The Last Magician (The Last Magician, #1) in The Last Magician Read Along

Jul 14, 2016 Lisa Maxwell rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

You guys. This book has been such a labor of love. History. Magic. Cute boys in suspenders. It's like magical newsies without the singing or gangs of New York with magic. There is time travel, a badass girl thief, secret societies, a diverse cast, and so much more. I have loved writing these characters and this world and I hope you all love it too!! ...more

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Jun 22, 2018 Agustina Zanelli rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: paperback, fantasy

ENGLISH:
The subject of this book is so interesting. Time travel, powers... two things that I love. The world created by the author is fascinating, mixing the past and the present with a very good investigation, not only of context but also of physics, chemistry and alchemy.

The world is divided between people who have an affinity with magic, and those who don't. Among the latter, there is the Order, a group dedicated to science and reason who will do anything to trap and stop the Mageus, those wh ...more

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Sep 17, 2018 Neelam rated it it was amazing

So I first wanted to read it as it was set in the early 1900’s and I love historical fiction and this book had magic and was about a heist! So it already had me intrigued. When I started reading it I knew I would love this book and I was completely hooked.

“The only rule that counted was to not get caught.”

The first few chapters are set in different time periods as we meet all the characters and get a feel for the story. It can seem confusing at first but I was able to figure things out fairly qu ...more

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Jul 03, 2018 sammira✨ rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own

second read: March 2021
wow... I love this book. A solid 4-4.5 this time around. if you see this, it’s your sign to read this book.

first read: July 2018 “Confidence is the key to any con. If they see you sweat, you’re dead.”

oh my GOOOODDDDDD WHY DON’T ENOUGH PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THIS GEM OF A BOOK????

picture this: Six of Crows + The Sorcerer’s Apprentice + being kept on your toes for the entire 500 G L O R I O U S pages of this book = straight up magic

description

oh wow I enjoyed this so much more than I expe ...more

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Jun 11, 2017 Kayleigh rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fantasy

Damn, this book was good. It had every trope I love in it; magic, early 1900s setting, thieves and time travel! I enjoyed every minute of this book. The cast of characters was diverse and unique and the magic system is great. The plot follows a group of Mageus (real magicians) trying to steal powerful magical objects from the Order, an organization composed of America's richest and most high profile families, before the Order can destroy magic for good. The Mageus are trapped in Brooklyn due to ...more

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Sep 20, 2018 Fatima rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own

This was SO GOOD.

The characters were all insanely brilliant - also insane. They all had so many secrets. And like all good heist books, there was always a plan within a plan within a plan and half the crew wasn’t in on it. I loved how twisty this book was. So many shocking revelations, characters that weren’t exactly who we thought they were, plans that had too many layers to keep up with.

There were some slow bits. Perhaps some bits could’ve been shortened, sharpened. There were also many phrase This was SO GOOD.

The characters were all insanely brilliant - also insane. They all had so many secrets. And like all good heist books, there was always a plan within a plan within a plan and half the crew wasn’t in on it. I loved how twisty this book was. So many shocking revelations, characters that weren’t exactly who we thought they were, plans that had too many layers to keep up with.

There were some slow bits. Perhaps some bits could’ve been shortened, sharpened. There were also many phrases that were reused a lot - ‘unreadable expression’ was used three times in as many pages. It’s not such a big deal but it was a little disconcerting. There were others but that one stuck out. Probably because it’s kind of annoying - I get the characters are all hiding something from everyone else, but ‘unreadable expression’ feels like a cop out.

Other than that though, this was a near perfect book. The plots were all well-thought out, the character betrayals unexpected. I loved Dolph - he reminded me of Kaz Brekker. But an older version. I kept thinking of him as this weary old man, even though he was only 26. Like he just wanted to rest. Poor Dolph. His life was a hard one. Harte was wonderful, also. But the thing with these kinds of books is that you don’t even know who to root for. Especially when they’re multiple POV. Because everyone justifies their actions and explains themselves so well, and explains their backstory so that you feel sorry for everyone. Except Jack Grew. He was a monster. But anyway, Harte, while I wasn’t sure what to make of him for the most part, I still immensely enjoyed whenever his chapters came up. Esta was a great female protagonist. She was badass and her affinity was awesome, but she was also sensitive, and kind, and that didn’t take away from her badassery.

The ending - I guessed at one part a while before it was revealed but I’d kind of written it off as impossible. So when it happened, I was still shocked and impressed. A really great way to end it, and I am so looking forward to the next book!

