Charlie Holmberg continues to write great tale! I am a fan of ,what in essence, are serialized books and Holmberg has given numerous good ones. The Spellmaker series is no different in form, rather length. With just 2 books, it is a wonderful small world with an intriguing story and wonderful characters. I suspect Holmberg has the entire story laid out before she begins; her stories flow so well without any rabbit-trails to nowhere.

In Spellmaker, Holmberg is perfecting her character development, there are no holes, everyone acts as you expect. Here writing and story development get better with each book. I appreciate the duology and an author that let's a series be as big as it needs to be, not adding nonsense to create another book.

I loved this so much. Really strong story and I was engrossed from start to finish. More of the same please

Charlie N. Holmberg has written one of my new favorite duologies! Duologies have a bad habit of letting me down on the 2nd book but Spellmaker was just as good as Spellbreaker! Dare I say this was just as good as The Paper Magician Series, maybe even better?

I am in love with the characters and world Charlie Holmberg has created and can't believe I waited so long to read this series.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

These were a breeze to read, not too taxing (or as trashy as I was expecting) with a good balance of historical magical costume crime drama, fantasy and romance. Whilst there's always room for more depth, the plot, world building and secondary characters weren't bad either for such a light read. I'd read more by Charlie N. Holmberg.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

This is the second book in the Spellbreaker series and I have really enjoyed this series so far. The first book was amazing, and while this book didn’t quite hold up as being as good as the first, it was still an amazing read and was definitely worth the read. It left me wanting more and I can’t wait for the rest of the series!

I felt a little sad that this did not live up to the first in the series for me.

I think the author did a wonderful job of tying up the loose ends that the first novel left. However I think the additional characters we left a bit undeveloped. Some of the mysteries were tied up a bit too easily and left me wanting more, unfortunately.

The best thing about this book was how atmospheric and Magical it was.. The characters were likable and very intriguing.

I enjoy it so much! The romance and magic are just so so great. This book got me hooked until the end. I love the characters and the atmosphere and vibes in this book. Can't wait for the next installment!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I got this book on NetGalley not knowing it was the second book in the series, but I enjoyed reading it anyway.
What I loved most about it were the atmosphere and the romance. The writing was sweet and charming and I was immersed into the story from page one. The magic system is intriguing and I absolutely loved the magic duels. Because I skipped the first book there were some things I didn't understand right away yet that didn't detract from the story. I recommend this to all fantasy lovers!

Charlie Holmberg writes books that feel like warm hugs. I'm in the unenviable position of wanting to gush about everything, but wanting to refrain from spoiling such a lovely book for other readers!

First, I will say that you absolutely need to read this duology as a pair. There's too much setup for this book in book one to go into it completely blind; not to mention it would rob you of getting to know these characters, who you will absolutely come to know and love (or hate!) over the series. They both read fast; and as mentioned, there's always a sense of comfort to books from this author.

There's a focus on the day to day here that enhances the almost cosy air of the series, and of this book in particular. Events have transpired which place a rush on things, sure, but the details don't get glossed over in a race to the finish line; you can always rely on this author to spend time on the crafted details of her worlds, and it brings them to life on the page. The romance is adorable, even for a reader like me who's usually not given to getting invested.

In short, an absolutely lovely book, from an author who has become an auto-buy for me.

Spellmaker is a truly compelling book that did at first have a rough start but page by page, I become engrossed. It was a perfect blend of an historical novel with fantasy and mystery elements all in one that made this a riveting read that was just too hard to put down. This is ideal for readers looking for a well paced cozy whodunit mystery filled with a fascinating premise, subplots, magic, and characters that standout.
Full review to come on my YouTube channel.

I’ve been looking forward to this book since finishing Spellbreaker in fall 2020 and binged it in a day when it was released (today for me).

I’m so disappointed.

Like another reviewer has mentioned, the pacing and character development felt all wrong this go-around, and wasn’t nearly as complete as the first book. I’m left wishing this had been a trilogy rather than a duality because for as much time as we’ve invested in getting these characters to the final battle, it was all over in a mere few pages and the finality lacked the “fairy tale” ending that Elsie refers to so much in this book. Not to mention, the addition of new characters who were asked to help move the plot along and who were deemed trustworthy to the reader in a paragraph. However, in a book full of magic and everyone-isn’t-who-they-seem, you expect me to trust this person just like that? Eh, it just wasn’t believable.

I really enjoy all of Charlie N. Holmberg's books, so I was delighted to receive this review copy meaning I could read book 2 immediately after finishing book 1!
Very much Holmberg's signature feel-good style. Even when her books contain alarming and disturbing events, they somehow give me that 'easy-read' feeling.
In Spellmaker, Elsie and Bacchus continue to search for the magician who is murdering other magicians to steal their spells, but with Elsie's gifts now common knowledge, and her engagement to Bacchus announced in order to keep her safe, the pair struggle to find a line to walk between helping each other and their growing attraction. Elsie battles with her feelings of inferiority and that Bacchus must simply pity her, while he makes it... pretty blummin' obvious really... that he's genuinely interested in marrying her.
Delightful and heartwarming even with murder at its heart, I thoroughly enjoyed Spellmaker. A great end to the duology, although I do wish there were more to come!

Another magical entry by the incomparable Charlie Holmberg! The strength here lies in another solid and immersive magic system - easily her top strength in crafting her stories. Beware of a cliffhanger ending! I'd highly recommend buying both this and the sequel all at once.

i had enjoyed the first book in the series, so I was excited to read the sequel. The characters still felt true to the original and kept what I enjoyed from the first.

There’s so many of my favorite things in this. There’s a mystery, there’s magic, there’s a romance and its set in England.
The book starts right from where it ended in the first one, and is the last book in this magical duology.
Though i did enjoy the story i still haven’t felt a connection to it.
I’d highly recommend this to people who love mysteries set in the past with magic.
I was given this arc in exchange for my honest review by NetGalley.

Magic and murder, friends, fantasy and love! It definitely has a few, or all of my favorite things! This book picks up after the first in early England, but Elsie has to make a choice to take a stand against a murderous magician. The relationship between Elsie and Bacchus develops quite sweetly along the way as they navigate trial after trial, determined to stop the murderer. I would highly recommend this series.

I read Spellmaker and Spellbreaker back-to-back earlier this year, and it was the most magical treat. It gave me more of what I liked about Zen Cho’s Sorcerer Royal series and C. M. Waggoner’s The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry; romantic historical fantasy that’s hilarious, witty, and that’s consciously centering minoritized perspectives. In a genre that’s been too white and too straight for too long, this reads like a breath of fresh air. The romance in this book is really sweet and the magical system is interesting and unique. Taking books 1 and 2 together, the story feels complete. I’d recommend this duology widely!

I normally really enjoy the magical worlds that Holmberg writes, but this series didn’t really do it for me. It felt like it was missing a spark of something and the pacing didn’t feel quite on point. I think the concepts of the magical arts and spellbreakers was neat, so most of the stars are for concept more than execution.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This didn’t quite live up to my expectations, after seeing a lot of buzz on social media. I struggled to connect with any of the characters. Overall this just wasn’t for me.