I wanted to be enchanted by this fantasy, but it didn’t quite happen. The plot and the world in which it is set both captured my interest, but I was never fully swept away by the story.

The setting is an alternate version of New York in 1905. Magicless humans referred to as Solitaires coexist with the Silvestri, who have nature magic, and Traders, who have the ability to shift into an animal form. Traders have become a powerful and wealthy upper class, but their power has its drawbacks. One of which is that they may give birth to Manticores, monstrous creatures that can shift to look human but only have basic animal cunning. Manticores are driven to consume the magic of young Traders who cannot yet control their shifting, so Trader youth must be protected to keep them from being drained and killed.

The main character, Thalia, is a Solitaire who performs stage magic for a living. Or she thinks she’s a Solitaire, anyway, until a trick gone wrong leads her to suspect that she might be a Trader after all. That’s so unbelievable that she pushes it aside, but then she faces a second crisis; a rival magician has stolen Thalia’s signature trick, and circumstances surrounding the theft cause her to lose her job. But wait, there’s more! The thieving magician is murdered onstage while performing the stolen act, and the police suspect that Thalia may be involved. Oh, and on top of that, Manticores have been seen roaming in New York, posing a threat to unguarded young Traders. Good thing Thalia isn’t one after all. Oh, wait . . .

So, it’s an interesting set up, and the different threads of the plot kept me reading. I never fully got invested in Thalia as a character, though. I’m not even sure why, to be honest. She just seemed a bit flat to me. A couple of the secondary characters have a little more spark, but since the book is written from Thalia’s POV, they don’t get as much page time as I might have liked. There’s a hint of romance, but only a hint; I would have preferred a bit more development of that part of the story. I would also have liked a bit more insight into the world the story is set in, such as more information about the nature of the powers of the Silvestri, for example.

The end of the novel sets the stage for a second book, though, and I’m curious enough about what the author plans for Thalia and the other characters that I’ll probably give it a try.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

I liked the Glass Magician, it was a very interesting story with a new spin to the supernatural world of shapeshifters. It tells the story of Thalia, a young stage magician that after an almost failed act, learns that she might not be like the other solitaires. While she and her manager, Nutall, travel to New York for a change of scenery and a new venue, she meets the Ryker siblings that can trade (shift) into seals and otters. As Thalia learns more about her past and the changes she is going through. But as time goes by there are creatures that start to hunt her and endanger those around her.

I’m a fan of fantasy stories, and in the Glass Magician, it was a nice touch to read about stage magicians and stories centered around their acts. While there are more mystical things about the characters and the magic in the world, reading about the mechanics for their stage acts was something that I didn’t like this much, it even makes me want to see a magic act in public.

I liked the characters of Thalia and the Ryker siblings, both Roger and Nell help Thalia in different ways but still want her to be part of their family. Most of the other characters were okay, and I would have liked to read more about Madam Ostrova and her family.

In the case of the narrative, I believed the explanations of the different humans come somewhat late. Since the beginning, the characters use the words, Trader, Solitaire, and Sylvestity but don’t explain for the reader to follow along until later. If it’s a standalone story, then it left out some world-building details that might have made the story easier to follow along, but if there is a second book then it should be explained more.

One of my favorite things was Trader trials and their learning about their transformation. It’s different from the other shapeshifter stories and the idea of having passed a trial to enter society and survive adulthood.

If there is a second book, then I would like to know more about Thalia’s parents and who they actually were. Their story could open more subplots for Thalia and friends to interact with.

If you are a fan of Caroline Stevermer and her work, then I recommend The Glass Magician. In this world of change, innovation, and magic, a stage magician learns that she is more than what she once believed after surviving a failed act with a sword.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

In the acknowledgments, the author thanks Patricia C. Wrede for helping this book come about; once I read that I realized that yes, this book felt like an echo from reading Wrede’s books in my youth. Some of the same DNA was there—a plucky heroine in an interesting time learning to harness her own power and make her way in the world—but this book felt a bit flatter to me.
The bulk of this flatness is, I think, the extremely slow pacing. The world and its magic system/lore isn’t really explained until about three-quarters of the way through the book, and the terms “Solitare,” “Trader,” and “Sylvestri” are thrown around casually with only “Trader” getting a decent definition in the first half of the book. Even having finished the story I’m not 100% sure what a Sylvestri is, as the description seemed to be a mishmash of druids and fey somewhat overlapping Native Americans in general. The life changing crime that is described in the description takes place at about the 40% mark, and while the book’s pacing does start to pick up from there it makes me wonder how much of the first third of the story was necessary.
Overall this was fine, if not my particular cup of tea. If you have a middle grades student that has already worked their way through the Patricia C. Wrede cannon, this may hold them over for a day or two.

