Reviews
An interesting view for magic concerning man-made materials instead of natural ones. Paper craft certainly needs more love, and this is a great way to show it through Folders. I'm curious about the next books in the series.
This book is really YA, but somehow I don't think it would be very compelling for the typical teen. A full 40% of the book is spent with Ceony journeying alone through her mentor's heart. And for supposedly being so smart, she's really dumb. Not just emotionally dumb, she shows a distinct lack of cleverness and understanding. The world-building is interesting and unique with kind of a cool industrial vibe, but that's really the best thing I can say about it. There are several distinct anachronisms that threaten that vibe, though. I don't think I'll continue with this series.
"A heart that’s known love is stronger than one that hasn’t, did you know that?" Every magician has a craft--a single substance they are bonded to for life. Though Ceony Twill always dreamed of bonding to metal, she finds herself unexpectedly bonded to paper and posted to an internship with the bizarre yet strangely charming Magician Emery Thane. As Ceony begins to see that paper magic holds its own charm, as well, Thane is attacked by an Excisioner--a practitioner of blood magic. When his heart is stolen, Ceony is pressed for time to retrieve it, using what little paper magic she's learned to aid her. "The heart had the dark to balance out the light, the uncertainty to balance the dreams." The Paper Magician introduces readers to a world where magic--as it tends to be--is more than it seems. Ceony is a stubborn yet passionate protagonist who is quick to snatch readers into her spirited mentality as she rushes into this adventure to save Emery. The secrets, and pains, Ceony carry with her add a spark of suspense to the story, as does the history behind the tight-lipped Emery Thane. However, this suspense dies down quickly, which ultimately slows the story's momentum. Though Ceony is running on a clock to save Emery, her quest seems to run on for ages. Instead of giving her new roadblocks to face along the way, she's faced with a single task for far too long. This slows the pace of the story and causes the ending to seem long overdue. Even though the threat isn't completely extinguished, this ending is a little too neat, too, which makes it difficult to feel excited for the next part of the trilogy.
In this historical-fantasy-fiction set during England's Victorian Era, we meet 19 year old Ceony Twill, graduate of Tagis Praff. She wants to study Smelting, making magical metal, but has to study Paper Magic due to a lack of Folders. She reluctantly agrees to undergo an apprenticeship with 30 year old Magician Emery Thane. Though stubborn and naive, she comes to enjoy Thane's lessons, but right when it seems Charlie N. Holmberg will disclose our protagonists feelings for each other, in comes Lira, the antagonist, who assaults Ceony for no reason and attempts to murder Emery by literally stealing his heart. With only two days for him to live, Ceony embarks on a journey to save Emery's life, but she is woefully unprepared to face Lira, who traps her in Emery's heart so she can deliver both of them to the excisioners. Racing against time, Ceony must try to find a way out by going through Emery's heart (in reality, his memories) and discover his weakness so she can help them both survive. Ceony and Emery's relationship is under the employer-employee category, but even though Ceony's basically under an internship she still receives scholarly lessons from Emery, which also puts them under the student-teacher relationship category but due to their legal work status I guess it's kinda-sorta legal? If you've read The Queen's Rising duology by Rebecca Ross you might have deja vú thinking of Master Cartier Évariste and Brienna's relationship, but whereas unmarried Cartier's proclamation of undying love for Brienna was strictly student-teacher, Emery is a divorced man whose ex-wife Lira betrayed him; she threatens Ceony's life as vengance for her divorce, so yeah - more drama in this employer/teacher's forbidden house. Emery himself got on my nerves by hiding secrets from Ceony that she deserved to know, plus his response to Ceony's declaration of love? " 'I think I’m falling in love with you,' she admitted...'I know I haven’t known you long, but after all this . . .I feel like I’ve known you forever. I don’t know how many women can claim to have walked a man’s heart, but I’ve walked yours, Emery Thane...' His expression didn’t change save for the tilt of his lips, which very nearly formed a smile before tuckering out and returning to their flat, doubtful line. “Very well,” Emery said..." BOI, IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY!?! This is why student-teacher and employer-employee relationships aren't allowed. Whether he loves her or not a true man won't carelessly dismiss a statement like that knowing very well that can hurt a woman emotionally, even if he's trying to dissuade her. This also gives off the impression he doesn't care about his subordinate's thoughts and actions, which he shows repeatedly throughout this novel, such as banging on her bedroom door suddenly at 6 AM without explanation-especially since he was gone for a few days for no reason, or choking her when he's extremely angry. Cartier NEVER did any of the abovementioned to Brienna, so I can at least give him credit for that, plus he openly declared his love for her publicly and privately, which is more than what Emery can say! Their - Emery and Ceony's - romance is too rushed; I didn't have any butterflies in my stomach, a.k.a the "F e E l Z z Z z Z z." I did enjoy Ceony's lessons where she learns how to make origami come to life. Yes, the paper creatures are called origami, an art style originating from Japan. I don't know why Holmberg didn't say that. I wished she spent more time writing about her lessons before introducing Lira. I also found Ceony's instant memorization too unrealistic. She can't memorize complicated origami THAT fast (basically the first time)! This was a quick, sweet story about redemption, second chances, and trust, though it could've been written better.
