If there is one thing I love about this series, is the world, it is just so magical. I love the concept of magic being a constant in people’s lives, to see how some ‘regular’ things can have a magical spin to it, especially with historical books! I also like that with this spin-off from the original series, we get to see a different side of this world and get more involved with a different kind of magic. Another thing is the writing, seriously it’s simply so beautiful and I absolutely loved Alvie, she was a little clumsy nerd who loves numbers and just wants to focus on her work and the other characters were definitely just as lovely. I think this book is staying at three stars, because I thought that there wasn’t much happening? And while I can love books that are more about the characters and their relationships, I don’t think this was that kind of book? Which was why sometimes I felt that maybe there could be more to the plot or maybe if the plot had been done differently, I might have enjoyed it more. But this is a very light nice book, perfectly a good ‘summer read’ (even if it’s winter where I live).

Really fun. I enjoyed the cross over from the paper magician. Fun characters that I enjoyed spending time with.

I had really enjoyed the Paper Magician series, so I was really excited to see that there is a spin-off to the original series,

Alvie is one of my new favorite characters. She is smart and passionate, it was good to read about her and about her magic. Bennet is also cute enough, but my all time favorite will be Emery Thane.

I really enjoyed reading the Plastic magician and so glad to get to read it before publication. The characters are super awesome and I wish I could have read a lotmore scenes with them.

Another enjoyable book by Charlie Holmberg. This book is the fourth in the series, but features a different main character, named Alfie. Although, some characters from the previous books make cameo appearances. Alfie is from the United States, but goes to England for her apprenticeship as a polymaker. As in the other books, there is magic, trouble, a mystery, and a little romance.
I thought the mysterious “bad person” and helper may have been a little too obvious, but it was still a good book.

I was also disappointed that from an LDS author it wasn’t as clean and sweet as the other books. There is some bad language (American and English), heavy kissing, sexual innuendos, discussion of her body with large breast, and alluding to a possible rape.

I wanted to read paper magician series and when i see this book i wanted to give it a try. It is a spin off so you can read it without reading the series. Alvie is a strong female character and story is amazing. The world that author created it is wonderful. I really loved this book.

I enjoyed the Paper Magician series and was pleased to see a new book also set in this quasi-steampunk/magical world. The biggest attraction for me was the setting. The magic here is different than I’ve seen in other fantasy books and having magicians bond with a certain material is an original and fun idea. Alvie is smart and likeable main character, but not overly interesting. All of the characters felt flat and were either all good or all bad with no qualities in between that would make them feel more realistic. The book also read very PG, which also contributed to the flatness. The lack of personal drama and really anything that might be offensive, made it seem almost like a cozy novel. The series might be more appealing to a young adult audience.​

When the opportunity to read Charlie N. Holmberg's stand alone novel, The Plastic Magician, came around, I went for it. My goodness, good things come to those who wait! This book was fabulous. This book has a strong female lead character, it is squeaky clean (no sex, drugs, language, and little violence), and has a wonderful steam punk atmosphere.
The Plastic Magician invites us into a believable alternative universe, in which magic plays along with science and technology. Our protagonist, Alvie Brechenmacher, is a mathematical genius with crazy hair and thick glasses, apprenticed to a magician who is developing a new field of magical scientific exploration: plastic. Together, Alvie and her master set out to set the magical science community on fire, and help a few friends along the way. Alvie quickly learns that successful magicians have their admirers and their fair share of enemies, as well. The Plastic Magician sweeps the reader away, absorbing them into this new world, so like ours and yet so different, while Alvie regales us with her tale of her new life in far away England, exploring new technology from a magical viewpoint.
I loved this stand alone novel so much that I have every intention on buying Charlie's Paper Magician series for my daughter when she turns 11 later this year. I think that she will love Charlie's style as much as I do. I am very, very picky about what books my children read. What they read stays in their minds, so I want them to fill their brains with phenomenal stories. The Plastic Magician is one of those excellent stories that I think my kids will benefit from, and it is a fun read for me as an adult as well! I will be reading all of Charlie's novels from here on out. You should as well!

My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this awesome novel.

This world full of magic is one of my favorites. The first three books in this series are just wonderful and this slipped right in with them. Even with with a new main character and all her fun with plastic I couldn't ask for a better story.

Alvie is ready to take on the world of plastic under a famous magician. She travels far from home and finds that she has been paired with a magician who is as inventive as she wants to be. They throw themselves into a task that will change lives all over the world if they can make it work. But with new discoveries comes those who want the fame and power that goes with it.

