And so I pushed through the second book in this trilogy. I am still less than impressed, but because my expectations were so low, this one wasn’t quite as bad as the first. Which means this is proves the theory that lowered expectations make things better. Oh, don’t get me wrong, it’s still terrible it just didn’t disappoint me in addition to being terrible so… yea… For the record, I skimmed a lot, a LOT, of this book. So what’s the plot? Well, Lira’s evil […]
I Feel I’ve Done This Before…
The Paper Magician By Charlie N. Holmberg This is the first in a trilogy by Holmberg following new Magician’s Apprentice Ceoney Twill as she begins her tenure in paper magic under the eccentric Magician Thane. She is not exactly keen on paper magic, she had wanted to be bonded to metal and a magician can only work with one material for their entire life. Normally, the student first in the class would get to pick their discipline, but Ceoney is told by the head of […]
Everything comes entirely too Easy
The Paper Magician is a Gaslamp Fantasy that was so boringly mediocre that I want to weep at the wasted potential. The ideas behind the story, and the world building, are all deserving of a far better novel then this one ended up being. You see people can do magic with any kind of man made material, but you have to pick one particular kind of material (paper, or smelted metal, or in a twist-human flesh (because humans are man-made-get it?)) and once you choose […]
Plucky Heroine is Stupid
Oh boy, where to start with The Glass Magician? There’s a LOT of pining in this book. Ceony, our plucky heroine from The Paper Magician is back learning from Emery Thane, three months after she rescued his heart from the evil Lira. She’s living with him, playing perfect little housewife trying to audition for that role permanently. And learning more about magic, I guess. A series of accidents leads Ceony to believe the Excisioners that took Lira’s frozen body are now after her. She turns out […]
Plucky Heroine is Plucky
Set in Victorian times, The Paper Magician adds magic based on different materials. When Ceony Twill, our plucky heroine, graduates from magic school, she is placed in an apprenticeship with a paper magician, and is not happy about it. Emery Thane is her teacher, and he shows her some interesting things to do with paper, as well as bringing stories to life (which seems a bit of a stretch) and Ceony settles into her new life quickly. She starts cooking and cleaning for Emery, and explains […]
A Continuing Royal Saga/Magic, Hearts, and Paper Dogs
Two reviews for the price of one! The Selection is one of those series I’m going to have to read to completion. The fifth (and I believe final) book is out in the spring, so in anticipation, and because I needed something light and fluffy to read, I finally picked up The Heir, the fourth book in this royal saga. About 20 years have passed since Maxon’s Selection was completed, and people ain’t happy. The caste system is gone, but there are still riots and people […]