Book Review: The Last Magician

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

Released: July 18, 2017

Read: July 2017

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: ARC, 498 pages

Series: The Last Magician #1

Description on Goodreads:

Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.

In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.

Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.

But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.

Review:

    The Last Magician had a slow start but it picked up right away. I think it was slow just because I didn't  really understand where the plot would take me yet. And the beginning confused me a little too, because of the back and forth between different time periods. I didn't realize Dolph's time was when Esta was going to travel to. It was smooth sailing from then though, as soon as the puzzle pieces fit together.

    The idea for the novel was clearly well developed. I loved how the plot lines intertwined and left me almost completely shocked and numb. Every new development felt like an exciting surprise and I honestly couldn't wait to read more.

    And it helped that Esta was a complete badass. She was witty, smart and daring, and clearly a feminist. It was funny and interesting to see how she interacted with Harte Darrigan. It's like she always had the upper hand and knew how to get underneath his skin. Her backstory was just as depressing as Darrigan's, and it really suited the thief she would later become.

    Meanwhile, Harte Darrigan was just a product of many betrayals. He acted the way he did because of how people treated him as he grew up, and because he knew just how cruel people could be. To me he was just a misunderstood and broken man who did what he could to survive. I loved reading about the metaphorical masks he wore when he was surrounded by people he couldn't trust. He played the people around him and put on one of the best performances I've read about in ages.

    And speaking of manipulators, Dolph was definitely one of the most dynamic and complex characters that you meet. He had so many different sides to him: the busy, all-knowing boss, the caring gentleman, the power-hungry beast and the loyal friend. Just like Darrigan, he wore each expression and attitude like a mask that could be swapped out at any moment, depending on who he was with.

     The time period Lisa Maxwell picked was perfect as well. I liked that the book depicted all of the different gangs and their turf's. It truly felt like I was in the 1900's with Esta from the way the characters dressed, to the transportation, to the clubs and the views on women. It was different from other novels I've read, where the authors pick the same old settings. It was quite refreshing.

    The only thing I didn't particularly like about the Last Magician is the ending. I know the author had to leave some questions unanswered and put out an idea what the sequel will be about, but I'd actually much rather have this be a standalone. The concept and idea were only enough to be one long book for me. I believe it would have been a bit better if Lisa Maxwell had tied up all the loose-ends and altered the ending. Of course, I'm still going to read the sequel. I just don't see how she's going to be able to write another full book on this. Other than that, the novel was beautifully written and I'm still excited to see where Esta goes from here in the next book!

Favourite Quotes:

• "Steal me the night."-Dolph Saunders
• "He wasn't sorry for using their fears and their hopes, their prejudices and their sense of righteousness against them. For distracting them from the truth. He was simply surviving in a world that hated what he was." -Harte Darrigan
• "Change your feathers often enough, and the mark won't recognize the bird."-Esta
• "There's always a choice. The question is which one you're willing to live with."
• "He'd wanted an ace in his pocket and had chosen a serpent instead."
• "After all, Harte Darrigan might be a bastard, he might be a double-crossing lowlife scoundrel, but he wasn't so low as to leave."

Rating: 8.5/10

Recommended if you like: historical fiction, fantasy, magic, romance, manipulation

Keep flipping pages,

Lauren

Nerd Blast: The Starlight Wood Fairy Tales

Hey all! We are excited to be apart of this Nerd Blast! This novel seems super cool, and like a fresh take on our old favourites!

Synopsis 

An all-new anthology of cross-genre fairy tale retellings, featuring an all-star lineup of award-winning and critically acclaimed writers.

Once upon a time. It’s how so many of our most beloved stories start.

Fairy tales have dominated our cultural imagination for centuries. From the Brothers Grimm to the Countess d’Aulnoy, from Charles Perrault to Hans Christian Anderson, storytellers have crafted all sorts of tales that have always found a place in our hearts.

Now a new generation of storytellers have taken up the mantle that the masters created and shaped their stories into something startling and electrifying.

Packed with award-winning authors, this anthology explores an array of fairy tales in startling and innovative ways, in genres and settings both traditional and unusual, including science fiction, western, and post-apocalyptic as well as traditional fantasy and contemporary horror.

From the woods to the stars, The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales takes readers on a journey at once unexpected and familiar, as a diverse group of writers explore some of our most beloved tales in new ways across genres and styles.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dominik Parisien is an editor, poet, and writer. He has worked on several anthologies with Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, including The Time Traveler’s Almanac (Tor), Sisters of the Revolution (PM Press), and The Bestiary(Centipede Press). He is the editor for Clockwork Canada, an anthology of Canadian steampunk for Exile Editions. Dominik is also the poetry editor for Postscripts to Darkness, and was an editorial assistant for Weird Tales. His fiction and poetry have appeared in Strange Horizons, Uncanny Magazine, Shock Totem, Imaginarium 2013: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing, and other venues.
TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | WEBSITE

Navah Wolfe is an editor at Saga Press. She was previously an editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, where she worked on many bestselling books, including some that have won awards such as the Printz Honor, The Pura Belpré Award, The Pen/Faulkner Award, The Stonewall Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and the Schneider Family Award.
TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | WEBSITE



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Five Winners will receive a Copy of The Starlit Wood New Fairy Tales Edited by: Dominik Parisien and Navah.

