Magic Lessons

Magic Lessons starts off strong, asking lots and lots of exciting new questions, building suspense, as any good book does. This, however, gets overdone. By the time the reader is in the denser middle section, there are too many questions and not enough answers and a lot of frustration. I'm still extremely ticked off that Sarafina doesn't show up at all in the book, as she is my favorite character and the one I would love to learn more about, so it's frustrating, and I'm really hoping the third book sheds more light on this intensely interesting woman. Magic Lessons does a great job of combining realism with a greater dosage of fantasy than seen in Magic or Madness, and it does so with perfect balance. Reason's dilemma at the end of the book was painfully obvious, though, and I was disappointed--it was the one part of the book that definitely lacked the suspense the rest of the book upheld. There are still questions left unanswered, but since it's a trilogy, I expect they will be answered shortly! The one thing that left me most gleeful was the SPAGBOL reference--hooray for married authors! Rating: 4/5

Ms. Larbalestier is a talented writer with a knack for creating distinctive teen characters. I was impressed by her ability to differentiate the voices of Reason, an Australian from the outback, Tom, an Australian from Sydney, and J.T., a New Yorker. Also, two of the main characters and several of the supporting characters were people of color. Ms. Larbalestier captures them in a way that feels authentic to all three cultures, and at several points I found myself believing that she had stood where the characters stood: her settings were that authentic. The story moves quickly, and it's hard to put down once the story pulls you in. Having said that, there is a plot point which unsettled me. This is a spoiler alert. One of the characters (Reason) becomes pregnant in a scene that seemed one part one-night stand and one part immaculate conception. My concern is that young girls may read this and think it would be cool to follow in Reason's footsteps. I am interested to see how this issue is treated in book 3. I would recommend this book to anyone writing Australian characters or teen characters as an excellent example of dialect and voice.

In Justine Larbalestier's first novel for teens, Magic or Madness, a teenage girl learned the truth about magic: not only does it exist, but it runs through the veins of all of the women in her family, who choose to either use their magic and die young, or repress it and go mad. Despite her name, Reason must accept that magic is in her blood, and that the use of her new powers may have devastating consequences. Magic Lessons is the second book in the Magic or Madness trilogy. As with all trilogies, the pacing of the story stuck in the middle is crucial to the success of the series. Magic Lessons raises the stakes, testing the magical powers and emotional strength of all of the main characters. Reason is still wary of others, especially her grandmother, but must learn to trust others in order to survive. She also learns about love (or something like it). Her relationship has a serious impact on her and on the overall story. Events and revelations have a domino effect, so be sure that you read the trilogy in the proper order: Magic or Madness, Magic Lessons, and finally, Magic's Child.

MAGIC LESSONS is the second book in Justine Larbalestier's trilogy, and it's just as wonderful and gripping as Magic or Madness (Magic or Madness Trilogy)! In this book, there are just as many questions as in the first, as every answer Reason finds only leads to more questions. For everything that's resolved, there are five more things that I was anxious to find out as I read on! There is plenty of suspense in this book. Reason, Tom, and Jay-Tee have all stepped through Esmeralda's magic door into Sydney, leaving behind Reason's evil grandfather, Jason Blake, as well as Jay-Tee's older brother, Danny, in New York. They're being taught magic by Esmeralda, even Reason and Jay-Tee, though they're still not sure they trust her the way Tom does. They've had some bad experiences with magic, but they know now that they have to use it, or else they'll go crazy, like their parents. However, every time they use magic, they lose a little time being alive. Magic is not the blessing it is in other books; in the world Justine Larbalestier has created, it's more of a curse. The door between Sydney and New York is acting strangely. At first, they think it's because of Jason Blake, but it turns out to be something much more frightening and mysterious. They're not sure what it is, but Reason knows something about whatever it is that the rest of them don't: It's a Cansino. She and Esmeralda are related to it. One more thing: it's old. As in, centuries old. Reason isn't sure what to make of this information, but she doesn't trust Esmeralda, so she's not telling anyone. Then she loses her chance to share it. She is sucked through the door into New York. Reason's not as lost as she was the first time; after escaping the scary, stinking old man-like creature standing in front of the door, she finds Jay-Tee's brother Danny, and stays with him. She can't go back to Sydney; the old man, the Cansino, is guarding the door. She could always buy a plane ticket home (or, rather, Danny could buy her one; money is nothing to him, and she has none), but there are a few things keeping her in New York. One, she wants to find out more about the man guarding the door, and maybe do something to get rid of him if Esmeralda figures out what he is. Two, there's Danny... Sequels often don't live up to the high expectations set by the previous books, but MAGIC LESSONS sure does! It's just as great as Magic or Madness (Magic or Madness Trilogy). One thing that I like about these books is Justine Larbalestier's magic system; it's very original, and it seems more realistic that, if magic existed, it would have a price. That makes this much darker than a lot of books about kids who find out they have magical powers, and also adds some extra awesomeness to an already great book. The number of questions being far more than the number of answers also adds something to this novel. Even though I usually think that a book is made less wonderful by a cliff-hanger ending, I don't think that's th

Teenagers Reason, Jay-Tee, and Tom face a terrible choice: use the magic in their blood and die before they reach their twenties, or go insane. In the second book of this real-world fantasy trilogy, each teen discovers that nothing -- magic, friendships, trust, family -- is exactly what they thought. I enjoyed last year's Magic or Madness. I *loved* Magic Lessons. I read it in one sitting. Larbalestier has written a sequel that raises the stakes and deepens the conflicts at every turn as the children realize their dangerous potential. A heightened sense of danger and action sequences increase the pace from the previous book without sacrificing any of the lush description, detail, and keen observations that made the first such a rich read. I highly recommend getting both books 1 and 2 at once, because as soon as you read Magic or Madness, you'll want to dive into this one. Can't wait for the conclusion in book 3!