In my review of The Last Magician, I said I thought that I was ready for the sequel. Looking back, that made me laugh, because I absolutely was not ready. Everything I loved about the first novel was amplified in this one, allowing The Devil’s Thief to join its predecessor on my all time favorites shelf and break my heart into a million pieces all over again.

Esta is one of my favorite characters. She’s an empathetic, badass, time-traveling thief out for revenge and I love her so much. She knew what she wanted and what she had to do and she was determined to do it. She wasn’t about to let any man do what needed to be done while she sat back; she was going to be out and in charge, no matter what. What a queen. If she doesn’t get a happy ending, I’ll riot.

Harte is also one of my favorite characters. Occasionally he acted terribly and I wanted to slap him, but for the most part I felt bad for him. He doesn’t deserve the hand Maxwell dealt him. The moments where his old self shone through made me really happy and sad simultaneously, because one minute there’s the Harte I know and love, then boom! He’s controlled. It sucked. If he doesn’t live through this and get what’s in him out, I’ll riot.

Can you tell I’m attached to these characters?

Viola and Jianyu really step up in this novel, from side characters to protagonists in their own right. The former is a sapphic Italian girl that is absolutely sick of your crap and will stab you, while the latter is a Chinese boy questioning his past decisions but dedicated to keeping his promises. I love them both so much, and their development in the story was interesting. I’m proud of how far they’ve come and would absolutely give them each a hug, though Viola would probably stab me.

Two antagonists return from the previous novel, both righteous and strategically evil, and a new one joins their ranks. I despised all three of these characters with every fiber of my five foot tall being, and I wish they would walk off a cliff into a sea of Legos, barefoot. Thank u, next.

Esta and Harte had a delicious slow-burn, hate-to-love romance in book one, and I was excited and nervous to see where it would go from here. Maxwell didn’t hold back; she honestly tortured the two of them in nearly every way possible. The power in Harte wants to use Esta, but Harte wants Esta romantically and she shares his feelings. They’d get close, but inevitably something bad would happen and Harte would isolate himself. After a scene where things went especially wrong, Esta promises herself that she won’t make the mistake of opening her heart to Harte again, and it was legitimately painful to read. There’s so much tension between the two of them and it’s done so well, but it hurts. They’re going to be the death of me.

Before I started reading, I tweeted something along the lines of, “please, beautiful doorstop, don’t break my heart,” and it didn’t. It destroyed my heart and soul. If you haven’t read these novels or didn’t enjoy them as much, you’ll think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not. I’m completely invested and I mean everything I say, one hundred percent.

One of my favorite parts of this novel is undoubtedly Viola’s love life. She meets a new character in less than ideal circumstances and right away, her thoughts about said character set off some sort of sapphic alarm in my head. In her first POV chapter, it’s revealed through small details that she feels similarly about Viola. I’m being vague on purpose, but my point is that I was right and I’m extremely happy about it. Viola and the new girl have a complex, tenuous relationship, but they kiss and it’s perfect…and then everything falls apart. I shouldn’t expect anything else at this point, but fingers crossed there’s some sapphic happiness in the next book. If there isn’t, you guessed it, I’ll riot.

The story takes place in 1902 New York and 1904 Missouri. Two timelines means twice as much suspense, action, and heartbreak. It was a doubly wild ride and I was in no way prepared for all of the twists Maxwell threw at me. Some say the pacing was uneven, the story too long, but I disagree. I think everything was managed brilliantly, that the length allowed proper development in both characters and plot, that the constant perspective switches between so many characters allowed tension to build and curiosity to simmer.

Another element I really liked was the unique spin Maxwell put on the classic rebellion trope. I can’t say much without spoilers, but there was a group of magic-wielding characters with a rather interesting idea of leveling the playing field. It may very well be one of the most intriguing, one of a kind rebellion plots I’ve ever read.

The worst part of this novel was the cliffhanger it ended on, and that’s not because it was done poorly. It was actually done exquisitely, and my problem lies with the complete lack of information available regarding the next installment. No title, no cover, no synopsis, not even a release year! You can’t end a book this way and just leave us hanging! Well, you can, I suppose, and Maxwell did, but I’m bitter that she did and desperate to know what happens next.

If it wasn’t already abundantly clear, I adored The Devil’s Thief. There are so many complex characters and elements and I’ve become so invested in this story, in this trilogy. I loved every page of this novel, even though reading it was an experience more stressful than any school exam I’ve taken or speech I’ve given. It’s absolutely earned a place on my favorites of 2019 list.

I don’t know how I’ll manage waiting for the release of the third and final novel, or how everything will be wrapped up in that novel, or how I’ll survive reading it, given the impact the first two have had on me. But I’m as ready as I probably ever will be. //end rant