The Glass Magician is a lot of fun, as I expected it to be. I loved the integration of the magic system of the Traders and the Solitaires into class-conscious Gilded Age New York, and how effortlessly the two work together.

This is depicted through the trajectory of Thalia’s position throughout the book, beginning with a disaster caused by her powers. I enjoyed seeing her discover more about herself, the extent of her abilities, and secrets from her past. I was intrigued as elements concerning the latter unfolded, as that’s a key part of the central mystery plot.

However, the book also felt a little half-baked in some areas. The story progressed nicely, only to end too soon and on an anticlimactic note. And while there is a hint of a romance, this is another case of an SFF book that failed to develop the romance to a point where I was remotely interested.

This is a fun book, and I do think, based on what I’ve heard about the author’s previous books (particularly the series she worked on with Patricia C. Wrede) that she is a good author, and this one is merely a subpar execution of an otherwise brilliant premise, or perhaps it has the possibility to become a series and it just hasn’t been confirmed yet. I think, if you like historical fantasy, especially if you’re familiar with Stevermer’s other work, you might like this.

What I loved most about this book was jumping back in time. The world building and specific era pieces combined into that were phenomenal. The reader feels like they really are in that time period. I mean what is not to love? Historical fiction/ fantasy/ magic; so many things to love. I appreciate the strong female characters and the elegant prose. It was quite a fun ride. I hope there is another book set in this world.

I am truly sorry and heartbroken by how much I didn’t enjoy this book, more so because I am so in love with the ideas and concepts behind it. There is so much potential and room for this story and just about everything in it to grow and become as perfect as it can be, but sadly, that did not happen.

My main issue with this book is the writing. It’s unpolished, messy and sounds unnatural in the sense that the sentences don’t flow as well as they should and that certain phrases are written very awkwardly. The characters are also very two-dimensional. Although contradictions in a character usually signifies that the character is complex, in this case, I find it the opposite. It feels strongly as though there is no rhyme nor reason for certain actions and thoughts to happen (and this also applies to certain plot points as well).
Additionally, the lack of three-dimensionality in the characters has decreased the emotional impact this book could’ve had. I was neither compelled to feel for them nor was I able to step into their shoes to empathise as well.

Moreover, the magic system was not explained well enough. There are a lot of holes and questions left unanswered and it made the reading experience very confusing for me, though I’ve tried my best to understand it. There is also the issue with how the plot becomes repetitive after a while and I can’t help but think that there is no clear overall goal to it. Other than that, the pacing needs work as well.

With all that said, I strongly believe that with more time and perhaps a few more drafts and honest feedback, that this book can be as perfect as it should be.

I was really excited for this book just based on the synopsis, but it sort of fell flat for me.
There was a lot of dialogue, which I usually love, but I felt ungrounded in some scenes. I just wanted to be able to "see" the scene, to feel more grounded in the narrative. The amount of dialogue was also a detriment to the pacing of the story.
I thought the world-building was great, even if it was a little too immersive at first. There were a lot of terms used in the beginning that I was like "what? what does this mean?," but they were explained not too long into the story.

Thalia Cutler, or as she is known by her stage name The Lady of the Lake, is a magician who specializes in slight of hand. With her trusty stage manager and mentor, David Nutall, Thalia is a headstrong young woman who seeks to thrive in a late 1800s New York City. Her life takes a sudden turn when a lock jams during one of her tricks and her fingers turn into white feathers freeing her. Believing herself to be without real magic her whole life, Thalia knows this magic is reserved for Traders, or those who can trade into an animal form. But she can't be a Trader. These worries are briefly pushed from her mind when a fellow stage magician is killed during his act and Nutall and Thalia are the main suspects.

The Glass Magician is an intriguing tale set in an interesting time period. Part fantasy and part murder mystery, the reader is treated to several characters that are worth remembering. The protagonist, Thalia, speaks her mind and isn't afraid to buck traditional gender roles. As a reader, I found Thalia to be quite likable and smart as she works to think herself out of situations and not rely on others to save her. The Ryker siblings, Nell and Nathaniel, assist Thalia in several of her own personal quests and also offer shelter when it is desperately needed. Nell's naivete hides an adventurous mind that is loyal to those she cares about. Though at first Nathaniel comes off as condescending and harsh, he grew on me and, as I suspected, on Thalia as well. Finally, David Nutall was an impressive stand-in father figure who didn't cast Thalia into the streets or send her to an orphanage when her father died, choosing to raise her himself. These four characters make up the core cast and work in various ways to challenge and support Thalia on her personal journey.

