“Charlie is a vibrant writer with an excellent voice and great world building. I thoroughly enjoyed the Paper Magician.” —Brandon Sanderson, author of Mistborn and The Way of Kings 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 … 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.
Short-Listed for the 2015 ALA Fantasy Reading List
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A lighthearted, fun read. Great for teens/young adults. It had me hooked and the rest of the series didn’t disappoint.
This is the kind of book that you unequivocally do not expect me to read and yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s an unusual and interesting book set in England—the magic and time period was fascinating, but be forewarned your belief in reality must be suspended. The bare bones of the plot – student, learning magic despite some hardship or other, gets into trouble and must use her fledgling powers to save herself/the world/the cute boy with a combination of pluck, happy accidents, and bravado because the fully-qualified adult magicians aren’t being helpful – is not new. Not by a long shot. But the book is a fun read, definitely a nice change of pace.
I am about to read a few single novels by this author (Followed by Frost and Magic Bitter Magic Sweet) so I thought I’d put in a quick plug for Holmberg’s debut series, The Paper Magician. It’s kinda steam punkish with an awesome magic system. And there’s a bit of a love story. So what’s not to like.
When i saw this book in a bookstore, I was intrigued. Now that I’ve read it, I’m glad I did. The characters are well developed and the story is unique. The author shows that even seemingly simple things can have a powerful impact.
The basic premise in this magical world is that magicians bond with one man made substance (in this case it’s paper). Then their spells can make that item do extraordinary things. Honestly, I want a paper dog! :).
This is is a book I would definitely recommend. Looking forward to the next in the series!
I think this series may technically be a young adult series but I enjoyed it regardless. Quick read that was original and interesting enough for me to pick up the other books in the series and read them as well.
I have read and re-read The Paper Magician a number of times now. I know the structure of the book isn’t to everyone’s taste, but it remains one of my own personal favourite books, and I tend to pick it up again whenever I am feeling a bit blue. After my latest re-read, I thought I’d take a moment to leave a few comments on it.
The Paper Magician reminds me a great deal of Howl’s Moving Castle in its overall atmosphere, though I have both books on my shelf and I tend to re-read this one slightly more. The magic system is both whimsical and creative, and the main character Ceony undergoes real character growth over the course of the novel—she begins as a somewhat sullen young girl denied what she thought was her due, but slowly begins to develop into a character capable of appreciating the things she has been given instead. I particularly appreciate this subtle development in a young adult novel, because it feels true to life, and it reminds me of my own necessary growth around that time in my life.
The main thing that I appreciate about The Paper Magician is Ceony’s mentor, Emery Thane. He is far from the usual heroic archetype—though he has reached a certain level of respectable skill in his craft, he is primarily a creator and a tinkerer rather than a warrior. Emery’s best qualities are that he is good, and humble, and kind—but these qualities do not make him perfect, nor do they insulate him against making grave mistakes of his own. By the end of the novel, Ceony has both recognized these qualities in Emery and decided to try and emulate them, which I find to be a very gratifying sort of ending.
There is also a real, dark edge to the villains that defies the usual charm, and I find them genuinely unnerving, both in concept and in execution. These villains clearly represent the ultimate foil to Emery’s kind, selfless qualities; they are selfish, power-hungry, and blindly destructive in the pursuit of power. I found them greatly compelling, especially given that obvious contrast.
There is not much to the ‘historical’ aspect of ‘historical fantasy’ here—the book could just as easily be set in a totally different world, for all of the difference it makes—but it hardly matters. The Paper Magician is a masterpiece, and I enjoy it more every time that I read it.
Very entertaining series starting with “The Paper Magician “. The series was so enchanting and delightful to read, that I blazed right through it. I loved the world of magic that was woven into each book.
Not the most thought provoking scifi/fantasy book I have ever read but it is a clever and entertaining read..have gone on to read the other books in this series that use different material for their magic. Each one enchanting.
A most unusual adventure. Can’t get into detail without spoiling the discoveries, but this was another book that kept me up much too late, turning the pages to see what happens next.
This one is on sale today (August 27th, 2019) and highly recommended!
The blurb (and cover) of The Paper Magician had me intrigued from the get-go.
And then the book, I’m pleased to say, drew me in completely from the front steps of Magician Thane’s dark and dreary, mystically enchanted house.
Finally, the trip through his heart (a fantasy angle that totally caught me off guard) clinched the deal for me.
“I don’t know how many women can claim to have walked a man’s heart, but I’ve walked yours, Emery Thane.”
The historical detail was light, and for that I’m grateful. It’s a story, it doesn’t have to reflect history accurately, in my mind.
But I am a romance junkie, and this could have had more romance in it for me to score it five stars. However, it was whimsical and captivating, had enough action and tension to keep me turning the pages, and just a hint of romance to keep me charmed.
Ceony and Emery have found a place in my heart and I thank them for transporting me somewhere right until the very end.
I found myself quickly engrossed in this YA fictional world. I still love paper, and so I enjoyed the whimsy of imagining magical abilities focused on such a mundane medium that we take for granted every day. I will admit that I had difficulty with some of the plot in the middle…but I kept reading. The author redeemed the story for me in the end.
**SPOILER ALERT**
I have a vivid imagination, but when Lira places Ceony inside Emery Thane’s heart (which is outside of his body at the time), I struggled to follow along. It was just over the top, I guess. But I soon realized that the author was using it to allow Ceony to know more of Emery’s story and recognize the depth of her feelings for her mentor. Unique story to be sure!!
I loved this series. It was so very different and very engaging. Really enjoyed all of it.
I can’t wait to read the next one in the series!
5.16.2015
AMAZING!! I loved every second of this book.
Were you looking for a Magic School Bus look inside of the heart? This is that book. Typically, one character on a solo mission can be boring, but this was great! I wish I hadn’t had the Magic School Bus theme song in my head the whole time though…
Great find. Hooked on the series!
The characters were charming, the system of magic highly original, the slow burn romance sweet and satisfying, and the villains evil and dastardly. After I read this one, I bought the rest of the series.
Absolutely LOVED this book and the whole Magician series!
I enjoyed the world Charlie N. Holmberg created–whimsical, magical, and reminded me of J.K. Rowling or C.S. Lewis.
Ceony Twill is training to become a magician, but has to become a Paper Magician despite wanting to learn about the “cooler” magic schools, like working with glass or metal. She is paired with Emery Thane, an eccentric Paper Magician who begins to teach her the ways of magic through paper. And, to Ceony’s surprise, there is utility in learning how to magick paper. Who knew?
I did find it a little unbelievable that a young woman would live alone with a man in his 30s, given that that the setting was similar to Victorian England. But, I accepted it and it ended up working well–it even provides a little conflict down the line. In addition, I thought the last third was a little long, but it did provide a lot of insight into the characters in a way that wasn’t just info dumping.
Overall, I really liked this story. It sets up the central conflict of the series well. Ceony struggles and learns throughout her journey. And, Emery was a fun “wacky” character, but also charming.
I adore this whole series!!