The Glass Magician is a lot of fun, as I expected it to be. I loved the integration of the magic system of the Traders and the Solitaires into class-conscious Gilded Age New York, and how effortlessly the two work together.

This is depicted through the trajectory of Thalia’s position throughout the book, beginning with a disaster caused by her powers. I enjoyed seeing her discover more about herself, the extent of her abilities, and secrets from her past. I was intrigued as elements concerning the latter unfolded, as that’s a key part of the central mystery plot.

However, the book also felt a little half-baked in some areas. The story progressed nicely, only to end too soon and on an anticlimactic note. And while there is a hint of a romance, this is another case of an SFF book that failed to develop the romance to a point where I was remotely interested.

This is a fun book, and I do think, based on what I’ve heard about the author’s previous books (particularly the series she worked on with Patricia C. Wrede) that she is a good author, and this one is merely a subpar execution of an otherwise brilliant premise, or perhaps it has the possibility to become a series and it just hasn’t been confirmed yet. I think, if you like historical fantasy, especially if you’re familiar with Stevermer’s other work, you might like this.

What I loved most about this book was jumping back in time. The world building and specific era pieces combined into that were phenomenal. The reader feels like they really are in that time period. I mean what is not to love? Historical fiction/ fantasy/ magic; so many things to love. I appreciate the strong female characters and the elegant prose. It was quite a fun ride. I hope there is another book set in this world.

I am truly sorry and heartbroken by how much I didn’t enjoy this book, more so because I am so in love with the ideas and concepts behind it. There is so much potential and room for this story and just about everything in it to grow and become as perfect as it can be, but sadly, that did not happen.

My main issue with this book is the writing. It’s unpolished, messy and sounds unnatural in the sense that the sentences don’t flow as well as they should and that certain phrases are written very awkwardly. The characters are also very two-dimensional. Although contradictions in a character usually signifies that the character is complex, in this case, I find it the opposite. It feels strongly as though there is no rhyme nor reason for certain actions and thoughts to happen (and this also applies to certain plot points as well).
Additionally, the lack of three-dimensionality in the characters has decreased the emotional impact this book could’ve had. I was neither compelled to feel for them nor was I able to step into their shoes to empathise as well.

Moreover, the magic system was not explained well enough. There are a lot of holes and questions left unanswered and it made the reading experience very confusing for me, though I’ve tried my best to understand it. There is also the issue with how the plot becomes repetitive after a while and I can’t help but think that there is no clear overall goal to it. Other than that, the pacing needs work as well.

With all that said, I strongly believe that with more time and perhaps a few more drafts and honest feedback, that this book can be as perfect as it should be.

I was really excited for this book just based on the synopsis, but it sort of fell flat for me.
There was a lot of dialogue, which I usually love, but I felt ungrounded in some scenes. I just wanted to be able to "see" the scene, to feel more grounded in the narrative. The amount of dialogue was also a detriment to the pacing of the story.
I thought the world-building was great, even if it was a little too immersive at first. There were a lot of terms used in the beginning that I was like "what? what does this mean?," but they were explained not too long into the story.

Thalia Cutler, or as she is known by her stage name The Lady of the Lake, is a magician who specializes in slight of hand. With her trusty stage manager and mentor, David Nutall, Thalia is a headstrong young woman who seeks to thrive in a late 1800s New York City. Her life takes a sudden turn when a lock jams during one of her tricks and her fingers turn into white feathers freeing her. Believing herself to be without real magic her whole life, Thalia knows this magic is reserved for Traders, or those who can trade into an animal form. But she can't be a Trader. These worries are briefly pushed from her mind when a fellow stage magician is killed during his act and Nutall and Thalia are the main suspects.

The Glass Magician is an intriguing tale set in an interesting time period. Part fantasy and part murder mystery, the reader is treated to several characters that are worth remembering. The protagonist, Thalia, speaks her mind and isn't afraid to buck traditional gender roles. As a reader, I found Thalia to be quite likable and smart as she works to think herself out of situations and not rely on others to save her. The Ryker siblings, Nell and Nathaniel, assist Thalia in several of her own personal quests and also offer shelter when it is desperately needed. Nell's naivete hides an adventurous mind that is loyal to those she cares about. Though at first Nathaniel comes off as condescending and harsh, he grew on me and, as I suspected, on Thalia as well. Finally, David Nutall was an impressive stand-in father figure who didn't cast Thalia into the streets or send her to an orphanage when her father died, choosing to raise her himself. These four characters make up the core cast and work in various ways to challenge and support Thalia on her personal journey.

