The Plastic Magician is a book I have been anticipating for years, after the Paper Magician trilogy finished and I was not disappointed!

The Plastic Magician has everything I loved about Paper Magician and more! The magic system as always was interesting, this time focusing on magic specialising in plastic and what can be done with it. The plot is delightful, part magic, part mystery and part romance and is enchanting from the first page, I absorbed this book in one sitting!

Seeing the world through Alvie's eye's makes everything exciting and you are curious to see all that happens. The romance between Alvie and another character is sweet and charming and includes a cameo from main characters from the last series!

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who has read the original triology and has been left wanting more from the world. I would also recommend for anyone who is looking for a sweet manners and magic story to immerse themselves in!

I had really enjoyed the Paper Magician series, so I was pretty excited to see there was a spin off.

I liked Alvie well enough. She’s super smart and passionate and I enjoyed reading her dedication to her magic. Ethel and Bennet were fantastic and supportive secondary characters and I could have read a million more scenes with them. Oh and the brief scene of Ceony and Emery was just perfection.

Plot wise it was just okay. I didn’t get caught up in this branch of magic. And while the idea of getting a discovery stolen made for a good {but quite mild} villain, there wasn’t a sense of urgency. The build up was slow and the confrontation was fairly lackluster.

Overall, it was a quick read and an interesting start to a spin off. I did like it, yet I’m not sure I will be reading any of the others.

**Huge thanks to 47North for providing the arc free of charge**

I was very excited when I saw that the author was returning to the same world as her Paper Magician series and I’m thrilled to report that I loved The Plastic Magician. Alvie is an American who travels to London to begin her apprenticeship in the art of Polymaking. This book is a lot lighter in tone than the Paper Magician series. There is a bad guy who is up to no good but he is far more mortal in the danger he poses and his threat does not overpower the book. This book is far more about Alvie and Polymaking, which is the study of plastics. She is a wonderful character, as our the other characters in the book. Folding has a large presence as well which was great. I sincerely hope that the author returns to this wonderful world she has created (and please don’t make us wait so long for the next edition!). Clear your calendar when you start this because you won’t be able to out it down! I only wish it had been longer.

I've received an early copy from the publisher via NetGalley, thank you!

The Plastic Magician follows The Paper Magician Trilogy, but it can be read as a stand-alone. I love the setting - an alternative world around 1900 with a very unique magic idea. Magicians bond themselves to one man-made material which they can manipulate and use in many ways. I think, that's what I enjoy in a fantasy novel the most: A world that is close enough to ours, so that I can still relate to it - but fantastic and different enough to truely fascinate. The Paper Magician world does exactly this: fascinate.
In the Plastic Magician we meet our heroine Alvie, who I adored: She is good with math, a little nerdy and very smart. Her story towards becoming a true plastic magician was a delight - my only complain is, that it's too short. I want more :)

Alvie is the heroine we were all hoping Ceony would be. She has her insecurities and vulnerabilities that make her a great a character to connect to, but she's also tenacious and bold. Her quirky personality is what set this story apart and made it work.

The world of polymaking and inventing come alive under Alvie's contagious enthusiasm and Charlie's writing. You're invested not only in the character's but their achievements and discoveries.

The intrigue and love story help move the plot and enhance the magic of their world instead of detracting from it. I'm excited to see what's next for this world of magical discovery and candidly hope it only gets better from here.

Charlie N. Holmberg is not only a wonderful author, but she is really good at connecting with her fans! I have talked to her on Instagram many times! The Paper Magician series is so creative and fun. I want to be a Paper Magician! To be able to read out loud and have characters come to life in front of me! I'd never gay anything done lol!
I would recommend this book, and all of her books, to anyone!

One of the best books I read all year! Magic, mystery, and adventure come together to create this awesome book. There was also some Romance in the story. An evil villian out to cause trouble. The ending made me smile. A truely must read story!
P.S. You don't have to read the others to enjoy this one but it was nice to see a character from the past

Thanks to Netgalley and 47North for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Holmberg's Paper Magician series did something really cool: it introduced a very unique and very fun magic system. This standalone follow-up/spin-off book follows the adventures of Ceony in the first three books and this time, it's through the very poor-sighted eyes of Alvie, a fledgling Polymaker (plastic magician) who is taking an apprenticeship in England, far across the sea from her home in the US. She's smart as a whip, and she's strong in her own way, but she doesn't suffer from the same quick-to-jump-into-trouble nature as Ceony did. She's logical and methodical, and a very good protagonist.

While the twist wasn't all that shocking (I mean, we'd figured out the twists pretty early on, hadn't we? *wink*), the magic was a fun ride, and the story had some cool ideas.

All in all, I enjoyed it.

