahahahaha…

Anyway, buku ini bercerita tentang Reason, atau yang biasa dipanggil Ree. Seorang gadis 15 tahun yang selama ini hidup berpindah-pindah bersama Sarafina, ibunya. Ree punya kemampuan sangat khusus di bidang Matematika. Dia menenangkan diri dengan menghafalkan deret Fibonacci, dan mampu langsung mengetahui jumlah dari segala sesuatu yang dia lihat. Selama hidup bersama ibunya, Ree dipaksa untuk percaya bahwa Esmeralda, neneknya sendiri, adalah tukang sihir yang jahat. Sampai akhirnya Ree terpaksa harus tinggal bersama neneknya, karena Sarafina akhirnya dimasukkan ke rumah sakit jiwa. Ree, yang sudah terlanjur percaya bahwa neneknya jahat, berupaya mencari jalan untuk melarikan diri. Tapi dia justru menemukan pintu ajaib yang membawa dia pergi dari rumah neneknya di Sydney ke New York City. Di NYC ini dia bertemu dengan Jay-Tee. Dan dia pelan-pelan mulai menghadapi kenyataan, bahwa sihir itu benar-benar ada, dan dia adalah bagian dari sihir.

Saya memang selalu suka dengan buku yang bernuansa magis dan fantasi. Dan selalu menyenangkan melihat bagaimana pengarang yang berbeda menggambarkan sihir dengan cara yang berbeda pula. Dan sihir yang ada di buku ini berbeda. Dalam buku ini, sihir terkesan misterius, fascinating, yet dangerous. And maybe that’s why Sarafina was freaked out about it. Alurnya mengalir agak sedikit lambat sih kalau menurut saya, karena setiap lapisan misteri dari Sarafina dan Esmeralda dibuka perlahan. Dan sihir disini kesannya personal sekali, sangat tergantung pada individu yang memiliki sihir itu. Tidak banyak tokoh yang muncul di buku ini, tapi justru karena itu, setiap tokoh tampil dengan peranan dan porsi yang pas. Kadang antara kasian dan sebel sama Ree, yang terlalu percaya pada ibunya dan tidak mau mempercayai neneknya.But still, the thing that I find most interesting about this book is how the magic works. Kok kesannya misterius banget. And I like how the relationship between the characters grew some chemistry attachment between them throughout the story.

Would like to read the next one in this trilogy. 3.5 out of 5.
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Dec 21, 2011 Shara (Calico Reaction) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found this title at a Barnes & Noble in Naples, FL. They had the second, Magic Lessons, as well, but I just picked this one up, not sure if I'd like it or not, even though I already adored the premise (magic is real, and you either use it and die young or don't use it and go mad) and its central protagonist, Reason, a fifteen year old girl from Australia whose father was Aborigine.[return][return]I really, really should've picked up the second book.[return][return]It's a good read. Somethi...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Nafiza rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, ya-fantasy

There are lots of books out there that deal with magic and madness and sometimes both of them together. What makes Larbalestier's book so different are her characters. When I first started reading the book and "met" Reason for the first time, I thought her as very young and very naive. In fact, there was this sense of detachment when I looked at the world through her eyes. While the older me knew that much of what her mother had told her about her grandmother might have been untrue, I could not...more There are lots of books out there that deal with magic and madness and sometimes both of them together. What makes Larbalestier's book so different are her characters. When I first started reading the book and "met" Reason for the first time, I thought her as very young and very naive. In fact, there was this sense of detachment when I looked at the world through her eyes. While the older me knew that much of what her mother had told her about her grandmother might have been untrue, I could not help but be swayed from this belief by the strength of Reason's determination to believe in her mother. There's Tom, who is so unlike all the heroes I've come across that I might have read the book for him alone. He thinks in fashion - his magic is fashion. Jay-Tee, whose better nature leads her to help Reason even though doing so would get her nothing but grief. And the creepiest villain so far - Mr. Blake. This is the first book so you don't get much of a sense of the adults - Sarafina, Mere and Mr. Blake have been hued (deliberately) vaguely so the reader gets a sense of the person but not the person wholly. What I found most fascinating about this story is Reason herself. For instance, I am never quite sure how old she is. The sense I got initially was around twelve but she fibs that she's fifteen and somehow the subject of age is never broached again. She doesn't react in the typical ways - anger, fear - emotions for her are not solid colours but prismatic. JT thinks Reason is naive when she is anything but. She's like an onion that you can peel to find continuous layers of - discover something different about. And the story - the promised thrill of magic is blanketed by the sobering fact that using magic has dire consequences just as not using it does. In fact, the entire story presents a morally gray area, letting the reader decide how to feel about whom without guiding them. And I appreciate the liberty to do. With Magic or Madness, Justine Larbalestier presents readers with a tale that allows them to feel the extremes of heat and cold, to both fear and cheer for the protagonists. She allows the reader to experience characters that are imbued with details and a rich complexity that lingers long after the last page has been turned.(less)

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What's The Name o...: Solved Girl in Sydney finds out she is a witch, using Fibonacci sequence to make magic. Her mother is out of the picture and not of sound mind, there's a door leading to somewhere that snows. [s]	3	36	19 de Ene 15:43

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About Justine Larbalestier

Justine Larbalestier is an Australian young-adult fiction author. She is best known for the Magic or Madness trilogy: Magic or Madness, Magic Lessons and the newly released Magic's Child. She also wrote one adult non-fiction book, the Hugo-nominated The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction (Best Related Book, 2003), and edited another, Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentiet...more

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“‘Expect the best, but prepare for the worst.’ I'm good at the first part, crap at the second.” — 8 people liked it

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