In a market inundated with fairy tale remakes, Charlie Holmberg is always a breath of fresh air with her unique world-building. I have read all of Holmberg's books, and I'd definitely recommend the Spellbreaker duology for those who loved the Paper Magician series. As a sequel, Spellmaker will not make sense if you have not read Spellbreaker.

I found Spellmaker to be well-written with a good pace. The setting descriptions were on point and made it easy to visualize the scenes like a movie. To say I was engrossed with the book is an understatement. The story-telling was so well-done that I can't give this book anything less than 5 stars -- despite the issues discussed below -- because it left me obsessed with this series. I cannot fault a book for leaving me burning for more.

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Although Spellmaker wrapped up the plot line neatly, the show-down at the end was a bit anti-climatic. I also wish there was more build up of Merton's character and history so that we could have better understood her motivations and the timeline of her actions. And, after Merton was arrested, they were able to convict her, despite her erased memory, because of a list of "incriminating questions" and a truth-telling curse. However, when Master Philips was arrested and interrogated under the truth-seeking spell, no one believed he was being controlled because "A person could believe something to be truth that wasn't ... ." The book fails to explain how Merton could confess to something she has no memory of doing.

The duology also completely left the mystery of Elsie's sister, Alice Camden, up in the air. Holmberg spends a good chunk of the books talking about Elsie's missing family and then, in the very last chapter, reveals that they might have found her sister because there was an Alice Camden who was about to join the Temporal Atheneum. We get no confirmation and the book ends with Elsie inpatient to find out if that is her sister. It is such a major loose end that it makes me believe Holmberg might intend to write another duology from Alice Camden's perspective. If so, I hope Holmberg announces it sooner rather than later to appease readers who are bound to notice this.

NetGalley provided me with an ARC in exchanged for an honest review.

Duologies always have a special place in my heart because they’re face paced and don’t leave many questions left unanswered. Holmberg didn’t disappoint! I devoured every line of this book.

One of the things I love most of about this book is it’s layers. It’s easy for a book to fall into a strict genre. Spellmaker has fantasy, romance, mystery, and action. You never fall into monotony, and you never get bored.

Overall, this was the perfect conclusion. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Definitely read Spellbreaker first! Elsie, Bacchus, and Ogden adjust to their lives as public spellmakers and spellbreaker after a climactic run-in at the end of the first novel. But the master spellmaker got away, and the trio continue to chip away at her skills and prevent her evil deeds. There is more romance in this book, as Elsie and Bacchus are forced to marry to maintain her cover as a newly-evolved spellbreaker. The pace is quick and engaging with a satisfactory ending that brings Elsie her longed-for family, in more ways than one.

If you enjoyed the first book in this series, than you’ll love this one! A great way to get back to some characters you’ve become attached too! A fun, enchanting read, with enough darkness to keep people riveted! Well written, fast paced, unputdownable, and unique, but could be unique to me since I normally read another genre. The character and world development was done flawlessly, which made it much easier to get into this fantasy. Do highly recommend, as even though it’s not my normal genre, I was able to read it and be completely captivated by it!

And the second book is just as great (if not better) than the first! This rarely happens for me!

I normally fall in absolute love with the first book and then dive into the second novel in a series and don’t love it as much. This time, I loved it!!!! In fact, I want another in this series!!! Pretty please?

The characters stayed true throughout the second novel and we got a little more in depth perspectives from the main character as her and her Scooby gang continue their mission for stolen opuses and mystery sleuthing in formal attire.

The author end the novel in such a way that opens up the series for another novel (wishful thinking on my end) or for a happy ending.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

And honestly, I loved it. Although major plot points were murder and mayhem, this duology still managed to be sweet. It made for a nice change, considering all the true crime I consume.