Alvie does a lot of growing up, finding friendship, and learning about love. She finds things to fight for and does so beautifully.

Sure note is you do not have to read the first books to enjoy this story. It just adds to the adventure.

ARC was provided by NetGallery

I've been waiting to get a hold of The Plastic Magician and return to this fun world that Charlie Holmberg created.

The Plastic Magician does not continue Ceony's story from The Paper Magician series. In fact, you could read it as a stand alone. But why would you? Really?

I adored Alvie as a main character. She was awkward and endearing. I especially lived her determination to wear trousers in a skirt-infested society. :) And Bennet was charming and sweet as her potential love interest.

The new magic of Polymaking was interesting to read about. I didn't understand a lot of it, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. Alvie's passion and excitement for it really shone through.

I kind of wish Holmberg would continue writing books in this world. I'd love to read at least one more about Alvie and Bennet!

I really liked the Paper Magician series and I really liked this book. It's a wonderful addition to a beloved fantasy world.
The book is a page turner well written and with great characters. I hope there will be further instalment in this series.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to 47North and Netgalley for this ARC

What I Liked

This book was enthralling, I could not put it down. I remember very vividly that when I first picked this book up I read for a few hours without even trying. For some reason reading for hours on end is starting to become difficult, I am not sure why. Anyway, I was very much pulled into this world. Charlie N. Holmberg does a wonderful job of creating and sculpting this world and her characters. While the world is well established in her previous books, this spin off does not leave you in a spot where you don’t understand the world around the characters, another bonus. Her world and her magic are refreshing and different.

One things I really liked about the main character was that she was not impulsive or quick to action. I felt like the character thought about what she did. For me, I love that in books. I often find myself put off by characters who just mindlessly jump into action and only seem to pull off things due to luck. So this was a very refreshing thing to have thoughtfulness as a trait in a lead character.

What I Didn’t Like

The one thing that got me was that I want not really surprised by anything in this book. While I did very much enjoy the story and characters I never had the moment where I said to myself, “NO WAY!” It was predictable. But, this can also be a plus for some. Some people why don’t like surprises or enjoy when they are right when predicting an outcomes to a book or a plot twist. This is very much a readers preference and does not make the story itself less enjoyable. Even though I was able to predict a few things it did not in anyway make me not enjoy the ride. In fact, I really enjoyed it regardless.

Overall Thoughts

I would say that this book is unique, it has a great with a magic system that for me was very different from books I have previously read. It was a fun book filled with adventure, relationships, magic and bonus had a great main character that I felt like I could relate to on some level. I would say that if you find the description or any of the things I said interesting you should give this book a read.

* I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alvie Bechenmacher is headed to London to start her apprenticeship as a Polymaker—a magical trade learning how to bespell plastic. With Polymaking being a relatively newly discovered magic it’s a pretty competitive field. Alvie gets to study under world-renowned magician Marion Praff, and dives headfirst into her studies. With Alvie’s valuable insight, Praff’s creative juices start flowing again, and soon Alvie and Praff make a discovery that will not only change Polymaking but has the potential to change the world. They plan to present their new find at the Discovery Convention, but when their lab is broken into, it’s clear that someone wants to keep them from going to the Convention. It’ll be up to Alvie to find the culprit and make sure justice is served.

Having read The Plastic Magician I can definitely say that you in no way need to read the previous book(s) in order to enjoy this one. I would just recommend it because they are a pretty good read, but not having read them in quite a while I found myself falling right back into this world of magic quite easily.

I think it helps that Alvie is studying polymaking. While I felt like the paper magic (Folding) felt a bit more artistic, polymaking felt very practical. I liked the distinction between the two, and I think it speaks to the nature of the characters.

Alvie can be considered, I think it’s safe to say, an awkward person. She quite frequently pauses in the middle of a conversation with someone to mentally count the number of steps she’s taken, or to ruminate on the history of a person or place for example, but once you move past these little quirks, you see Alvie as the kind and brilliant person she is. She’s also practical, just like polymaking.

Toward the end I got a big Nancy Drew vibe from Alvie, just because the story veers so much into mystery territory as you figure out who keeps sabotaging their work. It’s actually not too difficult to figure out, and Alvie has the person pretty much pegged from the start, but I liked the way things played out.

If you’ve read the first trilogy, you might notice some similarities between Ceony and Alvie’s story arcs. I’m wondering if this is intentional and if it means the previous characters will play a bigger part in any future books as Alvie continues her studies in Polymaking. Ceony and Emery Thane do make a brief cameo which I loved.

