Book Review
Mar. 27th, 2022 07:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariSpellbreaker
by Charlie N. Holmberg
This solid fantasy novel takes place in 1894, in London and its suburbs. Elsie Camden is a spellbreaker, someone who can detect and undo the spells of mages. However, she is unregistered and occasionally works for a clandestine group she calls the Cowls, undoing spells in order to push back against the upper classes and champion the working class. On night, she is caught by Bacchus Kelsey, a mage working towards attaining master status. Rather than turning her in, Bacchus agrees to a bargain in which she helps him around his estate in return for his silence. Over the course of Elsie's work, she and Bacchus develop a friendship and are both drawn into the mystery around the rise of magical murders in London.
Holmberg's world-building is really good. The magic system was very interesting. I especially liked the way spellcasting and spellbreaking were two entirely different magical skills - mages cannot break spells and breakers cannot cast them. In fact, breakers can detect spells in a way that mages cannot. Elsie was a great character - committed to doing what is right, determined, clever, and spirited. Bacchus is both similar enough to and different from Elsie so that they make a good team, and the growing attraction between them was a nice touch. The narrative is a little slow at first, but the action really picks up towards the end.
by Charlie N. Holmberg
This solid fantasy novel takes place in 1894, in London and its suburbs. Elsie Camden is a spellbreaker, someone who can detect and undo the spells of mages. However, she is unregistered and occasionally works for a clandestine group she calls the Cowls, undoing spells in order to push back against the upper classes and champion the working class. On night, she is caught by Bacchus Kelsey, a mage working towards attaining master status. Rather than turning her in, Bacchus agrees to a bargain in which she helps him around his estate in return for his silence. Over the course of Elsie's work, she and Bacchus develop a friendship and are both drawn into the mystery around the rise of magical murders in London.
Holmberg's world-building is really good. The magic system was very interesting. I especially liked the way spellcasting and spellbreaking were two entirely different magical skills - mages cannot break spells and breakers cannot cast them. In fact, breakers can detect spells in a way that mages cannot. Elsie was a great character - committed to doing what is right, determined, clever, and spirited. Bacchus is both similar enough to and different from Elsie so that they make a good team, and the growing attraction between them was a nice touch. The narrative is a little slow at first, but the action really picks up towards the end.
