Mr. Art Keays has one goal in to appear as useless as possible. But when his sister recklessly unveils a dangerous new invention at the Maker Exhibitions, an elite competition for the coveted title of Maker, and her blueprints are stolen, Art is forced to intervene or risk losing everything he pretends not to care about. With an unwelcome mage looking over his shoulder and a looming timeline to find and return the blueprints to the queen, all clues point to a suspicious carriage conveying a most delightful obstacle.
Miss Audrey Clune longs to be Robin Renegade, the fearless heroine from the old adventure stories. In real life, however, her choices are rather limited. Before accepting a sudden proposal from the man of her grandmother’s choosing, Audrey sets out on one last journey to visit her beloved aunt. But when her carriage is ambushed by two mysterious highwaymen, she embraces a novel world of industry and magic with opportunity for adventure far greater than she imagined.
As both Audrey and Art playact different roles in society, the “honest truth” is a precious commodity, especially when dangerous secrets come to light and power has terrible consequences.
Of Mages and Makers is pure delight. A gaslamp romp with sharp banter, hidden identities, and a slow-burn romance that even the romance-skeptics on our team didn’t mind one bit. This one charmed its way through the entire judging panel. Light, fun, and genuinely hard to put down, it is one of those books that just makes you happy. Our judges share their full thoughts below.
Eva
Bridgerton-style Regency meets Panam in this adorable gaslamp/steampunk romantasy. I flew through this book in one sitting and was not disappointed. The author delivers strong and polished prose alongside character development and enough adventure to keep me turning page after page.
While I would have liked a bit more background on why mages are so persecuted in certain parts of this world, that didn’t interfere with my interest in the central storyline.
I really enjoyed the FMC (female main character), Audrey, though her secret reveal was a bit out of the blue; some more foreshadowing would have made that moment land more effectively. With that said, Audrey blends curiosity, smarts, and courage in a way that feels refreshingly real rather than extreme. Her self-confidence steadily develops throughout the story and is shaped by her experiences, rather than ego.
Our MMC (male main character), Art, leans in the familiar trope of a seemingly lazy ne’er-do-well who is secretly a sort of pseudo-superhero who saves mages in need. He was easy enough to like and I especially appreciated his transparency and honesty with Audrey from the outset. I despise miscommunication tropes and was delighted this did NOT fit that bill.
Overall, this was a gem of a story and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy ‘Fantasy of Manners’ with a heavy dose of magical and mechanical inventions.
EG
This book is a delightful steampunk adventure/romance and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The story follows Art Keays, a dandy who is very good at displaying a useless front to society while actually being quite useful in secret. His sister, Cecily, is a genius and enters the Maker’s Exposition, where she reveals a make that will let normal people use magic. The makers, Magicstry, and average people (cogs) are at the brink of tearing each other apart and this is the final straw that might set them over the edge. Art must go find the missing blueprints to his sister’s make, but in doing so, he encounters Audrey Clune, a gem (noble) who is equally good at putting up facades.
The plot of this story was relatively inventive. The concept of the upper-class, middle/lower class, and mage factions of society being ready to tear each other apart is not necessarily unique, and nor are the various political machinations, but the characters put a unique spin on things. I like the world and the magic, as well as the various adventures our characters had to undertake in order to save Art’s sister.
The best part of the book was, for me, the characters. They were cleverly written and very interesting, with their own desires that didn’t necessarily match up with the things they had been told to do. I also enjoyed the romance, given it was more an awakening of the characters making choices for themselves instead of appeasing others (and it was no-spice, if that matters). The ending was very nicely done. The characters don’t fall into neat slots, instead going off to have more adventures and still be true to themselves.
Overall, this was a cleverly written, entertaining adventure/romance and I was considerably entertained. That and, I always love a good steampunk story.
Julia
Of Mages and Makers is a romp. A genuinely fun, breezy, gaslamp romp with witty banter, lighthearted thievery, and a slow-burn romance that even I, someone who usually could do without romance entirely, didn’t mind one bit. For me, that’s already saying something.
Art and Audrey are engaging leads. Not especially deep, but competent, fun to follow, and genuinely delightful together. Their dynamic carries the book, and the banter is sharp enough to make you smile without feeling forced.
The world has charm and the steampunk-meets-manners atmosphere is well-executed. The stakes are there on paper, but they rarely feel urgent. Whenever our characters find themselves in a tight spot, a convenient exit tends to materialise. The book resolves its tensions cleanly, sometimes a little too cleanly.
This is comfort reading. It leaves you warm and hopeful, not contemplative. A cosy, charming debut with two leads who are a genuine pleasure to spend time with. Go in for the banter, stay for the warm ending. Just don’t expect a deep read.
Maureen
Steampunk, chicanery, and robbery all collude to deliver a romance that is lighthearted, but which emphasizes a lesson in consent.
The characters themselves are delightful. The marginal players have personalities of their own, even the snorty little pug Sweet-Pea. Villains in this sort of story can be overblown, but Carroll tamps that down to a believable web of deceits.
The worldbuilding in such a short book is quite remarkable. Diadem, the city; Parure, the monarchy—both combine the glitter of the gilded age with magic, steam inventions, and the rustle of fine silk. Magic has been invented in such a way as to give access to the populace, yet restrict it to a group of nobles who stand in competition with the monarch.
There is a short story addendum available, but I think there should be an entire novel-length series of adventures.
Sara
A whirlwind of adventure and romance! I definitely enjoyed the gaslamp/steampunk vibes. Loved the hidden identities and mystery of the missing invention. Art and Audrey and were two interesting characters to follow and I was rooting for them throughout. I did feel the pace was a little bit rushed as I was continually left thinking, “Wait, what?” And there is strong worldbuilding here, but I would have liked it explained a bit more at the beginning. Overall a world I would enjoy entering again.
Kerry
Had fun with this, I am always up for a good novel set in a steampunk world (with a Regency era setting). This is a light-hearted book even with the inherent danger to the main characters. Speaking of characters, each one was a delight to read—a “Scarlet Pimpernel” type hero, a gifted FMC who empowers herself, and a bunch of side characters who are well rounded and add to the drama and a great twist. (There is also a really good novella featuring the two main secondary characters.) I even enjoyed the romance as it progressed, due to the characters being honest and open with their feelings.
My only real issue was the FMC’s secret reveal was what caused her the aches and pains she’d lived with for years. Why do we find out about her ailments midway through the book? I’d have liked to have known this when we were first introduced to her, thus making the reveal a bit more believable.
We are nearing the end of Round One for this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO)! Two more semi-finalists to review, then we reveal our finalist pick who will move on to Round Two!
A quick reminder: Our semi-finalist reviews will not be done in any particular order. All the scores will be announced after all four reviews are posted.
As always: Reading is subjective. What didn’t click for us might be exactly your kind of story. If anything here sounds appealing, please do give it a look!
And a sincere thank you to every author who entered. Putting your work forward for a competition takes real courage, and we appreciate each and every one of you for it. Two more to go!
You can keep up with round one of the contest on the official SPFBO website. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more here.
Our judges this year Adawia Asad, Eva Geraghty, Evelyn Grimald “E.G.” Stone, Julia Kitvaria Sarene, Karen Lucia, Kerry Smith, Kit Caelsto, Maureen Neuman, Robert Max Freeman, Sara Rosevear, Sherry Cammer, Stacey Markle, Tianna Twyman, and Yaniv Rosenfeld Cohen. If you’d like to learn more about us, including our likes and dislikes, you can read about them here. And again, you can learn more about the contest here.
Any queries should be directed to the editor, Jennie Ivins, via DM (Bluesky/Threads).
Aly Noel