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–Synopsis–

Alvie Brechenmacher has arrived in London to begin her training in Polymaking—the magical discipline of bespelling plastic. Polymaking is the newest form of magic, and in a field where there is so much left to learn, every Polymaker dreams of making the next big discovery.

Even though she is only an apprentice, Alvie is an inventor at heart, and she is determined to make as many discoveries—in as short a time frame—as she can. Luckily for her, she’s studying under the world-renowned magician Marion Praff, who is just as dedicated as Alvie is.

Alvie’s enthusiasm reinvigorates her mentor’s work, and together they create a device that could forever change Polymaking—and the world. But when a rival learns of their plans, he conspires to steal their invention and take the credit for it himself.

To thwart him, Alvie will need to think one step ahead. For in the high-stakes world of magical discovery, not everyone plays fair…

–Review–

*TRIGGER WARNING!! There are thoughts about sexual assault and one scene that could be construed as such. The heavier fears do no not come to fruition however*

To preface, I am not the biggest fan of spin-off books in established series, but I thought this one was tastefully done. While this follows a new main character, there are returning characters from the originals including a brief appearance from Ceony and Emery, and Aviosky. There is also a romantic plot involving Bennett, the paper apprentice from ‘The Master Magician’ which was cute to see.

Taking place mainly in London, we do get to revisit some areas that played a role in the previous books which was great. We spend a whole lot of time in the Praff Estate which is a sprawling place in which Alvie gets lost in. We get to mainly see the life of those in high society. There are some moments that take place in the states, like in the beginning and when Alvie visits for the holidays. It was fun revisiting the hustle and bustle of the historical city once again for sure. One thing I found interesting earlier on in the story was how travel was conducted. I never knew from the previous books how widespread and popular traveling through mirrors was. However, due to the limitations on gaffer magic, Alvie could only travel by mirror for shorter distance, before having to take a boat, then finally a train to reach her destination. If truly felt like a grand adventure.

This story follows the single perspective of Alvie Brechenmacher, an Ohio-native sent to London for her polymaking apprenticeship. Being the first American in this series, it was interesting to see how her perspective and behaviors started adjusting to her new surroundings across the pond. You can feel her anxious excitement as she is adventuring through the various culture shocks of England while keeping up with her studies and preparing for the yearly Discovery Convention.

The plastic magic showcased in this book was probably my second favorite method, after paper. For example, the main prototype Alvie and Praff are working on for the Convention is quite useful in the medical world and such an ingenious way of filling a specific need. A smaller exploit with plastic involves Alvie’s shoelaces. She attaches plastic aglets to the ends in which allows her to enchant her laces to tie themselves. Alvie also discovers a potential way for polymaking to “bend” into another area of magic during the climactic event. She begins her research on that topic and actually begins writing a research paper about it. While that breakthrough is not explored beyond that, if this research proves true, it could open up new avenues of magic, changing the magic world forever.

Alvie is a very headstrong individual who is extremely analytical and throws all of her attention into her passion for plastic magic. She is sometimes so engulfed in her studies and experimentation that she neglects certain aspects of her social life, particularly her friendships and love life. She is the first to admit this is a flaw of hers and is quick to reprimand herself and apologize to those she has blown off. It was fun to dive into her mind because she reminded me a lot of myself actually. She is quite socially awkward, but she does not let standards of society deter her from being herself. This is evident with her preference to wear pants instead of the typical feminine choice of skirts. Her clumsiness was also quite hilarious and relatable to read as well. Her resourcefulness shines throughout the book as well, particularly in a rather climactic scene in which she has to use plastic in a very unique way to save herself. As the story progresses, she becomes more confident in her speaking but her magic abilities as well, diving into yet another experiment shortly after the Convention.

Marion Praff was one of those characters that surprised me in this book. Being the namesake of one of the most famous magic schools in the world, I was expecting him to have a severe demeanor akin to Magician Bailey from ‘The Master Magician’. On the contrary, he had an attitude more similar to that of Emery Thane, if a little bit more eccentric once he arrives on the precipice of a technological breakthrough. Once he has his eyes on the finish line, he goes into a bit of a manic state, in which he acts like a madman. Ignoring biological needs to complete his objective. He was incredibly welcoming to Alvie from the beginning and was always taking her word and ideas as inspiration. He showed his care and protective nature when it came to Alvie during the climax of the story, furthering my positive opinion of him as not only a great mentor, but akin to a positive father figure to Alvie. He even had the decency to put Alvie’s name on their invention as well as his own, allowing her the credit she deserved with coming up with the idea.

Bennett gets another chance at romance in this installment. He is still under the tutelage of Magician Bailey in preparation for his own paper magician exam that he has been putting off. Confidence in his magical abilities is not one of strong suits. He initially drops into the story with a bit of happenstance. He sees Alvie at the train station, lost while on her way to the Praff mansion. He is ready and willing to be a comforting guide to her, putting her back on the right track (literally speaking). As it turns out, he has a sister that ends up being a patient at the very hospital in which Alvie is volunteering, so they have more of a reason to see one another continuously. Like Alvie, Bennett is a bit socially awkward, particularly when it comes to matters of the heart, which was endearing to read. He is not one to hold grudges, which assists Alvie greatly when she eventually forgets about one of their dates. As the book goes on, he becomes more confident with his romantic advances towards Alvie, as well as his confidence in his paper folding. This leads to the story ending on him receiving his Magician’s license.

The romance between Alvie and Bennett was quite slow-paced; I would say even slower than Ceony and Emery’s relationship in the first book. They were both so far out of their league in the beginning, that a lot of their interactions felt really awkward and forced. These moments were both a little cringe worthy and wholesome. They do end up sharing a kiss right before the climax, that was both innocent and a tad bit spicy. It does get interrupted but that was probably a good thing! They both remained incredibly supportive of each other’s academic journeys and always showed great enthusiasm with each and every accomplishment.

The timing throughout this book was a bit neurotic I would say. One chapter would end on a thought in which you expect the next chapter to immediately pick up, just to have had weeks pass by in an instant. Certain events felt like they were being set up to actually take place in the book, just to be skipped over and barely mentioned again. There was one specific plot event that I was looking forward to, involving the breakthrough invention this whole plot revolves around, just for it to be glazed over. This skipping of important events diminished certain parts of the plot in my opinion. It felt as though Charlie decided to delete certain parts at the last minute, leaving big holes in the pacing. These issues were not too detrimental however it would have been nice to see some elaboration with certain parts.

All in all, I am glad to be done with the Paper Magician series fully. While I did enjoy it quite a bit, it does feel good to have another series under my belt and reviewed! If you read and enjoyed the main series, I do recommend this book which takes place in the same world and timeline of the first three. The plastic magic is the main reason I recommend it as it is the most fascinating part of this book.

-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.