This sequel is more exciting than the first! Charlie N. Holmberg gives us a little thriller and drama in the continuing love saga of Magician Emery Thane and Ceony Twill. Both, especially Emery, come to terms with their growing love for each other – even though it’s forbidden, but while they try to ignore it enemies have come for Ceony. Those enemies – Grath specifically – need the magic formula to unfreeze Lira, Emery’s ex-wife. Just to refresh your memory, Lira is an Excisioner (practioner of dark magic) who was married to Emery. He divorced her after he found out, but she tried to kill him. Ceony saved his life but wrote a spell to freeze Lira forever, but she, nor I, understood what she did, how she was able to do it, why she’s able to do it, and – most importantly – HOW Lira came to abandon Emery and turn to dark magic. In The Glass Magician we understand a little better as to what happened: Grath was formerly the Thane’s neighbor, who – already an Excisioner -seduced Lira, who succumbed to his flirtations and eventually become enchanted (cursed with dark magic). He and Saraj Prendi, his assistant, were the one’s Ceony saw at the end of The Paper Magician, though she didn’t know who they were at that time. Grath wants to know the spell Ceony used to freeze Lira so he can unfreeze her, so he threatens her by promising death to her family and Delilah (her friend) if she doesn’t tell him. While the storyline and angst made this a light, fun, and enjoyable read, Holmberg could’ve written this better. First, there’s some stuff that doesn’t historically match up. The Paper Magician Series are supposed to take place during the Victorian Era in London, England. Now, with magic involved this would be considered Historical-Fantasy-Fiction, or Steampunk, but there should still be a level of accuracy involved if you’re going to write Fantasy set here in the real world during a specific time period. In this case: busses, shuttles, short skirts, and horns on buggies. This was just jarring and completely out of place; her editor should’ve seen that. Some readers were also peeved about Ceony’s behavior which, I agree, isn’t accurate or correct. Saying a man needs to get married because he can’t cook and insinuating women who wear revealing clothes are immodest and more likely to be sexually harassed isn’t correct, but she was most likely raised in a conservative family, which explains her thoughts, but I do think the cooking part was random and irrelevant; her thoughts about short skirts made sense in that she herself was sexually harassed while wearing a short skirt when she was younger, so I understood why she said that. I enjoyed reading about her other classmates, and I did like the fact I was able to read Emery’s point of view, but I think Holmberg should’ve written more Emery point of views and had him and Grath have more of a show-down than Ceony and Grath.
