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renpuspita's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Buku ini masuk kategori YA, tapi entahlah gue merasa dari segi usia tokoh2nya saja sudah diatas YA. Okelah tokoh utama, Ceony Twill itu 19 tahun, tapi dengan setting cerita di awal abad 20 umur segitu benernya sudah dianggap dewasa. Belum lagi love interestnya Ceony, Emery Thane, usianya dah 30an lebih. Lebih tua dari Ceony 12 tahun! Kalau dari segi cerita ya memang ini bisa juga masuk YA karena termasuk sederhana juga world building. Walaupun magic systemnya tuh unik! Pengendalian akan material di dunianya Paper Magician itu hanya terbatas pada materi buatan manusia, seperti besi, kaca, karet, plastik, kertas dll. Jadi yg bukan buatan manusia ga bisa? Bukannya ga bisa, tapi pengendalian akan material di luar buatan manusia seperti katakanlah darah, akan membuatmu jadi Penyihir Pembelot atau penjahat deh. Sistem sihir yang unik ini emang mau ga mau ngingetin gue sama salah satu author yg juga bikin magic system dari hal2 sederhana. Siapa lagi kalau bukan Brandon Sanderson? Ternyata waktu gue baca bagian acknowlegdment, Charlie N. Holmberg bilang kalau Sanderson itu salah satu mentornya di kelas menulis. Haha pantesan kok rada - rada familiar penggunaan sistem sihirnya, walau Sanderson jauh lebih detail lagi jelasinnya ketimbang Holmberg.
Walau awal - awal ceritanya agak slow dan kita diperlihatkan sama Ceony yg kesel banget gegara ga bisa jadi Pengendali Besi dan harus jadi Pengendali Kertas, cerita mulai seru saat Emery diserang dan jantungnya diambil. Vibe awalnya emang kayak cerita daddy long legs, apalagi Emery jauh lebih tua dari Ceony. Walau Ceony kesel, toh dia pasrah juga mau jadi Pengendali Kertas dan diajarin sama Emery macem2. Menurut gue kelebihan cerita ini emang di proses Ceony belajar sihir Kertas yang ajaib banget! Gue yakin tiap orang yg abis baca buku ini jadi pengen belajar origami. Nah saat jantung Emery diambil dan Ceony pergi sendirian buat nyelamatin si jantung, alur ceritanya mulai cepat dan cuma hitungan hari karena jantung sementara Emery yg berasal dari kertas ga akan bertahan lama. Di bagian inilah akhirnya Ceony tahu masa lalu Emery yang kompleks termasuk hubungan Emery dengan Lira, dimana Lira ini ada Penyihir Pembelot yang mengambil jantung Emery.
Untuk segi romansanya sih tipis-tipis ya dan kelihatan banget Ceony yang jatuh cinta duluan sama Emery walau alasannya karena pas dia tahu Emery yg kasih beasiswa buat belajar dan juga gegara lihat masa lalu Emery itu agak kurang kuat buat gue. Tapi ya orang mau jatuh cinta itu kadang alasannya macem2, lol. Romansanya sendiri ga terlalu fokus kok dan ceritanya emang lebih ke upaya Ceony buat nyelamatin Emery. Ceony sendiri emang berbakat ya karena dia bisa menguasai sihir kertas dengan cukup bagus walau bagian yang susah seperti membuat anjing dari kertas itu baru Emery yang bisa. Menarik buat tahu gimana Ceony nanti akan berkembang jadi Pengendali Kertas yang sesungguhnya.
Terjemahannya sendiri rapi meski ada beberapa typo. Sayangnya, hurufnya kecil - kecil BANGET dan mayan bikin gue spaneng. Edisi asli buku ini tuh 222 halaman sementara diterjemahkan jadi 236 hal. Hemat kertas banget ga tuh? Ironis mengingat kertas juga jadi fokus utama cerita ini, hehehe. Kekurangannya memang di bagian awal yang agak slow karena setelah Ceony masuk ke jantung Emery itu ceritanya mulai oke dan gue kagum sama cara Holmberg menganalogikan kenangan dan impian manusia itu di jantung. Dalam bahasa Inggris, jantung itu heart, sementara heart di bahasa Indonesia juga berarti hati; tempat kenangan berasal. Menurut gue ini cukup puitis dan lebih bisa diikuti ketimbang pakai bagian otak misalnya 😆.