As for the world building, I loved the time period selected. Caroline Stevermer's decision to set the novel in the late 1800s offered the reader a glimpse into the challenges that young women, like Thalia and Nell, were often presented with. In The Glass Magician these strictures are made even more evident by the magic system. For example, Nell cannot leave the house or fully enter society as an adult until she passes her ordeal, an event that proves that she can Trade from her animal to human form at will and not give into the animal instincts while in the altered form. Though I believe some of these obstacles were overcome a bit more easily in the novel than they would have actually been in the late 1800s, they showed a strictly structured society built on a set of stringent rules.

Part of the world building also revolved around the magic system. Even exiting the book, I felt like this system was still a bit fuzzy. The reader is tossed into this world without much explanation of the terms that offer the societal stratification. As someone who has read novels like this in the past, context often serves as a way to suss out meaning of fantasy terms; however, the context or straight explanation were not delivered until late in the novel. Though I'm not always a fan of glossaries, it may have assisted in this case. Anyone reading this far to determine what the terms mean, here's a quick reference: Solitaires are ordinary humans with no magic; Traders can trade between a human and animal form, often living shorter lives where they lose their memories as they age and end their lives in their animal forms; and the Sylvestri act as a gateway to nature in addition to being calm and relaxed in most situations.

The biggest critique of The Glass Magician, aside from the magic system that wasn't fully explored or explained until late in the novel, was that as a supposed standalone the final two chapters of the novel introduced some plot threads surrounding Thalia and her relationships that were quite large but also unexplored. While a novel doesn't have to have all ends neatly tied up to be successful, these pieces offered new information that was being introduced at the end without much hint at future impact.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It was a quick read and had some interesting characters. If Stevermer decided to reenter this world, I would certainly return.

This story was unique and its characters engaging. The writing style didn't grab me quite like I hoped. But I look forward to more from this author and her amazing imagination soon.

Review for Tor.com: https://www.tor.com/2020/04/07/book-reviews-the-glass-magician-by-caroline-stevermer


Muggle magic is a big part of my life—my husband is a professional magician, after all. So whenever I see a book out there that has a character skilled in sleight-of-hand, my eyebrows perk up. And when I come across a book that combines the wonders of prestidigitation with historical fantasy, my eyebrows just about fly off my face. Caroline Stevermer’s The Glass Magician is just such a book; in it, we follow Thalia Cutler, a stage magician (based on the real-life stage performer Dell O’Dell) who performs across the United States during the turn of the 19th century.

Thalia’s world, however, is different from the Gilded Age we read about in our high school history books. In this alternate history, those in high society are called Traders, and have the ability to shapeshift into one type of animal. Cutler starts the novel thinking she and her muggle magic partner Nutall are, like most people, magic-less Solitaries. This supposition becomes unfounded as the story progresses, however, and Thalia and Nutall’s true natures reveal themselves.

The book’s magical system (there’s a third class called the Sylvestri, who appear to have powers that are tied to nature) is one of the most intriguing parts of The Glass Magician. Stevermer does a good job weaving the magic into the social structure and culture of the time, and if anything, I wanted more details: How did the Traders become so rich, for example? (Being able to turn into an otter or a swan is cool and all, but I’m not imaginative enough to see how that translates into becoming a member of the 1%.) And what can the Sylvestri actually do with their powers? Given this is likely the first book in a series, however, I’m heartened to know there will be an opportunity to further explore these and other questions in subsequent novels.

Another thing The Glass Magician does well is how it integrates the worldbuilding into the book’s major plot, which revolves around the murder of Thalia’s rival, the odious Von Faber the Magnificent, who dies on stage when someone tampers with the gun used for The Bullet Catch trick. (The Bullet Catch, for those who aren’t married to a magician, is an infamous stage illusion that has been performed for centuries. It’s a dangerous trick that involves the magician “catching” a fired bullet in their teeth, and it’s arguably best known for killing the popular stage magician Chung Ling Soo in 1918 when, like in Von Faber’s case, the equipment used in the trick fails. Unlike the fictional Von Faber, however, it’s generally agreed upon that Chung Ling Soo’s accident was merely that—an accident.)

Given that Von Faber shut down their 2-week run in New York City just days before his death, Thalia and Nutall become the prime suspects for his murder. As the whodunit caper plays out, Thalia’s whole world is turned upside down for other reasons as well; among other things, Nutall—her only confidant since her father’s death—mysteriously disappears, and she finds herself a reluctant guest of the Ryker family, well-to-do Traders who live on Riverside Drive. Thalia first finds herself there to tutor the young Nell, who—much to her brother’s disgust—has an interest in learning stage magic. The two women, both strong characters who are delightful to root for, form a friendship. And when things take a turn for Thalia, it’s Nell who is there to support and guide the magician through her personal challenges.

