Magic or Madness

Magic or Madness follows fifteen-year-old Reason Cansino, who has spent her life running from her grandmother with her mother Sarafina. When Sarafina suffers a breakdown, Reason must go to live with her grandmother Esmeralda in Sydney, despite her mother's warnings about Esmeralda's dangerous belief in magic. In Esmeralda's house, Reason discovers a door that opens to New York City, forcing her to question everything she knows about reality and magic. She meets other young people with magical abilities and begins to uncover the truth about her family's complex relationship with magic. The novel presents a magic system where practitioners face a stark choice - use magic and die young, or avoid magic and go mad. Against this backdrop, Reason must navigate family secrets, new friendships, and her own developing powers while trying to determine whom she can trust. This first book in the Magic or Madness trilogy explores themes of family inheritance, the price of power, and the challenge of reconciling contradictory truths about the world and the people we love.

Readers describe this as a fast-paced YA fantasy with an interesting magic system and authentic Australian setting. The protagonist Reason's perspective and internal conflicts resonate with teenage readers. Liked: - Unique take on magic having consequences - Vivid descriptions of Sydney and New York - Strong female characters - Cultural details and Australian terminology - Quick pacing and short chapters Disliked: - Abrupt ending that leaves many questions - Some find the magic rules confusing - Character motivations not fully explained - Romance subplot feels underdeveloped Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (3,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (45 ratings) Reader comments: "The cost of magic was a fresh concept" - Goodreads reviewer "Ending felt rushed and incomplete" - Amazon reviewer "Love the Australian slang and setting details" - LibraryThing review "Wish there was more background on why characters made certain choices" - Goodreads reviewer

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🌟 The novel's unique "door" concept was inspired by actual Sydney terrace houses, which often feature mysterious doors leading to unexpected places 🌟 Justine Larbalestier wrote the first draft of Magic or Madness while living in New York City during a particularly harsh winter, which influenced the book's vivid winter scenes 🌟 The Andre Norton Award, which this book won, was established in 2005 to recognize outstanding young adult science fiction and fantasy novels 🌟 The Australian setting draws heavily from Sydney's Newtown neighborhood, known for its Victorian architecture and bohemian culture 🌟 The author consulted with mathematicians to develop the novel's unique magical system, which involves numerical patterns and geometric shapes