Untuk sebuah debut dan buku pembuka sebuah series, The Paper Magician ini cukup seru dan cukup bikin penasaran karena ceritanya emang masih berlanjut. Cocok juga buat yg nyari fantasy ringan dengan jumlah halaman yg ga terlalu banyak.
Walau awal - awal ceritanya agak slow dan kita diperlihatkan sama Ceony yg kesel banget gegara ga bisa jadi Pengendali Besi dan harus jadi Pengendali Kertas, cerita mulai seru saat Emery diserang dan jantungnya diambil. Vibe awalnya emang kayak cerita daddy long legs, apalagi Emery jauh lebih tua dari Ceony. Walau Ceony kesel, toh dia pasrah juga mau jadi Pengendali Kertas dan diajarin sama Emery macem2. Menurut gue kelebihan cerita ini emang di proses Ceony belajar sihir Kertas yang ajaib banget! Gue yakin tiap orang yg abis baca buku ini jadi pengen belajar origami. Nah saat jantung Emery diambil dan Ceony pergi sendirian buat nyelamatin si jantung, alur ceritanya mulai cepat dan cuma hitungan hari karena jantung sementara Emery yg berasal dari kertas ga akan bertahan lama. Di bagian inilah akhirnya Ceony tahu masa lalu Emery yang kompleks termasuk hubungan Emery dengan Lira, dimana Lira ini ada Penyihir Pembelot yang mengambil jantung Emery.
Untuk segi romansanya sih tipis-tipis ya dan kelihatan banget Ceony yang jatuh cinta duluan sama Emery walau alasannya karena pas dia tahu Emery yg kasih beasiswa buat belajar dan juga gegara lihat masa lalu Emery itu agak kurang kuat buat gue. Tapi ya orang mau jatuh cinta itu kadang alasannya macem2, lol. Romansanya sendiri ga terlalu fokus kok dan ceritanya emang lebih ke upaya Ceony buat nyelamatin Emery. Ceony sendiri emang berbakat ya karena dia bisa menguasai sihir kertas dengan cukup bagus walau bagian yang susah seperti membuat anjing dari kertas itu baru Emery yang bisa. Menarik buat tahu gimana Ceony nanti akan berkembang jadi Pengendali Kertas yang sesungguhnya.
Terjemahannya sendiri rapi meski ada beberapa typo. Sayangnya, hurufnya kecil - kecil BANGET dan mayan bikin gue spaneng. Edisi asli buku ini tuh 222 halaman sementara diterjemahkan jadi 236 hal. Hemat kertas banget ga tuh? Ironis mengingat kertas juga jadi fokus utama cerita ini, hehehe. Kekurangannya memang di bagian awal yang agak slow karena setelah Ceony masuk ke jantung Emery itu ceritanya mulai oke dan gue kagum sama cara Holmberg menganalogikan kenangan dan impian manusia itu di jantung. Dalam bahasa Inggris, jantung itu heart, sementara heart di bahasa Indonesia juga berarti hati; tempat kenangan berasal. Menurut gue ini cukup puitis dan lebih bisa diikuti ketimbang pakai bagian otak misalnya 😆.
Untuk sebuah debut dan buku pembuka sebuah series, The Paper Magician ini cukup seru dan cukup bikin penasaran karena ceritanya emang masih berlanjut. Cocok juga buat yg nyari fantasy ringan dengan jumlah halaman yg ga terlalu banyak.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Self harm
audreylee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
moody_gobling's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
The ills of this book:
Woman in the fridge trope,
Thin background,
Incomplete and rushed character development.
I wish this had been the thrilling Victorian-magican’s academy that I had hoped for. I’m proud to not have DNF’d it, but it took more effort to not do so than I would have liked.
Woman in the fridge trope,
Thin background,
Incomplete and rushed character development.