Overall, 4.75 stars. I’m so close to giving it 5 stars but there were some slow bits, and the repetitive phrases kinda annoyed me, so it doesn’t feel five stars. The next one might be five stars. I find I enjoy sequels to the first in a series. Is that strange? Anyway, read this book!! If you enjoy Six of Crows, Shades of Magic, and other gritty dark fantasies with morally ambiguous characters, you will gobble this up. ...more

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Jul 02, 2017 Kathy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-owned, favorites, the-last-magician-read-along

Oh I really enjoy this story, I must considering I've read it 3 times now. =)
I reread this book in 2018 in anticipation of the sequel which came out Fall of 2018, and now the 3rd book comes out this summer. There will be 4 books total in the series. Yay!

I don't have a great reason for not reading the sequel yet, other than that Fall of 2018 was perhaps the most stressful time for me, so I could not start it when my preorder arrived, but I am so excited to finally dive into the sequel and find ou ...more

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Jul 06, 2018 Nikole Clow rated it it was amazing

This book is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite YA books. This was my second time reading this beauty and it was just as good as the first time, if not better. The plot is exquisite and magical and draws you in.

I was constantly surprised by Esta and the characters. When I first read THE LAST MAGICIAN, I didn't expect to get so invested in the book and in Esta's mission. But then I was rooting for her. This book makes you feel like you are part of Dolph's crew, like you are helping Est ...more

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Jun 04, 2018 Katherine Paschal rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, supernatural, suspense, witches, time-travel

**Review on https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **
Esta has the gift to travel through time, a skill that the Professor recruited her to use to steal parts of history so the Brotherhood can't get them to hurt the remaining magicians. After her last mission in time to retrieve a magical artifact went wrong, Esta will do anything to help fix the problem. Even if that means going back to the 1900s to steal a book of immense power- a books that many different people are already trying to get. Esta **Review on https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **
Esta has the gift to travel through time, a skill that the Professor recruited her to use to steal parts of history so the Brotherhood can't get them to hurt the remaining magicians. After her last mission in time to retrieve a magical artifact went wrong, Esta will do anything to help fix the problem. Even if that means going back to the 1900s to steal a book of immense power- a books that many different people are already trying to get. Esta has no idea what she is really going to face or how she will do it, but she is willing to try.

Can I please get more Last Magician now? This book was such a pleasant surprise- sure I had wanted to read it ever since I saw and fell in love with the gorgeous cover, and the synopsis was interesting, but I did not expect to be blown away by a book. I picked it up and was instantly sucked in- counting down hours until I got off work so I could listen to the audiobook while driving home, reading the ebook in the dark while pretending to attempt to sleep, grabbing my signed physical copy to take a picture of... Yep, I am a crazy who owns three different versions of the same book and I have no regrets. I highly recommend it in any medium you enjoy because I have first hand experience with them all.

The cast of characters was extensive, to say the least, but Lisa was able to create such unique personalities and motivations that they all came to life and I was never mixed up of confused. Esta was such a dominant voice, be it her personality as well as role in the story. And boy, was she a surprise in pretty much every aspect. I really liked her wit, go with the flow attitude and spunk- this girl did not take no for an answer and she could take care of herself. Side note, the fact women were seen as such useful teammates in this world regardless of the time period was great, go girl power! There are so many interesting people who play a role in the plot and the mystery, such as Viola with her knives and anger, Dolph with his sadness and power, and Jianyu with his speed and secrets. And let's not forget Harte, who was my favorite and I may have a teensy crush on him (ok a huge crush on him, but I will willingly give him up to Esta!). He was charismatic, pragmatic, smart, resourceful and tricksy. I can't wait to see what The Devil's Thief will bring for all the people I have come to love.

The Last Magician is one of my favorite books of the year so far and I have no idea why I waited so long to read it- but now I have no idea how I will cope until the next book is released. This was the perfect blend of mystery, history, character development, surprises and magic, exactly what I did not know I was looking for (that ending though!!). I highly recommend this book as well as whatever is to come next!

P.s. look at the cover for the next book, The Devil's Thief, it is absolutely stunning!

...more

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Jun 20, 2017 Kim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: subscription-box-books, kim-recommends

I attained an ARC of this at Yallwest not even knowing what it was but OMG. This was an amazing read. Definitely a new favorite whose sequel I cannot wait to read and this book still isn't even out...

The writing keeps you in the story quite well, it does need some grammatical editing that I would assume will be fixed in the final published version (EDIT: I have my finished copy and the errors have all been fixed!). I loved the multidimensional characters, the fun historical setting, and the twis ...more

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May 22, 2018 Kitty Maschan rated it really liked it

Shelves: as-am-rep

I’ve been meaning to read this one for a while, but the Shelflove Crate Annual Readathon pushed me to it along with an email I got letting me know the second book in the series is due to be released this year. I read The Last Magician for challenge 8 of the readathon, which was meant to be A Book Involving Time. I don’t remember any specific TW/CWs for this one so let’s just dive right in!

