The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell - A Book Review

I got this book as a Goodreads giveaway (my first win!) and I put off reading it for a while because I had so many other books in my TBR that I wanted to read, and I think that I wanted to wait for the right time to read it. And the beginning of my last semester of undergrad felt like the time.

Now, due to it being my last semester, I only read the book when my homework was done (or done enough that I didn't have to stress the rest of the night or into the morning). I really needed them good grades. When I was able to read I was able to get at least five chapters done at a time, so I was able to read through it decently quickly. Still, it took me SEVEN MONTHS TO READ IT IN TOTAL.

Reading speeds do vary from person to person, and even from book to book, but I get so ashamed in myself when I take this long to read a book. My reading challenge isn't happy with me either, but I'm still happy that I was able to finish it!

I was so enamored by the characters and the storyline. I found myself wanted to dress up like Esta or Viola while I was reading it because the description of their outfits was something I was into. So was Harte but I digress. ANYWAY, the twists and turns in this book threw me, even if I sort of saw them coming, because of how the reader was introduced to them. It was through another character's eyes and it was their shock that became my shock.


When I first got this book (or first entered the giveaway) I wasn't 100% sold on it, but thank goodness that I won it or I would probably never read this book as soon as I did! When I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about it, wondering who the Magician was, what they wanted, and eating up every intense moment between Esta and Harte.

I really liked the mix of present day and past New York in the story too. The differences, while not the main focus of the book, were nice and perfect enough to transport me there. The inclusion of the Brink that surrounded the city I liked as well because it added danger to the characters, and brought even more intrigue to the plot.

My favorite in the story was Esta. Her love for everyone and the internal fight she had when just trying to go about her mission was something that I related to (not that I've ever traveled time) and I found myself rooting for her at every turn. I also really liked Dolph. He, in my mind, was like a cool mix of a father and uncle figure with the way he cared for those in his crew and those under his protection.

My rating: 5 stars

I recommend this book to anyone who likes magic and strong female characters too. I think, besides the villains who we all love to hate, there wasn't ONE character that I disliked, they were all well-rounded individuals with their own lives and helped move the story along.

Let me know if you feel the same way if you've read this book. I need to find more people who have read it to talk about it more now that I've finished!

À bientôt!

Photo/GIF creds: my photo of book and stones, Sam from iCarly,

$10 Library Book Haul - July 2019

If you've been following this blog since the beginning you know what this post is about. If not, I'll give a quick explanation. My city's public library will hold a book sale about four (maybe five) times a year. They fill a room with some books, movies, and more, that are going out of circulation. You bring a bag (or take one from them), fill it with all the things you find that you want, and just pay $10. It's honestly a steal with some of the finds I've gotten over the years.

This time the sale was held in the smaller branch of the library and spread out through three areas/rooms. Now even though there were fewer books than the other sales I've gone to, I found a great number of books!

I got to different journals, one was about horses, filled with sketches and quotes, and one with a green cover that caught my attention. I chose the horse one because it made me think of my friend who passed away. She loved horses and rode them in competitions and shows. I'm planning on doing something special with it and somehow getting it to her (or her parents) as a birthday/Christmas present.

The Kill Order by James Dashner - I read the Maze Runner series (some of my reviews are on this blog) and I really liked it, always wanted to read the prequel.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth - I love the Divergent trilogy and this was the only book that I didn't own, so SCORE!

Undertow and Raging Sea by Michael Buckley - These are the first two books in the series and I thought the concept/story was different and made me think of the Aquaman movie so I'll give them a try.

Silo series 1-3 by Hugh Howey (also called the Wool series) - One of my BEST FRIENDS and former roommate once told me about this series and how she loved it, and when I saw these three on the shelves I quickly scooped them up and put them into my bag. If she gives them the green light, then I'll take them.

So, not as many as my previous posts on my library finds, but I'm still happy with what I got. I think I'll really like some of these books that I haven't read before.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Is there anything you think I should be looking out for before/while reading? I look forward to reading more books and finding new favorites!

À bientôt!

Library photo I created with Canva