Spellbreaker by Charlie Holmberg | Book Review

【 SPELLBREAKER 】

This was a pleasant read.

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Author: Charlie Holmberg
Published: November 2020
Publisher: 47North
Pages: 300 (paperback)

I feel like my opening line perfectly captures my neither-here-nor-there-ness about this book. I enjoyed it, it was good. I’m not raving about. I probably won’t continue the series. The first thing that drew me in with this one was (obviously) the cover and I decided to read it via audiobook.

Truthfully, I think the audiobook was my mistake. I found the performance quite wooden and lifeless, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. And because I struggled to really enjoy the audiobook, that bled into my overall reading experience of the book.

I was able to appreciate the story and the magic going on – and the plot twists were actually really quite good – but I felt very neutral by the end.

Set in an alternate London where magic exists and some people can make spells, while others are spellbreakers, it sure had a point of interest. It really reminded me of the atmosphere you get in Timekeeper by Tara Sim, actually. There’s a lot more to this book than first meets the eye; it’s not just about spellbreaking, but about nefarious ploys that the main character is entangled in without even realising it.

If you’re looking for an easy, fantasy read set in an urban setting, this is it. Nothing too complex, nothing too drawn out. Just a plain, good story.

If I didn’t have so many other things I wanted to read, I’d definitely give this another go by reading the physical book, but I think the honest answer is that I probably won’t get around to revisiting this or continuing the series. If you’re going to read this one, I would recommend getting the book!