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4.49 AVERAGE
4.49 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
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
I may change my rating later but I simply could not put this book down and the story has really stuck with me which is normally an indicator of a 5 star book for me. I did receive an advance reader copy at ALA but all opinions are my own.
This book is one that I would highly recommend checking trigger warnings. In a lot of ways this book make me think of The Handmaids Tale, The First Sister, and The Poppy Wars. The war that is happening in Alchemised is vital to the story- I would consider the book dark fantasy before latching on "romance" as a genre for this title.
I was already pretty deep into the story before learning the origin of how it came to be (Manacled: Draco & Hermione fanfic) and while I can see the shadow of how that came to be, I preferred to enjoy the story without that influence. BUT- to each their own ;)
What I really loved about this book was that the human condition is COMPLEX. At many times I hated every single person in this book and it forced me to recognize the situations they were in and what the choices were...even if they had devastating consequences.
This book is one that I would highly recommend checking trigger warnings. In a lot of ways this book make me think of The Handmaids Tale, The First Sister, and The Poppy Wars. The war that is happening in Alchemised is vital to the story- I would consider the book dark fantasy before latching on "romance" as a genre for this title.
I was already pretty deep into the story before learning the origin of how it came to be (Manacled: Draco & Hermione fanfic) and while I can see the shadow of how that came to be, I preferred to enjoy the story without that influence. BUT- to each their own ;)
What I really loved about this book was that the human condition is COMPLEX. At many times I hated every single person in this book and it forced me to recognize the situations they were in and what the choices were...even if they had devastating consequences.
Pre-read 2024:
So the author posted on her substack about how she's finished the final edits and sent it off to her publisher, and the book came out to a whopping 300+ words longer than Manacled. 1100+ pages. I'm sure they're going to make her take some of the weight out, but I am BEYOND excited for this. Manacled may only be a fanfic but I think about it constantly. It is forever ingrained into my memory. Literally, when I think about Manacled I get war flashbacks and become paralyzed by the need to re-read the fic in chronological order. Cannot wait for fall 2025 for this baby to be in my arms. I don't care if it's 800 or 2000 pages, I will be reading it.
—
01/18/25
We have the cover and she’s so beautiful
So the author posted on her substack about how she's finished the final edits and sent it off to her publisher, and the book came out to a whopping 300+ words longer than Manacled. 1100+ pages. I'm sure they're going to make her take some of the weight out, but I am BEYOND excited for this. Manacled may only be a fanfic but I think about it constantly. It is forever ingrained into my memory. Literally, when I think about Manacled I get war flashbacks and become paralyzed by the need to re-read the fic in chronological order. Cannot wait for fall 2025 for this baby to be in my arms. I don't care if it's 800 or 2000 pages, I will be reading it.
—
01/18/25
We have the cover and she’s so beautiful
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
did i finish this book, or did it finish me?
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher.
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well written; romance was the least interesting part, i see why it should be marketed as dark fantasy rather than romantasy
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
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:
Yes
*Minor spoilers ahead if you read this review*
As someone who devoured Manacled in a week, this was a heavily anticipated read. While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this I also wonder if I would've kept going if I didn't know how good it would get. I like the concept of transferring the HP world of magic into a alchemical sciencency type world and for the most part I did forget I was reading Dramionie fanfic and bought into the world but it took about 500 pg. for me to get there. The lore and explanation of how alchemical concepts worked at the start of the book felt squashed in. It was too much, too fast and hard to follow (even for a seasoned fantasy reader). Despite the amount of content I was provided l still had to muddle through a lot of world building gaps. This is probably my only complaint, that and maybe a rushed ending. I wish we'd had a little more focus on how Kaine adapted to life after the war. It all felt too easy. Still, it's everything you want from a dark romance. Pining, angst, sacrifice, slow burn. I really enjoyed the religious aspect of The Order of The Flame, and the propaganda forced upon the order . It provided a more logical explanation for the protaganist going dark than the fanfic did. I would still recommend the fanfic over the book to anyone who can access it but this is such a close 2nd. A really decent rewrite.
As someone who devoured Manacled in a week, this was a heavily anticipated read. While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this I also wonder if I would've kept going if I didn't know how good it would get. I like the concept of transferring the HP world of magic into a alchemical sciencency type world and for the most part I did forget I was reading Dramionie fanfic and bought into the world but it took about 500 pg. for me to get there. The lore and explanation of how alchemical concepts worked at the start of the book felt squashed in. It was too much, too fast and hard to follow (even for a seasoned fantasy reader). Despite the amount of content I was provided l still had to muddle through a lot of world building gaps. This is probably my only complaint, that and maybe a rushed ending. I wish we'd had a little more focus on how Kaine adapted to life after the war. It all felt too easy. Still, it's everything you want from a dark romance. Pining, angst, sacrifice, slow burn. I really enjoyed the religious aspect of The Order of The Flame, and the propaganda forced upon the order . It provided a more logical explanation for the protaganist going dark than the fanfic did. I would still recommend the fanfic over the book to anyone who can access it but this is such a close 2nd. A really decent rewrite.
This is another Draco/Hermione fanfic called Manacled online. I would love to read the actual story online but I cannot do another 1000 pages right now. I had no idea how long this book was when I requested the ARC. Holy cow! This book is SO dark. There are SO many trigger warnings. Awful things happen they whole 1000 pages so just know that. I was at least hoping for a happy ending and I did get it, but this book is a lot. I was trying to figure out who all of the other characters were as I was reading. Of the three recently published fanfics, I could picture Draco and Hermione the whole time in this one. We start the book as Helena is a prisoner held by Kaine. She has no memory of who she is or why she is there. Kaine must get her memories back. Hermione is the last remaining from the resistance that lost the war and the new regime wants answers. We think we know what happened but then we go back to see how the real story unfolded and it is a doozy. I definitely teared up in places. It is a tough read. I will post my quotes when the book publishes as I do not want to give anything away right now. And now I am off to read something light and fluffy.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes