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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
I absolutely devoured this story. Even when it was predictable, it was so fun and enjoyable and immersive that I didn’t care. Can’t wait for the sequel.
Eh it was just ok. I was pretty bored with it and didn’t realize it would be a duology. It reminded me of season 1 peaky blinders except with a magic element. The thick northern accents on the audiobook and the socially just gangster Thomas Shelby being Patrick and Nina being Grace (a “double agent”). Aunt Polly reminded me of Patrick’s mom too.
Okay, well. I’m ruined now. Thanks so much. Emotional damage has been swiftly delivered, and what remains of me is a husk staring into the middle distance.
This book was such an unexpected gut punch of a surprise. The set, the setting, the tone — all of it felt like a breath of fresh, coal-dusted air. It’s giving Peaky Blinders’ criminal underworld meets the political gamesmanship of The Hunger Games meets the grit and longing of a Northern mining town straight out of Billy Elliot… except with MAGIC, you guys. And ROMANCE. A romance so raw, so inevitable, so truly earned it cracked me clean in half and left the pieces on the floor.
Stacey McEwan is a full-blown artist. Her prose is accessible yet elegant, poetic but devastating in its simplicity. Every character here feels alive and jagged-edged in the best way — real, flawed people making messy, desperate choices to save their families, their mission, their entire philosophy of life. The good blur into bad, the bad into good, and every betrayal or salvation feels earned. Even the places breathe — the streets, the mines, the pubs all sketched so vividly I swear I could smell the coal and hear the low roar of voices through the fog. It’s an absolute masterclass.
And then there’s that ending. That ending. Fuck. What are any of us supposed to do with that? A piece of me is still sitting on that last page like a ghost, holding my place until the next book arrives to stitch me back together. I am wrecked. I am grateful. I am completely, irreparably in love.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The twists and turns!! I am still reeling 😵💫😵
Loveable characters:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The entire time I was reading A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY by Stacey McEwan, the song Red Right Hand by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds kept playing in the back of my mind. It wasn't until after I finished it and read some marketing for it that I discovered why I could not get the song out of my head. My mind recognized the story's similarities to Peaky Blinders, a connection that Ms. McEwan deliberately intended. I happen to think Peaky Blinders is one of the best TV shows of all time, so it should come as no surprise that I adored A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY and want the sequel now.
There is a lot to love about A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY, and it isn't just with Patrick's similarities to Tommy Shelby. The story itself is addictive. You find yourself reading "just one more chapter" long past your bedtime. The chemistry between Nina and Patrick is fierce, but they've lived lifetimes in the years between their first meeting and their next. The baggage each brings to their relationship heightens the tension. Plus, Ms. McEwan includes multiple plot pivots to prevent her story from slowing down.
What I enjoyed the most about A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY is the lack of royalty. This isn't one kingdom fighting another, or an outsider coming in to take down a corrupt ruler. Instead, it is a story where the have-nots are fighting the haves in an attempt to obtain parity or at least a greater share. Although the country is fictional and occurs in a time that is somewhat akin to the Industrial Revolution, it is a story that is as relevant today as it would have been during the Industrial Revolution itself. If anything, it is even more important as we seem to have forgotten that coming together as one body, whether it is at a protest or via a union, is one of the best ways for those without power to take it back.
On top of that, you have Nina, a main character who is tough but fragile as she fails to recognize the lingering impact of childhood trauma and the misplaced loyalty it engenders. While she is always striving to do the right thing or to be a better person, her flaws prevent her from seeing the correct path. Patrick is a much less complicated character when compared to Nina. His childhood, while still full of suffering, included a family unity and community connection that Nina does not have. Watching Nina attempt to make whole what was torn asunder early in life is a lesson in understanding, self-awareness, honesty, and forgiveness.
The ending of A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY is not quite at a cliffhanger level, but it does leave you wanting more. I wasn't expecting how Ms. McEwan chose to end the first part of her series, but I like what she did and how she did it. Her choices leave a myriad of possibilities for the sequel, any of which would be viable and exciting.
