Magic or Madness (Magic or Madness Trilogy, #1)

by Justine Larbalestier

From the Sydney, Australia home of a grandmother she believes is a witch, fifteen-year-old Reason Cansino is magically transported to New York City, where she discovers that friends and foes can be hard to distinguish.

• ISBN10: 1595140700
• ISBN13: 9781595140708
• Publish Date: 16 March 2006 (first published 17 March 2005)
• Publish Status: Temporarily Withdrawn
• Out of Print: 28 October 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Razorbill
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 271
• Language: English

Reviews

[Heather]

Reason has been taught from a young age to believe in numbers and logic.  She has also been taught that her grandmother is a dangerous woman.  But, when she is 15, her mother has a mental breakdown and custody is given to her grandmother.

While trying to escape the house like she has been trained to do by her mother, she goes through a door that opens into New York and then can't figure out how to get back.  She's taken in by another girl who is magical and now Reason has to decide whose stories to believe - her mother's or her grandmother's.

I liked this book mostly because the Australian influence is very strong and I don't read a lot of books like that.  Reason uses Australian slang and can't get used to a New York winter.

The magical system is different than other books I've read.  Every time you use magic you are using up life force.  Magic users die young.

This is the first book of a trilogy.  As of now I'm not intrigued enough to read the rest.

 This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story