I fell in love with the Paper Magician trilogy. It was a magical and fun series to read and the steampunk elements gave it that extra bit of charm. The book also gave me an intensely charming character. It took till book #2 for the crush to really settle in, but it was starting in the the first novel. Sometimes, all it takes is kindness to make a crushworthy character.
Who is He?
Magician Emery Thane is one of the main characters in Charlie N. Holmberg’s Paper Magician Series. Emery is a master paper folder, skilled at using magic involving paper. He is the tutor/master of the main protagonist, Ceony Twill. He is a nice guy with a haunted past. He spends his spare time hunting down Excisioners, people who who use human flesh and blood to cast magic. He reminds me a bit of Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle.
Fun Fact:
Emery is allergic to all types of animal fur, but he makes a paper, lifelike dog for Ceony.
Why So Crushworthy?
The initial appeal of Emery was that he did remind me of Howl a bit. Emery isn’t a narcissist with childish beauty issues. However, Emery is a packrat who really doesn’t do housework or cooking. He likes playing pranks (paper skeleton butler, anyone?). Additionally, he can be curmudgeonly when he is disturbed. This is just the outside of Emery Thane. On the inside, he is hurting and possesses a lot of honor to balance the hurt. He wants to rid the world of the evil of the Excisioners. He has a personal vendetta that does get in the way of his finding a new lease on life. Luckily, Ceony Twill enters his life to bring light into it.
Despite Emery’s gruffness, he has a kind heart. He does things for Ceony, even though she must strictly be his apprentice, to make her transition to being a Folder easier. Ceony wanted to be Smelter (metal magician), so he understands her discomfort. He wants her to be as happy as possible. Emery probably felt like he wasn’t worth saving, but Ceony proves him wrong. He evolves from a closed off magician to a stronger, more loving man. I would be interested to read about the events from Emery’s perspective. Of course, readers do see inside his heart during the books. Emery is a lovable character and I suggest you fall in love with him yourself by reading the books.
