Spellbreaker

Spellbreaker, Book 1

By: Charlie N. Holmberg

Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden, Joel Froomkin

A world of enchanted injustice needs a disenchanting woman in the newest fantasy series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.

The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells and those, like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. She always did love the tale of Robin Hood.

Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain. She’ll help Bacchus fix unruly spells around his estate if he doesn’t turn her in. Working together, Elsie’s trust in - and fondness for - the handsome stranger grows. So does her trepidation about the rise in the murders of wizards and the theft of the spellbooks their bodies leave behind.

For a rogue spellbreaker like Elsie, there’s so much to learn about her powers, her family, the intriguing Bacchus, and the untold dangers shadowing every step of a journey she’s destined to complete. But will she uncover the mystery before it’s too late to save everything she loves?

©2020 by Charlie N. Holmberg. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Skillful vocal characterizations enhance this fantasy audiobook set in a magical Victorian Britain…While the plot is complex, both narrators evoke the sympathetic protagonists so convincingly that listeners will feel invested, as well as excited for the sequel.” --AudioFile magazine

“Those who enjoy gentle romance, cozy mysteries, or Victorian fantasy will love this first half of a duology. The cliffhanger ending will keep readers breathless waiting for the second half.” --Library Journal (starred review)

“Powerful magic, indulgent Victoriana, and a slow-burn romance make this genre-bending romp utterly delightful.” --Kirkus Reviews

Loved the story, didn't love the male narrator.

I loved this book! Elizabeth Knowelden did a superb narration, flowing from one character to another. Ms. Knowelden is so adept at this I found there was no point where I wondered what character she was reading. Joel Froomkin, however, struggled with every character he tried to portray. It seemed, especially when it came to accents, that he was having trouble breathing. His voice has a very grating quality that had me wondering if I would have to forgo finishing this tale. The voice he used for Elsie Camden made me immediately think of an English lower class washer woman. The voice he used for Bacchus Kelsey had an accent I have never heard and sounds a bit like a noise one might hear coming from a bathroom door. In spite of his "contribution" to this story, Ms. Knoweldon manages to help the listener figure out what they missed while Mr. Froomkin was narrating. All in all I love the book and I will be looking for the next in the series!

It's a world I want to live in

Characters that are likeable and some that are detestable. Hero might be the bad guy and vice versa. Lots of twists and turns and a lovely new take on magic. The stuff of comfort reading/listening. I've just bought the second and I sure hope there will be more to come in this lovely world.

Love Charlie's books!!

Another winner from Charlie N. Holmberg. Elsie is another in a line of wonderfully believable and adventure-prone heroes. Don't miss it.

Male reader needs to be rerecorded

The female reader does a marvelous job. The male reader's island accent is awful. The British is too much but bearable. It is a shame because the story is very enjoyable.

Great story!

Great story! Very much enjoyed the book. The female narrator was wonderful, the male narrator however.... it was very hard to get through his segments. I was tempted to just stop but I wanted to finish the story so I suffered though.

A wonderful story and a great female narrator

I enjoyed listening to this story. The author created a world with her words that I could easily envision and become immersed in. Knowelden did an outstanding job with her narration. I enjoyed her female and male voices. I wished the whole story had been narrated by her. Froomkin's voices did not fit this story and did not blend with the other narrator.

I will be looking forward to reading the next novel in this series. This was a clean read.

just a tweak

It was kind of throwing when the narrators read the lines of the other in their sections; however the story was wonderful.

Good Story, 1/2 rough performance

The story was very interesting and unique. I enjoyed it. Elizabeth Knowelden did an excellent job for the female character. I found Joel Froomkin’s performance very difficult to get through though. His strange tone and swap in accents seemed very forced and childish. This dampened the overall quality of the story, in my opinion.

Not a fan of this Male narator

I don't understand why they chose to have a secondary male narrator. I love Elizabeth Knowelden and don't understand the need to insert a male counterpart. The shift from female to male narrator felt disjointed and "off". I've listened to many Knowelden narrated books and she is perfectly capable of expressing male and female voices and demeanors as to not require a male counteepart to get the job done. I'll listen to the next book but am worried I'll be left feeling the same way.

Great story!

Very enjoyable! I love the creativity and story line - especially a strong female lead.
I am less appreciative of the switching back and forth between readers as it felt disruptive. Just a personal preference that wouldn’t stop he from listening.