The Paper Magician (The Paper Magician Series, Book 1) by Charlie N. Holmberg Book Review
A young woman finds herself on a harrowing journey into the dark corners of the heart in author Charlie N. Holmberg’s “The Paper Magician”, the first
in the Paper Magician series. Filled with an all new realm of magic set in an old world setting, this is a phenomenal piece of fiction that
fantasy fans everywhere will love. Here is the synopsis:
Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff
School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s
bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever.
Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper
creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the
extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.
An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony
must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and
reveal the very soul of the man.
From the imaginative mind of debut author Charlie N. Holmberg, The Paper Magician is an extraordinary adventure both dark and whimsical that
will delight readers of all ages.
This was such a fun read. I loved the time period that this book took place in, exploring the turn of the 20th century. I also appreciated the
well rounded character development of protagonist Ceony Twill. While a lot of books would have focused on the young teen complaining about her
place in the world of magic for several chapters, this book showed a young woman who dealt with the change in her life with her head seemingly
held high, even when doubt and frustration wore her down, and who showed great bravery throughout her adventure.
The villainous Excisioners are a fantastically brutal group of magicians that make this story even more enchanting to read. Readers will be shocked
and in awe of the plot twists and turns that come from Ceony’s adventure throughout her mentor’s heart as she explores who Thane really is and
what made him into a master paper magician. The character development was a big highlight of this story, and made for one of the best entries
into a new fantasy series this reviewer has read in a long time. I highly recommend this book for any fantasy book fans out there, and I look forward
to reading more of the Paper Magician series. Author Charlie N. Holmberg is a master storyteller and I cannot wait to read more. Pick up your
copies of The Paper Magician today!
Rating: 9/10
