This is Holmberg’s fourth entry into her Paper Magician universe. This is not a direct sequel, rather The Plastic Magician explores new themes and magics within the same universe as the Paper Magician Trilogy. This means you can read this book as a standalone without having read the others. But I’m going to say right now that if you haven’t read the original trilogy, then you are seriously missing out.

In this story, we leave magicians Ceony Twill and Emery Thane behind and instead follow Alvie Brechenmacher, an American girl with German parents who desperately wants to be a polymaker, that is- a magician who works with plastic. As polymaking is the newest and least understood magic, there is an entire world waiting for discovery, and Alvie, naturally brilliant and creative, wants to make her mark on the world. When she manages to apprentice to the world’s foremost polymaker, all of Alvie’s dreams seem to be coming true. But when she and her mentor develop a groundbreaking new invention, old rivalries emerge and Alvie learns that the world of magician can be a dangerous one.

This was a great addition to the Paper Magician world. Alvie is a fantastic protagonist–unapologetically brilliant, kind, creative, and more than a little socially awkward. I also enjoyed how, despite the book’s historical setting, everyone seems to take Alvie’s intellect as a given, and as an asset. Alvie occupies the brilliant inventor trope that is so often the territory of male characters, and she does it well. I always love a female protagonist who is comfortable with their own intelligence.

In fact, my biggest complaint would be that the antagonist of this book, while amoral and devious, exists more as a witless foil than a true challenge. While he certainly succeeds in disrupting things in the book (as he must), once his master plan was revealed, I felt a bit let down (really guy, that was your plan? And then what?!).

In all, this is a fun YA book that will appeal to a wide age range. Fans of the previous books will enjoy this one, and anyone who thinks this book looks good should check out the Paper Magician, like, yesterday.

An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have been obsessed with The Paper Magician Series since I read it for the first time and when I found out a fourth book was going to come out, I have been counting down the days.

This book was so good. It is set in the same world but follows another character and I loved every second of this book.

Alvie Brechenmacher is a young woman from Ohio who has been accepted in the new magical discipline of Polymaking. She travels to England to meet her new master Marion Praff who is one of the most famous of the polymakers. .

Traveling through mirrors, on ferries, and on the train is makes a long hard day that isn't helped when a "helpful" stranger who introduces himself as Magician Ezzell, also a polymaker, encourages her to get off at the wrong train stop. However, she is helped by a handsome young magician's apprentice named Bennett Cooper who guides her to her correct stop.

When she arrives at her master's palatial home, she is warmly welcomed and quickly immerses herself in this new magical field. Alvie is very bright and curious but she lacks self-confidence and underestimates her own assets. She wears very thick glasses because she is incredibly near-sighted which she feels makes her unattractive.

When she volunteers at a local hospital, she meets a young woman named Ethel Cooper who has lost part of her left arm in an industrial accident. She also meets Ethel's younger brother Bennett who is the same young man who rescued her earlier. Bennett and Alvie begin a romantic relationship that is both sweet and awkward given that both of them are inexperienced and shy. Meeting Ethel gives Alvie the idea that polymaking could be used to create prosthetics.

Alvie's master has been in a bit of a magical slump since his one major invention and quickly grabs onto Alvie's idea as a terrific new use for polymaking and a terrific new idea for the upcoming Discovery Convention where all sorts of magicians show off their latest discoveries. However, polymakers have been recently plagued with break-ins. Someone is eager to take a shortcut to fame by stealing other inventor's ideas.

Between her budding courtship and her work on developing the new spells needed to make magical prosthetics, Alvie is happily busy but danger is lurking for her and her mentor.

This was a fun story which blends history with magic. I liked Alvie's enthusiasm for her career choice. I also liked the magical world which had traveling by mirrors and the technological inventions that actually happened in the early 1900s. Alvie's father got rich helping Edison invent the lightbulb and Alvie has a fascination with the new internal combustion engines in the new automobiles that are becoming more common. Alvie was a great character who was coming of age and exploring her talents.

As I read through this book as an ARC I realise I ought to 're read the previous books as I have completely forgotten the story as it has been an age since I have read it.

I absolutely adore *The Paper Magician* series, so when I saw that there was to be a new story set in the same world I was immediately excited. *The Plastic Magician* introduces us to Alvie Brechenmacher, a Plastic magician's apprentice. I absolutely adore Alvie, especially because she represents a lot of "firsts" for this series: the first American protagonist, the first Plastic magician we really encounter, and a first-generation American born to German parents. She is a very independent young woman who prefers to wear pants to skirts, spends a lot of time doing math in her head, and is one of the most awkward characters I've ever read--and all of it is utterly endearing.