As for the world building, I loved the time period selected. Caroline Stevermer's decision to set the novel in the late 1800s offered the reader a glimpse into the challenges that young women, like Thalia and Nell, were often presented with. In The Glass Magician these strictures are made even more evident by the magic system. For example, Nell cannot leave the house or fully enter society as an adult until she passes her ordeal, an event that proves that she can Trade from her animal to human form at will and not give into the animal instincts while in the altered form. Though I believe some of these obstacles were overcome a bit more easily in the novel than they would have actually been in the late 1800s, they showed a strictly structured society built on a set of stringent rules.

Part of the world building also revolved around the magic system. Even exiting the book, I felt like this system was still a bit fuzzy. The reader is tossed into this world without much explanation of the terms that offer the societal stratification. As someone who has read novels like this in the past, context often serves as a way to suss out meaning of fantasy terms; however, the context or straight explanation were not delivered until late in the novel. Though I'm not always a fan of glossaries, it may have assisted in this case. Anyone reading this far to determine what the terms mean, here's a quick reference: Solitaires are ordinary humans with no magic; Traders can trade between a human and animal form, often living shorter lives where they lose their memories as they age and end their lives in their animal forms; and the Sylvestri act as a gateway to nature in addition to being calm and relaxed in most situations.

The biggest critique of The Glass Magician, aside from the magic system that wasn't fully explored or explained until late in the novel, was that as a supposed standalone the final two chapters of the novel introduced some plot threads surrounding Thalia and her relationships that were quite large but also unexplored. While a novel doesn't have to have all ends neatly tied up to be successful, these pieces offered new information that was being introduced at the end without much hint at future impact.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It was a quick read and had some interesting characters. If Stevermer decided to reenter this world, I would certainly return.

This story was unique and its characters engaging. The writing style didn't grab me quite like I hoped. But I look forward to more from this author and her amazing imagination soon.

Review for Tor.com: https://www.tor.com/2020/04/07/book-reviews-the-glass-magician-by-caroline-stevermer


Muggle magic is a big part of my life—my husband is a professional magician, after all. So whenever I see a book out there that has a character skilled in sleight-of-hand, my eyebrows perk up. And when I come across a book that combines the wonders of prestidigitation with historical fantasy, my eyebrows just about fly off my face. Caroline Stevermer’s The Glass Magician is just such a book; in it, we follow Thalia Cutler, a stage magician (based on the real-life stage performer Dell O’Dell) who performs across the United States during the turn of the 19th century.

Thalia’s world, however, is different from the Gilded Age we read about in our high school history books. In this alternate history, those in high society are called Traders, and have the ability to shapeshift into one type of animal. Cutler starts the novel thinking she and her muggle magic partner Nutall are, like most people, magic-less Solitaries. This supposition becomes unfounded as the story progresses, however, and Thalia and Nutall’s true natures reveal themselves.

The book’s magical system (there’s a third class called the Sylvestri, who appear to have powers that are tied to nature) is one of the most intriguing parts of The Glass Magician. Stevermer does a good job weaving the magic into the social structure and culture of the time, and if anything, I wanted more details: How did the Traders become so rich, for example? (Being able to turn into an otter or a swan is cool and all, but I’m not imaginative enough to see how that translates into becoming a member of the 1%.) And what can the Sylvestri actually do with their powers? Given this is likely the first book in a series, however, I’m heartened to know there will be an opportunity to further explore these and other questions in subsequent novels.

Another thing The Glass Magician does well is how it integrates the worldbuilding into the book’s major plot, which revolves around the murder of Thalia’s rival, the odious Von Faber the Magnificent, who dies on stage when someone tampers with the gun used for The Bullet Catch trick. (The Bullet Catch, for those who aren’t married to a magician, is an infamous stage illusion that has been performed for centuries. It’s a dangerous trick that involves the magician “catching” a fired bullet in their teeth, and it’s arguably best known for killing the popular stage magician Chung Ling Soo in 1918 when, like in Von Faber’s case, the equipment used in the trick fails. Unlike the fictional Von Faber, however, it’s generally agreed upon that Chung Ling Soo’s accident was merely that—an accident.)

