# Of Mages and Makers

By Rel Carroll · Mage Maker, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/of-mages-and-makers-ef4238de/

Art Keays works hard at appearing useless, until someone steals his sister's invention plans and he has to recover them. Audrey Clune, taking a last trip before a possible arranged marriage, finds herself caught in his search through a society of magic, industry and strict manners.

## What makes it funny?

Art assures his mother that he always looks splendid while she sits with a honey face mask dripping into her teacup. Her efforts to organize his social calendar meet replies designed to make him sound far too impractical to be of any use.

### The comedy at work

Art's cultivated frivolity conceals someone much more capable. The exchanges between Art and Audrey carry the same interest in appearances: their verbal sparring gives them room to resist the roles other people have chosen for them.

### Try this if…

Formal manners, magical inventions and a gradual courtship shape the adventure. The banter is a particular attraction for readers who want romance alongside the search for the missing plans.

### Good to know

The romance has no explicit sex. Some reviewers found the danger less convincing when convenient escapes appeared, so readers seeking sustained tension may find the adventure gentler than its stakes suggest.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy · Romance
- On the shelf: Romantasy
- Kind of humor: Banter · Dry wit
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Format: Novel
- Length: 322 pages (ebook)
- Published: 2025

## A few distinguishing details

- A deliberately useless public persona
- Stolen invention plans in a society of magic and manners

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [Apple Books identifies Of Mages and Makers by Rel Carroll as a 322-page ebook published by RomanSnail LLC.](https://books.apple.com/us/book/of-mages-and-makers/id6757499948)
- Reading sample: [Licensed ebook opening](https://www.everand.com/book/975984223/Of-Mages-and-Makers-Mage-Maker-1)
- Review: [Fantasy-Faction review](https://fantasy-faction.com/2026/of-mages-and-makers-by-rel-carroll-spfbo-11-semi-finals)
- Review: [Fantasy Book Critic review](https://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2026/08/spfbo-xi-finalist-of-makes-and-makers.html?m=0)
- Book information: [Ebook edition record](https://books.apple.com/us/book/of-mages-and-makers/id6757499948)
- Book information: [Google Books edition record](https://books.google.com/books?id=8Lh80QEACAAJ)