The Plastic Magician was a great, light read. I love the magics Charlie N. Holmberg created in the original trilogy and I’m equally excited that, through this spin-off, we get to broaden the world. No word yet on if there’s more books featuring Alvie, but with the way things end, I would be surprised if there weren’t.

The Plastic Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg is the latest story set in the world she created with The Paper Magician. If you’re familiar at all with The Paper Magician series, that helps a great deal with the background world-building going into this new book, although you don’t necessarily have to read those first. I do encourage it however, because they’re delightful books. The Plastic Magician does a great job continuing on with the world of the earlier books, but it works great as a stand alone story.

The plot on this one is a bit of a slow build but the story isn’t that long so it didn’t feel bogged down at all. This is very much a slice of life story and we spend a lot of time getting to know Alvie as a student, as a friend, and as an inventor.

Charlie N. Holmberg’s writing really comes to life with her characters. Alvie is such a lovely character and she feels incredibly realistic. She’s driven, smart and resourceful, but also can be prone to distraction and gets absorbed in her work. Her mind works in creative ways which allows her to think outside the box and this helps her more than once throughout the story. Alvie’s also loyal and a great friend. I wish I had a friend like Alvie! I am also glad we got to see Bennet again. He’s so unlike Alvie in some ways, where she’s exuberant and extroverted he’s more shy and reserved. The contrast between her personality and his made for a great dynamic. Even Magican Praff was a delight. Such a great teacher, always encouraging and giving as well. I loved seeing Alvie and Mg. Praff working together on projects–such a great team.

If I have one complaint about the book, and I can’t even really say it’s a complaint because I didn’t mind at all, is that the villain was more than a bit mustache-twirly. But honestly that worked perfectly with the tone of the story. The other characters are so lovely that you need a sort of dastardly foe to clash with them.

The Plastic Magician is a lovely slice of life fantasy novel about a girl learning what she can do with her magic and making friends along the way. 4/5 stars. The Plastic Magician is out today from 47North publishing, check it out if it sounds like something you might enjoy!

The Plastic Magician takes place in the same world as The Paper Magician Trilogy, but this installment focuses on Alvie, a new character to the series. You can certainly read this one without reading the earlier books, but realize there are some characters and world-building moments that aren't introduced the way they might be in a standalone book or the first in a series. We aren't guiding you through brain surgery, so you'll figure it all out just fine.

Alvie Brechenmacher is an American from Ohio who studied to be a Polymaker and is headed overseas to England for her first year of apprenticeship to study under Mg. Marion Praff, nephew of esteemed Magician Tagis Praff. While I found the initial three books enjoyable, they focused on Ceony, who was extremely smart, good at everything she tried, but very reckless in her decisions. It was a little exhausting, to be honest. This time around, we get to see things from Alvie's point of view. She is less proper with some more American tendencies but just as smart as her predecessor, with more mechanical inclinations and tends to think before she acts. Most of the time. This book delves into the magic around plastics, instead of the paper folding we experienced in previous books. The actions in this book also seem a bit more plausible than some of the hurdles faced in the previous books. It was nice to follow Alvie through her first year as an apprentice and see how magic can shape plastics and those contributions to the world. I can certainly see that there is much more opportunity within the realm of plastics than there was in paper folding. While some spells are certainly helpful, the reader is exposed to some groundbreaking ideas that resonate with things we see today.

This was my favorite of the four books in this magical world, so far. Alvie was an engaging new character and a great main focus. She was a quick learner, but also one who worked hard to improve. She was fond of pants in a time when women were still regularly wearing skirts. She sometimes got lost in her own thoughts, as many of us do. When she worked with her mentor, Mg. Marion Praff, they had a nice teacher/student chemistry and when Alvie had an idea, he treated her as an equal, not some clueless student. The secondary characters, especially Mg. Ezzell, Bennet, and Ethel get some great moments,too. There was a little predictability in the story, but not so much that it ruined the book in any way. This ends nicely should it be a one-off story, but should the author decide to write more about Alvie or someone else in this world, I will promptly hop on board to read that new story.

Also reviewed on Litsy.

