Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Infinity Alchemist

Fantastic queer cast of main characters: one is transmasc, one is genderfluid, one is pansexual(?). This is a world where those identities are not an issue. The use of alchemy (magic) is 'othered'. The magic was cool in concept and explored a bit more at the beginning when Ramsy was teaching Ash, but then once we got into the action there wasn't a lot of descriptive magic. I felt a lot of the action parts were barely described and were instead glossed over. Was a bit confused what time period this is set and it's not super clear based on context clues. The dialogue reads more YA, but some of the content was definitely more New Adult. There was a lot of potential here, but it ended up being very character focused and the plot was a bit slow moving. I got rather bored by about 50%. The character dynamic between the main 3 were well done especially regarding their poly relationship. I don't know if this is going to be a series or not because it felt semi-conclusive. All the action really happens in the last 10-15% and that felt a bit rushed with how slow the rest of the book moved.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for an advanced copy.

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lprongs's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Thank you to the publisher and Libro.fm for physical and audio ARCs!

This is my first Callender book, but I'm a big fantasy fan. It ended up being pretty strong, but there were a few awkward moments - the beginning felt particularly tropey and immature, and the magic system had some repetitive explanations, but it came into itself as a story by the end. The ending did feel a bit... convenient. There were a lot of deus ex machina moments around the climax, but it was still enjoyable.

The audio production felt clunky, and I'm not sure if that'll change before release (probably not since it releases this week). I could tell pretty easily when different recording sessions were spliced together, often just a single line sounding out of place. And sometimes the tone register felt a bit off. Also not super sure about the main villains having accents when no one else does? Especially the one who has what I think is an Irish accent when this is basically set in Britain. But that's probably not Callender's choice.

It has amazing rep. A good poly enemies to lovers triangle (although it takes them AGES to think of a poly solution), a genderfluid person who literally switches sex basically everytime you see them, a transmasc MC, and everyone (even the villains) are cool with pronouns! It is spicier than expected, but still appropriately YA - just kissing and teasing and fade-to-blacks. Nothing explicit to put this ace reader off. I will say that the spice felt a bit older than the rest of the book, but maybe that's just because I'm ace. The MC sure does fall in love easily though - I definitely rolled my eyes when he immediately felt attraction for the second person for the second time in like two weeks.

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caseythereader's review

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adventurous dark emotional 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

3.75

Thanks to Pride Book Tours for the free copy of this book.

- The world Kacen Callender has built in INFINITY ALCHEMIST is one of the best YA fantasy settings I’ve seen in a long time. It’s complex without being overly complicated, and explores hard topics alongside some really cool visuals.
- This book gets deep into classism, racism and power the way the best fantasy books can: it’s parallel to our world, but not didactic.
- I love how deeply queerness is woven into this book. The main characters are a trans boy and a person who shifts gender and pronouns at will, and it’s done in a way that I can’t imagine the book featuring any other characters. Plus - and I won’t give total spoilers here, but - fans of the love story in IRON WIDOW will also want to check out INFINITY ALCHEMIST.

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bookishmillennial's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

All I knew when I requested this arc (thank you Tor Teen and Netgalley!) was that it was a fantasy and likely teen/young adult, but I did not know that it'd become such a fun romantasy to begin the year! AHHHH!

This is mostly a character-driven novel about Ash, Ramsay, and Callum, while setting up some conflicts for the next book or two. First, we are shown Ash's deepening connection with Ramsay, a skilled alchemy apprentice who finds out that Ash is practicing magic without a license, but offers to help teach Ash if he helps Ramsay find the Book of Source. Ramsay is a gender fluid character (uses she/her and he/him pronouns), and this is tied to the worldbuilding that Kacen built in too, which I found really neat!

