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A review by annettewolf
The Glass Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
It's such a shame that the magic system and writing skill are so solid in this book. The descriptions are great, the pacing is quick and adventurous, the story beats are all hit pretty darn well. And the romance *would* be really well written and fun to read if it wasn't for the whole, age and power disparity thing. Mentor/apprentice relationships are a major no-no, and our main character doesn't give a f*ck.
Add to that the continued emphasis on gendered roles. Not even enforced by other characters--the other characters seem pretty progressive and chill. But the main character, Ceony, wonders what her mentor would even do without her, a woman, to cook for him and wash his clothes. She wants to marry off every eligible bachelor she sees, even mentally relegating her peer, Delilah, as a good wife for a man she's never met, simply because Delilah could cook for him. Blegh.
And, definitely worst of all, one of the villains in this book is a character of Indian descent, and our main character literally starts to challenge her own racism in her head when she first suspects him but then HE IS THE VILLAIN ANYWAY and he's arguably the worst, most despicable villain in the book. At one point it's thrown out that he's killed babies. So...yeah. Didn't get enough sensitivity readers giving feedback on the optics of that one, I guess.
The characters are all also pretty flat. Their motivations boil down to...I dunno, insta-love and "well I guess it's time to be a magician" and I just wasn't buying it? I didn't feel what they were feeling. I don't know if they were really feeling much of anything.
If anyone's thinking about reading this series, I might try The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman instead. It's the same fast-paced, adventurous feel, but without so much problematic stuff.
Add to that the continued emphasis on gendered roles. Not even enforced by other characters--the other characters seem pretty progressive and chill. But the main character, Ceony, wonders what her mentor would even do without her, a woman, to cook for him and wash his clothes. She wants to marry off every eligible bachelor she sees, even mentally relegating her peer, Delilah, as a good wife for a man she's never met, simply because Delilah could cook for him. Blegh.
And, definitely worst of all, one of the villains in this book is a character of Indian descent, and our main character literally starts to challenge her own racism in her head when she first suspects him but then HE IS THE VILLAIN ANYWAY and he's arguably the worst, most despicable villain in the book. At one point it's thrown out that he's killed babies. So...yeah. Didn't get enough sensitivity readers giving feedback on the optics of that one, I guess.
The characters are all also pretty flat. Their motivations boil down to...I dunno, insta-love and "well I guess it's time to be a magician" and I just wasn't buying it? I didn't feel what they were feeling. I don't know if they were really feeling much of anything.
If anyone's thinking about reading this series, I might try The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman instead. It's the same fast-paced, adventurous feel, but without so much problematic stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gun violence