As a fan of book one in this duology, Spellbreaker, I was really excited to read the next in the series and rejoin well-loved characters, Elsie, Bacchus and friends, in resolving the remaining mysteries.

Spellmaker is action-packed and as full of adventure as the first novel, with an added dash of romance.

The twists and turns kept me hooked right through to the final page and I really hope the author writes more in this world.

It is so well-crafted and I would love to learn more about the Atheneums and the world of aspecting.

The Spellmaker is the second book in the set. The first book, Spellbreaker was captivating, as is this one! The way Holmberg spins a web of intrigue, romance, and magic is stunning. It will wrap around you and draw you into the world of Elsie and Bacchus. Elsie is an unregistered spellbreaker who has been embroiled in a web of murders. With Bacchus, a master spellmaker, by her side they take on the challenges that are relentlessly thrown their way. There is never a dull moment in the story, you just get swept along with it.

However, the one thing I was really missing is seeing the connection between Elsie and Bacchus grow. There were not many moments set apart to show how their relationship has grown and evolved from the first book. Overall though, it was a really good book!

This was an interesting story! I absolutely loved this take on soellmaking and spell breaking and following Elise, an orphaned unregistered spell breaker as she tries to catch a murderer without incriminating herself in the process! This is action packed story with a take on magic I haven’t encountered before! Throw in some romance with Bacchus Kelsey and this was a quick, fun read! I recommend for fans of a discovery of witches or stalking Jack the Ripper.

I have to say, I liked this a lot more than the first book. Now that we've established the characters and world, the plot could focus on more of the magic and Elsie's relationship with Bacchus. I really enjoy the two of them together and I think they make a great couple. I also liked seeing more spells and the different specialties the spellmakers have.

Bacchus is a great male lead, he's strong and confident and doesn't let others push him down because of his race. He cares a lot for Elsie and supports her in whatever she wants to do, especially in a time period where wealthy women didn't usually work. Elsie evolves a bit in this, partly because of Bacchus' love. She starts to feel like she has value and trusts her friends around her to help her. I thought Elsie and Bacchus brought out the best in each other and I'm so happy to see them together!

The plot was interesting and moved at a faster pace than the previous book. More characters are introduced and brought into Elsie's fold and we saw some pretty amazing acts of magic. The battle against Master Merton wrapped up nicely and I thought the final fight scene was well done. I did feel like there were a couple loose ends left, maybe in case of another book or spin off?

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Review
✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
After reading Spellbreaker, I was eager to continue the duology. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity. As I said before, I love Charlie Holmberg’s writing and her Paper Magician series. The magical worlds she creates are so accessible and Spellmaker is no different.
💜 What I liked:
Spellmaker follows the connection of Elsie and Bacchus as well as unraveling the mystery of who is murdering magicians. The characters are well written and relatable.
😱 What I didn’t like:
Sometimes the plot of Spellmaker dragged at times. Also there were points that I thought a twist was going to happen, but it didn’t.
💁‍♀️ The Characters:
We follow the same characters from Spellbreaker - Elsie, Bacchus, Emmeline, Ogden. There are some new characters in this book: Irene Prescott, a magician who tutors Elsie, and Reggie, someone from Elsie’s past!
🚦 The Ending:
Excellent action scene in the ending! Wraps everything up nicely and I was very satisfied.
💭 Consider if you like:
Accessible period fantasies that get you invested in the characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.

A great follow-up to the first book! The author continues to develop worlds and characters that leave readers hoping for more. I really enjoyed reading this and cannot wait to see what comes out next from the writer.

Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this E-Arc. All new releases as of February 2021 will be featured on my blog.

This sequel was so satisfying! Holmberg expertly expanded the universe, allowed characters to grow and develop, all while managing to up the ante. Spellmaker had everything I was looking for after Spellbreaker - romance, action, magic, and found family.

I highly recommend Spellmaker and Spellbreaker and can’t wait to read more from this author!

Spellmaker by Charlie N. Holmberg picks up where Spellbreaker left off. We have discovered who the Cowls are and that they are not all that they appear to be.

Set in Victorian England, Elsie and Bacchus continue to work together to bring a murderer to justice. We learn more about Elsie’s family and her background. More about Ogden, who I loved! He is a great supporting character and father figure to Elsie. And we see the spark between Elsie and Bacchus grow.

I enjoyed this book and recommend for readers that enjoy magic and mystery in a historical setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the 47North for the ARC.

I really enjoyed Spellmaker- then sequel and end to Spellbreaker. This was a fast paced read with plenty of action and a very sweet romance. I felt that the romance was a bit less in this book than the first. I really liked the magical system in these books and the idea of someone who cant cast spells- only undo them. The setting was great as were the characters. This was a great conclusion to the first. Some of the plot points dragged a tiny bit for me personally but not enough to hamper my enjoyment of the book.

