In the well-imagined historical fantasy The Glass Magician, magic is both real and manufactured. Traders are both human and animal. Friends are both loyal and deceitful. Nothing is quite what it seems, but the stakes are high and the truth behind the tricks must be revealed.
Caroline Stevermer's 1905 New York City is populated by a stratified society dictated by magic and colonialism. Thalia Cutler, orphaned professional stage magician, has always thought herself to be a Solitaire, the magic-less and largest group. Everything changes, though, when Talia "Trades" into a swan during a trick gone wrong, loses her job due to an underhanded non-compete clause and gains a monstrous stalker. Then, her lifelong stage manager is framed for murder and her life is thrown completely upside down. Soon Thalia is working to find new employment, master her magic and solve a mystery all while grappling with the truth of her identity, kept secret from her since birth.
Stevermer (The Alchemist) weaves together the mundane and the fantastical as Thalia reveals the truth behind the illusions she doesn't control and uses those she does to free herself and those she loves best. The narrative builds slowly, with Stevermer thoroughly setting the scene before piling on threats and encounters that build to a crescendo comprised of both kinds of magic. Readers who wish to look behind the curtain will be swept up in the drama of costumes, props and showmanship, while fantasy readers will appreciate the world-building. The Glass Magician will satisfy those who like their stories slow, immersive and full of secrets and hidden depths. --Suzanne Krohn, editor, Love in Panels