The Magic of Reason (Magic or Madness; Magic Lessons; Magic's Child)

I thoroughly enjoyed this series. Yes, it's another one of those trilogies that aren't really a trilogy but this one held up throughout. It's not one of your typical enchanted forest fantasies. The characters in this one summer in Australia and winter in New York. It's fun, unpredictable, and well worth the read.

The Magic of Reason, aka Justine Larbalestier's Magic or Madness trilogy, is a fast-paced fantasy trek around the world. It all starts with a teenage girl named Reason who spent her life with her cheery mother, until her lovely mother went a little mad. Reason realizes that the stories her mom told her were true. This means that magic truly exists, and it runs through the veins of all of the women in her family. Either they use their magic and die young, or they repress it and go mad. One way or another, whatever path Reason chooses is bound to lead her to tragedy. All of the main players - new friends and old enemies alike - are introduced in the first story, Magic or Madness. In the second book, Magic Lessons, the stakes are raised and the powers of the main characters tested. The final book, Magic's Child, twists up, down, and all around. Her grandmother, who is depicted as a villain in all of her mother's stories, takes Reason in when she has no other place to go and may or may not be as evil as Reason's mother claims. Be they magically inclined or not, the different teenagers Reason meets in Australia and New York change her life forever. The trilogy makes good use of each character, especially in the third book, making each person matter in the grand scheme of things and in personal side-stories. By the close of the trilogy, magic has touched them all in some way, and the climax offers a bundle of surprises. As a bonus, because Reason travels back and forth between Australia and New York and the various characters use slang from their native countries, each of the Magic or Madness books include a glossary of terms. Read the trilogy in the proper order: Magic or Madness Magic Lessons Magic's Child