Magic or Madness
#8333.51 adjusted 3.56 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2005–2007 Reading commitment Medium Justine Larbalestier Last reviewed 2026-10-23
Overview
Justine Larbalestier's Magic or Madness trilogy follows Reason Cansino, who has spent her life on the run in the Australian outback with her mother, Sarafina, from her grandmother Esmeralda, who believes in magic and is said to practise horrifying rituals. Sent to live with Esmeralda in Sydney, Reason walks through a back door of her grandmother's house and finds herself on a New York City street: magic is real, and Reason is magic. Like her mother, her grandmother and her new friends Tom and Jay-Tee, she must choose between using the magic in her blood and dying young, or refusing it and losing her mind. Told from three points of view, the first book won the 2007 Andre Norton Award.
Urban fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Magic or Madness Justine Larbalestier
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Magic or Madness | 2005 | 1 | core | 3.52 (4,163 ratings) |
 | Magic Lessons | 2006 | 2 | core | 3.51 (2,171 ratings) |
 | Magic's Child | 2007 | 3 | core | 3.47 (1,829 ratings) |
Reason Cansino and the price of magic in her blood.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Magic or Madness? Magic or Madness's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Magic or Madness? Publication order, starting with Magic or Madness. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Magic or Madness finished? Complete (2005–2007).
- How much reading does Magic or Madness take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is Magic or Madness ranked? #833 in this site's official ranking, based on 8,163 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #833?
Ranked #833 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.51 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (8,163 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.05 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #832, Fire of Heaven (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 3 books · Complete · 8k ratings · Ranks #833 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Magic or Madness (2005)
- Magic Lessons (2006)
- Magic's Child (2007)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Andre Norton Award, 2007: won: Magic or Madness
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.51 across 8,163 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: Magic or Madness (Justine Larbalestier) accepted 2026-10-21
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-21
Rule: Core Canon = Magic or Madness (2005), Magic Lessons (2006) and Magic's Child (2007).