Alvie is the apprentice of Magician Marion Praff, nephew of the founder of the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined. Mg. Praff is an incredible mentor and a great character. He understands Alvie's needs and is a fatherly figure to her. I loved seeing their mentor/apprentice relationship blossom over the course of the novel and am glad this wasn't another romantic relationship like Emory and Ceony's. Praff respects Alvie, recognizes her genius, and encourages her to experiment and blossom while still also keeping her grounded. I really enjoyed reading their back-and-forth conversations and watching Praff take a step back to allow Alvie to really shine.

The more minor characters are also strong and pretty well realized. Alvie's love interest, Bennet, is an absolute sweetheart and his sister, Ethel, is the real reason this entire novel takes place. The villain of the novel was my only real gripe--the villain was obvious to me from the get-go and, unlike the original series, they will likely not show up in the next novel. I feel like they were just a stepping stone to introduce the idea of "Bending" into the universe, which is obviously going to be the real driving point behind the rest of the series.

I am intrigued by the idea of Bending and am excited to read more about it. Bending is the act of performing a magic that is similar to your own. This ability is discovered by Alvie accidentally during the climax of this novel. It's then only briefly touched upon again at the very end of the story, but the door is left open to explore more in subsequent books. I love the idea and am very excited to see where it goes.

Overall, this was a strong first novel of a new series. It was nice to see some familiar faces (Ceony, Emory, and Mg. Aviosky, and Mg. Bailey all make appearances) and the foundation is laid for another strong romp through the world of the Magicians. 4 stars.

The Plastic Magician is just what I've come to expect from this series; a polite fantasy of manners with a plucky protagonist and some gentle intrigue.

Alvie is a genuinely unique heroine. She can be a little frustrating, both to the reader and other characters in the book, with her lack of social graces. But she's also extremely intelligent, curious, and forthright. The mentorship between her and Magician Praff is really uplifting and refreshing to read. Here's a successful, established man not only teaching his young apprentice but also being inspired by her ingenuity. He treats her with respect and equanimity in all things. If only we could all find mentors like that!

Alvie is awkward but it's nice to see her from relationships with people who accept her and love her for being herself. In fact, this book is mostly about those relationships and Alvie's personal growth. There isn't much action, though we do have a sinister plot tying the novel together.

While this doesn't reach the heights of The Paper Magician, it's on par with the sequels. There is even a sweet cameo featuring Ceony from the original trilogy to look forward to!

Discovery and the innovative spirit is what this book is all about - not Magic! Although I have not read any of the other "Magician" novels by Charlie Holmberg .... this can certainly be enjoyed as a standalone. I have not been enchanted by a book since uncovering Philip Pullman's Dark Material series.
Plucky female protagonist, Alvie Brechenmacher has arrived in London, haven been lucky enough to be chosen as an apprentice to the world reknown Magician Marion Praff. She is about to embark into the training as a Polymaker .... the magic discipline of divining plastic with invocation of "secret" commands. Her arrival is heralded by her overflowing enthusiasm which seems to break Magician Praff out of his inventor "block" Alvie is an inventor at heart and heritage ... her father was actually the true inventor of the light bulb. She is determined to not only succeed but innovate as a Polymaker. Her powers of observation and mechanical skills lead Praff and her down a path of discovery that will rock both the worlds of Polymaking and medicine. Intrigue intercedes into their endeavors by the nefarious and jealous rival Magician Ezzell.
Charlie Holmberg fleshes out her characters with aplomb - Alvie is portrayed as gangly , clumsy 20 year old with unmanageable frizzy hair and large thick "bug-eye" glasses, that keep slipping down her nose - and extremely endearing to all that meet her . Holmberg's worldbuilding is effective and seamless; I found it quite reasonable to suspend my belief in known science to adopt Holmberg's. Even as a male reader I found it endearing and enchanting with the introduction of a romance angle to Alvie's life.
Thanks to Alvie's inventive mind and perseverance the exciting whirlwind denouement is both believable and satisfying. Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for providing an Uncorrected Proof for my immense enjoyment in exchange for an honest review. I've already downloaded The Paper Magician series ... and intend to immediately start devouring them.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book! It's very similar to the three Paper Magician books but different also. I had hoped that there might be more character overlap but there are just a few cameos here and there. I also would have liked to see more about the actual Polymaking but as explained in the book it is a relatively new thing so I guess there aren't as many spells to show. But overall I really liked this addition to the world already established in the Paper Magician books, and I would definitely love to read another book or two about Alvie!

I’m just in awe of this book. I really enjoyed the Paper Magician trilogy, so I was excited be able to dive back into that world. And the Plastic Magician lived up to all of my expectations, and then some.

