Magic or Madness Trilogy by Justine Larbalestier

Publication dates: Mar 2005 - 2007
Published by: Razorbill
Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis
Reason Cansino is a 15-year-old girl who has been on the run with her mother, Serafina in the Outback, Australia most of her life.  Serafina told her from a young age that her grandmother, Esmeralda, is a wicked woman; that she believes in magic and carries out despicable acts in its name.  Reason and Serafina have remained 'off the grid', hidden from Esmeralda until Serafina suffers a breakdown and is committed to a mental institution.  Reason is taken to Sydney by the authorities where she is left in the care of Esmeralda.

Reason is determined that, as soon as possible, she will run away.  She plans her escape.  One day, when Esmeralda is at work, she searches the house looking for money and valuables to take with her.  She finds a key which she discovers opens the back door in the kitchen.  When she opens it and walks through, she leaves the warmth of Sydney in summer and finds herself in New York in Winter. Dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops, the cold begins to bite. The kitchen door had shut and is locked, so she can't go back.

Reason is 'rescued' by Jay-Tee, a girl her age who takes Reason to her New York apartment.  But, it soon becomes apparent that Jay-Tee does not have Reason's best interests at heart...

My Review

First impressions:
I first discovered and read this trilogy about 10 years ago, but I didn't remember much about the books, so this was a re-visit.  

The upside:

The first book, Magic or Madness, is the strongest of the 3.  Although I got influences from many well-known and loved sci-fi/fantasy novels, this is an original story, which was refreshing, as I found it unpredictable.   Reason discovers magic the hard way - having been told most of her life by her mother that it does not exist.  I felt sympathetic towards her because, although Serafina kept her in the dark for her own protection, when she is taken in by Esmeralda, she is completely ignorant about what she is and the implications, which leaves her more vulnerable than she would have been had she known.  

The story could be seen as a lesson in the harsh realities of teenage life.  Reason, who is innocent and quite naïve, always had the safety and protection of her mother - until she didn't. Although naïve, Reason is bright.  She catches on quick and responds, accordingly. 

I found some parts of this book to be an uncomfortable read. One that does not flinch when it comes to grown up subjects.  I believe one of the influences is Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials.  Where that series is seen to be a response to ones created by religious writers that use their stories to express their beliefs (namely, The Chronicles of Narnia and more recently, The Twilight Saga), I would say this one could be seen as a response to 'sanitised' YA fiction by authors who believe that, in doing so, they are protecting teenagers from subjects considered too 'adult' for them.  (Or at least, it was back when they were published.  The internet may have changed all that.)  

Spoiler Alert from here on.

The downside:

Unfortunately, for me, the series goes downhill from book 2, Magic Lessons.  There are some interesting ideas being explored but they aren't well executed.  The main plot about magic and the dangers it imposes on those who have it, is entwined with a contemporary YA story about innocence and teenage sexual discovery, which is fine, but I don't think both stories gelled successfully.  Instead, they go in different directions and compete for dominance.  I would have enjoyed it more if the plot of the latter demonstrated a stronger relevance to the former.  There is a subtle connection - old man Cansino wants to ensure the family line is carried on - but it is so subtle I almost missed it.  This is even more problematic in book 3.

Magic's Child was a disappointment.  I really struggled to finish it, but I had invested time in the series, so I did.  Reason's grandparents behave towards her and Serafina much like Lyra's parents did towards her in His Dark Materials.  There was drama and conflict - Reason's grandfather ups the stakes by taking Serafina out of the mental institution, but the impact is diluted by the heavy focus on teenage lust, that is, the scenes with Jay-Tee and Tom exploring their physical attraction for each other.  This goes on while Reason and Esmeralda go through the door to NY and attempt to rescue Serafina, who is in mortal danger. Jay-Tee and Tom are stuck in Sydney unable to do anything to help.  So what do they do?  They hook up! The chapters alternate between these events, and I found the chapters about Jay-Tee and Tom to be an unnecessary distraction.  It was tedious and boring, and I ended up skipping some of those parts.  This brings me back to my point about the main plot and the sub-plot going in separate directions.  

For me, the main plot - the stuff about magic - was puzzling. Given the stakes, it didn't make sense to me why characters were so desperate to hold on to their magic, particularly when, with the exception of Jay-Tee, they hardly ever used it.  Jay-Tee used it mostly to conjure money to live on, and for the buzz she got on the dance floor when she went clubbing (??).  WTF?

The verdict:
To be fair, I did like Magic or Madness.  Sadly, I wasn't keen on Magic Lessons and Magic's Child was excruciating, so as a series it was a disappointment. 

I realise that I could not finish the series, and so I abandoned it 10 years ago, which is why I couldn't remember it.  Now that I have read them all it feels like time wasted that I wish I could get back!  My advice is spare yourself the agony.