The Devil's Thief
(The Last Magician #2)
by Lisa Maxwell
October 9, 2018
704 pages
704 pages
Goodreads Summary:
In this spellbinding sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Last Magician, Esta and Harte set off on a cross-country chase through time to steal back the elemental stones they need to save the future of magic.
Hunt the Stones.
Beware the Thief.
Avenge the Past.
Esta’s parents were murdered. Her life was stolen. And everything she knew about magic was a lie. She thought the Book of Mysteries held the key to freeing the Mageus from the Order’s grasp, but the danger within its pages was greater than she ever imagined.
Now the Book’s furious power lives inside Harte. If he can’t control it, it will rip apart the world to get its revenge, and it will use Esta to do it.
To bind the power, Esta and Harte must track down four elemental stones scattered across the continent. But the world outside the city is like nothing they expected. There are Mageus beyond the Brink not willing to live in the shadows—and the Order isn’t alone in its mission to crush them.
In St. Louis, the extravagant World’s Fair hides the first stone, but an old enemy is out for revenge and a new enemy is emerging. And back in New York, Viola and Jianyu must defeat a traitor in a city on the verge of chaos.
As past and future collide, time is running out to rewrite history—even for a time-traveling thief.
Hunt the Stones.
Beware the Thief.
Avenge the Past.
Esta’s parents were murdered. Her life was stolen. And everything she knew about magic was a lie. She thought the Book of Mysteries held the key to freeing the Mageus from the Order’s grasp, but the danger within its pages was greater than she ever imagined.
Now the Book’s furious power lives inside Harte. If he can’t control it, it will rip apart the world to get its revenge, and it will use Esta to do it.
To bind the power, Esta and Harte must track down four elemental stones scattered across the continent. But the world outside the city is like nothing they expected. There are Mageus beyond the Brink not willing to live in the shadows—and the Order isn’t alone in its mission to crush them.
In St. Louis, the extravagant World’s Fair hides the first stone, but an old enemy is out for revenge and a new enemy is emerging. And back in New York, Viola and Jianyu must defeat a traitor in a city on the verge of chaos.
As past and future collide, time is running out to rewrite history—even for a time-traveling thief.
Review
The Devil's Thief has been my most anticipated sequel since I read The Last Magician. At just over 700 pages the book is big. It's also jam-packed with story- a roller coaster ride that doesn't stop or slow down.
After the events of The Last Magician, many things have changed. In extravagant details we continue to explore the world in The Devil's Thief. I struggled a little with the abundant descriptions but they were an integral part to understanding the world. The politics and the magic reach a higher and more dangerous level. "Information was power, and knowledge was the noose that could be slipped around a neck." (ARC, p. 401). All plans had to be thought out carefully and oftentimes on the spot where any wrong move could cost dearly.
My mind is still whirling from the many things that happened in The Devil's Thief. The story is broken down into many subplots. At the heart of each is a power struggle. The characters all aim to take control in one way or another. Some bode their time with subtle moves while others employed riskier plays. It was nerve-wracking but exciting to see who would gain the upper hand.
We see through a lot of eyes and personally I enjoyed it. Obviously I liked certain viewpoints a lot more than others but being able to see from so many different perspectives enhanced my understanding of the events that took place in The Devil's Thief. They're intricately weaved together to form a bigger picture. I'm in awe of how Lisa Maxwell kept track of all the pieces.
The stakes were high for every single character. More often than not, accomplishing their goal meant the difference between life and death. Esta and Harte were constantly on the move. Despite how precarious some moments got they stuck to each other's side in this installment (thank you Lisa!). Viola and Jianyu had their own trials to overcome. It was tough to see but I'm glad they weren't alone ;) I hate to admit this but the villains (most notably Jack Grew, (yes he's still around boo)) were complex in their own cunning ways.
"They didn't want reality, with all its messy complications and unpleasant truths; they want the fantasy- the possibility of escape." (ARC, p. 353). I honestly don't know what to expect from the pages of the final book. But going by The Last Magician and The Devil's Thief, it will definitely be one hell of an ending. Good thing we get some time to mentally prep ourselves. I guarantee it will be explosive. Literally.
After the events of The Last Magician, many things have changed. In extravagant details we continue to explore the world in The Devil's Thief. I struggled a little with the abundant descriptions but they were an integral part to understanding the world. The politics and the magic reach a higher and more dangerous level. "Information was power, and knowledge was the noose that could be slipped around a neck." (ARC, p. 401). All plans had to be thought out carefully and oftentimes on the spot where any wrong move could cost dearly.
My mind is still whirling from the many things that happened in The Devil's Thief. The story is broken down into many subplots. At the heart of each is a power struggle. The characters all aim to take control in one way or another. Some bode their time with subtle moves while others employed riskier plays. It was nerve-wracking but exciting to see who would gain the upper hand.
We see through a lot of eyes and personally I enjoyed it. Obviously I liked certain viewpoints a lot more than others but being able to see from so many different perspectives enhanced my understanding of the events that took place in The Devil's Thief. They're intricately weaved together to form a bigger picture. I'm in awe of how Lisa Maxwell kept track of all the pieces.
The stakes were high for every single character. More often than not, accomplishing their goal meant the difference between life and death. Esta and Harte were constantly on the move. Despite how precarious some moments got they stuck to each other's side in this installment (thank you Lisa!). Viola and Jianyu had their own trials to overcome. It was tough to see but I'm glad they weren't alone ;) I hate to admit this but the villains (most notably Jack Grew, (yes he's still around boo)) were complex in their own cunning ways.
"They didn't want reality, with all its messy complications and unpleasant truths; they want the fantasy- the possibility of escape." (ARC, p. 353). I honestly don't know what to expect from the pages of the final book. But going by The Last Magician and The Devil's Thief, it will definitely be one hell of an ending. Good thing we get some time to mentally prep ourselves. I guarantee it will be explosive. Literally.
*I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. All quotes were taken from the ARC I received.
Check out the series website- www.thelastmagician.com, for more book-related fun!!
Bio:
Lisa Maxwell is the author of The Last Magician, Unhooked, Sweet Unrest, and The Gathering Deep. She grew up in Akron, Ohio, and has a PhD in English. She’s worked as a teacher, scholar, editor, writer, and bookseller (at Little Professor Book Center in Alabama). When she’s not writing books, she’s a professor at a local college. She now lives near Washington, DC, with her husband and two sons. You can follow her on Twitter @LisaMaxwellYA or learn more about her upcoming books on her website.
Bio:Lisa Maxwell is the author of The Last Magician, Unhooked, Sweet Unrest, and The Gathering Deep. She grew up in Akron, Ohio, and has a PhD in English. She’s worked as a teacher, scholar, editor, writer, and bookseller (at Little Professor Book Center in Alabama). When she’s not writing books, she’s a professor at a local college. She now lives near Washington, DC, with her husband and two sons. You can follow her on Twitter @LisaMaxwellYA or learn more about her upcoming books on her website.
Giveaway
Signed copy of The Devil's Thief
pavé snake bracelet
character art
character art
signed swag
Runners Up (2)
Character art
signed swag pack
Oh snap. Talk about a door stopper of a read! I haven't read The Last Magician but you've convinced me to check out this series!
ReplyDeleteEeeep! I'm so excited to hear that! Thank you Joy <3 Just make sure you rest inbetween reading this brick of a book XD
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