I picked this out because the concept of it seemed really awesome. Magicians? History? Sign me up! I love a good story like this.

However, I didn't love this book. I struggled to get into it from the very beginning. I was having trouble connecting with the characters and getting into the plot. I just felt so underwhelmed. I didn't feel as if I cared about the characters or the troubles they were having. And the plot felt like it go lost.

I did think the writing was excellent though -- I really believe that Stevermer is a talented writer. The descriptions were absolutely vivid and made it very easy to imagine the era and the places and what was occurring. I was highly impressed with that.

However, I think overall, this book just wasn't for me.

'The Glass Magician' is both smoke and mirrors and gilt and glamour magicked into one dazzling story set in 1905 New York City. It follows a young stage magician Thalia Cutler who after a stage trick goes wrong, discovers she has the ability to shapeshift, causing her to question everything she thinks she knows about her family. This book is set in an alternative NYC where there are 3 distinct groups/races of people, Traders who can shapeshift into animals and have a lot wealth, Solitaires who are ordinary people, and Sylvestri who are stewards of nature. Along the way she meets some other Traders who are willing to mentor her. The only problem is, there is a beast known as a Manticore who is hunting down young inexperienced Traders…Thalia being one of them. If that wasn’t enough, a murder mystery begins to unfold with Thalia and her mentor needing to put on the performance of their lives to prove their innocence.

Like a well staged magic trick, this story has many different elements going on, all the while maintaining a captivating interest in what will happen next. There’s Thalia’s journey of self-discovery, the deadly lurking of the Manticore, an innocent romance trying to blossom, and a suspicious murder-mystery. There’s no vanishing act in this book…all of these different elements come together to create a whimsical story that is well paced and evocative. I liked how the deeper you got into the story, the more secrets were revealed. It seems the characters themselves were part of a grand illusion that they weren’t even aware of.

I believe there will be a sequel which I’m hoping will delve deeper into the bloodlines and the alternative magical world Stevermer has created.



*I know the synopsis mentioned that fans of ‘The Golemn and the Jinni’ would enjoy this book, but I think fans of the circus genre or the film ‘The Prestige’ would enjoy this book more

A light and easy-to-read book - I would describe it as a post-Victorian murder-mystery novel with elements of fantasy, rather than a fantasy novel. The title also feels incorrect, as the idea of the 'Glass Magician' is only briefly touched upon so it doesn't make the most sense as a title. It feels as though that should be the title of the second book. It was a nice book though, and I enjoyed the mechanics of the world as well as the era it was set in. It has enough real world elements that it feels believable yet enough fantasy to make it exciting. I liked Thalia as a character, and I like the discoveries she made along the way.

I'm not sure I would read a second one as it did feel slightly exhaustive after a while, it lulled in the third quarter and I was hoping for a respite soon. That being said it did have a good ending.

3/5 stars.

Lovely book with unique concepts and stage magicians as well as a class of people that are similar to Animorphs. Cannot wait to see what happens next!

The Glass Magician was a fun, magical read. I enjoyed the characters and the premise. Once or twice I would have liked a little more explanation/world building, but on the whole there was enough information for me to immerse myself in the world. The prose was smooth and the pacing good, and overall this was an easy, pleasant read. It perhaps didn't thrill me beyond words, but it was a solid piece of writing and I closed the final page thinking I would be interesting to read on in the series.

(Review will go live on GR and at the blog link provided on 9 March 2020)

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for sending me an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer was enthralling and absolutely magical.

In Thalia's world there are Solitaires, those without magic, Traders, who have the ability to "trade" into animals and the Sylvestri whose magic is attuned with nature. Thalia grew up believing she was a Solitaire, happy to continue on her family's business as a stage magician until she traded during a dangerous performance.

From that day on Thalia is questioning everything she knew about her parents and about her father's friend who looks over her like an uncle. If she is indeed a Trader and not a Solitaire she isn't safe until she's gone through the Trader rite of passage called "the ordeal" where she proves that she can trade safely and willingly. One problem. There is an awful Trader beast called the Manticore that is looking to steal the magic of young inexperienced traders who haven't passed their ordeal.

The synopsis promises magic and shape-shifting which the book has in spades, we get to see Thalia trying to find herself within her ability to trade while grappling with the fact that she doesn't know much about her family or her friends at all. Then when you peel away the main plot there is also a murder mystery which is carefully woven through the story without missing a beat. It felt like a whimsical Agatha Christie novel all the while that Thalia is trying to keep herself safe from the Manticore.

The story was well paced and never dragged. You're guided through this world fairly quickly and it does take a little time to pick up what the Solitaires, Traders and Sylvestri do, but once you get the idea you're set.

I'm not entirely sure what age group this book is for exactly, it was shown as a plain Sci-Fi & Fantasy, but I did get a bit of a YA feeling at some points of the story. Other than a few mentions of gore (a few manticores were harmed in the making of this book) but other than that it felt rather safe for a YA-ish age range.

It was a fun read and I really enjoyed it.

When I first saw the description and cover for this book I was hooked. I enjoyed reading the first magic act that they main character, Thalia, preforms. It was dramatic and I found myself drawn into what was happening. Unfortunately after this first act, my interest from the story withdrew. I found myself confused with the surroundings of the characters and some of the terms that were used to describe them. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, and lost interest in what was going on. I will say there are great descriptions that allow the reader to visualize what is going on. I just found that without really connecting with the characters I had a hard time pushing through the rest of the story.

This story features a young woman named Thalia who is a stage magician who experiences a strange transformation when her most dangerous trick goes wrong - her hand turns into a feathered appendage for a moment. This strikes her as odd, as she is a Solitaire, not a Trader - she shouldn't have any magic in her. After a tumultuous arrival in New York involving a lost job and a murdered competitor, Thalia must learn to deal with her new understanding of herself as well as clear her friend and mentor's name.

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I really enjoyed the writing style of the book. It was descriptive without being flowery or overdone. The city felt alive, the conflict felt well orchestrated and drove the plot. Thalia's character development was fun. I also loved the female friendship between Thalia and Nell within this story and appreciated that there wasn't a heavy romance in this story.

The book was strong enough as a stand alone if a reader didn't want to continue, but definitely left the reader curious to know what would happen after the big reveal in the final pages.

One thing I wish that had been better explained was the magic system in the world. There are three groups of people (races?) but they aren't well explained until well into the book and I felt a bit confused about these titles and what they meant as I began reading.