Alvie was an awkward girl, one who was easily wrapped up in her work and carried away in a wave of her thoughts. She was incredibly smart, and believed her brains made up for what she felt she lacked in looks. She wasn’t a polished girl, and it made her very endearing.

What I loved most about this book was how wonderfully written the descriptions were. Alvie and Mg. Praff’s invention was very interesting, but the way the author described the mechanics of the invention as they were making it was so intriguing. I honestly felt my mouth dropping open in awe as I read it.

The end of the book had a bit of action that I hadn’t expected, and it left me on the edge of my seat as I tore through the pages to see what was going to happen. This was a great read and a wonderful addition/spin-off to the Paper Magician series.

I received this from Netgalley for an honest review



I'm so happy to have another glance into this beautiful world. This the me we follow Alvie an American that goes to London to spend her apprenticeship training in Polymaking. I loved Alvie! She's unapologetically nerdy and it was amazing to see a character like her to on the page. Her excitement for learning and math and building was infectious.

The relationships with in this book were so sweet. I honestly could have done with more interactions with Alvie and Ethel, the love interests sister. She's also the reason Alvie and her Magician are crafting a new arm prosthetic. It's for her but also for a convention that is coming up. Then there is Bennet, if you've read the trilogy then you have already met this fellow. Although we see more of him than in the last book in the trilogy. They are swoony together when they are together which isn't a lot of page time. This was a really short book or at least it felt like it. I didn't know until after reading it that this is a standalone. I was looking forward to developing their relationship.

The one downside I have is the villain. I thought he was very cartoony and one dimensional. I was hoping for a twist since it was so obvious from the get go. Overall this didn't hamper my enjoyment and love for this story.

I believe this can be read alone without having read the previous trilogy although I would highly recommend reading the trilogy first.

Soooooo good! I was provided with an eARC of this in exchange for a fair review, and I couldn’t wait to start reading! I love the world Charlie Holmberg started building in The Paper Magician and have revisited that trilogy several times! Getting to come back with a new character was amazing! Alvie may be one of my new favorites, with her utter lack of filter; I was literally laughing out loud at come of the things she said. The plot kept me interested from beginning to end, and I am now crossing my fingers for a sequel!

Absolutely charming characters, world, and writing style make up for the incredibly simple plot. Holmberg wins again in this alternate universe we first saw in the series that began with The Paper Magician. Entirely predictable, I nonetheless enjoyed myself while reading this fun and delightful book.

The Plastic Magician is the standalone followup to the Paper Magician trilogy and was just as much a delight as the first three. One reader has described this series as "cozy fantasy", which I find to be particularly apt! 

In this story, Alvie migrates from the United States to the UK in pursuit of her apprenticeship with a master Polymaker, Marion Praff. She finds adventure, love, and all of the polymaking her heart could desire as she at Mg. Praff explore new techniques and strive to find the next groundbreaking invention. Unfortunately for Alvie, a rival magician conspires against her to not only steal her designs, but also to deport her back to the US and out of her apprenticeship. 

Luckily for me, this novel totally lived up to the cozy fantasy genre, where the good guys are generally good and the bad guys generally stay bad, and there's not a whole lot of extraneous fuss about double crosses and such. I find that in recent literature, the "double cross" plot device has been so overplayed that I no longer find it interesting and instead, find the lovely interaction between Alvie and Bennett to be refreshing and delightful. 

My only small issue is Alvie's glasses. As someone with a very high prescription, I thought that I would find a great font of representation in Alvie, but instead I found yet another story that let her more or less toss her glasses aside when it was convenient. The most egregious moment was when (spoilers!) Alvie and Bennett kiss and Bennett lifts her glasses up prior to the kiss. Boo! Most of us who are that blind consider our glasses to be a part of our face, not something to be easily brushed aside in the heat of the moment. 

Aside from that irritation, which was admittedly minor, this novel was a delight! Charlie N. Holmberg did a fabulous job of writing an entertaining, standalone novel that lifted my spirits and entertained me for the afternoon! I recommend reading this and, of course, reading the original trilogy! 

Thank you to NetGalley and 47North for the ARC; The Plastic Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg will be published on May 15th, 2018.

If you follow my blog at all, you’ll know that I’m a fan of Charlie Holmberg. I loved her books The Fifth Doll and Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet. So, when given the opportunity by Netgalley to review a free ARC of her most recent book, The Plastic Magician, to be released on May 15th, I jumped at it. While this book, the fourth in her Paper Magician series, was an imaginative, fun read, it wasn’t quite the caliber of the other books I’ve read of hers. But I still recommend it, if you’re looking for something light and easy.

