Throughout her studies, Ceony Twill has harbored a secret, one she’s kept from even her mentor, Emery Thane. She’s discovered how to practice forms of magic other than her own—an ability long thought impossible.While all seems set for Ceony to complete her apprenticeship and pass her upcoming final magician’s exam, life quickly becomes complicated. To avoid favoritism, Emery sends her to another … to another paper magician for testing, a Folder who despises Emery and cares even less for his apprentice. To make matters worse, a murderous criminal from Ceony’s past escapes imprisonment. Now she must track the power-hungry convict across England before he can take his revenge. With her life and loved ones hanging in the balance, Ceony must face a criminal who wields the one magic that she does not, and it may prove more powerful than all her skills combined.
The whimsical and captivating follow-up to The Paper Magician and The Glass Magician, The Master Magician will enchant readers of all ages.
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Charlie Holmberg’s Paper Magician series has a lot going for it. The magic system is great: magicians have to bond to a specific manmade material, and can then perform spells only by manipulating that material. I also like the early-twentieth-century-England setting. And the characters are strong: Ceony Twill, the protagonist, is distinct and likable, as is Emery Thane, her love interest and mentor in the art of Folding paper.
But I’m mixed about the books’ lengths. They all run about 220 pages, and while that makes for quick reads and accelerated pacing, sometimes the stories feel underdeveloped.
The Master Magician, Holmberg’s third entry in the series, is the guiltiest of this, probably because there are multiple plotlines. Ceony, now nearly done with her apprenticeship to Thane, toggles between preparing for her final Folding test and hunting a villain she thought she’d bested in the second book, The Glass Magician. Either one of these could have made a good tale on its own. But combined, they come off a bit rushed, especially the callback to the old foe. Sometimes subplots dilute a story more than they intensify it.
I’m also not sure I like how powerful Ceony is becoming. Part of the charm of the first book was how she went from being skeptical of a Folder’s ability to do anything useful to being proud of working spells with paper. In The Glass Magician, though, Ceony learned how to bond to other materials. And in The Master Magician, she’s slinging fireballs and teleporting through mirrors. How long until paper is just an afterthought?
Don’t get me wrong—I picked up The Master Magician because I wanted something fast and fun, and Holmberg delivered on both counts. If you’re looking for a bite-sized diversion, The Paper Magician series is worth a try.
Just don’t be surprised if it feels a few hundred pages too short.
(For more reviews like this one, see http://www.nickwisseman.com)
Read 7.5.2015
Wonderful ending. Glad to see a conclusion to the story arch of the last three books. Did feel that Ceony’s lying and breaking promises should’ve had more consequence to it.
Mg. Bailey taking his hatred of Emery out on Ceony was a bit much. And Zina’s storyline was just filler.
Another hit!
It has been great fun to follow the progress of Ceony Twill as she has gotten more training and more surprising abilities in magic.
There is a strong element of “Don’t go in there!”. Some of her choices of action are poorly thought through.
But it’s an enjoyable read.
Cute story with a great ending. I enjoyed how the characters grew thru the story and all that they learned and became.
I enjoyed this series. This story pulled me in and kept me intrigued.
I confess that I quickly tired of the main character (Ceony) in book #3. I just felt that as a character she hadn’t grown or developed at all since her mayhem in books 1 and 2, and I wanted her to think before throwing herself headlong into danger and acting as is she alone was meant to be the savior of the world. She annoyed me to no end in this final book in the trilogy. I was ready to be done with her character.
After reading the first book, I was a bit disappointed. But book #2 and #3 has saved the entire series.
Ceony is almost a magician. But her apprenticeship changes so that her exam is considered fair and deserving. Once word gets out that Emery and Ceony has been in a deeper relationship than just student/teacher, people will talk and question her abilities as a Folder.
During their separation, old enemies come back and Ceony is determined to protect the people she loves by using her knowledge and skills.
The adventure was amazing, and I couldn’t get enough of the magic. My only complaint would be there wasn’t enough Emery. I couldn’t get enough of him. Hands down, my favorite character in the entire series.
I also hope that Charlie N. Holmberg involves more interesting side characters in her future books. The story and fantasy is great, but there is no friendship building. A bit more tweaking, and this series would have been 5 stars.
Astrid’s Description: As Ceony prepares to take her final exam, she is shocked to find that Magician Thane would not be the one to give it. To keep people from saying that Ceony did not rightfully earn her Master Magician status, Magician Thane asked another to give her the test. Not just anyone one was asked. A man who hates Magician Thane and would love to see him fail, was requested to give Ceony her test.
Ceony must spend the rest of her apprenticeship with this man. All the while another threat to her life comes for her.
Again, the reviews are totally mixed, and I am with the people that loved this book. That being said there was one thing that bothered me. This is supposed to be two years later, and I do not feel like Ceony has matured.
She seems just as childish in this book as she did in the others. With the other two books it made sense that she had not changed; there were only three months that passed between the two. It does not make sense to me. She is a young girl, that is technically just our of college, so why is there no maturing? I am not the same person I was a year ago, and I can say the same for the majority of people I know.
I know that is a little thing, but it bothered me. That is really it though. I still love Charlie’s writing style and I still enjoy her books.