"Dead wizards, stolen enchantments, and broken promises force a young spellbreaker out of the shadows in the next thrilling installment of the Spellbreaker series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.

England, 1895. An unsolved series of magician murders and opus thefts isn't a puzzle to Elsie Camden. But to reveal a master spellcaster as the culprit means incriminating herself as an unregistered spellbreaker. When Elsie refuses to join forces with the charming assassin, her secret is exposed, she's thrown in jail, and the murderer disappears. But Elsie's hope hasn't vanished.

Through a twist of luck, the elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey helps Elsie join the lawful, but with a caveat: they must marry to prove their cover story. Forced beneath a magical tutor while her bond with Bacchus grows, Elsie seeks to thwart the plans of England's most devious criminal - if she can find them.

With hundreds of stolen spells at their disposal, the villain has a plan - and it involves seducing Elsie to the dark side. But even now that her secret is out, Elsie must be careful how she uses the new abilities she's discovering, or she may play right into the criminal's hands."

Spellmaker is another fabulous Spellbreaker entry!

A fitting conclusion to the Spellbreaker Duology. It was a magical read and a wonderful distraction from a pandemic lifestyle.

Universe: 5*
If you know me, you know that I love a story where its universe impacts the plot and the characters contained within that story. This story has that in abundance. There are depths to the universe that are only hinted at throughout the story. The system of magic in this series was well developed and easy to comprehend. I hate it when I need a flowchart and a PhD to track magic. This series balanced sophistication with simplicity in a wonderful manner.

Plot: 4.8*
While not perfect, the plot was enjoyable and moved along nicely. The plot was internally consistent within the framework of the universe. The plot also wrapped up in a manner that felt right.

Characters: 3.5*
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed these characters. I liked seeing them grow (indeed, their personal growth was staggering). The characters were likable and enjoyable and I'd love to learn more about them. So, why only 3.5 stars? Agency and angst. The protagonist in the story was a bit too angsty for my taste and did not take enough agency in her life frequently wallowing in the hand she was dealt. While this was understandable because, yes, her hand sucked, I was really hoping for this character to strengthen her internal monologue early in the series.

As I mentioned previously, this book was a fitting conclusion to the duology and as such, stands alone perfectly well. The conclusion of the story does leave the window open slightly for more books in this universe.

Note: This book was provided to me for free from Netgalley.

Spellmaker was a great continuation of the Spellbreaker duology. I really enjoy the dynamic between Elsie, Bacchus, Emmeline, and Ogden, and seeing their relationship grow and change throughout this second book was very well thought out.

We always knew that Elsie was a gifted Spellbreaker, but we never really knew how good she was. The interactions with Irene and the revelations from that interaction really showed how advanced Elsie was with her Spellbreaking capabilities. I would love to see where she goes and where her skills take her in a follow-on series if the author was inclined to do so.

The main group of characters and their search for Master Merton throughout the book kept me engaged and looking forward to what came next. There were times in the book that it strayed from the search that left me wanting more, but it was quickly picked up again to keep the story moving forward.

The use of multiple points of view for the storytelling was used well in this book. In some books and series, it can be overdone and end up taking away from the story. However, it was used well in this book. It was done just enough to convey different thoughts and feelings on different situations throughout the book without overdoing it and making the story muddled.

However, I did have a couple of gripes with the overall story. First off, I feel like the love story between Elsie and Bacchus was a bit overdone. I understand and agree with it's importance in the book and for their character development, but it was almost as if the author could not decide if this was a romance novel or a mystery/thriller novel. I have no issue with romance in books in general, it just felt a bit overdone to me based on the way the first book was written. That said, this is likely more personal preference than a real hindrance to the book.

My second issue was the slow build-up to an abrupt ending. It felt like things were working towards and epic ending of some fashing. Whether it was a battle of magic or cunning, I felt that something bigger was coming for the conclusion to the book. There was a struggle, but it felt too short and too anti-climatic based on the buildup throughout the book.

Those issues aside, they did not impact my enjoyment of this book (or the series overall). As I mentioned earlier, I would like to explore the world of Elsie and the magic of the Spellbreaker world in a sequel series if the author were to continue this in the future. I think that there is a lot that can be done to explore the world through Elsie's eyes or others not yet introduced.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since I finished the first book, Spellbreaker, I was dying to dive into Spellmaker. Luckily, I had the eARC of the sequel to the duology and dove into it the first chance I got. I'm not going to lie, I finally got the answers to some of my confusing questions. Doesn't necessarily mean that I wasn't confused by some of the things happening in this one - because I was. It just means that I got the answers I was looking for.

