ARC Review: "The Glass Magician" by Caroline Stevermer

The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

A gilded menagerie rules a Gilded Age: Bears and Bulls are not only real, but dominate humanity in The Glass Magician, an amazing historical fantasy by Caroline Stevermer

What if you could turn into the animal of your heart anytime you want?

With such power, you’d enter the cream of New York society, guaranteed a rich life among the Vanderbilts and Astors, movers and shakers who all have the magical talent and own the nation on the cusp of a new century.
You could. If you were a Trader.

Pity you’re not.

Thalia is a Solitaire, one of the masses who don’t have the animalistic magic. But that is not to say that she doesn’t have talent of another kind—she is a rising stage magician who uses her very human skills to dazzle audiences with amazing feats of prestidigitation. Until one night when a trick goes horribly awry…and Thalia makes a discovery that changes her entire world. And sets her on a path that could bring her riches.

Or kill her.

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AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

REVIEW

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story carries an air of New York somewhere between the 1800s-1900s. In a world where shapeshifting carries prestige and riches, Thalia lives in the show business and tries to prove that being a simple human can also bring joy and magic.

When rivals and secrets try to destroy Thalia and her friends, she will race against all odds to discover who framed her friend and also discover the power within her. While the plot reminded me of Muggles and magicians the idea behind the book was interesting. There's a hint of urban fantasy and the transformations were great.

But I didn't feel invested in the plot and on many occasions I felt that Thalia was thrown into all the hardships of the world, with almost no one to help her. Not to mention that the centuries mentioned above didn't work in favor of women's rights.

Also despite the great magic system and classes, those weren't as detailed explained as I hoped and I ended up guessing most of the time.

Overall, this is an interesting book, and I hope you'll enjoy it.




About the author:

Caroline Stevermer grew up miles from anywhere on a dairy farm in southeastern Minnesota. She has a sister and two brothers. After high school, she attended Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, where she earned a B.A. degree in the history of art. She knew she wanted to be a writer when she was eight years old. She began by writing stories in her school notebooks. (They were not good. Many were not even finished. She persisted.)

By the time she graduated from college, she knew she would need to earn money in other ways, but she kept on writing. Her first professional sale was published by Ace in 1980. In the years since, she has had a variety of jobs and kept on writing. She likes libraries and museums. Her favorite painter is Nicholas Hilliard. Her favorite writer is Mark Twain. She lives in Minnesota.