–Synopsis–

Three months after returning Magician Emery Thane’s heart to his body, Ceony Twill is well on her way to becoming a Folder. Unfortunately, not all of Ceony’s thoughts have been focused on paper magic. Though she was promised romance by a fortuity box, Ceony still hasn’t broken the teacher-student barrier with Emery, despite their growing closeness.

When a magician with a penchant for revenge believes that Ceony possesses a secret, he vows to discover it…even if it tears apart the very fabric of their magical world. After a series of attacks target Ceony and catch those she holds most dear in the crossfire, Ceony knows she must find the true limits of her powers…and keep her knowledge from falling into wayward hands.

-Review–

I am typically wary of reading sequels because they seem to either drop the ball to the point you lose interest in continuing the series, or they expand the world of the series giving you even more motivation to read the rest. The Glass Magician is very much an example of the latter. We get not only a whole new magic to experience, but the world itself is greatly expanded. Ceony and Emery feel more like a part of society and not a couple of isolated hermits.

There is quite a bit more action and violence this time around. It was not over the top though and quite frankly, Ceony brough a lot of it on herself. There are two deaths that occur in the book which is another switch from the first book. There is also a mention of rape nearing the end of the book. It does not occur, but it is in reference to one of the antagonists so please keep that in mind.

Ceony has grown more knowledgeable with her paper folding, still under the instruction of Emery Thane. Her bravery has increased as well, along with her irrationality I would say. Like previously mentioned, she gets herself into some trouble that would not have happened if she would have made the right decision to let Emery or literally anyone else know. She was letting her devotion to her family’s safety blind her into thinking her little magical experience would be able to defeat somebody who was believed to be an excisioner…….yeah. Okay. She even enlists her supposed friend into her half-cocked scheme and effectively puts her in danger as well. She continuously apologizes for her illogical behavior, but it falls flat. Luckily Emery and Magician Aviosky call her out and reprimand her or else she would have absolutely gotten herself and others killed.

Ceony’s and Emery’s relationship hits a new milestone in this book, but it is still very slow-paced. One conversation they share specifically about their relationship annoyed me a bit. Emery is obviously concerned about their mentor and student relationship which is understandable but then he acts contrary to that later on. Make up your mind please! Thank you!

Emery Thane is having to work double time for the sake of Ceony. He appears much more emotionally honest in this sequel particularly with how he feels about Ceony. He lashes out more when he is upset and I love that as he felt stunted in the first one. You get to experience him in fighting mode several times in the book which I loved since all the magicians have their own styles of engaging in combat depending on personalities and element. For the first time, the book actually reads through Emery’s perspective in which he goes on a bit of a mission for the Cabinet. This swap occurs after Ceony gets injured during a climactic scene, so it made sense that she would be out of commission for the time being. I am curious if this dual POV trend continues in the next installments and in what capacity.

We are introduced to two more antagonists in this story, who are wild characters from the beginning. They both have a history with Lira and have tremendous issues. Delilah is introduced who is Magician Aviosky’s assistant. She is a glass magician as well and it is fun to see her use her abilities in different situations. Langston also makes his appearance. He was Emery’s old apprentice that is mentioned in the first. He is a caring and loyal individual who is assisting with wrangling Ceony in. Basically, a glorified babysitter lol We are also introduced to Ceony’s family at the very beginning of the book. I am not going to lie, this section felt as though it was included for the sole purpose of solidifying their existence in the reader’s minds due to the choices Ceony makes to protect them. I found her siblings to be annoying, and her parents seemed uninvolved or even uninterested in her life. Their interactions felt forced. Definitely not my favorite part in the book.

Magicians Aviosky and Hughes obviously make another appearance, and you get more of an understanding of how the Magical Cabinet works and the political influence they hold. You get more of Aviosky’s background which was understandable given her personality.

Like stated in the first paragraph, the world feels so much more alive in this book. Instead of just hanging out mostly in Emery’s cottage, the city of London is explored, as well as parts of another country. You see the magical headquarters as well as a couple more of their houses within the city. The word feels more three-dimensional, so the consequences feel more severe and widespread.

I highly recommend this sequel if you enjoyed the first. In fact, I would say this beat out the first on my overall enjoyment and desire to read more. The third installment is out so I am looking forward to seeing the next adventure Ceony and Emery find themselves in!

-About the Author-

Charlie N. Holmberg is a Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author of fantasy and romance fiction, including the Paper Magician series, the Spellbreaker series, and the Whimbrel House series, and writes contemporary romance under C. N. Holmberg. She is published in over twenty languages and is a Goodreads Choice Award, ALA, and RITA finalist. Born in Salt Lake City, Charlie was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters who also have boy names. A BYU alumna, she discovered in her thirties that she’s actually a cat person. She lives with her family in Utah.