Given that Von Faber shut down their 2-week run in New York City just days before his death, Thalia and Nutall become the prime suspects for his murder. As the whodunit caper plays out, Thalia’s whole world is turned upside down for other reasons as well; among other things, Nutall—her only confidant since her father’s death—mysteriously disappears, and she finds herself a reluctant guest of the Ryker family, well-to-do Traders who live on Riverside Drive. Thalia first finds herself there to tutor the young Nell, who—much to her brother’s disgust—has an interest in learning stage magic. The two women, both strong characters who are delightful to root for, form a friendship. And when things take a turn for Thalia, it’s Nell who is there to support and guide the magician through her personal challenges.

Even though Thalia lives in a world with shapeshifters and murderous manticores (once-human creatures who feed off of young Traders), her struggles and path toward self-discovery resonate for those of us living in our mundane version of the 21st century. Many of us will have a time in our lives (or many times) where we find out that our understanding of the world, the very tenets that our reality is based on, have become completely undone; and most of us have also strived to better understand who we truly are, which more often than not is not what we think society expects from us. These trials are universal and yet extremely intimate—and you can’t help but hope Thalia makes it through her own troubles and comes out on the other side stronger for it.

Without giving too much away, The Glass Magician does provide some resolution to Thalia’s problems, although there are some major open threads she still needs to grapple with in later books. The murder mystery is solved, however, and some of Thalia’s other questions are answered as well. And just like Thalia, the sky’s the limit for where this series can go from here—there are more mysteries to solve, and more of this fantastical world to explore.

The Glass Magician is available from Tor Books.

The publisher and Netgalley provided me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this steampunk, urban fantasy gothic story that was like a glimpse into an alternative reality based on the world of the illusionists. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the opulence and gaslit majesty of Gilded Age New York.

Thalia has been swindled out of all her props, and now she must hatch a brilliant new trick that puts bread in her belly and honors the legacy of her father. Thalia has resigned herself to life as a Solitaire, someone who must master the audience and reassure them at the same time with elaborate illusions of magic. She relies on an entire catalog of costumes and accoutrements to convince her audience she is worthy of their patronage. But Thalia begins to exhibit extraordinary traits - traits that mean she may be a Trader rather than a Solitaire. Or something uniquely different that defies categorization. She is trying to figure it out and form an alliance with the family responsible for supplying all of the magical props to the industry.

Thalia's life is further complicated by the death of the rival magician responsible for her fall into disgrace.

Although the pace was slow at times, the plot was intricately developed, the magical system was unique and the characters were compelling,

I wanted to love this book and I was attracted by the blurb. Unfortunately my expectations were not met and the world building wasn't clear and I felt confused.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The plot are interesting but it lack actions and explanation of the magic system. Btw there are too much happening in this book!

I thought The Ordeal was important and hard to pass but why it looks so easy for Nell & Thalia?

I feel disappointed with the ending. I wanted to know more about Thalia's mother. Why her father lied to her? What actually happened between her father and mother.


Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for The Glass Magician ARC!

This book has a wonderful idea in regards to its plot. However, the author failed to explain key concepts of the worldbuilding leaving me confused. I love the time period the book was set in, I adore the stage magician aspect, and it was an easy read. The characters were a bit rudimentary as they never quite took shape. It wasn't a great book, but it wasn't terrible.

I'm drawn to books that have magic in them. It's like catnip I crave or a pain in a tooth that I cannot resist toying with. I need it and I cannot leave it alone. Add in an alternate reality gilded age New York on top of the magic that allows you to turn into the animal of your heart at anytime and you've ensured I'm going to read the book. Especially when a murder mystery is thrown in on top of it all in this turn of a new century tale.

Whenever you enter a new magical fiction, it can take a moment to get your bearings. What are the rules of the magic? Who has the magic? Does everyone have it? What are the dynamics of those that have magic and those that do not? At least this is how my internal dialog goes when I start a new book where magic and magicians are involved. At 288 pages, there isn't a lot of backstory and world building to go around for the way magic works in this alternate New York. We get some basics such as Solitaires are individuals who are only human in form while Traders have animal and human forms. We even have Sylvestri who are the top of the pecking order so to speak and look down upon the Solitaires and Traders. The basics helped to set the stage for the main character Thalia, a Solitaire.

Thalia is a stage magician who took over her fathers act after his death. She is rather content in her role until a malfunction during a performance results in her doing the unthinkable. She transforms into an animal. Something only Traders should be able to do. Something that should be impossible for her to achieve as a Solitaire. As Thalia attempts to learn more about what happened to allow her to shift, she gets caught up in a murder mystery.

