A world of enchanted injustice needs a disenchanting woman in the newest fantasy series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.

The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells and those, like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. She always did love the tale of Robin Hood.

Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain. She’ll help Bacchus fix unruly spells around his estate if he doesn’t turn her in. Working together, Elsie’s trust in - and fondness for - the handsome stranger grows. So does her trepidation about the rise in the murders of wizards and the theft of the spellbooks their bodies leave behind.

For a rogue spellbreaker like Elsie, there’s so much to learn about her powers, her family, the intriguing Bacchus, and the untold dangers shadowing every step of a journey she’s destined to complete. But will she uncover the mystery before it’s too late to save everything she loves?

Listening Length

9 hours and 47 minutes
Author

Charlie N. Holmberg
Narrator

Elizabeth Knowelden, see all
Audible release date

November 1, 2020
Language

English
Publisher

Brilliance Audio
ASIN

B087XTX618
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	9 hours and 47 minutes
Author	Charlie N. Holmberg
Narrator	Elizabeth Knowelden, Joel Froomkin
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	November 01, 2020
Publisher	Brilliance Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B087XTX618
Best Sellers Rank	#10,922 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #10 in Gaslamp Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals) #60 in Gaslamp Fantasy (Books) #157 in Historical Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

5 star		53%
4 star		31%
3 star		12%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Paper paige

Mediocre story- 2.5 stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020

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It was okay. The magic totally fell flat for me....it wasn't as original, whimsical, or unique as I was hoping it to be. The 19th century London setting was totally unimmersive. It was not alive, and I really enjoy that time period.

I did enjoy the mystery about about the stolen opuses, although the mystery moved very very slowly until the third quarter of the novel. (That's the only reason why I kept reading was to find out who was behind it.)
The first half moves really slow with only a few sparks of excitement at best. I found myself dozing off a couple of times.

The ending is set up for a sequel.

No sex, no gore, very minimal cussing. Clean book.

156 people found this helpful

Helpful

Classic Fight of Good vs. Evil in Magical Victorian World

Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020

I loved the world created by the author in this story. Imagine a semi-accurate Victorian England where magic is real. The social upheavals that were brewing in the late 1800s are on full display; class distinctions and gender inequality were still codified. The author is guilty of information dumps, especially when we first meet a key character. I don't like this in fiction, as it slows down the pace of a story. I much prefer a novel to start off in the middle of things (in media res) and slowly world-build as the book progresses. That certainly could have happened here. The magical world the author has created is a fascinating one, but not overly complex. Two types of people have magic, the spellmakers and the spellbreakers. The heroine is an unregistered spellbreaker. She comes across as a bit naïve but well intentioned. She wants to do the right thing using her unique talents that are not legal. The hero is a complex character as well and a legitimate spellmaker. The book really gets going when they meet and make a pact; a bit of a romantic aspect comes into play as well. I enjoyed the book once it got beyond the initial info dump world-building stage. The author has created a quirky, imaginative world with characters who are doing their best to work within it. The villain was appropriately evil, making this a fight of good vs. evil that looks like it will broaden in scope in the next half. Yes, from what I understand, this is the first part of a duology, and I did find the end satisfying for this half, but I'm certainly curious about what happens next. The author has certainly tantalized and teased about what that will be.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

163 people found this helpful

Helpful

William Mead

Half a book

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2020

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"Spellbreaker" is the first half of a duology, i.e., a series of two books. I think book series should be clearly labeled to differentiate between a series containing standalone but related books and one that is really a single book published in two halves, joined by a cliffhanger.

If I had read this part of Amazon's ad, I would have known this fell into the latter category and skipped it:

"Those who enjoy gentle romance, cozy mysteries, or Victorian fantasy will love this first half of a duology. The cliffhanger ending will keep readers breathless waiting for the second half.”

So, the ad was clear, if I had read every word.

Aside for my dislike for surprise half-books, how was the story?

The spellbreaker idea was itself new to me and led to an interesting fantasy world.

The book started slowly and heated up gradually. At the end of the first 1/4, I almost quit reading. Neither the plot nor the characters had grabbed me more than slightly. By 1/2 way through, the story had picked up enough to guaranty that I would finish. The last 1/4 was gripping, especially when it got to a Harry-Potter-like magic fight.

If half-books with cliffhangers don't bother you, I'd offer s a 3-4 star rating.

