The Friday 56: The Plastic Magician

The Friday 56 is a weekly blog meme hosted by Freda’s Voice. Join us every Friday and share an excerpt from a book you’ve been reading.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence (or a few, just don’t spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It’s that simple.

**Be sure to leave a link to your Friday 56 post in the comments!**

The woman smiled, just a little, and it warmed Alvie’s insides. “Ethel. I like that you wear slacks. I only wear breeches when I’m working, but I have to change into them there. People around here aren’t as sensible as they are in the States.”

Alvie nodded, remembering that her accent gave away her homeland—something she’d need to get used to. “They’re not very popular back home, either.”

Today I’m sharing an excerpt from a novel that I never got around to reviewing, but one I wanted to at least share with this meme. I really enjoyed Charlie N. Holmber’s The Paper Magican series, so when I heard about the spinoff, The Plastic Magician, I knew I had to check it out. I’ve really enjoyed the world-building in these books and the care Holmberg takes developing her magical system. I also enjoyed Alvie, the protagonist in this one, she’s dedicated and nerdy and I just loved all her little quirks. However, for such a small book, it felt like it dragged and I do wish there had been a little more action. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

From the Goodreads Synopsis:

      “Alvie Brechenmacher has arrived in London to begin her training in Polymaking—the magical discipline of bespelling plastic. Polymaking is the newest form of magic, and in a field where there is so much left to learn, every Polymaker dreams of making the next big discovery.
      Even though she is only an apprentice, Alvie is an inventor at heart, and she is determined to make as many discoveries—in as short a time frame—as she can. Luckily for her, she’s studying under the world-renowned magician Marion Praff, who is just as dedicated as Alvie is.
      Alvie’s enthusiasm reinvigorates her mentor’s work, and together they create a device that could forever change Polymaking—and the world. But when a rival learns of their plans, he conspires to steal their invention and take the credit for it himself.
      To thwart him, Alvie will need to think one step ahead. For in the high-stakes world of magical discovery, not everyone plays fair…”