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vshashank666's review against another edition
5.0
The first book was the Hook .
Now this one is the line ...cant wait for the sinker .
The setting is vivid.
the gangs are back .
No "paper " job this time around though .
The daily struggles of a mage in training by day and and a vigilante by night is brought out well .
The secondary characters are nuanced , and deliver .
The 'birds' are killer .
Mr.Maresca , slap on a tattoo , you are a #RoseStreetPrince
Now this one is the line ...cant wait for the sinker .
The setting is vivid.
the gangs are back .
No "paper " job this time around though .
The daily struggles of a mage in training by day and and a vigilante by night is brought out well .
The secondary characters are nuanced , and deliver .
The 'birds' are killer .
Mr.Maresca , slap on a tattoo , you are a #RoseStreetPrince
eastofthesunwestofthemoon's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this entry into the "Thorn" line of Maradaine better than the first. I liked most of the added characters and I feel like the two major protagonists are growing up a little (which they both needed to do). I look forward to reading the third adventure soon.
powder_and_page's review against another edition
4.0
Well, well, well. Mr. Maresca has provided his readers with another dashing adventure in Maradaine and it was GREAT. He has yet to disappoint and I love how he’s writing two series at once, both set in the same city but in totally different atmospheres. I’m waiting for the characters to overlap, even if it’s just a tiny, insignificant interaction. I’m going to shriek and wave the book about in a dangerous looking manner and find someone to fangirl about it to if that moment ever comes.
Once again Veranix Calbert, magic student and masked vigilante, gets in way over his head in his fight to stop the trafficking of the drug known as effitte. This time the trouble makes its way inside of the University’s walls and Veranix is fighting a war on several fronts- the malicious “pranks” happening on campus, the Deadly Bird assassins hired by Fenmere, and encroaching effitte trade. The whole situation is made even messier by the fact that Veranix is trying to pass his exams in the midst of this trouble. The action in The Alchemy of Chaos was paced well considering there was such an abundance of it. Not everything happened in the last 50-100 pages of the book, which seems all too common in books of all genres.
This particular installment gave me these great West Side Story vibes, because we readers get a little more insight into the gangs of Maradaine. The grandstanding and bravado displayed by the members of the Rose Street Princes is super fun to read about. They get such pride out of the fact that the Thorn is on their side and the Princes are probably his biggest cheerleaders because the constables see the Thorn as a troublemaking vigilante that needs to be arrested. Veranix’s cousin Colin, who himself is a Captain in the Rose Street Princes, is trying to help out without Veranix’s identity being discovered and keep himself under the radar of the gang leaders. This really doesn’t work out so well. Veranix’s side of the story is full of excitement and dangerous activities as usual, though his friends Delmin and Kaiana don’t get quite the screen time that I had expected. They’re present when it counts and there’s so much other stuff going on that you really don’t notice, plus two minor characters are introduced that get a significant amount of focus, though I doubt they’ll appear again.
I wasn’t quite as hooked on The Alchemy of Chaos as I was when I read The Thorn of Dentonhill, which is why this installment has earned a 4.0/5.0 from me… HOWEVER, this was still an admirable addition to Maresca’s literary repertoire and I am always so excited for his new releases! Again, I do wish these came in the larger paperbacks or hardcover editions because I do enjoy them so much and like to display my favorite books. If you’re looking for a fun summer (or anytime of the year) read, then I highly recommend this series, ESPECIALLY if you are a fan of Scott Lynch or Patrick Rothfuss’s books. Do yourself a favor and try this series out!
Once again Veranix Calbert, magic student and masked vigilante, gets in way over his head in his fight to stop the trafficking of the drug known as effitte. This time the trouble makes its way inside of the University’s walls and Veranix is fighting a war on several fronts- the malicious “pranks” happening on campus, the Deadly Bird assassins hired by Fenmere, and encroaching effitte trade. The whole situation is made even messier by the fact that Veranix is trying to pass his exams in the midst of this trouble. The action in The Alchemy of Chaos was paced well considering there was such an abundance of it. Not everything happened in the last 50-100 pages of the book, which seems all too common in books of all genres.