This was a fun novella. Perfect for a temporary escape from reality and travel to an alternate history where magic is possible. It is more of a mystery read to me than a fantasy read. The book did a good job of meshing the two genres together. I would suggest The Glass Magician for fans of steam punk, murder mysteries, and fantasy magic.

The Glass Magician is a historical fantasy based on Vaudeville performer Thalia, who dreams of making it as a stage musician. An accident during a performance reveals a latent ability that turns Thalia's world upside down. When a rival magician is murdered and her partner arrested, Thalia is determined to get to the bottom of both the crime and her identity. In the process, Thalia finds herself the target of a dangerous monster that wants to consume her magic. The question is whether or not Thalia will be able to master her magic and find the truth before it is too late.
I really enjoyed this book. I am a sucker for historical fantasy, and this book hit my sweet spot. I loved being immersed in Gilded Age NYC in all its Vaudeville splendor. Thalia is a really likeable character, and it's easy to root for her as she goes through the journey the book takes her on. I thought that the magic system here was really interesting and unique. The Glass Magician is unlike anything I've ever read before, a magical adventure about identity and finding the truth of who we are, even if it wasn't what we expected.

The book is not action-packed though the plot does move along. Much of this is the result of the author using the time to build the world she has created. This is accomplished by introducing the various concepts present in this alternate universe and allowing the character of Thalia to experience the mores of her society. In this way, Ms. Stevermer doesn’t overwhelm the reader with daily life of the denizens of her book. Rather, she allows us an intimate look into the thought processes of Thalia, who is the focal point of the novel.

Actual history is used as some of the background for the world, with a sprinkling of people most of us will be familiar with inserted here and there to provide an understanding of the time period. This is our familiar world with an overlay of what could have been, a semi-magical place where most people live their lives no differently than we do now. Thalia is nothing more than another person trying to deal with everyday life when the unexpected happens, and that is the charm of this book.

Although at times I wished for more of the world to be revealed, there was enough to keep me interested and to find the story enjoyable. Ms. Stevermer introduces a minimal amount of characters yet gives us a good description of each while providing reasons for their actions. Four stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.

In general I liked The Glass Magician. It was a solid three stars for me, but I do have a few points that I wasn’t too keen about.

Firstly, from page one many terms that are unknown to me are used. Solitaire? Trader? Sylvestri? I honestly don’t know what they are, and it does seem important to the story. Any explanations didn’t follow until quite a bit into the story. I wish I would have had a bit more knowledge about the world of the book and the way the magi system was set up to be a bit more connected to the story.

Secondly, the ending was just a bit too easy for me. Every losse end was tied up too neatly and quickly for my taste. After so long of creating certain issues I think the readers deserve a bit more of a challenging end to the story.

There were, of course, also a few things that I did particularly enjoy in this novel. There was a very strong, powerful and competent main character in a time when that really wasn’t allowed or accepted, so that set a great example I think. Also, being stuck at home, bored and complaining about it… Sounds familiar…

Thalia Cutler is a stage magician on the vaudeville circuit, along with her mentor Mr. Nutall, working under the name Lady of the Lake. Quite suddenly when a trick is about to go wrong, Thalia transforms, except that isn't possible because Thalia is a Solitaire. She seeks help explaining what happened, but has her assumption that this is impossible confirmed, so she puts it from her mind, only to be caught up in a contacts dispute and a murder mystery that sweep up her attentions, putting her at ever increasing risk.

In this version of history there exist Solitaires - people who only have a human form, Traders - those who have two forms animal and human, and Sylvestri - a sort of ancient ones beyond the small lives of the others. There is also the looming threat Manticores, who are Traders that can become human but are truly Manticores, they live to feed on the magic of Traders.

I really enjoyed this in the way of solid historical fantasy with a unique premise and style, very much my sort of thing. The writing was quite good, however I do think for a reader who is unlike me, it is likely a fault that the book leads with the magical element, but then fully drops it till the halfway point before really explaining more. However, I enjoyed the unraveling plots in between extremely, as well as the fact that in proper stage magician fashion Thalia does a big performative reveal in the story. I also do wish the magic had been more integral to the main plot, but it does a lot to develop the world and characters.

The plot and the magic doesn't work well together. Though the characters are likable, the plot seems good but adding the element of magic quite lessen the theme that the story wants tell.