I was so excited to get approved for this book. I knew this was the fourth book in a series, so I read the first three to get caught up. Little did I know, this is a companion novel. It doesn’t follow the main characters of the trilogy (although there are cameos, and one of the supporting characters gets a lead role here. Yay!). That said, I think my reading experience was better because I read all four in order.

The Plastic Magician is about Alvie, a magician apprentice arriving in England from America. She’s placed with Mg. Pfaff, who shares her enthusiasm for invention and discovery. Things get a bit slow — there are suggestions of something amiss, but nothing really happens until the last third of the book. If I hadn’t been prepared for the pacing from previous books, I might have dnf’ed this one. But then again, I think the biggest draw of this series isn’t the action scenes, but the sweet, old fashioned romances.

I’m not a huge romance fan, but I like the blossoming romance between Alvie and Bennet. It’s really quite cute. I liked Alvie as a protagonist, although she seemed quite similar to Ceony in several ways.

The villain in this novel is one-dimensional, but that’s following the trend of the previous books, so if you were okay with it before, it shouldn’t bother you here. I did wish we could get to know Mg. Pfaff and Mrs. Pfaff better, however.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

This book could easily be read as a standalone if you’re more interested in reading this than The Paper Magician or you want to read them in a different order. However, for fans of the series, there are enough familiar faces and little nuances and references that make you smile. You could argue that the worldbuilding and the explanation of the magic system is somewhat less than in the trilogy, but I think that this book doesn’t necessarily require that level of detail, there is enough to get you started in this world and then you learn as you go along.

Alvie is a delightful protagonist. I had worried that she would be a cringe-worthy bumbling nerd character, a stereotype which I never appreciate. However, as the book continues it becomes apparent that Alvie is far more complex of a character than one might expect. She does have all the hallmarks of the clumsy awkward girl character but she is also passionate and owns her own ‘shortcomings’ (in inverted commas because it’s far more what society sees as a shortcoming than Alvie herself).

This book is well balanced between the main plot and the romance, I’d say it is roughly 50/50. I went into this knowing that there would be a heavy romance element, it’s the nature of these books, what I wasn’t expecting was how adorable the romance would be, and how much the rest of the book would capture my imagination. I thought that polymaking would lack the beauty and romanticism that came with the exploration of folding in the earlier trilogy, but the passion Alvie has for the subject as well as the way polymaking is shown in the book makes for great reading. It’s a magic much more akin to science than folding seemed to be, which also helps to make this book not feel like a rewrite of The Paper Magician.

Should you read this? If you are looking for a happy, light-hearted, warm and cosy read, perhaps if you have a long flight or if you are going on holiday, this book is worth the time. And if you liked The Paper Magician I am almost certain you will enjoy this book!

My rating: 5/5 stars

The Plastic Magician releases on May 15 so be sure to pre-order if you want to read it ASAP.

I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I read the original series very early on during my Kindle Unlimited membership. What drew me to this author was that even if the entire book is not up to one's taste, the unique idea within the story can easily be appreciated.

This book is a return to the world of Magic described in the Paper Magician series by the author.Magic in this world is not of fairy dust and miracles, it has its roots more in the engineering side of life. Everything has a connection or logic which makes a strange sort of sense. The leading lady in this book is Alvie who has her heart set on becoming a Polymaker, a relatively new field. Man made materials are controlled through 'bonding' and plastic is the new focus. In the non-magic part, science and technology is just rearing its head(probable fodder for future books set in this world). Alvie is very intelligent, but strangely innocent in the ways of the world. The story is of her moving to England to become an apprentice and of discovering new things in her field. Her bungling attempts at the normal parts of life added a bit of flavour to the book. It would be interesting to see what she would do next(hopefully in the next book).

There is adventure, intrigue and excitement all tied up within the story, and although I still rate the paper magician higher, this book is also worth the four stars that I plan to give it.

Another charming addition to the Paper Magician series. A pleasant, easy read.

This is Holmberg’s fourth entry into her Paper Magician universe. This is not a direct sequel, rather The Plastic Magician explores new themes and magics within the same universe as the Paper Magician Trilogy. This means you can read this book as a standalone without having read the others. But I’m going to say right now that if you haven’t read the original trilogy, then you are seriously missing out.

In this story, we leave magicians Ceony Twill and Emery Thane behind and instead follow Alvie Brechenmacher, an American girl with German parents who desperately wants to be a polymaker, that is- a magician who works with plastic. As polymaking is the newest and least understood magic, there is an entire world waiting for discovery, and Alvie, naturally brilliant and creative, wants to make her mark on the world. When she manages to apprentice to the world’s foremost polymaker, all of Alvie’s dreams seem to be coming true. But when she and her mentor develop a groundbreaking new invention, old rivalries emerge and Alvie learns that the world of magician can be a dangerous one.