This particular installment gave me these great West Side Story vibes, because we readers get a little more insight into the gangs of Maradaine. The grandstanding and bravado displayed by the members of the Rose Street Princes is super fun to read about. They get such pride out of the fact that the Thorn is on their side and the Princes are probably his biggest cheerleaders because the constables see the Thorn as a troublemaking vigilante that needs to be arrested. Veranix’s cousin Colin, who himself is a Captain in the Rose Street Princes, is trying to help out without Veranix’s identity being discovered and keep himself under the radar of the gang leaders. This really doesn’t work out so well. Veranix’s side of the story is full of excitement and dangerous activities as usual, though his friends Delmin and Kaiana don’t get quite the screen time that I had expected. They’re present when it counts and there’s so much other stuff going on that you really don’t notice, plus two minor characters are introduced that get a significant amount of focus, though I doubt they’ll appear again.
I wasn’t quite as hooked on The Alchemy of Chaos as I was when I read The Thorn of Dentonhill, which is why this installment has earned a 4.0/5.0 from me… HOWEVER, this was still an admirable addition to Maresca’s literary repertoire and I am always so excited for his new releases! Again, I do wish these came in the larger paperbacks or hardcover editions because I do enjoy them so much and like to display my favorite books. If you’re looking for a fun summer (or anytime of the year) read, then I highly recommend this series, ESPECIALLY if you are a fan of Scott Lynch or Patrick Rothfuss’s books. Do yourself a favor and try this series out!
lyndiane's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars Good sequel to Thorn of Dentonhill.
I re-read Thorn of Dentonhill as a refresher prior to reading The Alchemy of Chaos and thoroughly enjoyed it again. Unfortunately the sequel suffers from 'patchiness' and some overcrowded scenes in a few places and this tends to detract from the charm of the first story.
That being said, I love this author's writing and I am looking forward to all future works, especially if he continues to hang out with Stina Leicht (another literary genius)
I re-read Thorn of Dentonhill as a refresher prior to reading The Alchemy of Chaos and thoroughly enjoyed it again. Unfortunately the sequel suffers from 'patchiness' and some overcrowded scenes in a few places and this tends to detract from the charm of the first story.
That being said, I love this author's writing and I am looking forward to all future works, especially if he continues to hang out with Stina Leicht (another literary genius)
zannez's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
thush's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the whole, complicated storyline in this book. At times there was a lot going on but it was really interesting the whole way through. Veranix (as expected) makes some brash decisions (Kai as well) but I truly loved, loved Delmin. He was such a sensible creature compared to other gung-ho characters running around. So it was a really good contrast. In addition to adding a great balance to Veranix, it brought humour to these serious situations.
rlaferney's review against another edition
2.0
Alchemy of Chaos by Marshall Ryan Maresca is a somewhat enjoyable installment in the Maradaine world. It continues to carry forward the excitement of magic and gangs we met in The Thorn of Dentonhill and even introduces some deadly female assassins into the mix but I found myself bored by the novels end.
Once again Veranix Calbert, magic student and masked vigilante, gets in way over his head in his fight to stop the trafficking of the drug known as effitte. This time the trouble makes its way inside of the University’s walls and Veranix is fighting a war on several fronts- the malicious “pranks” happening on campus, the Deadly Bird assassins hired by Fenmere, and encroaching effitte trade. The whole situation is made even messier by the fact that Veranix is trying to pass his exams in the midst of this trouble.
How does Veranix deal with these new challenges? Will our masked vigilante pass his exams? Will his secret be discovered? How does he deal with facing flamboyant assassins and a formal collegiate dinner? You’ll just have to read to find out.
This book is full of character growth for our masked vigilante. Veranix is learning to rely (and trust) others to help him. He may have started as a solo vigilante, but taking out Fenmere’s entire effite trade is proving to be more than just a single man operation. Even powerful vigilantes need help sometimes (doesn’t Batman have Robin for a reason after all?). It's nice to see that Veranix has some limitations that prevent him from being completely unbeatable - he’s still a bit too eager for his britches. Without the help of his close friends and allies, the story would have gone much differently.