81 people found this helpful

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Klapaucjusz

Familiar magic and story

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2020

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I liked the general idea of two kinds of magicians, rich spellmakers and poor spellbrakers. Other than that, the story has a soothing familiarity of typical magic world created by this and other authors in similar books. The setting is England at the end of 19-th century. There are maybe a few too many characters introduced at the beginning but once the story starts rolling it rolls smoothly although a little sluggishly at times. The budding romance is a big part of the plot.
It is a first book in the series but it does not end with big cliffhanger.

Bottom line: It is a nice escapist book, which, I believe, was written for young readers but it can be enjoyed also by the older ones.

PS. If you are looking for more original ideas and settings, I recommend “Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet” by the same author. It is leaning a little toward sadomasochistic themes, and is targeted at older audience but the concept is original and the audio book is excellent.

66 people found this helpful

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Kari

Fantastic - Reminiscent of The Paper Magician

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2020

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Spellbreaker is a truly remarkable book. I would go as far as to say this is Charlie's next "Paper Magician" series and one fans, myself included, will want more from, for years to come.
•
Ellie is a unregistered Spellbreaker working for a secret society of Robin Hood type vigilantes.
Bacchus is in England to gain his Master title in Physical Aspectorship (Physical magic)
When their world's collide a greater mystery is unveiled. Who can you trust?

5/5 stars. I can't wait for book 2 next year!

21 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

A unique storyteller

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2020

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I'm a huge fan of Holmberg; and this is a creative story. Unfortunately, it isn't her best.It seemed a little rushed with not enough Plot or character development. I recommend readers check out her other books. My favorite might be followed by frost, but the 5th doll is also an enchanting read. I'm posting orally with Alexa, so please excuse Capitalization Issues.

51 people found this helpful

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Ava Lynn Crowley

Fun read!

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2020

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It had a lot of twists and turns and at times I had a hard time following but that didn't effect my enjoyment. I think the lack of focus was my fault, not the book's. There were a few times I was frustrated at the naivete of the heroine but the author waved all that frustration away with a few figurative brushstrokes of her pen. Seriously, if you were frustrated like me, read to the end. That's as much as I'll say without spoilers. But anyhoo! I enjoy Charlie Holmberg's books and this was no exception. Elsie's sense of justice and morality was refreshing and I look forward to her relationship with Bacchus progressing.

8 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Rowan

Great book ruined by the worst kind of ending

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2020

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I have been a fan of Charlie's books since her debut novel, and this one doesn't disappoint. The characters were charming, the plot was engaging and the story was incredibly unique.

If the book had ended properly, this would be a five star review.

Unfortunately, the way this book ends really ruins it. I shan't spoil it, but the main issue is that - unlike with most other books in a series - this one doesn't end. It just stops. There is no emotional payoff for the plot or characters you have become invested in. It's not that it ends on a cliffhanger which is a problem; many books do that. It's that there are zero questions answered, no resolutions even to the mini arcs introduced, and you are left at the end of the book wondering if there was a printing error because it really does just stop.

Frustrated, sad, and a waste of emotional investment in an otherwise fabulous book. Readers beware!

49 people found this helpful

M. Dowden

I Like This, But ….

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2020

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This is not the first book by any means that I have read by this author, though I did not find it quite as good as the last book I read by her. This is set in 19th Century England, but the world is slightly different as magic exists in it. A fantasy and romance novel with mystery elements as such this is aimed at the young adult market, and you can see quite clearly as you read this that it is not written by a native to these shores. Reading this you can see certain little niggling things that do grate somewhat, such as the placement of Westerham, which is in Kent, Seven Oaks, instead of Sevenoaks, and an ascot mentioned, which in this country we call a cravat. There are a few other things such as this, such as Reading being called a city, which means that the actual scenes of areas are somewhat generic.

The story itself is the beginning of what at the moment is a planned duology, and so we are left with a somewhat open ending here to lead us into the next book. Our main character, Elsie Camden so we read is what is called a spellbreaker, and an unlicensed one at that, and rescued from a fire as a child in the poorhouse so she is believing she is helping some covert group in Robin Hood type activities. Of course, we all know Robin Hood as he is portrayed never existed, so we know something is up, and as this progresses so does Elsie. There is romance here when Elsie gets entangled with Bacchus Kelsey who is a Bajan, although he is not black, his parentage is English and Portuguese. This tale follows them somewhat as well as Elsie’s employer, as she tries to find out who is a member of the covert group which she calls the Cowls.