This was a great addition to the Paper Magician world. Alvie is a fantastic protagonist–unapologetically brilliant, kind, creative, and more than a little socially awkward. I also enjoyed how, despite the book’s historical setting, everyone seems to take Alvie’s intellect as a given, and as an asset. Alvie occupies the brilliant inventor trope that is so often the territory of male characters, and she does it well. I always love a female protagonist who is comfortable with their own intelligence.

In fact, my biggest complaint would be that the antagonist of this book, while amoral and devious, exists more as a witless foil than a true challenge. While he certainly succeeds in disrupting things in the book (as he must), once his master plan was revealed, I felt a bit let down (really guy, that was your plan? And then what?!).

In all, this is a fun YA book that will appeal to a wide age range. Fans of the previous books will enjoy this one, and anyone who thinks this book looks good should check out the Paper Magician, like, yesterday.

An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book through Netgalley and am providing my honest review. I haven't read the Paper Magician trilogy before reading this book, but I feel like the book was separate enough from the trilogy that I could easily read it and understand the world. The first 10% or so of the book I was confused (mostly curious) about what the magic system was like and I think that reading the other books would have helped with that, but I learned quickly enough.

Alvie, who dreams of becoming a great plastic magician, travels to London from America to study plastic magic under Magician Praff, one of plastic's leading magicians. While there, they work on a ground-breaking discovery to show at a magician convention. She makes friends, finds romance, and gets into some trouble.

I did appreciate that the main character is 20 years old. While I enjoy YA, sometimes it's nice to read about characters closer to my age. It could be considered a "New adult" book in that way, as the main character, Alvie, is 20 years old and moves away from home to further her studies (not unlike the typical college experience). Speaking of Alvie, she is absolutely adorable. She's highly logical; she thinks in numbers, math and equations. She knows she's very intelligent, but this is usually a turn-off for guys, who she doesn't have much luck with. She doesn't like her appearance and her appearance is often described as being a bit drab and unkempt. This sort of sucked for me because I too have plain brown hair, brown eyes and large glasses. So, thanks, Alvie. Thanks for that.

The writing was nice and adorable, just like Alvie. Although one small thing bothered me. She called her parents "mater" and "pater" and I had no idea why. I thought she may have a German accent, but she's been described as having an American accent. Also, she was able to say other "th" words clearly. When I looked up the words, I found that they were British slang, but she had been using those words before she lived in Britain, so it confused me. It wasn't a big deal or anything, just something which distracted me a bit as I read.

Ultimately, it was a sweet, cozy book. There are some parts of the book which are a little dark (view spoiler), but for the most part it was a fun read. Definitely more so than what I typically read. I did predict much of the mystery and small twists, but I didn't mind. I wasn't reading it for its mystery. I was reading for its unique magic system.

I have been obsessed with The Paper Magician Series since I read it for the first time and when I found out a fourth book was going to come out, I have been counting down the days.

This book was so good. It is set in the same world but follows another character and I loved every second of this book.

Alvie Brechenmacher is a young woman from Ohio who has been accepted in the new magical discipline of Polymaking. She travels to England to meet her new master Marion Praff who is one of the most famous of the polymakers. .

Traveling through mirrors, on ferries, and on the train is makes a long hard day that isn't helped when a "helpful" stranger who introduces himself as Magician Ezzell, also a polymaker, encourages her to get off at the wrong train stop. However, she is helped by a handsome young magician's apprentice named Bennett Cooper who guides her to her correct stop.

When she arrives at her master's palatial home, she is warmly welcomed and quickly immerses herself in this new magical field. Alvie is very bright and curious but she lacks self-confidence and underestimates her own assets. She wears very thick glasses because she is incredibly near-sighted which she feels makes her unattractive.

When she volunteers at a local hospital, she meets a young woman named Ethel Cooper who has lost part of her left arm in an industrial accident. She also meets Ethel's younger brother Bennett who is the same young man who rescued her earlier. Bennett and Alvie begin a romantic relationship that is both sweet and awkward given that both of them are inexperienced and shy. Meeting Ethel gives Alvie the idea that polymaking could be used to create prosthetics.

Alvie's master has been in a bit of a magical slump since his one major invention and quickly grabs onto Alvie's idea as a terrific new use for polymaking and a terrific new idea for the upcoming Discovery Convention where all sorts of magicians show off their latest discoveries. However, polymakers have been recently plagued with break-ins. Someone is eager to take a shortcut to fame by stealing other inventor's ideas.

Between her budding courtship and her work on developing the new spells needed to make magical prosthetics, Alvie is happily busy but danger is lurking for her and her mentor.

This was a fun story which blends history with magic. I liked Alvie's enthusiasm for her career choice. I also liked the magical world which had traveling by mirrors and the technological inventions that actually happened in the early 1900s. Alvie's father got rich helping Edison invent the lightbulb and Alvie has a fascination with the new internal combustion engines in the new automobiles that are becoming more common. Alvie was a great character who was coming of age and exploring her talents.

