We’ve finally turned the corner on summer weather and we’re looking like autumn. Interesting how the world seems to totally change as the seasons shift. That got me thinking about world building, which is one of my favorite things about reading and writing fantasy. Today I’d like to share with you a world I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting.

Just so you know, links below are Amazon associate links, so if you buy anything through them, I will get a couple of pennies from that.

I talked about the first in this series, The Paper Magician HERE.

The Glass Magician

In the second book of thr Paper Magician series, we pick up with our heroine only a little after where we left her.

Three months after returning Magician Emery Thane’s heart to his body, Ceony Twill is well on her way to becoming a paper magician. Unfortunately, not all of Ceony’s thoughts have been focused on paper magic. Though she was promised romance by a fortuity box, Ceony still hasn’t broken the teacher-student barrier with Emery, despite their growing closeness.

When a magician with a penchant for revenge believes that Ceony possesses a secret, he vows to discover it…even if it tears apart the very fabric of their magical world. After a series of attacks target Ceony and catch those she holds most dear in the crossfire, Ceony knows she must find the true limits of her powers…and keep her knowledge from falling into wayward hands.

The stakes deepen, and the work expands in this sequel. The magical Victorian-style world is rich and inviting, and the characters as intriguing as ever. Though Ceony, our heroine, has a crush on her teacher, the tale stays firmly out of the squicky age-gap/unequal-power situation it could so easily fall into. I am impressed with Emery’s commitment to his craft, to his role as a teacher, and to being a gentleman.

The Master Magician

Throughout her studies, Ceony Twill has harbored a secret, one she’s kept from even her mentor, Emery Thane. She’s discovered how to practice forms of magic other than her own—an ability long thought impossible.

While all seems set for Ceony to complete her apprenticeship and pass her upcoming final magician’s exam, life quickly becomes complicated. To avoid favoritism, Emery sends her to another paper magician for testing, a Folder who despises Emery and cares even less for his apprentice. To make matters worse, a murderous criminal from Ceony’s past escapes imprisonment. Now she must track the power-hungry convict across England before he can take his revenge. With her life and loved ones hanging in the balance, Ceony must face a criminal who wields the one magic that she does not, and it may prove more powerful than all her skills combined.

In the final book of the story arc we discover secrets that threaten to turn the magical world upside down and Ceony and Emery are at the core. And maybe, if she can keep from being murdered, she will complete her apprenticeship, earn her title as magician, and become a suitable match for the man with too much respect to pursue her otherwise. A very satisfying conclusion to the story arc.

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What are you reading now? What do you do when you run into a book that is turning out to be less that what you’d hoped it would be? Tell me in the comments.