So you have magic, and it’s not that great. But when it found you, you know it was fate. And it might seem scary now, but it can be wonderful, too. So how about we embrace the magic, and make the magic part of you? Let’s embrace Magic Lessons, by Justine Larbalestier.
Synopsis:
Fifteen-year-old Reason Cansino has learned the painful truth that she – like her mother, grandmother, and new friends Tom and Jay-Tee – must face a choice between using the magic that lives in her blood and dying young, or refusing to use the magic and losing her mind. Now a new threat leaves Reason stranded alone in New York City, struggling to control a power she barely understands. But could the danger she faces also hold the key to saving her life? “Magic Lessons” is a stunning follow-up to Larbalestier’s debut novel, “Magic or Madness, ” which earned multiple starred reviews and a spot on the Locus 2005 Recommended Reading List, along with being named a Best Book of the Year by “School Library Journal” and the Young Adult Round Table of the TLA.
Source: Goodreads
SPOILERS BELOW
In the second book of the Magic or Madness series, Reason has just begun taking magic lessons from her grandmother when a creepy old man with incredible magical power begins trying to force his way through the magic door to New York. Surprisingly, it turns out not to be Reason’s villainous grandfather, but instead a completely different creepy old man with incredible magical power. Even more surprisingly, after they spend the entire book trying to fortify the door against him, it turns out that it was all a misunderstanding and that he was actually trying to help them. Boy, they sure must’ve felt silly afterwards. Also, it’s been what, three days since Reason vowed that she would somehow find a third option other than madness or death for those cursed with magic, and she just happens to run into a man with immortality and infinite magic who wants to help her? That’s sure convenient.
So, as you can probably tell from my snarky tone, I didn’t think Magic Lessons was quite as good as its predecessor. That doesn’t mean that it didn’t have good parts, mind; plenty of it was in fact enjoyable, such as Jay-Tee’s plotline, and my final score reflects that. It just felt like the central narrative was a little more confused and contrived than that of the first book. Still, we’ll have to see where this ends up going in the next book before determining if there was actually some underlying logic that wasn’t immediately apparent to me.
In any case, Magic Lessons was decent, but not quite up to the standard set by the first book.
Final Rating: 3/5
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