BOOK REVIEW: The Glass Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
WARNING: If you haven't read The Paper Magician, do not read further. There will be spoilers from the first book.
I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something special about The Glass Magician. It's not quite as action packed as the first in the series, The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg, but I liked getting to know more about the characters on an emotional and intellectual level. And, I refuse to give away the meaning behind the title, but I had to change my mind about it a few times, finally culminating in the last few pages.
As much as I enjoyed the mystery behind the title, and the character development, this book did have one area, like any good book, that could have been strengthened. For me, it was the conclusion of The Glass Magician, but more on that later.
The Glass Magician picked up a few months after the conclusion of the first book, and revolved around Ceony's frozen spell on Lira in The Paper Magician. Grath is on a mission to save Lira from Ceony's spell, and so he aggressively pursues Ceony in hope to find a spell to reverse Lira's state. However, Ceony refuses to help him, and calamity ensues.
After Grath first attacks Ceony in a Bistro, she escapes, but runs into Langston, Emery Thane's first apprentice in the street. It was interesting to meet Langston, to see how different in temperament he was from Emery.
To that end, Ceony is never one to back down from a threat, and this time she gets Delilah, a gaffer, to help her fight Grath without help from police or other magicians. When Ceony's plan goes awry, Delilah brings in the master magicians, including Emery, to save Ceony.
And, I think that helps cement how important Ceony is to Emery, because Emery protects Ceony at every turn, unlike putting Langston in danger to watch over Ceony. Furthermore, at this point Emery shuts Ceony out, and Ceony goes on a roller coaster of emotions during this time, showing her vulnerabilities. However, in only a way Ceony and Emery can, they reconnect before Emery goes off to fight Saraj. As her teacher, Emery explains his actions in the second to the last chapter, which is devoted to his point of view.
However, my favorite part of the book is the final sentence, which I refuse to spoil for you!!
WHAT I LIKED: Readers learned what makes Ceony tick, and we learned more about her personal life through her friendship with Delilah. To me, her friendship made her a multidimensional character, because this friendship made her reflect on a previous friendship that did not go well, and had Ceony live in the moment with Delilah. Whereas with Emery, Ceony investigates issues and we see how connected the two are, even though not directly a couple.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The conclusion felt forced. Charlie N. Holmberg is great at creating action scenes, and having her characters fight through them as evidenced in the first book. There was some of that in this novel, but it went by too fast. Personally, I wanted to see more action from Ceony and Emery in the final three chapters.
RATED: 4 Stars
It was the quick ending that forced me to take one star off. I would not hesitate to recommend this book (or series for that matter!) to any person who enjoys the fantasy genre.
Charlie N. Holmberg has a knack for creating memorable characters you want to learn more about. Consequently, my next book is, as you probably guessed, the conclusion of the series, The Master Magician.
Notably, this book is perfect for reading late at night in Colorado when you can hear a large raging stream right outside your cabin. Ask me how I know!!
NOTE: This review is also posted on Goodreads. Additionally, I bought and paid for the book on my own, and did not receive any compensation for this review.