I wish this had been the thrilling Victorian-magican’s academy that I had hoped for. I’m proud to not have DNF’d it, but it took more effort to not do so than I would have liked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Medical trauma, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Body horror
Minor: Suicide
av0universe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Body horror, Vomit, Gore, Blood, Suicide, and Bullying
Minor: Vomit, Sexual harassment, Death, Grief, and Bullying
daniber's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, and Animal cruelty
katelynprice's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicide
saliwali's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, and Toxic relationship
writingcaia's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
Reread: and, have little else to add to my original review. Only that we have a brave and sassy female MC that really carries the story with her wittiness and good heart.
I can't understand such bad reviews. This is a well thought fantasy story with intriguing and super creative magic, world building, and characters, whom although not extensively introduced still made me feel close to them, especially as the book goes. It is a short book and maybe could have been more descriptive to introduce more details and depth however I still really enjoyed it. Can't wait for the next one.
I can't understand such bad reviews. This is a well thought fantasy story with intriguing and super creative magic, world building, and characters, whom although not extensively introduced still made me feel close to them, especially as the book goes. It is a short book and maybe could have been more descriptive to introduce more details and depth however I still really enjoyed it. Can't wait for the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Bullying
lucinotlucy's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Death, and Gore
Minor: Self harm, Sexual harassment, and Suicide
linguisticfanatic's review against another edition
At first I was totally fine with the story. The world and magic interested me even if the MC annoyed me. I was totally fuming when on the first night of the MC being in her teacher's house she thinks about confronting him the next day about what he was working on in his office because "I don't like secrets."? You barely know each other's names! You're in his house! It's his own office! So what if he's working until the early hours of the morning?
All of that aside, I was interested to see the world that was in this book and where things were going. It was obvious to me that there was something going on with the adults in the world and I was willing to be invested in their actions while putting up with a 19 year old moping about her lot in life.
I was going along fine until Lira decided to steal Emery's heart. I was fine rolling with the stolen heart thing. When the adult magicians showed up I was hoping they'd do something to keep Emery going while we got to see what the different professions can do when working together. What type of police force do they have? How about intelligence? It was mentioned early on that paper folding was used for spying, so would we get to see these other 11 paper magicians help in some way? How about medical stuff? What could they do with a person missing a heart, but there are still metal and plastic magicians to pull from.
All of that would've been great to read through. Instead, we have our MC decide that she with her tiny folded birds and fish are going to traipsing off to find Lira and steal Emery's heart back. Even though I was rolling my eyes, I was at the 30%ish mark so I figured that it would just be an adventure in stupidity. I was thinking she'd get trounced and drag herself back home in disgrace, but instead I've been making my way through the 4 valves of his heart watching memories I don't care about. I'm currently in the 3rd valve at the 67% mark and dreading that there's still another valve to go through full of memories to watch and I just can't do it anymore.
I don't care to spend my time with a character I don't like watching memories one after the other. Ceony knows that she can't interact with the memories (outside of select moments) and yet she still goes up to each memory talking and trying to touch things. I can't deal with the stupidity anymore.
There was so much I could see good about where this story could've gone. There was just a very poor choice of storytelling mechanic used for too much of the book for me to stay interested.
All of that aside, I was interested to see the world that was in this book and where things were going. It was obvious to me that there was something going on with the adults in the world and I was willing to be invested in their actions while putting up with a 19 year old moping about her lot in life.
All of that would've been great to read through. Instead, we have our MC decide that she with her tiny folded birds and fish are going to traipsing off to find Lira and steal Emery's heart back. Even though I was rolling my eyes, I was at the 30%ish mark so I figured that it would just be an adventure in stupidity. I was thinking she'd get trounced and drag herself back home in disgrace, but instead I've been making my way through the 4 valves of his heart watching memories I don't care about. I'm currently in the 3rd valve at the 67% mark and dreading that there's still another valve to go through full of memories to watch and I just can't do it anymore.
I don't care to spend my time with a character I don't like watching memories one after the other. Ceony knows that she can't interact with the memories (outside of select moments) and yet she still goes up to each memory talking and trying to touch things. I can't deal with the stupidity anymore.
There was so much I could see good about where this story could've gone. There was just a very poor choice of storytelling mechanic used for too much of the book for me to stay interested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
Minor: Bullying