I read this in one day, so I'm guessing it's shorter than the first two? I don't know, I had stuff to do last time so I wasn't able to read this in one sitting, although I do have stuff to do today 😅 The ending was kind of predictable, but I found Ceony and Emery's romance to be so sweet and loving 💓 Though not all men in Emery's position will behave in the same manner as him I appreciate how he didn't take the I-know-I-can-take-advantage-of-you-but-will-trick-you-into-thinking-I-won't-when-I-really-will route. He grew on me throughout this series; I definitely came to love him myself at the end! 💕 I'm glad Ceony and Emery both fought Saraj Prendi together (power-couple move!) but Ceony constantly putting herself in danger made her look so stupid 😒 She wasn't in danger AT ALL but insisted on going after Saraj 🤔 At this point I would think she's smart enough to not throw herself into dangerous situations for no reason and WITHOUT a plan! She also manages to get away by luck? God's blessing? Even if it's God's blessing I don't believe he'll support someone jumping headfirst into a situation without a plan. She just manages to BARELY get away unscathed. I was also hoping for a confrontation scene between Emery and Prit; Prit was snooping around reading their letters, plus I was hoping he and Ceony would've had a scene together during the graduation ceremony. I have to agree with other users: Ceony's memory is too perfect, it almost doesn't make sense for her to be an apprentice. Magician Aviosky's comment at the graduation ceremony was misogynistic 😤 I also wanted to read Ceony's answer to Emery's question at the end! Although I knew the answer from the first book. Ceony and Zina's rivalry felt shoehorned; that should've been mentioned since the beginning of this series. Regardless of the cons, I'll give this 5 stars, just for the romance 💕💓💕
I recently read Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by this author and was instantly swept away by her darkly whimsical writing, so I was looking forward to picking up more of her work. While the premise of this one sounds amazing, the execution was lacking. It's such a short book, and it tried to cram too much in, so it felt like there was no room to breathe. If there were more development between the characters, it would've made Ceony's journey to save Thane more impactful. I also enjoyed the magic system and thought it was unique, but I wanted more. The first book in a series is always touch-and-go, and even though I had some issues with this, the overall story was entertaining, and I'm looking forward to picking up the rest of the series.
🖤 I honestly think this book was terrible but not here to pinpoint all that was wrong with it. 🖤🖤 Let's all be pacified with the fact that this was a debut and Charlie Holmberg's newer works are much improved. ⭐.5 stars
This was my pick for the pick-for-me book club. I'm not a fan of YA, but this was pretty good. It was a nice quick read. I think I'll read the next one in the series.
I did not enjoy this book at all. Just plodded through it. It was predictable and repetitive
What a thoroughly enjoyable read--just the right side of whimsical to balance the academic approach to magic.
actual rating: 3.5 bego banget i thought this was a middle-grade book but nope... it's a ya? na? idk though ternyata di cover belakangnya ada tulisan 18+ 💀 anyways. good world building, interesting universe. this was written in middle-grade books kind of details hence why i thought it was one. i despise the romance... not because of the age gap (it does bother me a bit) i mean ok tharne is attractive and all but like that was wayyyyy too fast. terjemahannya juga a bit err at some parts... but it's fine though.
Hm, es begann recht vielversprechend, aber die Geschichte entwickelte sich nicht so, wie der Klappentext vermuten ließ. Ich fand sie etwas schräg und sie passte auch nicht wirklich zusammen, aber sie war gut lesbar. Nette Unterhaltung für zwischendurch, allerdings auch nicht mehr.
second read: just as amazing as the first time i read it! just like last time, i read this before re-reading the original series. still waiting for the second book in this series to come out. first read: I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN. However, writing this, I realize that this is the fourth book in the series. Oops. Thankfully it seems this book follows a different person and starts off on a new portion of the series. I will definitely be going back to read the Paper Magician Trilogy, it was already on my put. I absolutely adore Charlie Holmberg's books, they capture my attention every time. This started off a little slow to draw you into the world, to get a feel for Alvie. Everything after those first few chapters was fast paced, the story never stopped moving. You could feel the momentum of the project they were working on as they were constantly uncovering new forms of magic. The tension grew subtly throughout the book until it finally came to a breaking point and you started to question everyone she knew, who could she actually trust. The love interest is adorable from the beginning, so earnest in his affection and pursuit of Alvie. I hope to see more from him in future books, he brought more to the story than I was expecting. This is a must-read for anyone who loves magic, especially magical realism.
absolutely lovely as always, one of my favorite series of all time
For clarification sake; I have received a copy of The Glass Magician through netgalley.com, but I ended up reading a copy through a subscription service (Scribd) instead. Continuing with the delightful (set a question mark to delightful due to the plot, but from the point of world building, definitely delightful) world. With Ceony ending up in more trouble and danger and nonetheless seeking after it.
