The Paper Magician

by Charlie N. Holmberg

Overview

“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 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477823835
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	09/01/2014
Series:	The Paper Magician , #1
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	97,299
Product dimensions:	7.12(w) x 6.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Born in Salt Lake City, Charlie was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters who also have boy names. In addition to writing fantasy novels, she is also a freelance editor. She graduated from BYU, plays the ukulele, owns too many pairs of glasses, and hopes to one day own a dog. The Paper Magician is her debut novel and the first in a whimsical series exploring a world of magicians who animate manmade materials. She currently lives with her family in Utah.

Editorial Reviews

06/30/2014
Ceony Twill is denied the chance to choose the school of magic to which she will be permanently bound. Instead, an unknown benefactor pays for her tuition, and she’s consigned to life as a “Folder,” a practitioner of paper magic. Apprenticed to the amiable Emery Thane, the hardworking Ceony resigns herself to her fate and soon discovers that there is more to paper magic than she thought. Thane is not the eccentric he pretends to be; he has played a crucial role in the ongoing purges of practitioners of the forbidden arts of blood magic. Before Ceony’s horrified eyes, Thane’s past comes back to haunt him when his former wife, Lira, ambushes him and leaves him for dead. Thane’s only hope is Ceony, but the young magician’s determination and a handful of spells may not be enough to save him. Ceony displays commendable pluck facing a more experienced mage trained in the dark arts, and Holmberg gives her a complete story while leaving ample room for sequels. Short (almost too short) and to the point, this promising debut recalls the early work of Patricia Wrede. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Charlie N. Holmberg does a fantastic job of making her characters interesting and complex...The Paper Magician is my kind of story. I love anything set in England, especially historical England, and the pace of the story, while incredibly fast, cuts to the point and leaves plenty of room and questions-left-unanswered for a sequel. I appreciated that it didn’t end as a typical fluffy romance, but had an interesting twist and what I felt was a lot of delicious tension. Plus, the cover’s awesome.” —Devin Brooks, The Figmentist

“Harry Potter fans will likely enjoy this story for its glimpses of another structured magical world, and fans of Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus will enjoy the whimsical romance element. The ease of read makes this a quick getaway when compared to something complex in terms of language like Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. So if you’re looking for a story with some unique magic, romantic gestures, and the inherent darkness that accompanies power all steeped in a yet to be fully explored magical world, then this could be your next read.” —Amanda Lowery, Thinking Out Loud

“Ceony displays commendable pluck facing a more experienced mage trained in the dark arts, and Holmberg gives her a complete story while leaving ample room for sequels…This promising debut recalls the early work of Patricia Wrede.” —Publishers Weekly

“A fast-paced, perilous romp…The story was the perfect tempo and I immediately fell in love with Ceony, her astute mind and quick thinking. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!” —CheriePie’s Book Reviews

“Stephen King once said, ‘Love is a uniquely portable magic,’ and if so, The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg must be a kind of love...If you can take yourself out of the real world for a little while and imagine yourself as one learning how to be a magician, this novel will easily become one of your favorites. With a little bit of magic, romance, and suspense, The Paper Magician is truly a fun and exciting summer read for anyone who needs a break from the real world.” —The Triangle

“The plot is pretty tightly focused on Ceony and Emery, but the glimpses I caught of this larger world were fascinating...If you enjoy fantasy or steampunk at all, give this one a try.” —The Introverted Reader

From the Publisher

Amy McFadden brings high energy to the narration of this debut novel. She gives the young Ceony a naïve, sassy spirit that complements the absentminded and distracted magician with whom she has begun to apprentice. McFadden keeps to a steady and even pace as the pair fall into their daily routine—until a practitioner of the dark arts intrudes and literally steals the heart of the magician. Then, McFadden picks up the pace as Ceony sets out to recover the heart in an effort to restore the magician’s life and health. McFadden maintains the intensity of the plot as Ceony moves through the darkness. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2014 - AudioFile