Ash is a young trans man (though he does refer to Callum as "the other boy" multiple times, but in my head, they are young/new adults!), and I appreciated the discussions between Ash and others during the intimate encounters about not touching his chest. Ash navigates discomfort and body dysmorphia but is surrounded by partners who deeply care about him and constantly check in with him for consent. The scene where Callum helps Ash with his binder was so very swoon-worthy! The second part of this novel is Ash's introduction to and developing romance with Callum, which is confusing for both of them because Callum is Ramsay's ex from two years ago, and Callum can feel energy/read minds, so it is pretty much my worst nightmare. Meeting my new lover's ex, being attracted to them, AND they know it?! I would simply pass away.

Anyway, the final installment of the novel is with the three of them reunited, and I found it to be the fastest-paced, yet it remained quite tender, cautious and curious between the three. Since we are only given the limited third-person POV of Ash, we don't quite know everything Ramsay and Callum are feeling. We primarily read about Ash's jealousy, care, fear, uncertainty, and compassion. However, Ash drives all of the characters to name their feelings and ask for dialogues about the conflicting emotions they're sifting through. I appreciated the vulnerability and honesty that all three characters display in their exploration of polyamory.

Beyond the romance, each of the characters are working through their own past traumas, including romantic heartbreak, familial obligation and expectations, classism/elitism, and more. I thought these topics were introduced with great care, and of course you don't enjoy seeing characters struggle with these things. However, I really think that's the beauty and magic of books - no matter what world you're in, these topics will come up, and fiction finds a way for us to bring it out of the ether and intentionally ruminate on it, self-reflect, or be in dialogue with others. To me, it's never "just a book" and this is just another beautiful example of that.

Thank you Kacen for a lovely start to a new series!

cw: death, classism, violence, murder, cursing, grief, animal death, bullying, toxic family dynamics/child abuse/emotional abuse

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense 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

4.0

Only an elite few are permitted to study alchemy–and Ash Woods is not one of them. Denied entry into the Lancaster College of Alchemic Science, the only alchemy practice he gets is in secret, in the afterhours of his job as a groundskeeper. At least, until he’s discovered by Ramsay Thorne.

When Ramasy discovers Ash practicing alchemy, Ash is sure he’s in trouble. Instead, Ramsay asks for Ash’s help in finding the Book of Source. Ash agrees, but as they start on their quest, there’s danger lurking around every corner. Soon, Ash finds himself against powerful alchemists–including his father. In order to win, Ash and Ramsay might have to find an unlikely ally in a person from Ramsay’s past.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen for an advanced copy of Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender to review! This is Callender’s first foray into the YA fantasy world, and I’d say it’s a huge success. Honestly, I think Kacen Callender can do no wrong, no matter what genre they write in.

To start: this book has a wide variety of queer identities, and they’re just accepted at face value. Ramsay changes pronouns quite frequently throughout the book, and none of the characters blink an eye. Ash himself is a trans man, and while it’s clear he’s struggled with that before, by the time we meet him, he is fully transitioned. It is nice we’re getting trans-led stories that aren’t just about finding identity.

The magic system in this was also fascinating. It’s sort of energy based, with the ability to go onto different reality planes. There are parallels that can be drawn between their world and ours, especially in the decision of who gets to practice the power and who doesn’t. Of course it’s people with money and status who fit a certain “norm.” It works well as a commentary on our own society.

There’s also a polyamorous relationship by the end of the book, which doesn’t happen a lot in YA. At the moment, it also seems like a standalone fantasy, another rarity! YA fantasy just seems allergic to writing standalone books at the moment.

All in all, if you’re looking for an intricate fantasy featuring a magic school with some fantastic characters, definitely pick this one up when it comes out in February!

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quiteawful's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a fun, somewhat horny, delightful page turner of a young adult fantasy novel! It is a fairly classic turn of events for a fantasy book; I think the characters are the best part of the book.

Each of the main characters was really fun to get to know with Ash, and the magic system was fun. Flawed Queer characters in books like this are so important; I really wish I’d been able to read this as a teenager.

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traeumenvonbuechern's review

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4.0

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