by Lisa Maxwell
"Will keep you guessing until the last page." —Cinda Williams Chima, New York Times bestselling author
A girl travels back in time to find a mysterious book that could save her future in Lisa Maxwell's "splendid series opener" (Kirkus Reviews).
Stop the Magician.
Steal the book.
Save the future.
In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.
Esta is a talented thief, and she's been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she's there. And all of Esta's training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.
But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.
"Will keep you guessing until the last page." —Cinda Williams Chima, New York Times bestselling author
A girl travels back in time to find a mysterious book that could save her future in Lisa Maxwell's "splendid series opener" (Kirkus Reviews).
Stop the Magician.
Steal the book.
Save the future.
In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.
Esta is a talented thief, and she's been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she's there. And all of Esta's training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.
But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.
Reviews-
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May 8, 2017
Maxwell (Unhooked) introduces an alternate version of present-day New York City where those with magical talents, known as Mageus, are trapped in the city by a magic-stealing barrier called the Brink; the barrier was created by the Order, an organization bent on getting rid of the Mageus. Esta, a Mageus with some control over time, has been trained in the art of thievery since she was a child. Her mission: return to a New York City of the past and steal the Ars Arcana, the book responsible for the creation of the Brink. With painstaking worldbuilding, Maxwell captures the danger and grittiness of New York City in the early 1900s as Esta navigates poverty, deception, and desperation to complete her mission while battling her growing attraction to the man who also means to steal the book. The pace is somewhat slow, and Maxwell leans on a few too many clichés—including a hulking black character with medicine man–like healing powers and an Chinese assassin who relies on stealth—but altogether she provides a solid introduction into her new world. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. -
May 1, 2017
Gangs, immigrants, and the rich keeping the poor down, with a twist. In an alternate New York, magic is wielded by the Mageus, whose innate affinities vary widely, and the Order, who disdain but use magic in rituals that limit the Mageus' freedom. For centuries, Mageus have entered but cannot leave Manhattan thanks to the Brink, a magical barrier surrounding the island. Esta's affinity involves manipulating time, and the professor who raised her has sent her from the present day to 1901 to stop the destruction of a book that could potentially destroy the Brink. Shifting third-person perspective follows Esta into the past as she infiltrates Dolph Saunders' gang and becomes involved with Harte Darrigan, the handsome magician who destroyed the book. Crisp pacing and plenty of details tell the story of engaging, if selfish, characters in their late teens and early 20s working at cross purposes for big reasons. The past is slightly romanticized but largely realistic: the Mageus function as a stand-in for any immigrant group subject to prejudice, and Esta's contemporary attitudes shine a light on outdated attitudes, while through the experiences of Chinese Jianyu (the only nonwhite member of Dolph's gang), some of the racial prejudices of the past are confronted. A doorstopper with a total shakeup of an ending: don't miss this splendid series opener. (map) (Historical fantasy. 12-adult)COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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June 1, 2017
Gr 8 Up-This fantasy chronicles the struggles of the last surviving magicians in a draconian world of gangs and perilous dangers. Esta is a master thief who manipulates time in order to steal artifacts, all in the service of stopping the Magician, who means to kill the remaining Mageus-members of a secret order of magicians. Esta must keep an all-powerful book away from the villain to prevent him from destroying her order. She also needs to avoid "the Brink," a mystical barrier that causes her kind to lose their powers and become trapped. This novel will be quite the undertaking for most readers, as the main character jumps back and forth through time. The narrative is told from different points of view as various arcs come together during the climactic final struggle. Readers may find it hard to follow this long, intricate narrative. Hard-core magic and fantasy devotees might enjoy this ambitious tale, but more casual fans will be better served by the works of Maggie Stiefvater and Cassandra Clare. VERDICT Purchase where high fantasy is in demand.-Brian Hoff, Elmwood Park High School, IL
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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July 1, 2018
In an alternate NYC, the war between the Mageus (magicians with innate abilities) and the Order (who use magic to trap the Mageus) is raging. Esta, a Mageus with time-traveling abilities, must travel to 1902, before the Order created the energy barrier that confines the Mageus to Manhattan and ultimately a doomed existence. Intricate world-building and rich magical descriptions abound in this fantasy epic.(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
