Like its predecessor The Paper Magician, Charlie Holmberg’s The Glass Magician is crisp, creative, and vaguely unsatisfying.
Ceony, the heroine of both books, is still lovesick over Emery, her mentor in the art of Folding (using paper to cast spells). The story moves just as quickly, starting with a bombing in Chapter Three and resolving in a little over 200 pages. And the materials-based magic system remains fun.
But what had the makings of a mystery turned out to be merely an extended chase scene without much of a puzzle to solve. And Ceony made several questionable decisions that seemed more reckless than brave. There’s also a jarring point-of-view shift near the end.
Overall, The Glass Magician was a decent read. But it left me less interested in continuing the series than the first book did. Sequels are tough.
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