A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY, while channeling a Peaky Blinders aesthetic, is a refreshing change from the dragons/phoenixes/other magical creatures, kingdom vs. kingdom, good magic vs. bad magic that make up a large portion of the fantasy genre today. Nina and Patrick are ordinary. blue-collar kids who stumble upon the country's biggest secret. It is what they individually do with that secret that makes up the rest of the story. Moreover, the magic does not limit itself to a select few special individuals or through bloodlines, another refreshing change. Ms. McEwan's story is a breath of fresh air amid all the dragon and phoenix fire. With a strong plot, fascinating characters, and a story that is not about one's right to rule as much as it is about the allocation of a country's resources, A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY is an inspiring tale that neatly mirrors today's societal woes and its potential salvation. I can't wait to find out what happens next!
There is a lot to love about A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY, and it isn't just with Patrick's similarities to Tommy Shelby. The story itself is addictive. You find yourself reading "just one more chapter" long past your bedtime. The chemistry between Nina and Patrick is fierce, but they've lived lifetimes in the years between their first meeting and their next. The baggage each brings to their relationship heightens the tension. Plus, Ms. McEwan includes multiple plot pivots to prevent her story from slowing down.
What I enjoyed the most about A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY is the lack of royalty. This isn't one kingdom fighting another, or an outsider coming in to take down a corrupt ruler. Instead, it is a story where the have-nots are fighting the haves in an attempt to obtain parity or at least a greater share. Although the country is fictional and occurs in a time that is somewhat akin to the Industrial Revolution, it is a story that is as relevant today as it would have been during the Industrial Revolution itself. If anything, it is even more important as we seem to have forgotten that coming together as one body, whether it is at a protest or via a union, is one of the best ways for those without power to take it back.
On top of that, you have Nina, a main character who is tough but fragile as she fails to recognize the lingering impact of childhood trauma and the misplaced loyalty it engenders. While she is always striving to do the right thing or to be a better person, her flaws prevent her from seeing the correct path. Patrick is a much less complicated character when compared to Nina. His childhood, while still full of suffering, included a family unity and community connection that Nina does not have. Watching Nina attempt to make whole what was torn asunder early in life is a lesson in understanding, self-awareness, honesty, and forgiveness.
The ending of A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY is not quite at a cliffhanger level, but it does leave you wanting more. I wasn't expecting how Ms. McEwan chose to end the first part of her series, but I like what she did and how she did it. Her choices leave a myriad of possibilities for the sequel, any of which would be viable and exciting.
A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY, while channeling a Peaky Blinders aesthetic, is a refreshing change from the dragons/phoenixes/other magical creatures, kingdom vs. kingdom, good magic vs. bad magic that make up a large portion of the fantasy genre today. Nina and Patrick are ordinary. blue-collar kids who stumble upon the country's biggest secret. It is what they individually do with that secret that makes up the rest of the story. Moreover, the magic does not limit itself to a select few special individuals or through bloodlines, another refreshing change. Ms. McEwan's story is a breath of fresh air amid all the dragon and phoenix fire. With a strong plot, fascinating characters, and a story that is not about one's right to rule as much as it is about the allocation of a country's resources, A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY is an inspiring tale that neatly mirrors today's societal woes and its potential salvation. I can't wait to find out what happens next!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
if you like peaky blinders or six of crows, this book is for you.
fuck that was tremendous.
fuck that was tremendous.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My recommendation is to not read this until book 2 comes out. It's very good, but the ending is deeply frustrating.
Also, Nina is annoyingly stupid at times. It would have been so easy to tell Patrick the truth when she told him about her mother being held hostage but she didn't and her reasoning was extremely flimsy. So much of the conflict of this book was stuff that she could very easily have avoided. Never a fan of making the FMC play stupid in order to forward the plot. You could have still gotten to the same place plot wise with Polly being the traitor without Nina being so infuriatingly short sighted. Really hope she gets better in book 2.