What Plastic Magician Is About
Alvie Brechenmacher is an apprentice in the field of plastic magic; she can bespell the substance to do any number of things, as long as she studies hard under her mentor, the world-renowned magician Marion Praff. Alvie’s enthusiasm reinvigorates her mentor’s work, and together they create a device that could forever change Polymaking (the magic of materials). But Magician Praff has a bitter rival who learns of their plans and conspires to steal their invention and take the credit for it himself.

Alvie is a wonderful main character, a young woman who is smart, clueless in the ways of romance, attractive, mechanically inclined, eager, clumsy, and excited. As part of her apprenticeship, she’s required to do volunteer work at a local hospital, where she meets and befriends a young girl who has recently had her arm amputated. She happens to meet the girl’s brother, Bennet Cooper, and a cute romance develops between them.

Who Would Like This Book
Even though Alvie’s in her early twenties, I think the people that would most like this book would be young girls between the ages of 8 and 20. The plot, because it involves minimal conflict and a lot of magic, is more middle-grade than young adult. And, if you read and liked The Paper Magician, The Glass Magician, or The Master Magician, you’d probably like this book too, although I’m told that Alvie is quite different than the main character of those books, Ceony.

I LOVE the Magician series books! I LOVE this author! Everything she writes is gold... I read the trilogy before this and loved it so much so I knew I would probably love this book too. I did! It is such a good story of an American girl named Alvie who is doing her Magician’s apprenticeship in England. She’s brilliant, kind and perfectly “flawed” in the most wonderful ways. She’s a wonderful character, and i’m so happy to see the return of Bennet from the previous books. Mg. Praff’s character has so much integrity, kindness, and a passion to see Alvie succeed. He is honoring and humble. I am so in love with all of the Magician’s novels,

Another fantastic magical adventure by Charlie Holmberg. Its always a treat to enter the world of the magicians and learn as they learn. This was a short read that I read cover to cover in one day. If you enjoyed the previous books by Holmberg, or are looking for a new twist on magical fantasy, I would recommend this series.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

The Paper Magician trilogy holds a very special place in my heart - and I'm only too pleased to add this next book into their illustrious company!

Alvie is a complete departure from Ceony (who has a very satisfying cameo!) - she's logical, mathematical, quite the overthinker and very much in the scatterbrained genius mold when she's working. <spoiler> One of my favourite lines happened to be the last and it sums her up perfectly; <i>After all, ,it wasn't about the magic. It was about the discovery.</i></spoiler>. She's an American too, brought to the UK as part of a program to encourage foreign students to take their apprenticeships there.

Expanding the world like that allowed us further glimpses into how this world fits magic alongside technology - and though one character dismisses technology as "the uneducated man's magic", Alvie is quick to correct her. Her own father is a co-creator of the light bulb, a purely technological marvel even in this world. But things like long range travel and communication by mirror, left mostly unexplored in the last three books, were an absolute delight in this one.

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!

<i>I received a free digital copy in return for an honest review</i>

Alvie is a young German American woman who can't wait to learn magic. She's even chosen her field - The newly emerging study of plastics. She gets chosen for a very prestigious apprenticeship in England and sets off. Not a lot of plot going on here, but Alvie was so much fun as a character and the world was so engrossing that it didn't bother me that the villain was really obvious. I liked the sweet romance too. I would recommend it to lovers of light fantasy.

If you've already read The Paper Magician trilogy, then you know what to expect, if not - you can read The Plastic Magician as a standalone too. We are again thrown into the magical world where one can become a magician by bonding to a man-made material like paper, plastic, glass, etc. This time the heroine is Alvie Brechenmacher who comes from America to London to train as a Polymaker (plastic magician), which is not as boring as it sounds. The original trilogy was centered on paper/glass magicians which is far more magical, as you can animate origami birds/dogs to life, or travel/communicate through mirrors, but it seems that plastics have quite a few magical uses. This time we have a more refined plot, an interesting villain with a realistic mastermind plan, and a less whiny Mary Sue, who is quite determined not to blush in awkward situations, but can't help it really, because she's a woman. She is also quite determined to wear pants in early 1900s, because not-your-typical-Mary-Sue.

I actually enjoyed this book, and far more than the original trilogy, and I do hope there will be more. The magical system is fresh/interesting/fun, the novel is a quick/light read, and Charlie Holmberg is definitely getting better at writing.

I love pretty much everything that Charlie Holmberg writes and The Plastic Magician was no exception! It was a wonderful opportunity to return to the magical world that Holmberg created in The Paper Magician. The characters are easy to picture and relate to, and the story sweeps the reader along to a satisfying conclusion!