Spellbreaker by Charlie Holmberg

 

Another Holmberg book, another enjoyable read. This new series ranks in the middle of the pack for me. It's no "Paper Magician" series, but doesn't fall too far behind. 

Once again Holmberg creates a fascinating magic system that I just want to be a part of. There are spell casters who choose to practice one of three aspects of life and register with the authorities to be a part of higher society. In the spirit of conversion of mass, spells that a wizard has learned to do not vanish but turn into a grimoire upon their death for the next generation to purchase. It's kind of a cut throat world of the rich and famous.

Then there are spell breakers who undo it all. Elsie is even more unique by being unregistered. She even finds herself to be a character from her beloved Robin Hood.

The Victorian setting was charming, and I was highly entertained by Bacchus being from the Caribbean. This was a nice spin in the Victorian literature genre. We don't often get to experience the colonies when dealing with a British Victorian novel. I liked the shake up.

The mystery surrounding Bacchus was interesting, but the mystery of the Cowls was a little too obvious. Maybe it will all trip me up in Spellmaker, though, and I just don't know it yet. I was also not really fond of Elsie's orphan complex, but at least it was realistic in the impact it made on her decisions.

It comes to stores next month, but if you are an Amazon Prime member you can go ahead and get it now through the First Reads program.