The Return of Charlie N. Holmberg

I’ve done previous posts on the works of Charlie N. Holmberg – namely the stand-alone novels that got me hooked, but also the realism in her books, the mystical The Will and the Wilds as well as another trilogy of hers – which were all absolutely fantastic.  It’s sad to admit how long it took me, but I *finally* got around to reading the books that started her writing career – a three-book series comprised of The Paper Magician, The Glass Magician, and The Master Magician.
           
The Paper Magician series follows Ceony Twill, a new apprentice in Folding – the magical discipline of bespelling paper.  Ceony doesn’t want to be a Folder – she had hopes of being a Smelter, or someone who practices magic with metal – but England is running low on Folders, so she is assigned to study under Magician Emery Thane.  Fortunately, Ceony learns from Thane that the magic of Folding is far from boring or useless; from animated mail-birds to paper chains of protection to story illusions, Ceony finds herself delighted with her new field of study.  Unfortunately, Thane’s ex-wife Lira, an Excisioner – someone who practices dark magic using human flesh – shows up and *literally* takes the heart from the confines of Thane’s chest.  Ceony must get it back, and finds herself having to walk through the chambers of her mentor’s heart in order to do so…  Not only does this lead to Ceony falling in love with her teacher (he returns the sentiment, luckily), but also to new discoveries about using magic as both Ceony and Thane must defeat Lira and her partners before all they hold dear is destroyed.
           
Like all her works, I found this series to be quite enjoyable.  However, I did feel these books were a bit… simple.  The plot lines felt shorter; but as these were her debut novels, I’m not judging too harshly.  I will say that I didn’t care much for the student-teacher love story or the large age gap between partners – Ceony is merely nineteen when the first book begins, and Magician Thane in his thirties.  I’m not going to cast moral aspersions – nothing illegal is going on, and besides, God’s love for us proves that love has no boundaries – but it’s not my thing.  I prefer my stories between two consenting adults of roughly the same age and phase of life; though I suppose one could argue that Jesse and Alex from The Heart of Everything and its sequel were MUCH older than Emer ><, but at least they all appeared the same age physically!
           
What I found really intriguing was the concept of magic based on certain materials – The Paper Magician series holds that magic can only be done on man-made materials (glass, paper, fire, plastic, etc), and once a magician is bonded to a particular material, they can use that material and that material only.  Like my novels, it reflects a sense that magic is limited and not all-powerful (and certainly not so when compared to God).  For instance, in The Heart of Everything we see Emer faint several times from using magic because the human body is weak and not meant to wield such power; in Beyond the Soul, Clarity’s “gift” comes at the price of her own eyesight.  It’s a good reminder that magic isn’t the solution to all our problems ;-).

What do you think?  Share your thoughts in the comments section!
Until the next time, keep reading!

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