Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The second book in The Last Magician series picks up right after the cliffhanger conclusion of the first volume.Time-traveling Esta and presumed-dead Harte, both Mageus, are on the run beyond the Brink in search of powerful magical artifacts in the primary storyline, which time-skips from 1902 to 1904. Back in New York, still in 1902, Viola and Jianyu, along with Cela, have their own secondary adventures; the three characters, respectively a white lesbian, a Chinese immigrant, and an African-American, also serve to illustrate some of Maxwell's (The Last Magician, 2017, etc.) thoughtful push back on racism, sexism, and xenophobia, even if they are somewhat centrally cast (especially Jianyu). Both narratives contain action and plenty of baddie Jack Grew (J.P. Morgan's fictional nephew, representative of toxic white male power), and magic continues to serve as an allegory; Esta and Harte's adventures in St. Louis at the (carefully researched) Exposition bring them into contact with magic activists-cum-terrorists, which furthers the ways Maxwell examines power and morality. Sadly, multiple perspectives and frequent jumps between two timelines, sometimes with single-page chapters, rob the narrative of flow and tension, making this doorstopper drag.In the end, this classic midseries entry seems mostly designed to set up the next volume, but fans probably won't mind. (map, author's note, further reading) (Historical fantasy. 12-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

The Order, turn-of-the-century New York City's richest and most powerful male elite, are desperate to recover a magical book and artifacts stolen by time-traveling thief Esta Filosek and her unlikely partner, Harte Darrigan; however, Esta and Harte, with a few other allies, are determined to locate those objects and keep them from being used to control everyone especially those born with natural magic. When Esta's time-traveling talent malfunctions, she and Harte are pushed forward to 1904, seriously damaging their chance of success. This sequel needs a scorecard and seat belt, switching quickly between several characters and locations, and the action is fast and furious. While limited background is skillfully woven into the 600-plus pages, readers are better off starting with The Last Magician (2017). Despite the pacing and capable writing, this sequel is a bit unwieldy, and it takes a dedicated reader to stick through the myriad twists and turns. Still, the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair setting is a captivating choice, and readers will definitely care what happens to the good guys.--Cindy Welch Copyright 2018 Booklist