A Wall Street Journal bestseller.

Dead wizards, stolen enchantments, and broken promises force a young spellbreaker out of the shadows in the next thrilling installment of the Spellbreaker series by the bestselling author of The Paper Magician .

England, 1895. An unsolved series of magician murders and opus thefts isn’t a puzzle to Elsie Camden. But to reveal a master spellcaster as the culprit means incriminating herself as an unregistered spellbreaker. When Elsie refuses to join forces with the charming assassin, her secret is exposed, she’s thrown in jail, and the murderer disappears. But Elsie’s hope hasn’t vanished.

Through a twist of luck, the elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey helps Elsie join the lawful, but with a caveat: they must marry to prove their cover story. Forced beneath a magical tutor while her bond with Bacchus grows, Elsie seeks to thwart the plans of England’s most devious criminal―if she can find them.

With hundreds of stolen spells at their disposal, the villain has a plan―and it involves seducing Elsie to the dark side. But even now that her secret is out, Elsie must be careful how she uses the new abilities she’s discovering, or she may play right into the criminal’s hands.

Review

“Narrator Elizabeth Knowleden returns to this magical series as brash Elsie, with Noel Arthur joining in as reserved Bacchus. Lyrical accents and evocative descriptions ground listeners in Holmberg's fantasy world as Elsie and Bacchus attempt to halt a murderous rampage through nineteenth-century England. …Knowlenden and Arthur deliver full-bodied performances. Their nuanced pacing pulls listeners into both the danger and the tender moments between the lovers.” ― AudioFile Magazine

“The romance between Elsie and Bacchus, combined with the fantasy of magic and good fighting evil, will appeal to fans of the previous Spellbreaker novel ( Spellbreaker , 2020) and to fans of Naomi Novik or Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy.” ― Booklist (starred review)

“A thoroughly entertaining read that transports the audience to a reinvented London with a unique and clever magic system, featuring a wonderfully nuanced villain, heroes you’ll enjoy spending time with and exciting action scenes…Bacchus and Elsie’s courtship is a pure delight and utterly swoonworthy.” ―The Nerd Daily

About the Author

Charlie N. Holmberg is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling Paper Magician series, which has been optioned by the Walt Disney Company. She is also the author of the Numina series, the Spellbreaker series, and five stand-alone novels, including Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet ; Followed by Frost , a 2016 RITA Award finalist for Young Adult Romance; and The Fifth Doll , winner of the 2017 Whitney Award for Speculative Fiction. Born in Salt Lake City, Charlie was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters who also have boy names. She is a proud BYU alumna, plays the ukulele, and owns too many pairs of glasses. She currently lives with her family in Utah. Visit her at www.charlienholmberg.com.