A story begun in Magic or Madness (U.S. edition: Razorbill, 2005) and continued in Magic Lessons (U.S. edition: Razorbill, 2006), concludes with fifteen-year-old Reason Cansino determined to reunite with the father of her unborn child. His painful rejection is quickly usurped by other concerns: her mother, Sarafina, whose refusal to use her magic has led to mental illness, has been kidnapped by her dark-hearted grandfather, who wants to use Sarafina’s magic as a means of obtaining Reason. Meanwhile, one of her best–friends, Jay-Tee, is dying, the result of using her magic up. The double-edged danger that comes with being magical—not using it leads to insanity, using it up leads to death—is something that Reason and Reason alone may be able to change. An earlier encounter with one of her ancestors—an ancient Cansino—has done something to her magic, and as she pursues her mother and grandfather, she enters the inviting realms of pure magic for the first time. There, she begins to understand the possibility of stripping magic from DNA. Her newfound knowledge raises challenging questions of personal identity and moral responsibility for Reason, her friends, and family. Followers of Larbalestier’s highly original series will particularly enjoy its conclusion as it plays out through Reason’s journey, the bittersweet romance between Jay-Tee and Tom, and the fates of others in its cast of complex characters. (Ages 12–15)