A very good example of a phenomenal premise that was destroyed by poor execution. We get the promise of a fresh concept - magic based on man-made materials! Our protagonist has a lot of angst about being shunted off on the only available Folder in England, and with good reason: Folders aren't glamorous, or wildly interesting, or even powerful. We want to learn more about Ceony's journey as an apprentice Folder. What is paper magic? How do spells in Folds actually work? What strange and interesting things can we learn while Ceony comes into her power?Instead, she suddenly becomes the zen master of Folding with almost zero build-up, and we're shoved into a story about a girl pining over a man, with all the usual tropes included. A well-written book, in technical terms, but the story I wanted was not the one I was given. This book is a huge missed opportunity. It started off promising. Ceony was an outspoken, independent-minded woman without being brash and headstrong to the point of foolishness. I liked her sense of humor, although at times it was less clever than it was just silly. Emery Thane was mysterious and compelling without being the typical dangerously handsome man with a dark secret hiding in his past. Unfortunately, both characters seemed to fall flat in the second half of the book. Even after getting to literally see what's inside Emery's heart, I didn't feel like I got to know him any better. And Ceony lost her appeal when she became yet another female who just wants to please the complicated older guy who thinks he'll never love again. It wasn't a bad book, but I don't feel the urge to read the second book in the series.
What do You think about Paper Magician, The (2014)?
I feel like this book could have been really good but it missed its mark.
—fuzzypitt
This book was a fast and easy read. It's a fun story about magic.
—Sulkhan
Good start to the series. A very easy book to read.
—Esther