Hosted by Jean Book Nerd.

Thanks for reading, tell us what you think!
Your friends,
The Autumn Bookshelf

Nerd Blast: The Diabolic

Hello friends! Here is another book that we are really looking forward to this year! Enjoy!

Synopsis 

Red Queen meets The Hunger Games in this epic novel about what happens when the galaxy’s most deadly weapon masquerades as a senator’s daughter and a hostage of the galactic court.

A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for. 
Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator’s daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side, but are in no way sisters. Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia, and she would do so gladly. She would also take as many lives as necessary to keep Sidonia safe.

When the power-mad Emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court. She is to serve as a hostage. Now, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Nemesis travels to the court disguised as Sidonia—a killing machine masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced senators’ children. It’s a nest of vipers with threats on every side, but Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything.

As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns there is something more to her than just deadly force. She finds a humanity truer than what she encounters from most humans. Amidst all the danger, action, and intrigue, her humanity just might be the thing that saves her life—and the empire.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S.J. Kincaid was born in Alabama, grew up in California, and attended high school in New Hampshire, but it was while living beside a haunted graveyard in Scotland that she realized that she wanted to be a writer. Her debut, Insignia, came out in July of 2012. The second book in the series, Vortex was released in July of 2013. The final book in the trilogy, Catalyst, came out October 28, 2014. Her standalone novel The Diabolic will be released in fall 2016.

WEBSITE: http://sjkincaid.com/
TWITTER: @SJKincaidBooks
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4792223.S_J_Kincaid
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SJKincaidBooks/

Five Winners will receive a Copy of Diabolic +Swags by S.J. Kincaid!

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Well that's it for us!
Your Friends,
The Autumn Bookshelf

Book Review: The Telling

The Telling by Alexandra Sirowy

Released: August 2, 2016

Read: July 2016

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: ARC, 400 pages

Series: Stand-alone

Description on Goodreads:

    Lana used to know what was real.

    That was before when her life was small and quiet.

Her golden step-brother, Ben, was alive, she could only dream about bonfiring with the populars, their wooded island home was idyllic, she could tell the truth from lies, and Ben’s childhood stories were firmly in her imagination.

    Then came after.

    After has Lana boldly kissing her crush, jumping into the water from too high up, and living with nerve and mischief. But after also has horrors, deaths that only make sense in fairy tales, and terrors from a past Lana thought long forgotten: Love, blood, and murder.

Review:
  This isn't a spoiler, no matter what you may think, but I am a committed member in the Alive-until-literal-body-is-proven-dead club. As soon as Ben's death was described, and I learned that he fell off a cliff into the water below, I believed that he was alive. I've watched waaaay too many of my favourite characters on TV shows die then come back to life. There's always a loop hole or a small detail that someone missed, that proves the person isn't dead. So for the majority of THE TELLING, I searched for Ben. But what happens, I will not say.
    Ben and Lana share a complex relationship, considering their horrible childhood ( before meeting each other). The stories Ben tells Lana bond them and make them closer siblings. These stories, although quite morbid, are unique and really interesting. Beakless black birds and  rosary peas, an odd combination. Also in these stories, Lana and Ben are the common protagonist, always killing the villain the same way the villain killed its victims. Lana the Brave is outgoing and fearless, unlike her current realistic self.
    Lana's relationship with Josh Parker is short and not really there. Of course they're good friends, but if you're looking for a strong romance, this is not the book for you. They act nervous and semi-casual around each other, but you can't feel their connection. It's as if she doesn't like him and is awkward around him just because he's a guy. In short: not very lovely dovey.
    The mystery was kept alive during the entirety of the novel, and made me switch between many suspects. I couldn't figure out who had the right motive and how each murder was pulled off. Why did Maggie hide where she did? Why does everyone suspect it was Fitzgerald Moore? And what did any of this have to do with Lana and Ben?
    By the end of this thriller, Lana finds out the true nature of many of the people around her. Many are not who they seem to be, and each of these discoveries is even more captivating than the one before.

Quotes:

• " I was an earthworm dreaming of being a python."
• " The good and bad are indistinguishable in the dark."
• " You can't go back in time any more than you can regrow a lung once you've lost it. The only thing to do is learn to breathe with just one."
• "Gant, the idyllic island where the millionaires of Seattle flock with their 2.4 kids, labradoodles, and trophy wives. Gant, where shit doesn't stink and bullshit is recyclable, where everyone gets to be white, rich, and an asshole."
• " Perception is nine-tenths of everything, and you only need to appear okay for them to think you are."
• " People wear sadness like they wear hats."
• " I'm tired of hearing what anyone but me thinks I should be. I want to define myself. If I am small, it's my choice. If I'm daring, it's because it's who I am. If I'm good, fine. If I'm bad, that's on me."

Rating: 9/10

Recommended if you like: thrillers, high school drama, reading about bullying, family drama, murder mysteries, the Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy, books about story telling, obsessions.

Keep flipping pages,

Lauren