Even though Thalia lives in a world with shapeshifters and murderous manticores (once-human creatures who feed off of young Traders), her struggles and path toward self-discovery resonate for those of us living in our mundane version of the 21st century. Many of us will have a time in our lives (or many times) where we find out that our understanding of the world, the very tenets that our reality is based on, have become completely undone; and most of us have also strived to better understand who we truly are, which more often than not is not what we think society expects from us. These trials are universal and yet extremely intimate—and you can’t help but hope Thalia makes it through her own troubles and comes out on the other side stronger for it.

Without giving too much away, The Glass Magician does provide some resolution to Thalia’s problems, although there are some major open threads she still needs to grapple with in later books. The murder mystery is solved, however, and some of Thalia’s other questions are answered as well. And just like Thalia, the sky’s the limit for where this series can go from here—there are more mysteries to solve, and more of this fantastical world to explore.

The Glass Magician is available from Tor Books.

The publisher and Netgalley provided me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this steampunk, urban fantasy gothic story that was like a glimpse into an alternative reality based on the world of the illusionists. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the opulence and gaslit majesty of Gilded Age New York.

Thalia has been swindled out of all her props, and now she must hatch a brilliant new trick that puts bread in her belly and honors the legacy of her father. Thalia has resigned herself to life as a Solitaire, someone who must master the audience and reassure them at the same time with elaborate illusions of magic. She relies on an entire catalog of costumes and accoutrements to convince her audience she is worthy of their patronage. But Thalia begins to exhibit extraordinary traits - traits that mean she may be a Trader rather than a Solitaire. Or something uniquely different that defies categorization. She is trying to figure it out and form an alliance with the family responsible for supplying all of the magical props to the industry.

Thalia's life is further complicated by the death of the rival magician responsible for her fall into disgrace.

Although the pace was slow at times, the plot was intricately developed, the magical system was unique and the characters were compelling,

I wanted to love this book and I was attracted by the blurb. Unfortunately my expectations were not met and the world building wasn't clear and I felt confused.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This book has a wonderful idea in regards to its plot. However, the author failed to explain key concepts of the worldbuilding leaving me confused. I love the time period the book was set in, I adore the stage magician aspect, and it was an easy read. The characters were a bit rudimentary as they never quite took shape. It wasn't a great book, but it wasn't terrible.

The Glass Magician is a historical fantasy based on Vaudeville performer Thalia, who dreams of making it as a stage musician. An accident during a performance reveals a latent ability that turns Thalia's world upside down. When a rival magician is murdered and her partner arrested, Thalia is determined to get to the bottom of both the crime and her identity. In the process, Thalia finds herself the target of a dangerous monster that wants to consume her magic. The question is whether or not Thalia will be able to master her magic and find the truth before it is too late.
I really enjoyed this book. I am a sucker for historical fantasy, and this book hit my sweet spot. I loved being immersed in Gilded Age NYC in all its Vaudeville splendor. Thalia is a really likeable character, and it's easy to root for her as she goes through the journey the book takes her on. I thought that the magic system here was really interesting and unique. The Glass Magician is unlike anything I've ever read before, a magical adventure about identity and finding the truth of who we are, even if it wasn't what we expected.

The book is not action-packed though the plot does move along. Much of this is the result of the author using the time to build the world she has created. This is accomplished by introducing the various concepts present in this alternate universe and allowing the character of Thalia to experience the mores of her society. In this way, Ms. Stevermer doesn’t overwhelm the reader with daily life of the denizens of her book. Rather, she allows us an intimate look into the thought processes of Thalia, who is the focal point of the novel.

Actual history is used as some of the background for the world, with a sprinkling of people most of us will be familiar with inserted here and there to provide an understanding of the time period. This is our familiar world with an overlay of what could have been, a semi-magical place where most people live their lives no differently than we do now. Thalia is nothing more than another person trying to deal with everyday life when the unexpected happens, and that is the charm of this book.

Although at times I wished for more of the world to be revealed, there was enough to keep me interested and to find the story enjoyable. Ms. Stevermer introduces a minimal amount of characters yet gives us a good description of each while providing reasons for their actions. Four stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.

In general I liked The Glass Magician. It was a solid three stars for me, but I do have a few points that I wasn’t too keen about.

Firstly, from page one many terms that are unknown to me are used. Solitaire? Trader? Sylvestri? I honestly don’t know what they are, and it does seem important to the story. Any explanations didn’t follow until quite a bit into the story. I wish I would have had a bit more knowledge about the world of the book and the way the magi system was set up to be a bit more connected to the story.