There is some mystery here as she detects a spell on Bacchus that he is unaware of, and this is brought more into light nearer the end. Indeed, probably about the last sixty or so pages of this book is where the main action and excitement is. As I have already mentioned, I have read better books by Ms Holmberg, but this is enjoyable enough, despite its minor problems.

33 people found this helpful

eloise.reads

Disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2020

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I have very mixed feelings now I've finished Spellbreaker.

Having seen this come up as a choice on October's Amazon First Reads, it sounded right up my street. Elsie is a illegal spellbreaker, she knows of magic but cannot perform spells, only break them. How does she know she is a spellbreaker, well she frequently receives letters from a mystery organisation she refers to as the Cowls that ask her to break spells that keep the rich and poor separate. Elsie therefore considers herself a Robin Hood type character and enjoys the under cover work she does.

Bacchus has come to London from Barbados; his aim to become a master aspector. Aspectors are those that can perform magic and whose spells Elsie can break. One day Bacchus catches Elsie breaking a spell and to prevent being caught by anyone else, they strike a bargain. Elsie will help Bacchus fix spells around the Seven Oaks estate where he is currently residing.

It soon becomes clear that something mysterious is going on, murders of aspectors are becoming more frequent and the robbery of their opuses also. An opus is the object an aspector leaves behind when they die and it contains all of their spells, hence it is a valuable item. Elsie and Bacchus find themselves closer to the mystery than they realised and we join them as they try to uncover the secrets of the aspector and spellbreaker world.

How good does that sound?
A unique concept based in Victorian England, I felt sure I'd love it. Sadly I didn't, in fact for about 70% of the book I was willing it to end and almost dnf - I'm so sorry to say that.

I expected to love Elsie, she just wants to do what's right and help those in need. As soon as we met Bacchus, I thought he'd be a potential love interest and that I'd enjoy their chemistry throughout. Yet, I didn't warm to any characters, there were many of them and some of them took me a while to remember. Elsie and Bacchus' relationship felt forced.. I felt no chemistry between them whatsoever sadly.
I appreciate that as this was a unique magic concept, a lot of explanation was needed to understand it but for the first 100 pages of the book I felt like nothing really happened. That is quite a chunk of the book with nothing catching my interest.

My rating was going to be only 1 star, however, the last 20% of the book - I really enjoyed! There was much more action, anticipation and more importantly, magic! I even thought about upping my rating to 3 stars, but then the book just ended. Just like that. So many unanswered questions! I know there is a second book, but as some others have mentioned, it feels like one book was split in half.
Will I read the second book? I'm not sure, I have no urge to find out what happens and no real attachment to the characters. I had such high hopes and was sadly left disappointed. I believe I am in the minority as so many people seemed to love this book which is great, but for me it was not the book I hoped for.

20 people found this helpful

Sue in the Fylde

Quite good for its type

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2020

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OK, it isn't a bad book: the story is half decent and the characters reasonably interesting and not too annoying, and the author did attempt to balance the male (Bacchus) and female (Elsie) protagonists by switching viewpoints between them occasionally and allowing Bacchus to be the saviour once in a while. But, oh, I am so weary of the current fashion for plucky (usually young) females battling the forces of evil even as they struggle against the tides of immaturity, sentiment, love, lust, angst, etc, etc. Elsie may avoid the worst excesses of the seriously irritating female leads I frequently run into, but I struggle to like or respect her.
I got this as a Kindle First Read and chose it as the least objectionable. Why are so many of the First Read offerings written by women and why do so many authors force plot and character to take second place to fashionable agendas? I'm not sure whether I'll buy the second in the series. I'll probably wait and see what discerning reviewers think of it.

9 people found this helpful

Fettler

A book to consider for a cold dark evening when your brain is tired.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2020

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This is the first one of CNH's books that I have read and it is a book with a varied and interesting set of characters and a few odd twists and, in spite of being classed as a fantasy romance, there was fortunately little romance and what there was was a bit silly. In fact I enjoyed it just enough to have pre-ordered Book 2 in order to see if the plot potential turns into reality.

It might almost have merited another star if only American authors would realise that using American words for things in a book set in England is extremely annoying. How would Americans react to discover a book set in the US about the United States Grand Prix which mentioned bonnets and boots rather than hoods and trunks?

That aside, whilst it did read as a little unpolished, if you fancy a fantastical and light read that might even make you smile from time to time, this is a book to consider treating yourself to for a cold dark evening when your brain is tired.

7 people found this helpful

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