Jim Liedeka reviewed The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
Review of 'The Paper Magician' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This was a definite page-turner and easily readable in a day.
214 pages
English language
Published April 17, 2014 by 47North.
The Paper Magician
4 stars
(14 reviews)
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 …
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 listeners of all ages.
Dubi reviewed The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
Review of 'The Paper Magician' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
DNF. I guess I'm not the target audience, but gawd, that was trite and so poorly written.
EarthboundValkyrie reviewed The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
Review of 'The Paper Magician' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I received a copy of this book free in exchange for an honest review.
What an absolutely delightful story! "The Paper Magician" is probably one of the most imaginative tales I've come across in quite some time. I certainly can't think of any other books in which the main character actually journeys through the physical heart of another character.
Ceony Twill is a magician's apprentice – not a stage magician, but someone who can create real magic using specific materials. In her case, she uses paper. Shortly after being assigned to a her mentor, he is attacked and his heart is removed from his chest. She quickly uses her magic to give him a paper heart in the hopes that it will keep him alive while she goes to track down the thief. Upon finding the thief, however, Ceony finds herself suddenly thrown - literally - into her mentor's heart …
I received a copy of this book free in exchange for an honest review.
What an absolutely delightful story! "The Paper Magician" is probably one of the most imaginative tales I've come across in quite some time. I certainly can't think of any other books in which the main character actually journeys through the physical heart of another character.
Ceony Twill is a magician's apprentice – not a stage magician, but someone who can create real magic using specific materials. In her case, she uses paper. Shortly after being assigned to a her mentor, he is attacked and his heart is removed from his chest. She quickly uses her magic to give him a paper heart in the hopes that it will keep him alive while she goes to track down the thief. Upon finding the thief, however, Ceony finds herself suddenly thrown - literally - into her mentor's heart where she must journey through all four chambers - each containing the secrets of his life – to reach the other end and exit before the thief catches up with her.
The imaginative and inventive ways that Ceony and her mentor are able to use paper to create a variety of spells - from bringing a written story to life to animating life-like creatures, and so much more - is amazing, and the detail of the journey she takes through her mentor's heart is beautifully written, easily visualized and quite moving.
Quite simply, this is an absolutely charming book with well-rounded characters, a light sense of humor, strong dramatic scenes and well-crafted plotting. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a bit of whimsy and wonder in the world.