I very much enjoyed this. I loved reconnecting with these characters and was glad to visit the Spellbreaker world again. We get return appearances from most of the characters and meet a few more friends along the way, although at the time I was thoroughly paranoid about which new acquaintances were truly friend and which were foe. As with the first book I thought the premise was fun and something I haven’t read before. This being the second book in a duology I don’t want to give too much of the plot away to those who haven’t read the first book, suffice it to say the story picks up nicely where the first one left off. Only now we start to really get some answers. And luckily the reader doesn’t have to wait until the end to get some of the answers we were all itching for. The climax is satisfying and believable, I was very happy with it.
I was a little sad we didn’t get as much spell breaking in this book. A lot of the book was dedicated to the hunt for the master spellmaker who was wrecking havoc all over England. Throw in a unexpected arrangement and the time for actual spell breaking is actually very little. I also wanted more about the nature of Elsie’s superior abilities. It seems she is quite talented but we never really get any answers about that. All in all it was a very good conclusion to the duology. Well done Charlie Holmberg.

I very much enjoyed this book. The author did a good job of slowly unraveling the heroine's back story and weaving it into what is currently happening in the story.. A little bit fantasyish, a little bit love story, great character development; I'm looking forward to the next in the series. I'm not generally a five star person, but this was a definite five stars.

You must first read the first book in this duology to understand what is going on.
This book starts where the first ended. Elsie is an unregistered spellbreaker. It seems someone has turned her in to the authorities. Her guess is Master Merton, who is now in hiding. Master Kelsey gets Elsie released on a couple of conditions . One she must train to be a spellbreaker. Next she and Master Kelsey must marry. Elsie and her friends must hunt down Master Merton. Along the way Elsie discovers a family member she wasn’t sure was out there. She also realizes she’s in love with Master Kelsey.
This book kept me entertained. Elsie is super cool and very powerful with her skills. Glad how the ending turned out.

I’ve loved Charlie Holmberg since reading her Paper Magician series and have read every book she’s published since.

As far as the writing goes, I found this sequel to be a better written than the first book in the duology and that this one didn’t take very long to jump into as a sequel. I also think it’s probably the most similar to the Paper Magician Series which made me love it a lot more than some of the other recent books shes written. I love the enemies to lovers theme and the exploration of Elsie’s magical abilities. I definitely would’ve loved to see her figure out what made her able to break spells being directed at her but it was a tangential mystery that wasn’t really vital to the plot.

Something about this duology that I also really liked was the introduction of a nonwhite, Barbadian magician and love interest who’s perspective was shared equally with the MC Elsie, and through which we saw the fear and wariness with which he was treated, microagressions that could be invisible to others but that read as xenophobic or racist or both. It was not the main focus but it was an aspect that this author has not always explored and that I really appreciated as a reader. I think she did a great job of writing a character of color as a white writer that many have failed to do.

Overall, it was such a fun read. There were lots of twists which I really enjoyed. At times, it was predictable but several were not. I’m a big fan of YA fantasy and often it’s predictable but I love when a book can still surprise you, as this one did. I found the book charming, engaging, and an adventurous escape from reality and this book was just that.

Thanks NetGalley for an arc!

This authors other books did not sell in the store before unfortunately, so I'd only be able to recommend this to a particular type of reader & auggest they order it.

I was immediately pulled into this story, and I was held firm until the very end. I have always been a fan of Sherlock type mystery novels, and this definitely gave me similar vibes, but with magic added into the mix. I really loved the magic system, and everything was explained very clearly and was very easy to follow. I loved how you follow Elsie as she attempts to navigate society, the magical hierarchy, and her new love, while also attempting to keep her magical skills secret so she isn't thrown in jail. And of course, the secret murderer she's trying to catch. In this book, the villain really reminded me of Moriarty, making the Sherlock parallel even stronger for me, especially when she was going to escape. This action packed sequel really draws you in, and I was so excited to keep reading. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I can't wait for the next one!

I felt like the writing was an improvement compared to Spellbreaker, but overall things were quite bland. I didn't necessarily dislike the story, but I didn't love it either. I'd give it a solid 3/5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The idea of a world where some people can do magic is not a new one but I've never heard of a world where some people can only perform magic (Spellmakers) and some people can only undo magic (Spellbreakers), it was such an interesting concept and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I appreciated how well the duology flows together and the book had some twists I didn't see coming and I liked how they played out.

**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**

After reading the first book in this duology, Spellbreaker, I was excited to dive into the sequel. This is an easy read. The writing style is very straightforward. I found the characters and environment enjoyable, but not really well fleshed out. Likewise, the magic system is unique and interesting but not deeply delved into.

This book answered a few lingering questions from Spellbreaker, but left many more unanswered. Why did Bacchus’ father agree to the syphoning spell? What happed to Elsie’s parents? What was the breaking point that turned Merton into a murderess? Are the events that played out going to change any of the injustices in the magic system? The big villain showdown at the end was wrapped up neatly, but the book still felt unfinished. I just wanted more. More to the romance between Elsie and Bacchus (their wedding was rushed), more mystery behind why Merton behaved as she did, more surprises in the plot and character motivations. I thought there was something nefarious about one of the new characters since their introduction, but I ended up being wrong. While I was glad I didn’t have the mystery of it all figured out (I thought Merton had somehow become Irene), I ended up disappointed that there really was no mystery to figure out.

All in all, I’d give this 3.5 stars. It was entertaining enough that I quickly read it, but I found it all a bit unfulfilling.

This book was fantastic, and the way it concluded the duology was exactly what I was hoping for. If you haven't I highly suggest you go buy a copy of Spellbreaker and then come back to this ARC of Spellmaker- it is totally worth every penny!

The way that magic is written into this story might have become a favorite of mine while the world building just complimented it perfectly. There was nothing too over the top about it and it felt like it could be very real if this is how magic was to exist in our world. The character development is fantastic and overall the books written in such a way that it almost feels like you’re watching a movie, which is my favorite way to think back on a book!

I will definitely be reading more of Charlie N. Holmberg, especially because The Paper Magician has great reviews as well!

Spellmaker is the second book in the Spellbreaker series duology. I really enjoyed the adventure and getting to know the characters through both books and could have definitely read more but I'm glad Holmberg didn't stretch it out like some authors do just to get a third book. I do hope there is a spinoff as the ending left me a little like, "well what are we going to do about that part, you can't just leave me hanging with unanswered questions like that!" The second book takes off right where the first book leaves off and doesn't slow down. Elsie and Bacchus are still trying to catch a murderer and their love story grows more which is great!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

By far, one of my favorite stories! It's book 2 in a duology and it's a story you won't put down and a story you didn't know you needed! Magic, an orphan, mystery, murder, love, family, belonging, self-worth, I feel as if this is the magical, Victorian Cinderella named Elsie. Book 1 kept me on the edge of my seat and this one as well. Make sure you read this during the day because you will NOT BE ABLE to put it down! You will stay up allll night to finish it. Highly recommend this book!

Spellmaker is a satisfying sequel to Spellbreaker and the final book in the duology. As a sequel, Spellmaker hits the mark, as it is a natural escalation of the previous book.
I love the logic of the magic system in this series and how it perfectly incorporates into the structure of the Victorian England society.
I only wish this wasn't the end of the series and that there was more of these characters to look forward to. If you haven't read Spellbreaker do that, then read Spellmaker.

I received a copy of this book on Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I initially didn’t realize this was only a duology when I read the first book so I was a little surprised at first how nicely everything was wrapped up at the end of this book.

Charlie N. Holmberg writes entertaining books, and this one has good character development, a pretty well developed magical world, good twists and turns that kept me interested in the story the entire time I was reading it, and a dash of romance that didn’t overpower the rest of the story.

Elsie’s story feels complete but I would love to have more stories set in this world!