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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
Thank you to the publisher for the free eARC!
Rating: 5/5 stars
Holland St. James became drawn to the urban myths of Los Angeles when she took a mysterious college class—but when one of those myths comes to life and tells her she has 24 hours to live, she is plunged into a treasure hunt she never expected.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year—academia, the devil, Halloween, Los Angeles, and Old Hollywood vibes???? It’s like this was written especially for me. I am so pleased to report that this book lived up to all my expectations.
Holland was a fantastic MC, and while I would not say the romance was front and center here, I loved all the hints of it and…I won’t say exactly how many love interests but…all of them. The twists and turns of the plot kept me hooked, and I devoured this book in a single day. I can’t recommend it highly enough to all the fantasy and dark academia fans!
Oh, and Stephanie…I’m gonna need a sequel IMMEDIATELY, please and thank you.
CW: Murder/death; blood
Rating: 5/5 stars
Holland St. James became drawn to the urban myths of Los Angeles when she took a mysterious college class—but when one of those myths comes to life and tells her she has 24 hours to live, she is plunged into a treasure hunt she never expected.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year—academia, the devil, Halloween, Los Angeles, and Old Hollywood vibes???? It’s like this was written especially for me. I am so pleased to report that this book lived up to all my expectations.
Holland was a fantastic MC, and while I would not say the romance was front and center here, I loved all the hints of it and…I won’t say exactly how many love interests but…all of them. The twists and turns of the plot kept me hooked, and I devoured this book in a single day. I can’t recommend it highly enough to all the fantasy and dark academia fans!
Oh, and Stephanie…I’m gonna need a sequel IMMEDIATELY, please and thank you.
CW: Murder/death; blood
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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:
No
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It took me a while to get past the third person writing style, but once I did I really enjoyed the book. It was fast paced and interesting and I feel like there’s enough room left for a sequel maybe.
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow. Just wow. This book was romance, magic, mystery, suspense, nostalgia, and creativity all rolled into one. I was rooting for the main character the whole time, and just when I thought the author couldn’t give me another surprise, there was one right there, ready to shock me. I thought the ending needed to be changed…until I realized the main character was whole in herself and didn’t need a guy to be fulfilled. While I would’ve appreciated Holland to be with someone, I can understand why Stephanie Garber concluded her protagonist’s story the way she did, ensuring that Alchemy of Secrets ended with a strong female character, independent of a man. That wasn’t the main purpose of this story, anyway.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot