In the end, this classic midseries entry seems mostly designed to set up the next volume, but fans probably won’t mind.
The second book in The Last Magician series picks up right after the cliffhanger conclusion of the first volume.
Time-traveling Esta and presumed-dead Harte, both Mageus, are on the run beyond the Brink in search of powerful magical artifacts in the primary storyline, which time-skips from 1902 to 1904. Back in New York, still in 1902, Viola and Jianyu, along with Cela, have their own secondary adventures; the three characters, respectively a white lesbian, a Chinese immigrant, and an African-American, also serve to illustrate some of Maxwell’s (The Last Magician, 2017, etc.) thoughtful push back on racism, sexism, and xenophobia, even if they are somewhat centrally cast (especially Jianyu). Both narratives contain action and plenty of baddie Jack Grew (J.P. Morgan’s fictional nephew, representative of toxic white male power), and magic continues to serve as an allegory; Esta and Harte’s adventures in St. Louis at the (carefully researched) Exposition bring them into contact with magic activists–cum-terrorists, which furthers the ways Maxwell examines power and morality. Sadly, multiple perspectives and frequent jumps between two timelines, sometimes with single-page chapters, rob the narrative of flow and tension, making this doorstopper drag.
In the end, this classic midseries entry seems mostly designed to set up the next volume, but fans probably won’t mind. (map, author’s note, further reading) (Historical fantasy. 12-adult)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9445-8
Page Count: 704
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment.
A manifesto for budding feminists.
At the core of this engaging novel are besties Chelsea, who is Irish- and Italian-American and into fashion and beauty, and Jasmine, who is African-American, loves the theater, and pushes back against bias around size (“I don’t need your fake compliments, your pity. I know I’m beautiful. Inside and out”). They and their sidekicks, half-Japanese/half-Lebanese Nadine and Puerto Rican Isaac, grow into first-class activists—simultaneously educating their peers and readers. The year gets off to a rocky start at their progressive, social justice–oriented New York City high school: Along with the usual angst many students experience, Jasmine’s father is terminally ill with cancer, and after things go badly in both their clubs, Jasmine and Chelsea form a women’s rights club which becomes the catalyst for their growth as they explore gender inequality and opportunities for change. This is an inspiring look at two strong-willed teens growing into even stronger young women ready to use their voices and take on the world, imploring budding feminists everywhere to “join the revolution.” The book offers a poetic balance of dialogue among the main characters, their peers, and the adults in their lives. The exquisite pacing, which intersperses everyday teen conflicts with weightier issues, demonstrates how teens long to be heard and taken seriously.
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment. (resources for young activists, endnotes) (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0008-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2019
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