I love the stunning covers of this duology and they also stand out because they are so similar, it made me instantly recognise this book as part of a series.

I really enjoyed the action in this book and kept waiting for the title “Spellmaker” to come into being. I personally gave 4 stars because that didn’t quite pan out as I was hoping and the story became more focused on the romance plot. There were many great things about this book including the character development and the great writing that makes this book an easy read. I would highly recommend this book as a YA romance/fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley & 47North for an advance copy.
#Spellmaker #NetGalley #BubblyBookReviewer

Links to be added closer to publication date.

Such a lovely, cozy ending to such an amazing duology, rather upset there will be no more books in the series!

Charlie N. Holmberg is and always will be one of my favorite authors and she is an auto-buy and read straight away for me! If you haven't read anything from her I urge to you pick up her books straight away, what are you waiting for!

The Spellbreaker series continues the story of Elsie Camden and Bacchus Kelsey, set an alternate Regency world where magic exists and is heavily regulated. Elsie's secret as an unregistered spellbreaker is revealed which turns her life upside down. If you liked the first novel, this is just as fun and more of the same!

I read The Paper Magician a while back but didn't really remember it. This is the second book in the series but it never gave the reader any back story so I was confused by some of the storyline. I would have liked a little background about the different types of magicians, something to ground the story for me.
I did enjoy the story, there was enough pace and action to keep me entertained but then slower times like deciphering the news article codes gave us time to pause.
Looking forward to the next one in the series. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC, this is my honest review.

I was in love with this story from the first chapters of Spellbreaker. The originality of the characters, the world-building, everything... I'm just SO sad it's a two-book set! This was absolutely satisfying as a sequel in every way. The plot is resolved without feeling rushed, and lingering questions were answered.
I love the family Elsie has built with Emmeline and Ogden, despite never knowing her own family. I absolutely adore the chemistry and relationship between Elsie and Bacchus. Terribly swoon-worthy! I can't say enough about Holmberg's originality with her world-building and magic. If you loved the Paper Magician Series, you'll love these books too.
Despite the fact I wish I had more of these characters, Holmberg managed it in a way that I feel like there shouldn't be more. I'm not left hanging on anything. it's strange to say - I feel like I will miss these characters, but their story is done. I would love to see this world and this magic system in other stories though. Maybe there could be a side story with other characters in the same universe? Like the paper magician series??

As a fan of book one in this duology, Spellbreaker, I was really excited to read the next in the series and rejoin well-loved characters, Elsie, Bacchus and friends, in resolving the remaining mysteries.

Spellmaker is action-packed and as full of adventure as the first novel, with an added dash of romance.

The twists and turns kept me hooked right through to the final page and I really hope the author writes more in this world.

It is so well-crafted and I would love to learn more about the Atheneums and the world of aspecting.

The Spellmaker is the second book in the set. The first book, Spellbreaker was captivating, as is this one! The way Holmberg spins a web of intrigue, romance, and magic is stunning. It will wrap around you and draw you into the world of Elsie and Bacchus. Elsie is an unregistered spellbreaker who has been embroiled in a web of murders. With Bacchus, a master spellmaker, by her side they take on the challenges that are relentlessly thrown their way. There is never a dull moment in the story, you just get swept along with it.

However, the one thing I was really missing is seeing the connection between Elsie and Bacchus grow. There were not many moments set apart to show how their relationship has grown and evolved from the first book. Overall though, it was a really good book!

This was an interesting story! I absolutely loved this take on soellmaking and spell breaking and following Elise, an orphaned unregistered spell breaker as she tries to catch a murderer without incriminating herself in the process! This is action packed story with a take on magic I haven’t encountered before! Throw in some romance with Bacchus Kelsey and this was a quick, fun read! I recommend for fans of a discovery of witches or stalking Jack the Ripper.

I have to say, I liked this a lot more than the first book. Now that we've established the characters and world, the plot could focus on more of the magic and Elsie's relationship with Bacchus. I really enjoy the two of them together and I think they make a great couple. I also liked seeing more spells and the different specialties the spellmakers have.

Bacchus is a great male lead, he's strong and confident and doesn't let others push him down because of his race. He cares a lot for Elsie and supports her in whatever she wants to do, especially in a time period where wealthy women didn't usually work. Elsie evolves a bit in this, partly because of Bacchus' love. She starts to feel like she has value and trusts her friends around her to help her. I thought Elsie and Bacchus brought out the best in each other and I'm so happy to see them together!

