The Paper Magician - by Charlie N. Holmberg

Title: The Paper Magician

Author: Charlie N. Holmberg

Published: 1 Sep 2014

Series: The Paper Magician #1

Rating: 2 stars

Synopsis:

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.

The heart had the dark to balance out the light, the uncertainty to balance dreams.

The cover was what drew me in originally as it's a lovely cover. I liked the idea of the story and the beginning was quite good.Then I feel like it went downhill a little for me. Half the story was Ceony wandering around inside his heart and it felt like just a long backstory for Mg. Thane.

Ceony has recently graduated, and Mg. Thane feels like he should be in his 30s. So the bit of romance starting around halfway through wasn't for me. Plus after only being with him for about a week and thinking him really rude at the start, she shouldn't really say that she loves him, in my opinion.

The paper folding was nice and it was nice to see how a simple thing like paper could be turned into a skeleton butler or a paper dog or even to add magic to the front of the house to mask it. The magic was probably my favourite part about this book. It would have been nice to see what each of the different types were like a little more in depth though.

Also, the laundry and the cooking. I can understand cooking for Mg. Thane as it's a nice thing to do and it's easier cooking for two than for one, I think. However, I wouldn't be washing my boss/teacher's dirty laundry whether they asked me to or not.

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All books in this series:

    1 | The Paper Magician
    2 | The Glass Magician
    3 | The Master Magician

    4 | The Plastic Magician

2018 Reading Challenge - A to Z

Early this year, I saw a post online somewhere that people were trying to read a book for each letter of the alphabet this year. I decided that I wanted to try it too. I wasn't sure how I was going to go, but I think I've done quite well. If there's a book in the list that you'd like to see a review of but it hasn't been done yet, leave a comment and I'll review it.

The rules:

- The word "The" didn't count towards the letter T. For example, The Great Gatsby would be under G as Great Gatsby, The.

- At least one title per letter, not the author's name (although I may attempt that another year)

- You get one freebie to use as you wish. Only one though. Such as if you couldn't find a title beginning with Y that you wanted to read, you could use the freebie and use any book you wanted for that letter instead.

A

• A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) - by Claudia Gray
• Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1) - by Beth Revis
• Angel Eyes (Angel Eyes #1) - by Shannon Dittemore
• And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street - by Dr. Seuss
• A Mother's Confession - by Kelly Rimmer
• Awakening, The (The Vampire Diaries #1) - by L.J. Smith
• Assassin's Blade, The (Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5) - by Sarah J. Maas

B

• Before I Let You Go - by Kelly Rimmer
• Before the Devil Breaks You (The Diviners #3) - by Libba Bray
• Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) - by Maggie Stiefvater
• Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) - by Holly Black
• Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children #3) - by Seanan McGuire

C

• Cleaning & Household Hacks - by Evelyn Craig
• Cat in the Hat, The - by Dr. Seuss
• Cat in the Hat Comes Back, The - by Dr. Seuss
• Celebrated Cases of Sherlock Holmes, The - by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Complete Sherlock Holmes, The (Sherlock Holmes #1-9), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) - by Sarah J. Maas
• Christmasaurus, The: The Musical Edition - by Tom Fletcher

D

• Diviners, The (The Diviners #1) - by Libba Bray
• Dream Thieves, The (The Raven Cycle #2) - by Maggie Stiefvater
• Dr. Seuss' ABC - by Dr. Seuss
• Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) - by Seanan McGuire
• Dear Tiger: I Don't Think I'm Human Anymore (Letters Across Space #2) - by Carlie Simonsen
• Dear Tiger: Don't Look Back (Letters Across Space #3) - by Carlie Simonsen
• Dear Tiger: I Like Your Lab (Letters Across Space #4) - by Carlie Simonsen
• Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2) - by Seanan McGuire [again]
• Don't You Cry - by Mary Kubica
• Dear Tiger: Let's Go A-Hunting (Letters Across Space #5) - by Carlie Simonsen
• Dear Tiger: Help Me Find My Sisters (Letters Across Space #6) - by Carlie Simonsen

