August/September 2017 - School Library Connection on THE LAST MAGICIAN
The writing is deceptively simple, allowing the reader to become immersed in the world without confusion. Shifting points of view within the narrative help characters stand on their own as individuals that the reader cares about. The pacing, suspense, and twisting plot will keep teen readers interested and longing for more.
May 31, 2017 - Booklist online on THE LAST MAGICIAN
This stripped down plot summary does no justice to the captivating and complicated story created by Maxwell. A mix of historical fiction, romance, fantasy, and magic, the well-plotted and tightly paced story moves between present day and 1901 New York, a time of gangs, tenements, turf wars, and a fascination with science and technology as a cure for society’s ills. A few historical figures make an appearance, J. P. Morgan, for example, but this is definitely Esta’s story, and she is a smart and feisty female protagonist in whom readers will delight. — Cindy Welch
Wendy Higgins
"A gorgeous, timeless, all-consuming tale."
June 2017 - BCCB on THE LAST MAGICIAN
As there are significant plot reveals all the way through (we actually learn a secret about Esta’s dad, for example, only about twenty pages from the end), the book never loses urgency, and readers will likely hit the final page wishing for more. Hand this off to fantasy buffs who appreciate historical fiction, since a good deal of the novel takes place in the early twentieth century, and Maxwell’s attention to detail makes that time period seem vivid and compelling.
Janet B. Taylor
"A twisty, spellbinding romp. Inserting feuding magical factions into an already tumultuous time in American history, Maxwell’s The Last Magician mesmerized me until the very last page."
Cinda Williams Chima
"This twisty tale of alchemy and magic in Gilded Age New York will keep you guessing until the very last page."
Anne Blankman
"Intriguing, romantic, and full of twists, THE LAST MAGICIAN kept me reading late into the night. The richly imagined alternative version of 1901 New York City pulled me in, but the fascinating characters had me turning the pages, desperate to find out what happened to them."
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima
This twisty tale of alchemy and magic in Gilded Age New York will keep you guessing until the very last page.”
Kirkus Reviews
2022-09-14
At last, a conclusion!
The fourth and final volume of the Last Magician series is finally here, and it’s another doorstopper. Most secondary characters from the second and third volumes have fallen by the wayside, leaving Viola, Jianyu, and Nibsy/James from the Bowery gang the Devil’s Own; primary leads Esta and Harte; and love interests Cela and Ruby, plus villain Jack. Time-hopping continues as Esta and Harte are transported to a changed 1983 in which the White supremacist, anti-magic Brotherhoods have only grown in power, while the rest of the gang continue in 1902, where Jack (last seen being killed in 1920) is alive and plotting. The short chapters contribute to the stop-and-go pacing. The plot is drawn out by foolish mistakes by the protagonists and padded by a lot of time spent kissing deeply, while the villains are the kind who spend pages internally gloating over their evil plots and seem unstoppable until a massive deus ex machina saves the day. What started off in the first volume, 2017’s The Last Magician, as a sharp look at issues of the past and present through an imaginative premise has petered out by this point, and the characters from marginalized backgrounds are so lacking in depth as to approach being caricatures.
For completists only. (Historical fantasy. 12-adult)