As I read through this book as an ARC I realise I ought to 're read the previous books as I have completely forgotten the story as it has been an age since I have read it.

I absolutely adore *The Paper Magician* series, so when I saw that there was to be a new story set in the same world I was immediately excited. *The Plastic Magician* introduces us to Alvie Brechenmacher, a Plastic magician's apprentice. I absolutely adore Alvie, especially because she represents a lot of "firsts" for this series: the first American protagonist, the first Plastic magician we really encounter, and a first-generation American born to German parents. She is a very independent young woman who prefers to wear pants to skirts, spends a lot of time doing math in her head, and is one of the most awkward characters I've ever read--and all of it is utterly endearing.

Alvie is the apprentice of Magician Marion Praff, nephew of the founder of the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined. Mg. Praff is an incredible mentor and a great character. He understands Alvie's needs and is a fatherly figure to her. I loved seeing their mentor/apprentice relationship blossom over the course of the novel and am glad this wasn't another romantic relationship like Emory and Ceony's. Praff respects Alvie, recognizes her genius, and encourages her to experiment and blossom while still also keeping her grounded. I really enjoyed reading their back-and-forth conversations and watching Praff take a step back to allow Alvie to really shine.

The more minor characters are also strong and pretty well realized. Alvie's love interest, Bennet, is an absolute sweetheart and his sister, Ethel, is the real reason this entire novel takes place. The villain of the novel was my only real gripe--the villain was obvious to me from the get-go and, unlike the original series, they will likely not show up in the next novel. I feel like they were just a stepping stone to introduce the idea of "Bending" into the universe, which is obviously going to be the real driving point behind the rest of the series.

I am intrigued by the idea of Bending and am excited to read more about it. Bending is the act of performing a magic that is similar to your own. This ability is discovered by Alvie accidentally during the climax of this novel. It's then only briefly touched upon again at the very end of the story, but the door is left open to explore more in subsequent books. I love the idea and am very excited to see where it goes.

Overall, this was a strong first novel of a new series. It was nice to see some familiar faces (Ceony, Emory, and Mg. Aviosky, and Mg. Bailey all make appearances) and the foundation is laid for another strong romp through the world of the Magicians. 4 stars.

The Plastic Magician is just what I've come to expect from this series; a polite fantasy of manners with a plucky protagonist and some gentle intrigue.

Alvie is a genuinely unique heroine. She can be a little frustrating, both to the reader and other characters in the book, with her lack of social graces. But she's also extremely intelligent, curious, and forthright. The mentorship between her and Magician Praff is really uplifting and refreshing to read. Here's a successful, established man not only teaching his young apprentice but also being inspired by her ingenuity. He treats her with respect and equanimity in all things. If only we could all find mentors like that!

Alvie is awkward but it's nice to see her from relationships with people who accept her and love her for being herself. In fact, this book is mostly about those relationships and Alvie's personal growth. There isn't much action, though we do have a sinister plot tying the novel together.

While this doesn't reach the heights of The Paper Magician, it's on par with the sequels. There is even a sweet cameo featuring Ceony from the original trilogy to look forward to!

Discovery and the innovative spirit is what this book is all about - not Magic! Although I have not read any of the other "Magician" novels by Charlie Holmberg .... this can certainly be enjoyed as a standalone. I have not been enchanted by a book since uncovering Philip Pullman's Dark Material series.
Plucky female protagonist, Alvie Brechenmacher has arrived in London, haven been lucky enough to be chosen as an apprentice to the world reknown Magician Marion Praff. She is about to embark into the training as a Polymaker .... the magic discipline of divining plastic with invocation of "secret" commands. Her arrival is heralded by her overflowing enthusiasm which seems to break Magician Praff out of his inventor "block" Alvie is an inventor at heart and heritage ... her father was actually the true inventor of the light bulb. She is determined to not only succeed but innovate as a Polymaker. Her powers of observation and mechanical skills lead Praff and her down a path of discovery that will rock both the worlds of Polymaking and medicine. Intrigue intercedes into their endeavors by the nefarious and jealous rival Magician Ezzell.
Charlie Holmberg fleshes out her characters with aplomb - Alvie is portrayed as gangly , clumsy 20 year old with unmanageable frizzy hair and large thick "bug-eye" glasses, that keep slipping down her nose - and extremely endearing to all that meet her . Holmberg's worldbuilding is effective and seamless; I found it quite reasonable to suspend my belief in known science to adopt Holmberg's. Even as a male reader I found it endearing and enchanting with the introduction of a romance angle to Alvie's life.
Thanks to Alvie's inventive mind and perseverance the exciting whirlwind denouement is both believable and satisfying. Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for providing an Uncorrected Proof for my immense enjoyment in exchange for an honest review. I've already downloaded The Paper Magician series ... and intend to immediately start devouring them.