The characters in this novel were all really well developed. Each individual character is so three dimension I’ve been meaning to read this one for a while, but the Shelflove Crate Annual Readathon pushed me to it along with an email I got letting me know the second book in the series is due to be released this year. I read The Last Magician for challenge 8 of the readathon, which was meant to be A Book Involving Time. I don’t remember any specific TW/CWs for this one so let’s just dive right in!

The characters in this novel were all really well developed. Each individual character is so three dimensional and realistic that I have trouble imagining them as fictional characters and not real people. The use of multiple points of view was slightly confusing at first because I wasn’t expecting it and I wasn’t reading the physical version, but I quickly got used to the idea. Also, I have three words for you: Slow. Burn. Romance. 😍

The Last Magician is set in New York City during various times, present day all the way back to 1902. I really like how Lisa Maxwell was able to layer it all so that the world is the same but also very different between these two times. She also managed to layer in another world with it that was a creation all her own, though now that I’m thinking on it gives me a bit of the good ole Wizarding World feel. I’ve not personally been to New York City, which I feel is odd given I’m originally from upstate, but I did feel like I could have been walking down the streets alongside these characters.

I got Six of Crows feels in quite a few spots, so this is great for lovers of the Grishaverse, but it’s definitely distinct so the comparison stops there. It’s just a feeling I got while reading that was very perfect for readers of and I felt I had to share. Thinking on it while writing this review, I’m going to go ahead and say that The Last Magician is basically a Six of Crows meets the Wizarding World and I, for one, am 120% here for it.

The story itself is absolutely brilliant and flows incredibly well, though as I said before I did get a little confused at the beginning of the audiobook because of the varying points of view taking place in different times of the same city. It was basically one plot twist after another and I just loved every single moment of it.

The audiobook version of The Last Magician was narrated by Candace Thaxton and I was not at all fond of her reading. Her voice was a bit … scratchy? That alone wouldn’t have been a problem but the way she read the novel really bothered me. Her inflection didn’t fit the story at all and it ended up bugging me enough that I put the audiobook version away and read the second half of the novel in its hardcover physical version. I’ll probably avoid listening to her work in the future.

In general this book is fantastic and I have no idea what took me so long to read it but I won’t make that same mistake with the sequel. I’m definitely looking forward to that and anything else Lisa Maxwell writes because I just enjoyed this novel beginning to end. I may even reread it when the sequel comes out just because it was that darn good! ...more

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Jun 30, 2017 Carly [A Beauty & Her Books] rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, entire-book-collection

First off, thank you so much to Simon & Schuster for sending an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh my gosh, I don’t even know where to begin.

When I had first received an ARC copy of Lisa Maxwell’s other book, Unhooked (a Peter Pan-ish retelling), I knew that she was an amazing author. Then this book came to my door and I completely devoured it. Everything about this book screams READ ME NOW!

First, let’s talk about this cover. The intertwining of snakes, which proves the d First off, thank you so much to Simon & Schuster for sending an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh my gosh, I don’t even know where to begin.

When I had first received an ARC copy of Lisa Maxwell’s other book, Unhooked (a Peter Pan-ish retelling), I knew that she was an amazing author. Then this book came to my door and I completely devoured it. Everything about this book screams READ ME NOW!

First, let’s talk about this cover. The intertwining of snakes, which proves the double meaning it has in the book, #perfect.

This book went from 0 to 100 real quick, to the point where I read close to 300 pages in one day just to finish the book. Of corse, that was after I was done yelling at the characters in it. And trust me, there was a lot of yelling, almost to the point of me throwing the book across my room.

Etta, the main character, has the ability to travel back in time. Of corse, she is sent back to my favourite time period, the early 19th century. Ugh, right from here, I knew that it was going to be a long night of me staying up and reading it. Everything about this time is historic (if that is the right word), and it is set in New York City, one of the major boom cities.

The characters are all there own. Each one is well-rounded and is uniquely different from one another.

And to quote the author herself, the book has a bunch of “cute boys in suspenders”, which, in my terms, is enough to win me over. Every character has their flaw, whether it be about their family, or that they are hiding their own secret, it is up for you to find out.

Traveling along-side Esta, readers are taken back and forth between the past and present, in which both places have been corrupted by The Order, and need to stop them. The beginning was a bit confusing to follow, as it flashed back and forth between multiple times and characters, but after that, it was a whirl of excitement.

The ending completely messed with me. It took a complete 180 and through me for a loop. And then to top it all off, the book ends on a cliff-hanger! How am I suppose to handle this!?