In it, you will still meet the same people from the previous book but we do get to meet some new people: Irene Prescott and the Raven. We also get a few dark secrets as well and one of them shocked me. Other than that, Elsie and Bacchus do get a bit closer in this one but the romance just didn't seem like a huge thing to me again. I will admit that we got some teeny tiny moments of possible romance but I just didn't see them being together in this one as well.

The magic aspect is still enchanting as it was in the first one. Plus the villain and the little action were pretty entertaining throughout the book. Heck, I will even admit that the ending was kind of cute. Although I do feel like we could get a new book or maybe a spinoff just because of one thing that was mentioned. Maybe - not sure.

In the end, it was a pretty good sequel and I'm very glad that I got the chance to dive into both books.

If you are a fan of the Paper Magician series, then this is definitely for you. It gave me all the feels of the Victorian era that i love. It’s also reminded me of the infernal devices series by Cassandra Clare, and i rarely ever compare any books to hers. Our lovable heroine Elsie returns but this time she’s caught in the middle of a series of murders and must now team up with the handsome Bacchus to get to the bottom of things. I was on the edge of my seat this whole read! It had me nervous and hoping what i thought would happen didn’t, i will say that some things were predictable to be honest, however it didn’t ruin the story for me. I would definitely recommend to keep going if you started the series, and if you haven’t then i would say, what are you waiting for?

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was SO. GOOD. I was so excited to revisit this wonderful world Charlie has created! It was full of my favorite characters and some great new additions. It moves at the perfect pace and keeps you guessing at every turn. I was 90% from the end and I still didn't know exactly how it would end. The plot was beautifully crafted.

I was sad that this duology was over but I have a feeling this isn't the last we'll see of this world. I once heard an author say that you should build doors into your work if you want to revisit it in the future. And there were doors all over the place.

Thank you for this lovely work of art. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and I've already been recommending it to everyone I know. Brava!

Just like everything else I have read by this author, it's magical and beautiful, and memorable. I first started reading her books after seeing Smoke and Summons on the Kindle Firsts list, and I've been hooked on her work ever since. This book is a great addition to the series. As long as she keeps writing, I'll keep reading.

Interesting finish to this duology. I again enjoyed the concept of magic being very prominent in Victorian London, England. It is a must that you've read the first book before reading this second one. There's a lot of carry-over from the first book, with not a lot of reminders of what happened in the first book. This book is filled with very vivid visual descriptions -- of places, the characters, and the magic itself. Great dialogue between Elsie and Bacchus and all the peripheral characters as well. Elsie gets a little bit closer to solving the mystery of her past, but the ending leaves it open as to the solution of the full mystery. This book is listed as the second of a duology, so that mystery is left open-ended for the reader to speculate about. Holmberg creates fantasy in a very interesting and believable fashion. I look forward to reading more from her!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and giving me the opportunity to read this book. This is the second book in the Spellbreaker series. I received this book first, but I realized quickly that it's best to read the first in the series to get a better understanding of what develops in the second. I was happily surprised with this magical world set in England 1895 Late Victorian era with wizards, and a magic system. We continue our story that was left off from the first book with Elsie, who is an unregistered Spellbreaker, and Bacchus who is a Master Spellmaker, as well as some side characters. Elsie is in need of some help after being arrested because of the events from the first book with Bacchus coming to the rescue in an unexpected way. I liked the first book and thought this was a fine follow up. There is a little bit of romance, but I would categorize this as more fantasy and mystery, although we do know who the villain is going into the second book. If you like stories set in the Victorian era sprinkled with a little bit of romance, magic, and mystery than this is the book for you!

Spellmaker is the second book in Holmberg's Spellbreaker duology. It completes the story of Elsie, an unregistered spellbreaker who is put in the precarious position of pursuing a powerful spellbreaker while trying not to reveal her unsanctioned powers.

If you haven't read any of Holmberg's work before, you are missing out! Her stories are just fun. There's a genre for cozy mystery, and this story could be a described as a cozy magical mystery. I really enjoyed Elsie as our heroine in this story. She's been beaten down in life and made to feel like she only exists to be taken advantage of, but she rises to the occasion and sacrifices for the good of those around her. I was a fan of Bacchus at the end of the last book, but he is so much more enjoyable throughout the story in this book. The cast of supporting characters are wonderful as well, and I would love to be friends with Elsie's group of friends. The plot is predictable at points, and I felt like there were a few things that were wrapped up too neatly, but I still felt satisfied by the ending.

This definitely fits more into the genre of a cozy mystery--there are a few reveals along the way, but if you're looking for a heart-stopping thriller, this will be disappointing. As a cozy mystery with a bit of magic and a sweet romance at the center, it's a lovely read for anyone looking for something light-hearted and encouraging.

A big thank you to Charlie N. Holmberg, 47North, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book!