A review by sarag19
The Devil's Thief by Lisa Maxwell
5.0
First, can we talk about that cover? The cover was what initially drew me to picking up The Last Magician in the library and this cover blows the other one away. The snakes coming apart, the flowers in the flames.
Harte and Esta have escaped the brink and are on the hunt for the stones Harte sent out. The book switches between what is happening in St. Louis and the chaos in New York now that power vacuum has been created with the death of Dolph in the previous book. It continues to follow Viola and Jianyu in New York as they work to find their place and keep themselves alive. Viola and Jianyu present a very interesting perspective on what the world was like for a young woman and a man from China in a world that does not like them. Lisa Maxwell does a great job with many of her characters in building a world that expands much further than just a magical struggle. The Mageus struggle is the primary driving point of the plot but the way the world treats them weighs heavy on their actions. There is a scene with Esta that truly illustrates this point, the downtrodden hating on their fellow downtrodden just because they look different or are recent migrants to the country. To ignore this would have done a great disservices to the overall plot.
There are a lot of characters in this story, not just secondary characters but those that are given chapters from their own points of view. These characters are both in New York and St. Louis. Normally, the more characters you add the more muddled the world seems to get. I never felt this way with The Devil's Thief. The characters are constantly interacting with each other so no one feels like they just show up only to disappear a few chapters later. I loved all the new characters, even when you may find yourself disagreeing with their approach Lisa Maxwell makes them feel real. You understand why they do what they do, how they may have come to have the viewpoint they do. Such as I may find myself disagreeing with Ruth and her approach but I still like her as a characters.
One of my biggest complains (but hey, this is pretty normal for me) is characters just not able to have a conversation. Esta and Harte could have solved so many of their problems if they could just sit down and talk.
Overall, I loved this book almost as much as I loved The Last Magician. The world is big but never feels overwhelming, the characters are vast but don't feel like someone gets lost in the amount. The ending is just enough of a "Oooh!" moment that I anxiously await the next book.
Harte and Esta have escaped the brink and are on the hunt for the stones Harte sent out. The book switches between what is happening in St. Louis and the chaos in New York now that power vacuum has been created with the death of Dolph in the previous book. It continues to follow Viola and Jianyu in New York as they work to find their place and keep themselves alive. Viola and Jianyu present a very interesting perspective on what the world was like for a young woman and a man from China in a world that does not like them. Lisa Maxwell does a great job with many of her characters in building a world that expands much further than just a magical struggle. The Mageus struggle is the primary driving point of the plot but the way the world treats them weighs heavy on their actions. There is a scene with Esta that truly illustrates this point, the downtrodden hating on their fellow downtrodden just because they look different or are recent migrants to the country. To ignore this would have done a great disservices to the overall plot.
There are a lot of characters in this story, not just secondary characters but those that are given chapters from their own points of view. These characters are both in New York and St. Louis. Normally, the more characters you add the more muddled the world seems to get. I never felt this way with The Devil's Thief. The characters are constantly interacting with each other so no one feels like they just show up only to disappear a few chapters later. I loved all the new characters, even when you may find yourself disagreeing with their approach Lisa Maxwell makes them feel real. You understand why they do what they do, how they may have come to have the viewpoint they do. Such as I may find myself disagreeing with Ruth and her approach but I still like her as a characters.
One of my biggest complains (but hey, this is pretty normal for me) is characters just not able to have a conversation. Esta and Harte could have solved so many of their problems if they could just sit down and talk.
Spoiler
Harte is struggling with Seshat, who I can't wait to learn more about, and her obsession with Esta. The closer they get, the harder Seshat fights for control and I just wished the two could have sat down and had an honest conversation about a very powerful entity that was probably going to destroy both of them. Yes, there is something big going on around them with the Antistasi but Seshat is going to destroy everything if she gets free, that seems pretty big in the grand scheme of things.Overall, I loved this book almost as much as I loved The Last Magician. The world is big but never feels overwhelming, the characters are vast but don't feel like someone gets lost in the amount. The ending is just enough of a "Oooh!" moment that I anxiously await the next book.