Spellmaker
Description
A Wall Street Journal bestseller.
Dead wizards, stolen enchantments, and broken promises force a young spellbreaker out of the shadows in the next thrilling installment of the Spellbreaker series by the bestselling author of The Paper Magician.
England, 1895. An unsolved series of magician murders and opus thefts isn’t a puzzle to Elsie Camden. But to reveal a master spellcaster as the culprit means incriminating herself as an unregistered spellbreaker. When Elsie refuses to join forces with the charming assassin, her secret is exposed, she’s thrown in jail, and the murderer disappears. But Elsie’s hope hasn’t vanished.
Through a twist of luck, the elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey helps Elsie join the lawful, but with a caveat: they must marry to prove their cover story. Forced beneath a magical tutor while her bond with Bacchus grows, Elsie seeks to thwart the plans of England’s most devious criminal—if she can find them.
With hundreds of stolen spells at their disposal, the villain has a plan—and it involves seducing Elsie to the dark side. But even now that her secret is out, Elsie must be careful how she uses the new abilities she’s discovering, or she may play right into the criminal’s hands.
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Published Reviews
Booklist Review
After uncovering Lily Merton, the master spellmaker who manipulated their actions, Elsie Camden and Bacchus Kelsey now have to find and expose her to the larger magical community in England. Elsie is a highly skilled spellbreaker, but an unregistered one; once exposed, she is jailed. Bacchus works quickly to get her released, but in order to provide credibility to the story he tells to get her out, Elsie must be trained as if she knows nothing about spell-breaking--and they must get married. Although they have grown close and are attached to one another, they skipped a few steps by getting engaged in such a way. As if exposing the evildoer wasn't stressful enough, now they have to plan a wedding. Additionally, Lily wants the talented Elsie working for her. Lily will use her skills, both magic and otherwise, to lure Elsie to her side. The romance between Elsie and Bacchus, combined with the fantasy of magic and good fighting evil, will appeal to fans of the previous Spellbreaker novel (Spellbreaker, 2020) and to fans of Naomi Novik or Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Holmberg concludes her Spellbreaker duology (after Spellbreaker) with this immersive but rushed gaslamp fantasy set in 1895 England. Unlicensed spellbreaker Elsie Camden is still reeling from the discovery that "cheery old" Lily Merton is the mastermind behind a recent rash of wizard murders when Merton tips off the authorities to Elsie's unlawful use of magic, leading to Elsie's arrest. To get her out of jail, Elsie's lover, the well-connected Bacchus Kelsey, pleads her case to the magistrate, convincing him that a wedding is in the works to prove his validity as a character witness. Released, Elsie must juggle preparations for her unplanned wedding with her search for Merton, who won't stop murdering wizards until she obtains a powerful spell. Though the magic system is as imaginative and well-defined as ever, the plot feels overstuffed, with Elsie's wedding taking time away from the central mystery on the way to a climax that strains credulity. Series fans will be pleased to return to Elsie's world, but will long for more magical action. Agent: Marlene Stringer, the Stringer Literary Agency. (Mar.)
Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* After uncovering Lily Merton, the master spellmaker who manipulated their actions, Elsie Camden and Bacchus Kelsey now have to find and expose her to the larger magical community in England. Elsie is a highly skilled spellbreaker, but an unregistered one; once exposed, she is jailed. Bacchus works quickly to get her released, but in order to provide credibility to the story he tells to get her out, Elsie must be trained as if she knows nothing about spell-breaking—and they must get married. Although they have grown close and are attached to one another, they skipped a few steps by getting engaged in such a way. As if exposing the evildoer wasn't stressful enough, now they have to plan a wedding. Additionally, Lily wants the talented Elsie working for her. Lily will use her skills, both magic and otherwise, to lure Elsie to her side. The romance between Elsie and Bacchus, combined with the fantasy of magic and good fighting evil, will appeal to fans of the previous Spellbreaker novel (Spellbreaker, 2020) and to fans of Naomi Novik or Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Holmberg concludes her Spellbreaker duology (after Spellbreaker) with this immersive but rushed gaslamp fantasy set in 1895 England. Unlicensed spellbreaker Elsie Camden is still reeling from the discovery that "cheery old" Lily Merton is the mastermind behind a recent rash of wizard murders when Merton tips off the authorities to Elsie's unlawful use of magic, leading to Elsie's arrest. To get her out of jail, Elsie's lover, the well-connected Bacchus Kelsey, pleads her case to the magistrate, convincing him that a wedding is in the works to prove his validity as a character witness. Released, Elsie must juggle preparations for her unplanned wedding with her search for Merton, who won't stop murdering wizards until she obtains a powerful spell. Though the magic system is as imaginative and well-defined as ever, the plot feels overstuffed, with Elsie's wedding taking time away from the central mystery on the way to a climax that strains credulity. Series fans will be pleased to return to Elsie's world, but will long for more magical action. Agent: Marlene Stringer, the Stringer Literary Agency. (Mar.)
Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly.