The Paper Magician (The Paper Magician Book Series #1) by Charlie N. Holmberg m

“The Apprentice must become the Magician in order to rescue her kidnapped mentor. It had a Mary Poppins meets Nancy Drew feel but it was entertaining in a slightly absurd and hysterical way.”

⭐⭐

Pros: Ceony and Thane have an easy relationship/The idea of a magical school just existing was done well. It seemed that magic was common knowledge but at the same time, it had its secrets.

Cons: There’s always a Syndicate 🙄 but without bad guys there’d be no conflict/Also, the fact that Ceony had only been a student of Thane's for a month before Lira's attack and all of a sudden she's the desperate heroine off to save her true love. It all seemed rather sudden. Like, Ceony, you've known him for a month, relax.

Full Review:

Ceony is fated to become the next apprentice to one of the very few Paper Magicians in London. She'd always had dreams of being a Smelter, a manipulator of metal, able to shape weapons. Instead, she's been assigned to be the Apprentice to one of the very few Paper Magicians in London. Patient, kind and quirky, the reclusive Mg. Emery Thane takes Ceony under his wing. She's reluctant at first but soon, they fall into a rhythm and she finds it easy to learn with Mg. Thane.

One night, very suddenly IMO, it all goes to Hell when a woman named Lira storms into the house and literally rips Emery Thane's still beating heart from his chest.

Well, that escalated quickly.

So, now, Ceony must be the heroine. Summoning up all her timidity, she goes off in search of Thane, determined to rescue him. Her adventure will bring her into the deepest parts of Emery Thane's heart, literally and she learns more about the mysterious man the further she goes.

It was all rather overdone, especially the scenes with Ceony running and shrieking through the Chambers of Thane's heart. Like, calm down girl. Take a breath. And also, the sudden desperate, spark of love that lit when Lira attacked, it all seemed rather sudden.

It was entertaining for Thane's quiet humor and I have to admit, Ceony and Thane do have slightly cute banter. I don't know if I'll read the second one, we'll see.

Comments

Animal Farm by George Orwell

"A blithe and scathing commentary on equality, power, corruption and how everyone is created equal, but...some are more equal than others. Orwell hit the nail right on the head with this novel and it's no wonder it's a staple for most high school curriculums. " 3 Stars. Pros: Benjamin the Donkey is the smartest animal on the farm and it would have done all the others a world of good if they had listened to him in the first place. Cons: The fact that societies like this actually do exist is nauseating and terrible. It's not a con, per se, it's just a gut wrenching fact. Full Review: When the overworked and mistreated Animals on Manor Farm decide to rise up and overthrow their cruel master, they're successful. They rebel and now find themselves with an entire Farm to run. They rename it Animal Farm and are intent on creating a paradise, where work and play are equal, where productivity is key but relaxation is a must and all the lives of all the animal...

Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov

"When a scientist, Benes, who has integral and world changing information attempts to defect and join our Side, he's injured. A blood clot forms in his brain and the only way to save his life is to miniaturize the crew of the Proteus and inject them into Benes' body, so they can break up the blood clot from the inside. Of course, one thing after another goes wrong and every chapter is a new catastrophe but it was definitely a fantastic voyage. 2 Stars Pros: Grant is one dry character but he's a welcome bit of amusement in an otherwise serious and scientific novel. Cons: Grant is also SUCH a man that he spends most of the mission staring at saving the one woman board, Cora./Definitely ripe with anatomical lessons and what part of the body they were in. Since I've never been great at anatomy, a lot of it was lost on me and became burdensome near the end. Full Review: As in all things, there is a good side and a bad side. This book is very vague as...

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

"Arnold Spirit, Jr, or "Junior" as he's known on the Rez, does something no Spokane Indian has ever done. He enrolls in Reardon High School and begins the long and often painful process off navigating not only high school and adolescence but also being an outsider. Alexie handles it all with grace, humor and honesty. This was a great read. I would recommend it to anyone." 5 Stars Pros: Alexie handles the ups and downs of not only adolescence, but tragedy and loss in a stark, honest but gut wrenchingly relatable way. Cons: Some of Junior's all-consuming guilt, though understandable was a little repetitive but it's all part of being a teenager. Full Review: It all starts when Arnold Spirit Jr, or Junior, throws a textbook across the classroom. When he opened the book he saw his mother's name, her maiden name and it enrages him. He's furious that the reservation is so poor that they're learning from thirty-year old textbooks. He doesn't...

All the Books.

Search This Blog