The plot was interesting and moved at a faster pace than the previous book. More characters are introduced and brought into Elsie's fold and we saw some pretty amazing acts of magic. The battle against Master Merton wrapped up nicely and I thought the final fight scene was well done. I did feel like there were a couple loose ends left, maybe in case of another book or spin off?

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Review
✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
After reading Spellbreaker, I was eager to continue the duology. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity. As I said before, I love Charlie Holmberg’s writing and her Paper Magician series. The magical worlds she creates are so accessible and Spellmaker is no different.
💜 What I liked:
Spellmaker follows the connection of Elsie and Bacchus as well as unraveling the mystery of who is murdering magicians. The characters are well written and relatable.
😱 What I didn’t like:
Sometimes the plot of Spellmaker dragged at times. Also there were points that I thought a twist was going to happen, but it didn’t.
💁‍♀️ The Characters:
We follow the same characters from Spellbreaker - Elsie, Bacchus, Emmeline, Ogden. There are some new characters in this book: Irene Prescott, a magician who tutors Elsie, and Reggie, someone from Elsie’s past!
🚦 The Ending:
Excellent action scene in the ending! Wraps everything up nicely and I was very satisfied.
💭 Consider if you like:
Accessible period fantasies that get you invested in the characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.

A great follow-up to the first book! The author continues to develop worlds and characters that leave readers hoping for more. I really enjoyed reading this and cannot wait to see what comes out next from the writer.

Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this E-Arc. All new releases as of February 2021 will be featured on my blog.

This sequel was so satisfying! Holmberg expertly expanded the universe, allowed characters to grow and develop, all while managing to up the ante. Spellmaker had everything I was looking for after Spellbreaker - romance, action, magic, and found family.

I highly recommend Spellmaker and Spellbreaker and can’t wait to read more from this author!

Spellmaker by Charlie N. Holmberg picks up where Spellbreaker left off. We have discovered who the Cowls are and that they are not all that they appear to be.

Set in Victorian England, Elsie and Bacchus continue to work together to bring a murderer to justice. We learn more about Elsie’s family and her background. More about Ogden, who I loved! He is a great supporting character and father figure to Elsie. And we see the spark between Elsie and Bacchus grow.

I enjoyed this book and recommend for readers that enjoy magic and mystery in a historical setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the 47North for the ARC.

I really enjoyed Spellmaker- then sequel and end to Spellbreaker. This was a fast paced read with plenty of action and a very sweet romance. I felt that the romance was a bit less in this book than the first. I really liked the magical system in these books and the idea of someone who cant cast spells- only undo them. The setting was great as were the characters. This was a great conclusion to the first. Some of the plot points dragged a tiny bit for me personally but not enough to hamper my enjoyment of the book.

"Dead wizards, stolen enchantments, and broken promises force a young spellbreaker out of the shadows in the next thrilling installment of the Spellbreaker series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.

England, 1895. An unsolved series of magician murders and opus thefts isn't a puzzle to Elsie Camden. But to reveal a master spellcaster as the culprit means incriminating herself as an unregistered spellbreaker. When Elsie refuses to join forces with the charming assassin, her secret is exposed, she's thrown in jail, and the murderer disappears. But Elsie's hope hasn't vanished.

Through a twist of luck, the elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey helps Elsie join the lawful, but with a caveat: they must marry to prove their cover story. Forced beneath a magical tutor while her bond with Bacchus grows, Elsie seeks to thwart the plans of England's most devious criminal - if she can find them.

With hundreds of stolen spells at their disposal, the villain has a plan - and it involves seducing Elsie to the dark side. But even now that her secret is out, Elsie must be careful how she uses the new abilities she's discovering, or she may play right into the criminal's hands."

Spellmaker is another fabulous Spellbreaker entry!

Spellbreaker, the first in the series, ended with a lot of unanswered questions and I was anxiously awaiting the second book in the series. Spellmaker resolved the main mystery in the series with a resolution that surprised me. The characters develop over the two books and a lot of their personal struggles e either addressed or resolved as they deal with the book’s crisis. The author does a good job to make you feel like the world she built in Victorian England is real and the characters are believable. I like that even though magic existed in this society the issues of gender, race, and class were still present and this book does a good job at reveal and addressing them in a way that would have been believable at the time and uses magic as a large part of that character belief system transformation.

