I bought this series because it came recommended to me as I cannot seem to get over The Starless Sea all these months later. The book takes place in the early 1900s, but it isn’t necessarily written as such (which I appreciate, I’m not a fan of olde English when I’m trying to read, it slows me down). Ceony has been assigned an apprenticeship as a paper magician. Normally students are free to choose what they will study, but in this case, there just aren’t enough paper magicians. Ceony comes into this role fairly uninformed as the extent of what she will be able to do has yet to unfold (pun regarding the folding of paper intended).
So I liked learning what they can do, I thought it was fun and imaginative, and when the story switched to this quest to save Thane, I was a bit disappointed thinking this was the end of the cool stuff they were doing. But Ceony is incredibly smart (despite the fact she came into this with prejudices towards Thane), and the things she figures out to do in the name of saving him were creative. When the book ended, I wasn’t ready to let them go, and thankfully, I bought the entire series so I can continue on and see what is in store for them. This was such a fun read, I wouldn’t compare it to The Starless Sea, as others have done, but I would say Holmberg has a great imagination, and for that, I’m thankful.
Read this review on Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub.
The Paper Magician is available on Amazon for $1.99, it’s enrolled in KU.
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