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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
I wish I knew this was a duology before I started because that ending was criminal.
The book was very slow to start. Yet, at the same time, I wish we'd had more time where Nina just got to be with Patrick or Theo, because I feel like we lacked an understanding of the attachment they had with each other. The impact of the story would have felt stronger if we had a better sense of why Patrick yearned for her so much or why Theo kept making the choices he did.
But what bugged me the most was Nina herself. She's supposed to be this clever girl, but every choice she made irritated me. I like mess as much as the next person, but damn.
The book was very slow to start. Yet, at the same time, I wish we'd had more time where Nina just got to be with Patrick or Theo, because I feel like we lacked an understanding of the attachment they had with each other. The impact of the story would have felt stronger if we had a better sense of why Patrick yearned for her so much or why Theo kept making the choices he did.
But what bugged me the most was Nina herself. She's supposed to be this clever girl, but every choice she made irritated me. I like mess as much as the next person, but damn.
Publishing date: 1 July 2025
I think all the nerves I had were spent on this book!
The plot hooked me from the start, and I’m still trying to figure out what it reminds me of other than Peaky Blinders.
I really liked that the story starts when the characters are twelve. I got a little confused with the time jumps, but honestly, I’m glad they were there.
Would this be strangers to friends to lovers? I can’t really call them enemies. They’re enemies by circumstance, not by heart... It’s hard to explain, but I loved that it wasn’t the typical enemies to lovers (though I’ll forever be weak for that trope, haha).
Honestly, I don’t even know how to put my thoughts together after reading it. There’s still a heaviness in my chest, and for some reason, I broke out in a sweat at the end, I was just trying to get through it.
I really enjoyed the character dynamics. Sometimes I wanted to smack them, sometimes I wanted to hug them. Theo is so contradictory that I think I need book two just to make up my mind about him. I adore found family tropes, so watching them all together had me so anxious, I just wanted to keep them safe
I think all the nerves I had were spent on this book!
The plot hooked me from the start, and I’m still trying to figure out what it reminds me of other than Peaky Blinders.
I really liked that the story starts when the characters are twelve. I got a little confused with the time jumps, but honestly, I’m glad they were there.
Would this be strangers to friends to lovers? I can’t really call them enemies. They’re enemies by circumstance, not by heart... It’s hard to explain, but I loved that it wasn’t the typical enemies to lovers (though I’ll forever be weak for that trope, haha).
Honestly, I don’t even know how to put my thoughts together after reading it. There’s still a heaviness in my chest, and for some reason, I broke out in a sweat at the end, I was just trying to get through it.
I really enjoyed the character dynamics. Sometimes I wanted to smack them, sometimes I wanted to hug them. Theo is so contradictory that I think I need book two just to make up my mind about him. I adore found family tropes, so watching them all together had me so anxious, I just wanted to keep them safe
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 3/5 ⭐️
𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓮 2/5🌶️
A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan is a fantasy romance and the first book in a duology. Nina and Patrick are 12 years old when they go to Belavere City to discover if they have magical potential. When they uncover a devastating truth they part ways heading on different paths but carry this secret.
First things first, I listened to the audio of this. I had a hard time understanding the narrators as their accents were very heavy. It also was confusing. There were time jumps and I could remember if I had heard that it was a time jump or if it just happened.
I also had a really hard time getting into the story. Some parts I was like yes and others I was like eh. Felt very underwhelming. I did not want to keep picking it up really at all.
It has really great potential though and I think the ending makes me kind of want to read the next one. I think if I had read the physical book I might have enjoyed it more. Maybe I will try that in a few months!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Yeah this is a 5⭐ read.
Plot-wise it might be one of the best reads of 2025 for me. I loved the setting, the stakes, the pacing. All of it. The magical class war/proletariat uprising setting while not overly unique was done incredibly well. I felt connected to the plot pretty much immediately.
I love how we shift around in time. The author doesn't tell you key details until they become relevant, peeling back the layers of the story piece by piece. Chef kiss.
The magic was, again, not extremely unique, but it was done well and really just a vector for a rebellion.
I loved ALL the characters. I felt their voices were so clear. I had no issue balancing the cast in my head.
There are two things I think set this book so far beyond a lot of fantasy romance.
1) the stakes. I felt like the stakes were SO HIGH. The tension was palpable. When the characters were desperate, I was desperate with them. When the characters were panicked, I was too. I was hanging on every word by the end.
2) the prose. Sometimes when I recommend a book and someone says "oh, it's good?" I wonder what makes a good book. Is it the story, the writing, the characters, the setting, what is it? And it's hard to just blanket statement say "yes" at times because you just don't know how to quantify 'good'. But this book is good. The writing was poetic and heart wrenching at the same time. The voices were crystal clear. I was just lost in this book in a way I haven't been in a while.
The cliff is properly hangered at the end though so reader beware, it's not a complete series yet. I'm DYING to know what happens next.
Plot-wise it might be one of the best reads of 2025 for me. I loved the setting, the stakes, the pacing. All of it. The magical class war/proletariat uprising setting while not overly unique was done incredibly well. I felt connected to the plot pretty much immediately.
I love how we shift around in time. The author doesn't tell you key details until they become relevant, peeling back the layers of the story piece by piece. Chef kiss.
The magic was, again, not extremely unique, but it was done well and really just a vector for a rebellion.
I loved ALL the characters. I felt their voices were so clear. I had no issue balancing the cast in my head.
There are two things I think set this book so far beyond a lot of fantasy romance.
1) the stakes. I felt like the stakes were SO HIGH. The tension was palpable. When the characters were desperate, I was desperate with them. When the characters were panicked, I was too. I was hanging on every word by the end.
2) the prose. Sometimes when I recommend a book and someone says "oh, it's good?" I wonder what makes a good book. Is it the story, the writing, the characters, the setting, what is it? And it's hard to just blanket statement say "yes" at times because you just don't know how to quantify 'good'. But this book is good. The writing was poetic and heart wrenching at the same time. The voices were crystal clear. I was just lost in this book in a way I haven't been in a while.
The cliff is properly hangered at the end though so reader beware, it's not a complete series yet. I'm DYING to know what happens next.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
medium-paced