3.5 Stars

While I've read other works by Charlie Holmberg, I've somehow managed to miss reading The Paper Magician trilogy, so this book was an introduction into Holmberg's charming magical world, set largely in an alternate Edwardian era England, around 1906. Alvie Brechenmacher is a magician who wants to focus on plastics, a newer branch of magic in this world in which magicians work materials such as paper, metal, fire, among others. She is fortunate to be matched for her apprenticeship with British Magician Marion Praff, a polymaking magician with a generous nature and natural inclination for teaching. Alvie leaves her modest home in Columbus, Ohio and her German family, including her father Gunter, who worked with Thomas Edison on the light bulb, and makes her way to London and the Praff estate at Briar Hall. Alvie is a frizzy-haired, near-sighted early 20th Century nerd. And something of a tomboy, since she eschews skirts for more practical and comfortable trousers whenever possible.

This novel has a light but sweet romance element between Alvie and a paper magician's apprentice suitor named Bennet (shout out to Jane Austen?), and a mystery element with a competitor polymer magician who seems more willing to steal from Magician Praff than work on developing his own ideas. Covering approximately the first year of Alvie's apprenticeship, this novel shows promise for development into a spinoff series, with the next book finding the characters presenting at the Discovery Convention in New York in 1907. And we can hope that Alvie will be presenting about a special technique she's investigating at the end of this book. It would certainly make sense given that name, Brechenmacher, that she'd be breaking, or at least bending, some of the well-known rules of this magical world.

All in all, this was a historical steampunkish fantasy novel that I could enjoy, in spite of a basic foundation that might be too formulaic in a less skilled writer's hands. I would definitely pick up a second book about Alvie and plan to read The Paper Magician trilogy when I finish my Hugo reading this summer.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Plastic Magician (The Paper Magician #4 Spin-Off) by Charlie N. Holmberg from NetGalley and 47th North

New to the world of Charlie N. Holmberg I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by The Plastic Magician. This book although a spin-off of the popular YA Paper Magician Series (which I have yet to read) this book definitely works as a stand-alone.

The Plastic Magician treats us to twenty-year-old Polymaker (Plastic Magician) Alvie Brechenmacher’s adventures apprenticing abroad. Down to earth, intelligent and highly enthusiastic, Alvie leaves her German-American family in the states to apprentice for the world-renowned inventor and Polymaker, Magician Praff in London England.

Enroute she meets a rather rude gentleman who causes her to get off at the wrong train station and this is where her adventure begins. Along her journey, Alvie meets wonderful friends, a kind-hearted love interest and a mentor who respects and believes in her. Magician Praff and Alvie work on a life-changing invention to not only help a friend but to present at a world-famous convention(contest) for Magicians. Magician Praff has already won the elite contest and it helped establish him as one of the best Polymakers in the world. When word gets out to rivals that they are presenting a groundbreaking device that will help many people, their work and lives are put in peril.

Holmberg does a fantastic job crafting this fantastical cozy mystery. She creates a unique, fun magic system and her characters are interesting, quirky and downright loveable. Although the mystery is fairly predictable, I really didn’t mind because I liked the sweet story that unfolded along the way. There is a bit of adventure, a bit of romance and a great story that keeps you interested in Alvie’s journey.

All in all a fantastic, fun read that I would highly recommend for young and old alike.

I was worried going in about meeting a new MC after the paper magician series, but I worried for nothing. It was so refreshing to meet Alvie and learn about a new type of magic - Polymaking - instead of just the folding that was found in the first 3 books.
I did guess quite early on who the antagonist would be in this book - but it didn't take away from the action at all, in fact it made it more exciting for me to try and guess what would happen and why.
Definitely another great foray into the world of magicians from the author. Can't wait to see more!

I LOVE this series! I have been handselling The Paper Magician and telling our customers that this is the next Harry Potter series. Our adult customers have been reading these too!

Holmberg's Paper Magician series did something really cool: it introduced a very unique and very fun magic system. Expanding the world like that allowed us further glimpses into how this world fits magic alongside technology - in this spin off we get just a bit more from this wonderful trilogy. An absolute delight is probably the best way I could ever describe this book. Alvie's sense of discovery and marvel at the possibilities afforded by the chance to study and learn were absolutely contagious to me as the reader. The wait for the next book is going to be a long one!

Sweet, alternative, magical world where Alvie, a young woman apprentice, travels from her home in Ohio to London to learn the arts of Polymaking. Alvie is the only child of the unknown partner of Edison; the family fortune having originated from the creation of the electric lightbulb. With this financial backing she has pursued magic and now she is going far afield, all the way to England. She will meet with challenges, tests, triumphs and ultimately some success as she pursues her career in plastics. The book is described as a stand alone for those readers unacquainted with the larger Paper Magician series. The book is perhaps best described as young adult although any reader with an interest in cozy magic tales will enjoy it. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.