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  • The Paper Magician

  • The Paper Magician, Book 1
  • By: Charlie N. Holmberg
  • Narrated by: Amy McFadden
  • Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (293 ratings)
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The Paper Magician cover art

The Paper Magician

By: Charlie N. Holmberg
Narrated by: Amy McFadden
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Summary

“Charlie is a vibrant writer with an excellent voice and great world building. I thoroughly enjoyed the Paper Magician.” —Brandon Sanderson, author of Mistborn and The Way of Kings

Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic...forever.

Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined - animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.

An Excisioner - a practitioner of dark, flesh magic - invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart - and reveal the very soul of the man.

From the imaginative mind of debut author Charlie N. Holmberg, The Paper Magician is an extraordinary adventure both dark and whimsical that will delight fans of all ages.

Short-Listed for the 2015 ALA Fantasy Reading List 

©2014 Charlie N. Holmberg (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

What listeners say about The Paper Magician

Average customer ratings
Overall
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • L
  • 23-09-14

Strange choice in narrator

Okay idea for a story, and well written, however the choice of an American narrator for a story set in England is very strange and ruins the story. She doesn't even bother trying to sound English when reading narration by the characters - although this may have actually been a blessing, there's nothing worse than listening to a mangled British accent. Really disappointing.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fake British Accents Are Distracting

It's one thing to have an American narrator for a book set in Britain, I don't have a problem with that, but when that narrator chooses to use unconvincing plummy British accents then I start to get annoyed. The story itself is quite charming, but the listening to the book felt more like a chore than a pleasure.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed this story easy to listen to

This was a good story and better than I thought but it was a she the narrator was American as this is set in the uk and some of the pronunciation was a little off putting.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting concept

A fairly enjoyable listen with an interesting concept. However the narrator did a really bad imitation of the accents she choose and the accents were all over the place - jumping from American English to bad British English throughout the story. Also there were a few unexpected extremely disturbing scenes in the book, so overall a bit of a confusing story to rate.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

The American accent was a little abrasive at first, but stick with it and it all comes together. Great story, and can't wait to have the next one!!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It's good in parts

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This series would have benefited from being fact checked by someone with an extensive knowledge of the period and place set. I know that this is an alternative universe but the ongoing use of american language in a British setting, caused me to loose my suspension of disbelief.

What will your next listen be?

The next book in the series, because despite the issues I had, the story telling, characters and reading carried all before them!

Which character – as performed by Amy McFadden – was your favourite?

Amy does an excellent job of portraying all the characters. In particualr the viewpoint one Ceony Twill.

Was The Paper Magician worth the listening time?

Absolutely, especially if you can overlook the language oddities.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Oh my dear god who is this woman?

I could not bear to listen to more than 5 minutes of this terrible reading. So disappointed.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Really struggled with the narrator

Would you try another book written by Charlie N. Holmberg or narrated by Amy McFadden?

I might try the next story in the series but I didn't find it terribly compelling. I wouldn't listen to another book narrated by Amy McFadden if it was supposed to be set in England!

Would you recommend The Paper Magician to your friends? Why or why not?

No, I don't think it's a very interesting story.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator had an American accent and the appalling British accents detracted hugely from my enjoyment.

Was The Paper Magician worth the listening time?

Just about, but I've listened to many far better fantasy titles.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Shame about the accent

What made the experience of listening to The Paper Magician the most enjoyable?

It is original and well flowing story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked them all. Good and bad were well developed.

What three words best describe Amy McFadden’s voice?

Nice (good narrator but not suitable for this book)
Wrong (again- the accent! But once you forget it is happening in Britain, you survive it somehow- although- even I can do better English accent and I am Czech!)
Killer "r"s (the rolled "r" is so annoying at the start of the book, but it is muted later on- just over the top first hour or so, you want to strangle somebody)

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The whole paper heart part

Any additional comments?

It is shame that British narrator was not chosen. I think that Ms.McFadden is a good narrator and I wouldn't mind hearing her narrate American books, but really - whoever decided she is suitable for this book must be deaf. It so damaged my enjoyment of the book that I got the next two in series as e-book. I just couldn't otherwise finish the series.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

fine

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. It's just not good enough.

What did you like best about this story?

It's a good concept.

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Amy McFadden?

someone english. Her english accent as the girl wasn't good. Her accent as Emory was fine. But her females were a little grating.

Could you see The Paper Magician being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Yes, I could.

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3 people found this helpful