Thank you to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free copy for review
✩⛏️⚗️Review:
A gripping, slow burn romantasy that won’t let you come up for air.
“A Forbidden Alchemy” follows Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson after they uncover a world-changing secret and are thrust into a violent class war, navigating love, loss, and devastating betrayals.
McEwan draws inspiration from “Peaky Blinders” and “Six of Crows” to create a version of our world that has been transformed by elemental magic. From page one, I was hooked by the high stakes atmosphere built up by the dangerous secret Nina and Patrick are made to bear—that the siphoning ceremonies are fixed to ensure that high society families remain the only class with magic—and the war waged by Craftsmen when the truth comes to light. I read each page with bated breath as I navigated McEwan’s plot twists and her characters’ devastating betrayals.
The romantic elements in “A Forbidden Alchemy” are what make this story so magical! I loved alternating between Nina and Patrick’s perspectives across the span of several years, because it allowed me to gauge how their motivations change over time and connect with them on a deeper level. Their development from friends to enemies to lovers despite the conflict that separates them is paced well and deeply emotional. Just as everything begins to fall into place, however, it all falls apart…and that catastrophic cliffhanger is a doozy. Readers will have no choice but to pick up book 2! Stacey, that ending destroyed me and I need you to make it better asap!
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