Secondly, the ending was just a bit too easy for me. Every losse end was tied up too neatly and quickly for my taste. After so long of creating certain issues I think the readers deserve a bit more of a challenging end to the story.

There were, of course, also a few things that I did particularly enjoy in this novel. There was a very strong, powerful and competent main character in a time when that really wasn’t allowed or accepted, so that set a great example I think. Also, being stuck at home, bored and complaining about it… Sounds familiar…

Thalia Cutler is a stage magician on the vaudeville circuit, along with her mentor Mr. Nutall, working under the name Lady of the Lake. Quite suddenly when a trick is about to go wrong, Thalia transforms, except that isn't possible because Thalia is a Solitaire. She seeks help explaining what happened, but has her assumption that this is impossible confirmed, so she puts it from her mind, only to be caught up in a contacts dispute and a murder mystery that sweep up her attentions, putting her at ever increasing risk.

In this version of history there exist Solitaires - people who only have a human form, Traders - those who have two forms animal and human, and Sylvestri - a sort of ancient ones beyond the small lives of the others. There is also the looming threat Manticores, who are Traders that can become human but are truly Manticores, they live to feed on the magic of Traders.

I really enjoyed this in the way of solid historical fantasy with a unique premise and style, very much my sort of thing. The writing was quite good, however I do think for a reader who is unlike me, it is likely a fault that the book leads with the magical element, but then fully drops it till the halfway point before really explaining more. However, I enjoyed the unraveling plots in between extremely, as well as the fact that in proper stage magician fashion Thalia does a big performative reveal in the story. I also do wish the magic had been more integral to the main plot, but it does a lot to develop the world and characters.

The plot and the magic doesn't work well together. Though the characters are likable, the plot seems good but adding the element of magic quite lessen the theme that the story wants tell.

It's the Gilded Age, and there are three types of people in the world: the Sylverstri, who are closely in-tune with nature and look down upon the other two classes; the Traders, who have a human and an animal form and who also are the wealthy in the world; and the Solitaires, who are ordinary, normal people with neither powers nor wealth. Thalia is such a Solitaire, and has taken over her father's act as a magician. But, when an act goes horribly wrong, she makes an unexpected discovery about herself and her family. And when another magician's act goes even more horribly awry, she not only finds herself a suspect, but also a target of manticores.

I'm not a big fan of historical type novels. I'd rather imagine the future than rework the past. But I'm intrigued by the Gilded Age, so I couldn't resist this book when I saw it on NetGalley. I'm also a huge fan of magic and magicians so, once I read Thalia is a magician, I knew had to read this book. The shapeshifting and mention of monsters are just cherries on top. As much as I loved the idea, though, the execution was a bit lacking.

The Characters: Fun, but Not Stand Outs

The book revolves around Thalia, a headstrong, intelligent young woman who is also a traveling magician. She may be young, but I think that played well in her favor as her character came off as a bit brash at times, which is usually quite usual for young people. And it somehow feels a bit more endearing. I did adore her character. She was fun and so smart, and played her roles to perfection. I loved how upfront she was and how solid her beliefs were. At the same time, she also managed to slot perfectly into society and society's expectations for her.

I also really enjoyed the Ryker family. A Trader family, they reside in a large mansion near the Hudson River, but, while wealthy, they never really threw their wealth around. The two major characters in that household are Mr. Ryker, usually referred to as Ryker, and his younger sister Nell, who is fascinated by stage magic. They were fun with good humor as they suddenly became Thalia's hosts for an indefinite amount of time. I loved Nell's enthusiasm as well as her less than ladylike moments. She felt like someone I would have enjoyed being friends with in high school. Ryker was a bit bland, but I really enjoyed how upright he was, especially when it came to duty. He was reliable and dependable and many other boring adjectives, but not really boring.

Most of the characters were quite interesting. They had distinct personalities and roles that matched. The only thing that bothered me about the characterizations was the mention of white Solitaire, black Solitaire, white Trader, etc. It was almost as though each person's skin color had some significance, but I found little evidence of it. It didn't really matter if someone was black or white, so I can't really fathom why it was mentioned. It just felt like an irrelevant detail that should have been edited out.

The Setting: New York City During the Gilded Age, With Magic Thrown In

Most of the book takes place in New York City during the Gilded Age. As much as that time period interests me, I don't actually have a firm background on life during that time. I can say that some of it felt authentic while other pieces made me wonder a bit. Still, it carried a nice atmosphere and was fun to read about. Of course, it is also fantasy and fantasy tends to take liberties.

