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Larbalestier, Justine - Magic Lessons
Second in a trilogy that starts with Magic or Madness.
Spoilers for Magic or Madness
Now that Reason has discovered the horrible truth behind her magic, she, Tom, and Jay-Tee have to work to try and control their magic. But for some reason, a strange creature is pursuing them.
Wow, I suck at plot summary.
Anyway, I like that Larbalestier doesn't shy away from the consequences of magic at all; Jay-Tee is close to death, thanks to all the magic Jason Blake sucked out of her, and both Reason and Tom have concrete reasons to use magic, if just a little. I also like that Reason and Esmerelda's relationship doesn't suddenly become all warm and fuzzy, and I like that Tom's relationship with Esmerelda gets even greyer and that Tom isn't proven to be right after all in completely trusting Esmerelda.
On the other hand... I dunno. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't get too sucked in either. I think there's a whole lot of set up here for a very interesting third book, which I'm greatly anticipating, but it does very much feel like a bridge between the first book and the third. The excitement of discovering the world in the first book has worn off slightly, though I'm still entranced with Reason's experiences of New York, and the conflict in the end isn't quite large enough to make me fear for things. Mostly, there are lots of revelations that I think will start to really come into play later on.
Spoilers for this book!
Also, Reason being pregnant and sleeping with Danny at 15 makes sense, given her family's history of teenage mothers, but I was still like, gah!! You're fifteen! It's a college-aged guy sleeping with someone in high school!
And now I want more history on the Cansinos and whatnot, and I really like the twist in how the magic works. I figured the trilogy couldn't end with the magic or madness double-bind, but I like that the solution isn't so great either, and that things keep being complicated. Also... slug things!
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rilina's review
Spoilers for Magic or Madness
Now that Reason has discovered the horrible truth behind her magic, she, Tom, and Jay-Tee have to work to try and control their magic. But for some reason, a strange creature is pursuing them.
Wow, I suck at plot summary.
Anyway, I like that Larbalestier doesn't shy away from the consequences of magic at all; Jay-Tee is close to death, thanks to all the magic Jason Blake sucked out of her, and both Reason and Tom have concrete reasons to use magic, if just a little. I also like that Reason and Esmerelda's relationship doesn't suddenly become all warm and fuzzy, and I like that Tom's relationship with Esmerelda gets even greyer and that Tom isn't proven to be right after all in completely trusting Esmerelda.
On the other hand... I dunno. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't get too sucked in either. I think there's a whole lot of set up here for a very interesting third book, which I'm greatly anticipating, but it does very much feel like a bridge between the first book and the third. The excitement of discovering the world in the first book has worn off slightly, though I'm still entranced with Reason's experiences of New York, and the conflict in the end isn't quite large enough to make me fear for things. Mostly, there are lots of revelations that I think will start to really come into play later on.
Spoilers for this book!
Also, Reason being pregnant and sleeping with Danny at 15 makes sense, given her family's history of teenage mothers, but I was still like, gah!! You're fifteen! It's a college-aged guy sleeping with someone in high school!
And now I want more history on the Cansinos and whatnot, and I really like the twist in how the magic works. I figured the trilogy couldn't end with the magic or madness double-bind, but I like that the solution isn't so great either, and that things keep being complicated. Also... slug things!
Links:
-
rilina's review
more spoilers
I'm hoping it's just second-book slump, too; I didn't get into this one either. You're right about all the good features, though, especially Jay-Tee's run and consequent brush with death.
Re: more spoilers
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