Alchemy of Chaos is a fast paced and fun book for fans of superheroes/fantasy/crime/academies of magic but the novel on the whole feels a bit pedestrian. And I think the problem is characterization. I just couldn’t relate to any of the characters and the magic system is honestly too simple (while attempting to appear complex) to be intriguing. And despite the danger that Mr. Marseca puts his characters into, you never feel as if they are ever really in any danger. I don't know how else to explain it other than to say that I was not invested in any of them so never had any concerns.
With that being said, there is an audience for this book, and if I were a teenager again, I would love the heck out of this series. But, alas, I think it’s just okay.
I’m not in a rush to pick up the third novel sadly. But if you love superheroes, fantasy, crime, schools of magic and all the trappings that come with it, take a chance of this one.
Once again Veranix Calbert, magic student and masked vigilante, gets in way over his head in his fight to stop the trafficking of the drug known as effitte. This time the trouble makes its way inside of the University’s walls and Veranix is fighting a war on several fronts- the malicious “pranks” happening on campus, the Deadly Bird assassins hired by Fenmere, and encroaching effitte trade. The whole situation is made even messier by the fact that Veranix is trying to pass his exams in the midst of this trouble.
How does Veranix deal with these new challenges? Will our masked vigilante pass his exams? Will his secret be discovered? How does he deal with facing flamboyant assassins and a formal collegiate dinner? You’ll just have to read to find out.
This book is full of character growth for our masked vigilante. Veranix is learning to rely (and trust) others to help him. He may have started as a solo vigilante, but taking out Fenmere’s entire effite trade is proving to be more than just a single man operation. Even powerful vigilantes need help sometimes (doesn’t Batman have Robin for a reason after all?). It's nice to see that Veranix has some limitations that prevent him from being completely unbeatable - he’s still a bit too eager for his britches. Without the help of his close friends and allies, the story would have gone much differently.
Alchemy of Chaos is a fast paced and fun book for fans of superheroes/fantasy/crime/academies of magic but the novel on the whole feels a bit pedestrian. And I think the problem is characterization. I just couldn’t relate to any of the characters and the magic system is honestly too simple (while attempting to appear complex) to be intriguing. And despite the danger that Mr. Marseca puts his characters into, you never feel as if they are ever really in any danger. I don't know how else to explain it other than to say that I was not invested in any of them so never had any concerns.
With that being said, there is an audience for this book, and if I were a teenager again, I would love the heck out of this series. But, alas, I think it’s just okay.
I’m not in a rush to pick up the third novel sadly. But if you love superheroes, fantasy, crime, schools of magic and all the trappings that come with it, take a chance of this one.
depizan's review against another edition
3.0
The main character's power level felt a little less ridiculous here, possibly because it was more of a group effort. Still, literary popcorn.
(I think I liked this one best of this particular trilogy.)
(I think I liked this one best of this particular trilogy.)
thesffreader's review against another edition
3.0
This book was very quick but I didn't like it as much as the first one; it followed the classic superhero/ vigilante "I want to save my city" trope and I watched to many Batman movies and Arrow/Daredevil episodes for this thing to work on me anymore.
The characters were interesting to read about but I didn't especially like the way female protagonist were portayed and so far, I am not interested at all in a Veranix/Kaiana romance because those two have zero connections (if you take away the fact that both of their parents had an effite overdose which is not enough to form a relationship in my opinion).
I don't want to sound overly harsh with this book, it was fun, it was quick, the world is interesting and if you're looking for a fast-paced adventure, you'll probably enjoy it!
I won't do a full review because I don't have much more to say about it and I am already too behind on book reviews!
The characters were interesting to read about but I didn't especially like the way female protagonist were portayed and so far, I am not interested at all in a Veranix/Kaiana romance because those two have zero connections (if you take away the fact that both of their parents had an effite overdose which is not enough to form a relationship in my opinion).
I don't want to sound overly harsh with this book, it was fun, it was quick, the world is interesting and if you're looking for a fast-paced adventure, you'll probably enjoy it!
I won't do a full review because I don't have much more to say about it and I am already too behind on book reviews!