Still, it was fun to pretend to walk the streets of New York City during the early years of the twentieth century. It wasn't quite as well-described as I might have liked, but enough was provided to get a good sense of place. I also appreciated that it did take place during the first few years of the twentieth century because the treatment of women was different back then and it fit in well with how Thalia was treated. The society of that time period worked well with the story.

The actual setting wasn't too well-described, but I liked that the society was. It was well ordered and had a semblance of hierarchy that had a direct effect on the story. It made sense and didn't feel out of place. I really enjoyed how the setting and society worked with the characters and the way it contributed to the story.

The Plot: A Tale of Two Stories

The only part that really disappointed me was the actual story. It felt like two stories merged into one. There was the story of Thalia learning how to shapeshift and avoid being destroyed by a monster. And then there was the mystery of who killed a magician, of which Thalia and her manager, Nutall, were suspects.

I really enjoyed the story about Thalia learning how to control her shapeshifting. There was a lot of action and uncertainty around it and I liked that it also impacted the other characters. I found myself quite invested in her efforts, and ended up being a little disappointed by how it ended. It was fun to struggle with her, but it all came together to perfectly and neatly, though I could also see it just going on and on forever, so I also have to appreciate that Stevermer chose to end it when she did.

The mystery was probably the most disappointing part. There's a line or two that completely gives it away, so the end felt anti-climatic. The reveal was fun and I loved that Thalia was in her element, but it was too easy and made the police look completely inefficient.

The other part that really disappointed me was that it felt like the book switched between the two stories. They did not blend well, or, really, much at all. It felt like the book went from one to the other and then back again, which is why I felt like I was reading two separate stories merged into one. It was exciting to see when they did blend, but it wasn't often and was not lengthy.

The end bothered me because it wrapped up too neatly and then introduced more threads and mysteries. I've yet to see any indication of a second book, so it was a little frustrating to see one story wrapped up and another introduced.

Overall: A Fun, Quick Read

Overall, I liked the characters and the setting was fun. The plot left a lot to be desired, but it was still a fun book, as long as I don't think of it as a cohesive whole. It didn't really feel cohesive, but the characters tied the two stories together not perfectly, but adequately. This book left a lot to be desired, but it was a relatively quick and fun read, as long as you don't think too hard about it.


Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian-Tor/Forge for a free e-copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Link to post: https://thelilycafe.com/book-review-the-glass-magician

2.5 stars.

For a book of almost 300 pages, I feel like barely anything happened beyond the murder and her figuring out how to use her powers. What I disliked the most was how the magic system was barely explained and messy when there was an explanation despite the world building depending on it. Though everything was predictable and cliché, but I didn’t mind it much.

The characters were likable but some are superficial. Everyone willingly gives/does what Thalia wants regardless of the situation except for the police so things were conveniently solved. Moreover, even though some characters were on the scene, sometimes they wouldn’t talk and you’d easily forget that they exist.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing style and the vibe enough that it was easy to read through the book. There’s not much information as to how the magic system came to be and I wish it was more focused on it because it was very interesting instead of focusing a lot on Thalia’s thoughts which filled half the book.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy for an honest review.

Included as my pick in SBTB's April New Releases roundup, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2020/04/aprils-new-releases-part-one/

DNF-ed at 66%. This was a book I was really looking forward to, so I gave it my best shot, but in the end, it was just such a chore to read. The pacing feels rushed and the writing style is very bare-bones and blunt; the worldbuilding is disappointingly simplistic given the premise, and all the characters were either annoying, stupid, or kind of awful. The love interest's rapid about-turn when he discovers the mc isn't, in fact, a magicless Solitaire was just painful and didn't endear him to me at all; although the mc tries to call him on it, it wasn't really dealt with in the text (at least, not in the 2/3s I managed to read).

Ultimately, despite everything that was happening in the story, the book manages to be surprisingly boring and I had absolutely no interest in finding out how things ended for any of the characters.

First of all, I’d like to say something about the cover. It’s such a beautiful cover, I love all the details. it’s perfect for the story!

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It has a lot going for it including great world building and four vibrant characters just starting to recognize their own strengths. I enjoyed the writer's imagination and in places the story is beautiful. However, the source of the magic was sometimes difficult to follow with the background fragmented and repetitive such that the pacing was too slow for most of the book. I felt like there was no clear goal with the plot and that I was just a passenger on some wayward vehicle with no set direction.

Overall, it wasn't bad. There were parts I really liked, the overall intent behind the story, the setting, the twist at the end. This book was absolutely written with love. I will always come back to Stevermer's writing.