Without a doubt, this has been one of the best (and longest) books I have read in 2017. If this book is not already on your anticipated reads for the month of July, it defiantly should be. I cannot wait for the next book to come out! ...more

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Jun 15, 2017 Daphne rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical, fantasy, diverse

I'd rate more as 4.25 stars.

Usually, I shy away from time travel books because I tend to take some issue with them, like with complicated plots involving rules of time travel and it not being done well. However, I really enjoyed this book, and I think because the focus wasn't so much on the mechanics behind the time travel, but on being immersed in 1902 New York, that I was more okay with it.

This book gave me Six of Crows and A Darker Shade of Magic vibes. There's a heist plot, and little cons I'd rate more as 4.25 stars.

Usually, I shy away from time travel books because I tend to take some issue with them, like with complicated plots involving rules of time travel and it not being done well. However, I really enjoyed this book, and I think because the focus wasn't so much on the mechanics behind the time travel, but on being immersed in 1902 New York, that I was more okay with it.

This book gave me Six of Crows and A Darker Shade of Magic vibes. There's a heist plot, and little cons along the way, with rival gangs, a leader of the gang called the Devil's Own, who has a limp + cane + is a morally gray character, and people with the ability to use magic who are called Mageus. However, the Mageus in the story are treated badly, are persecuted, are in hiding from the Order (a group of people who consist of the rich and powerful in New York who don't have magic and believe in the occult sciences), and are trapped by a border of corrupt magic called the Brink that Mageus can't cross without losing their magic and/or dying. The book talks quite a bit about immigration and immigrants and how they're treated, especially the Mageus, which probably matches the attitude toward real immigrants during that time, but also parallels what's going on today too. There's little twists along the way, one big one that I suspected, but also some other big surprises near the end.

The book is set in 3rd person omniscient, and it was interesting to see everyone's thoughts, into their personalities, and what drives them. Esta's struggles with the knowledge of her future/present-day friends, doing her job, and getting to know and care for the past 1902 crew she's going to betray. She's a good thief, and clever, and was enjoyable to read. I loved her sassy dialogue and chemistry with Harte. Harte Darrigan is the Magician she's supposed to stop. he loves the spotlight, pretending to be a regular magician, and wants to rise above where he grew up, and after Dolph (the leader of the Devil's Own) puts the idea in his head, wants to leave New York City. He also plays a game of deception and lies like Esta, running many cons along the way and having his own objective, which is to steal the Book (the Ars Arcana) for himself. I loved whenever he and Esta were on the same page, and while there's instant attraction on his part, the romance is only part of the plot, not the focus, and I'm loving the slow burn.

Dolph, Jianyu, and Viola were all interesting characters with their own fraught histories and unique personalities. There's different affinities for magic that the characters have (for example, Viola has an affinity for healing or killing, Jianyu can control light) that add to the story, a wide cast of characters beyond those that Esta deals with, and I really enjoyed the world building. Some areas were a little slow for my taste, but the book was still good, and I'm really looking forward to book 2, especially with that ending! ...more

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Aug 27, 2017 Shelly Hammond rated it it was amazing

Shelves: re-read

This book is one very good book. It all sort of sneaks up on you though. I would say it was a four star for a good half to a bit over due to it being a tad bit hard to get super into. It took a bit longer to read because it was a whole lot of character building and just... well, I suppose it was just a lot of story going on. However, there came a point where the whole of everything just starting being completely amazing without you even realizing it happened. The characters, due to how brilliant ...more

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Aug 20, 2017 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, owned-physical, page-challenge

This is probably one of my favorite books. It involves some of my favorite things, like turn of the century New York, atmospheric description and time travel. And not just time travel, but time travel done well! It can be difficult to keep time travel time lines in order, but Lisa Maxwell is a magician herself and it works so well! Harte is adorable, and I love every time him and Esta share a page. They're just so sassy with each other, it's fantastic! The setting is also just so well researched ...more

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Aug 05, 2018 Zoey Chapman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned-read

I was instantly drawn to this books because of its promise of magic and mystery. I love the Prestige and the Illusionist and this book was definitely reminiscent of them. It was a true page turner and the plot twists kept me pleasantly baffled. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I cannot wait till its sequel!

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Jul 25, 2018 Alessandra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-english, paranormal, fantasy, young-adult, romance, beautiful-covers, signed-books, read-in-2018, did-not-finish

Beautiful cover and beautiful book inside! The hardback edition is well curated, with a map of ancient New York! I've loved everything: plot twist, setting, characters, all full of magic and mistery! I would have had Esta's power to time travel and go in the past! ...more

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