Spellmaker by Charlie N. Holmberg

Spellmaker (Spellbreaker, #2)

by Charlie N. Holmberg

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.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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I received a copy of Spellmaker in exchange for a fair and honest review.

It's here! The second novel in the Spellbreaker Duology is here, and I couldn't be more excited! Written by Charlie N. Holmberg, Spellmaker is not a novel to skip, especially not if you enjoyed the first half of the tale.

Elsie Camden is what one would call a spellbreaker. She has the natural ability to see and break spells, though it takes more finesse than one might naturally assume. She's hidden this secret for most of her life, and that alone put her into a fair bit of danger.

Now she's trying to right the wrongs made in her past, and hunt down the person who used her and her talents. All while keeping those in her life, such as Bacchus Kelsey, safe and nearby. Preferably as close as possible.

“By all means, she was translating a piece of the spellmaker's corpse.”

If you enjoyed Spellbreaker, then I promise you that you will be pleased with Spellmaker, and the way this duology concludes. Elsie's story is just as charming as ever, and I am sad to see her story end, even while admitting that it did so in brilliant fashion.

I want to start by saying that I adore the world of Spellbreaker. It is set in England in 1895, in a version of the world where magic is real. That is a solid foundation for everything else that follows, from the magical elements to Elsie's backstory.

It all flows and blends together to create something really compelling. Better yet, that really is just the starting point for this novel. For there is still a conniving woman on the loose, and we have yet to understand her motives. Well, until now, that is.

Spellmaker was a fast-paced read, one that really did an excellent job of pulling many different elements together. It has that historical feel, and obviously there's magic and action, plus more than a dash of romance. Oh, and did I mention drama? It's the perfect combination, really.

I'll confess that I went into Spellmaker with really high expectations. I adored Spellbreaker after all, and literally couldn't wait to see what happened next. I'm lucky that the sequel's arc was already available on NetGalley, because I think I would have burst if I had to wait any longer. So, the question is: did it hold up to those high expectations?

Yes. A hundred times yes. I actively enjoyed every minute of Spellmaker, and can promise you that I'll be keeping an eye on what Charlie N. Holmberg comes out with next.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 8 March, 2021: Finished reading
  • 8 March, 2021: Reviewed