The Paper Magician

The Paper Magician

Blank sheets of paper, each one charged with potential magic, and all you have to do to release it is fold the sheets in just the right way. If the cover didn’t give it away, folding paper is the focus of the magic system in The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg.

The Paper Magician is a delightful novel with clean content for all ages. The messages in the novel range from pushing through difficult tasks to finding the true meaning of love. Ceony Twill, the main character, will entrance readers young and old. 

The novel begins with Ceony Twill, a wannabe magician, longing for the day she gets to choose what material to align with as a magician in training. She imagines herself tapping into the magic of metal or even glass in fantastic ways. But, to her dismay, Ceony doesn’t get to choose. She has shown so much promise, and has no influence coming from a poor family, that she is assigned to align with paper, a dying magic. 

Unwanted or not, Ceony makes the best of her situation and soon discovers that there is more to paper magic than meets the eye. What is more, she begins to see the kind heart of the master magician she is apprenticed under. But all is thrown into chaos as her master’s ex wife comes after his heart, his actual beating heart, to use in her forbidden blood magic. After that, it is a race against time for Ceony to save the man she is falling in love with, using a magic she is only just beginning to understand. 

I stumbled onto this book by chance as a kindle first deal in my email. I was immediately intrigued, but, being ever critical of my reads, I took some time to vet the sample on Amazon. The moment I saw that the author had learned at the hands of the Brandon Sanderson himself, I knew I had to give the book a shot. The unique magic systems enthralled me from the start, and, even years later, I still recommend this book at least a couple times a year.

Last year, at the first ever Dragonsteel Conference, I even got to meet Charlie, the author. Her author panel was at the same time as one of Brandon’s main panels with Dan Wells, bad news for anything else going on at the time, and there were only six of us in the room with Charlie. We could tell that she was disheartened, but she took it in stride and kept interacting with our small group at a personal level. She was funny and charming and willing to answer all of our questions about her books. I don’t know about you, but that is how an author cements my support. 

So, not only am I going to recommend that you read The Paper Magician, but I am going to quickly pitch the entire Paper Magician series to you right now. All the books in the series are just as clean and enjoyable as the first. My only real problem with the series is that the main character, Ceony, doesn’t seem to have a real reason to keep moving in the plot. She does it because she can’t help herself. But that is a minor issue and doesn’t take anything away from the series for me.

The Glass Magician

The Glass Magician is the rule-bending second installment in the Paper Magician series. It is a clean read that keeps the reader guessing about what will happen next. 

Ceony is still working toward becoming a master paper magician. But enemies begin to surface all around her. The love she has for her teacher goes unrequited due to the nature of her being his apprentice, and a glass magician is hunting her and stirring up trouble as he looks for a way to break his bond to glass. The reader will never guess how this one ends; I know I didn’t see it coming.

The Master Magician

The Master Magician is the action packed climax to Ceony Twill’s story. It is a clean read that wraps up a beautifully written trilogy with whimsical magic and wholesome love.

​In Ceony’s final book, she faces the problems of her master’s trial, the practical test she must pass in order to become a master paper magician. She should be focused on preparing for this test, but her attention is divided. She has more to learn than just folding paper, and there are still some old enemies that want both her and her master dead. By the time the book ends, Ceony’s secrets will rock the magical community to its core. I tried not to reveal too much here. The second book changes the entire makeup of the storyline.


This is the end of Ceony’s story and the last one I read, but there is another book in the series about a separate character that is working to become a plastic magician. Since I haven’t read it yet, I will paste the Amazon book description here for you.

The Plastic Magician

Alvie Brechenmacher has arrived in London to begin her training in Polymaking—the magical discipline of bespelling plastic. Polymaking is the newest form of magic, and in a field where there is so much left to learn, every Polymaker dreams of making the next big discovery.
Even though she is only an apprentice, Alvie is an inventor at heart, and she is determined to make as many discoveries—in as short a time frame—as she can. Luckily for her, she’s studying under the world-renowned magician Marion Praff, who is just as dedicated as Alvie is.
Alvie’s enthusiasm reinvigorates her mentor’s work, and together they create a device that could forever change Polymaking—and the world. But when a rival learns of their plans, he conspires to steal their invention and take the credit for it himself.
To thwart him, Alvie will need to think one step ahead. For in the high-stakes world of magical discovery, not everyone plays fair…

Thanks for reading!

Zach Larson
Author at Living Words Press

Have a question you want to ask? Leave a comment below or email me at [email protected]. I want to know what type of post you would like to see from me next.

P.S. Want more content right now? Sign up for my newsletter to receive bonus material, reviews and recommendations, pre-release goodies, and free stuff. Sign up now on the home page: Livingwordspress.com. Just click the button under the title. You don't have to purchase anything to sign up for the newsletter. Most of the content included in the newsletter is exclusive to subscribers, so don't miss out!


Follow me at:
@livingwordsp
www.facebook.com/livingwordspress

​