For clarification sake; I have received a copy of The Paper Magician through netgalley.com, but I ended up reading a copy through a subscription service (Scribd) instead. I'm absolutely delighted about the universe of The Paper Magician. I definitely preferred to read about how paper magic worked, and learn more about this magic. It was definitely an interesting take to have Ceony wander through Thane's (can't remember what it was). But as much as I loved the world, I'm not completely in love with the characters, and especially not the romance (though I also did root for them (but hey, that is also how the plot set them up for me).
The Paper Magician is an interesting story about an early 1900s London where magic is real. These magicians use different mediums, such as metal working, glass, and paper to perform their magic and it is a part of everyday life. Ceony doesn’t want to become a folder, a paper magician, but she isn’t given a choice for her apprenticeship. She meets the curious Magician Thane who will teach her the art of paper magic, until a evil flesh magician called an excisor steals his heart, literally. Pros • Fast Pace- This was short and moved quickly which made it even more enjoyable • Magic system- I really enjoyed the magic system to this. It left the author with nearly endless possibilities while being original. • Ceony- Ceony wasn’t that likeable, but I think that’s part of her charm. Cons: • More magic- So much of the book is Ceony’s journey to get the heart back, and while it is interesting, I wanted more of the paper magic. She learned so little before setting off, and that was the thing that drew me to the book. • Age gap- I think this could have easily been a smaller age gap, there isn’t a reason for Mg. Thane to be so old if he’s going to be the love interest. He easily could be 25-ish rather than 29/30 like he is in the book. Meanwhile Ceony is still a child at 19. I’m giving this book 3.5/5 stars. It was quick and enjoyable. I may continue the series as I believe it’s on Kindle Unlimited, but don’t see myself rereading any time soon.
The Glass Magician, follow up to The Paper Magician follows closely behind the events of the first book. Ceony is still an apprentice with Emery Thane, but the actions Ceony took to save his heart have consequences. Excisors want answers to what Ceony did to Lira, and Ceony wants answers herself. Pros: • Different magics- I think the expansion into glass magic and the continuation of Ceony’s education made this better for me because we learned a lot more about the magic system. Somehow, I think I would still choose paper just from its versatility. • Fast pace- Again, the pace of this was one of its charms. It was quick and an easy read for me. Cons: • One of the villains being Indian when everyone else is white just didn’t really sit right with me. • Delilah and her friendship- I honestly thought the author was dropping hints that Delilah was a villain the whole time. It turns out she is just kind of an idiot girl that decided to be Ceony’s friend for almost no reason. • Romance? – I still don’t really care for the romance between Ceony and Emery there just doesn’t seem to be a spark there. I’m giving this book 3.5/5 stars. I’ll definitely finish the series at this point, but once again I don’t think this will be a repeat series for me.
I thought this was an amazing book! I loved the characters and the creativity. This trilogy has been like a breath of fresh air. I read a variety of genres including fantasy books and I have become a little bored of the same old things time and again. These books have caught my attention and carried my enthusiasm through to the end. I say the end but I am hoping that the author will write more about these characters as the end of this trilogy certainly leaves the way open for more adventures and more developments of the characters. I am not going to write about the plot or give any spoilers but I did enjoy the romantic storyline as well as the teaching-learning parts and the bits that read more like detective work. I loved: the beautiful descriptions of the art of folding and the pluses and minuses of the products used as the bases for the magic.
I very much loved this book!! For the longest time I was in a reading lull, it had been awhile since I really got into a book. Then finally I pick up this one and I can hardly put it down!! I love the concept and I cannot wait to continue onto the rest of the series! It took me a minute to really get into it, but once I did I never wanted to leave.
I think this was the best in the series, but it was still veeeeery lacking. The plot was the exact same from the other two books and the villain had absolutely no depth.
The beginning of this book felt sooo rushed. Even toward the end I thought it came too soon and too fast. I don’t like the relationship that ceony is building with Emery. While I still mostly enjoyed the story line, I couldn’t get over some of the descriptions, there were a lot of unnecessary words and depictions that could have easily been left out.
started reading this at about 9pm last night, ended up finishing the entire trilogy by accident when I woke up too early this morning.... I actually really enjoyed this series! it's been sometime since I read a fantasy series, and this one did not disappoint. The premise of bonding to materials and the way the adventure unfolded was very intriguing, although I did wish that the author had fleshed out the relationships a bit more.