A fitting conclusion to the Spellbreaker Duology. It was a magical read and a wonderful distraction from a pandemic lifestyle.

Universe: 5*
If you know me, you know that I love a story where its universe impacts the plot and the characters contained within that story. This story has that in abundance. There are depths to the universe that are only hinted at throughout the story. The system of magic in this series was well developed and easy to comprehend. I hate it when I need a flowchart and a PhD to track magic. This series balanced sophistication with simplicity in a wonderful manner.

Plot: 4.8*
While not perfect, the plot was enjoyable and moved along nicely. The plot was internally consistent within the framework of the universe. The plot also wrapped up in a manner that felt right.

Characters: 3.5*
Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed these characters. I liked seeing them grow (indeed, their personal growth was staggering). The characters were likable and enjoyable and I'd love to learn more about them. So, why only 3.5 stars? Agency and angst. The protagonist in the story was a bit too angsty for my taste and did not take enough agency in her life frequently wallowing in the hand she was dealt. While this was understandable because, yes, her hand sucked, I was really hoping for this character to strengthen her internal monologue early in the series.

As I mentioned previously, this book was a fitting conclusion to the duology and as such, stands alone perfectly well. The conclusion of the story does leave the window open slightly for more books in this universe.

Note: This book was provided to me for free from Netgalley.

Spellmaker was a great continuation of the Spellbreaker duology. I really enjoy the dynamic between Elsie, Bacchus, Emmeline, and Ogden, and seeing their relationship grow and change throughout this second book was very well thought out.

We always knew that Elsie was a gifted Spellbreaker, but we never really knew how good she was. The interactions with Irene and the revelations from that interaction really showed how advanced Elsie was with her Spellbreaking capabilities. I would love to see where she goes and where her skills take her in a follow-on series if the author was inclined to do so.

The main group of characters and their search for Master Merton throughout the book kept me engaged and looking forward to what came next. There were times in the book that it strayed from the search that left me wanting more, but it was quickly picked up again to keep the story moving forward.

The use of multiple points of view for the storytelling was used well in this book. In some books and series, it can be overdone and end up taking away from the story. However, it was used well in this book. It was done just enough to convey different thoughts and feelings on different situations throughout the book without overdoing it and making the story muddled.

However, I did have a couple of gripes with the overall story. First off, I feel like the love story between Elsie and Bacchus was a bit overdone. I understand and agree with it's importance in the book and for their character development, but it was almost as if the author could not decide if this was a romance novel or a mystery/thriller novel. I have no issue with romance in books in general, it just felt a bit overdone to me based on the way the first book was written. That said, this is likely more personal preference than a real hindrance to the book.

My second issue was the slow build-up to an abrupt ending. It felt like things were working towards and epic ending of some fashing. Whether it was a battle of magic or cunning, I felt that something bigger was coming for the conclusion to the book. There was a struggle, but it felt too short and too anti-climatic based on the buildup throughout the book.

Those issues aside, they did not impact my enjoyment of this book (or the series overall). As I mentioned earlier, I would like to explore the world of Elsie and the magic of the Spellbreaker world in a sequel series if the author were to continue this in the future. I think that there is a lot that can be done to explore the world through Elsie's eyes or others not yet introduced.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since I finished the first book, Spellbreaker, I was dying to dive into Spellmaker. Luckily, I had the eARC of the sequel to the duology and dove into it the first chance I got. I'm not going to lie, I finally got the answers to some of my confusing questions. Doesn't necessarily mean that I wasn't confused by some of the things happening in this one - because I was. It just means that I got the answers I was looking for.

In it, you will still meet the same people from the previous book but we do get to meet some new people: Irene Prescott and the Raven. We also get a few dark secrets as well and one of them shocked me. Other than that, Elsie and Bacchus do get a bit closer in this one but the romance just didn't seem like a huge thing to me again. I will admit that we got some teeny tiny moments of possible romance but I just didn't see them being together in this one as well.

The magic aspect is still enchanting as it was in the first one. Plus the villain and the little action were pretty entertaining throughout the book. Heck, I will even admit that the ending was kind of cute. Although I do feel like we could get a new book or maybe a spinoff just because of one thing that was mentioned. Maybe - not sure.

In the end, it was a pretty good sequel and I'm very glad that I got the chance to dive into both books.