E

• Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) - by Sarah J. Maas
• Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) - by Seanan McGuire
• Eve (Eve #1) - by Anna Carey
• Eve of Man (Eve of Man Trilogy #1) - by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher
• Everything, Everything - by Nicola Yoon
• Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) - by Seanan McGuire [again]

F

• Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay - by J.K. Rowling
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Hogwarts Library) - by Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling)
• Foot Book, The - by Dr. Seuss
• Fawkes - by Nadine Brandes
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Hogwarts Library) - by Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling) [again]

G

• Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, The (Guide #1) - by Mackenzie Lee
• Green Eggs and Ham - by Dr. Seuss
• Granny Finds a Gas Mask (Granny Finds Adventure #1) - by Carlie Simonsen

H

• Hunted - by Meagan Spooner
• Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2) - by Ransom Riggs
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas - by Dr. Seuss
• Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) - by Sarah J. Maas

I

• Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! - by Dr. Seuss
• InterWorld (InterWorld #1) - by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
• I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1) - by Barry Lyga
• In Full Flight (Wings #3) - by Carlie Simonsen

J

• 
  

K

• 
  

L

• Last Academy, The - by Anne Applegate
• Lorax, The - by Dr. Seuss
• Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3) - by Ransom Riggs
• Lair of Dreams (The Diviners #2) - by Libba Bray
• LIFEL1K3 (Lifelike #1) - by Jay Kristoff
• Les Miserables - by Victor Hugo

M

• Marge in Charge - by Isla Fisher
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1) - by Ransom Riggs
• Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? - by Dr. Seuss
• Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! - by Dr. Seuss

N

• Neverland - by Margot McGovern

O

• Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) - by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish - by Dr. Seuss
• Oh, The Places You'll Go! - by Dr. Seuss
• Oh Say Can You Say? - by Dr. Seuss
• Outliers, The (The Outliers #1) - by Kimberly McCreight
• On the Other Side - by Carrie Hope Fletcher

P

• Paper Magician, The (The Paper Magician #1) - by Charlie N. Holmberg

Q

• Queen Heir (NYC Mecca #1) - by Jaymin Eve & Leia Stone
• Quidditch Through the Ages (Hogwarts Library) - by Kennilworthy Whisp (J.K Rowling)

R

• Remains in the Pond, The - by Ann Swann
• Raven Boys, The (The Raven Cycle #1) - by Maggie Stiefvater
• Red Glove (Curse Workers #2) - by Holy Black
• Ruby Red (Precious Stone Trilogy #1) - by Kerstin Gier
• Raven King, The (The Raven Cycle #4) - by Maggie Stiefvater
• Rocky and the Raptors (Otherworld Adventures #6) - by Carlie Simonsen

S

• Siren, The - by Kiera Cass
• Something of Substance - by Tia Souders
• Splintered (Splintered #1) - by A.G. Howard

T

• This Night So Dark (Starbound #1.5) - by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
• Threads We Weave, The (Starbound #0.5) - by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
• Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - by Sarah J. Maas
• Their Fractured Light (Starbound #3) - by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
• Tales of Beedle the Bard, The (Hogwarts Library) - by J.K. Rowling
• Tiger Lily - by Jodi Lynn Anderson
• Talon (Talon #1) - by Julie Kagawa
• This Shattered World (Starbound #2) - by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
• There's a Wocket in my Pocket! - by Dr. Seuss
• Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose - by Dr. Seuss
• Tattoo Thief, The - by Alison Belsham
• Twice Dead (The Necromancer's Song #1) - by Caitlin Seal
• Tiny Pretty Things (Tiny Pretty Things #1) - by Song Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton
• Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #2) - by Sarah J. Maas

U

• Unearthed (Unearthed #1) - by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

V

• Very Hungry Caterpillar, The - by Eric Carla

W

• White Cat (Curse Workers #1) - by Holly Black
• Whisper (Whisper #1) - by Lynette Noni
• What If It's Us - by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

X

• 
  

Y

• 
  

Z

• 
  

BOOKS COMPLETED: 21/26