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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Holland St. James believes in magic and fell in love with the Professor's mysterious course on Local Legends and Urban Myths in Los Angeles. While on a date, Holland comes across a sign for The Watchman who tells her that she will die at midnight on Halloween unless she finds an ancient magical object, the Alchemical Heart. Suddenly Holland is presented with two different men who both claim they were sent by her twin sister to protect her from the other man. As Holland is thrust into a world of magic, she must decide who to trust in this fun adult debut from the author of Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart.
Stephanie Garber stuns with a Old Hollywood makes a deal with the devil fantasy full of rich art deco vibes. Known for her young adult fantasy, Garber's adult debut keeps things tame with multiple romantic interests but no steam. The quick fun plot evokes a sense of magical wonder while keeping you guessing who Holland can trust while the Professor's urban legends slowly build the magical story. The only drawback to Alchemy of Secrets was that I had so many unanswered questions, which is one way to ensure readers come back for the sequel.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
♾️⭐️
This was honestly not what I had expected at all given Stephanie’s previous fairytale-esque stories, and I was afraid I wasn’t going to enjoy it as much, but boy was I wrong.
There were parts of it that did bring me back to some of her other stories - some settings remiscent of Caraval, some characters who reminded me of Jacks.
Otherwise, this was completely its own story - and there was certainly no fairytale here.
This story was a mash up between horror and fantasy, definitely giving off spooky vibes (and it takes place on Halloween Eve and Halloween). There was lore and devils and magic and literally not a single character you felt like you could truly trust beside our FMC Holland.
I could not put this down and picked it up any chance I got. I was so enmeshed in this story. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while and will be recommending it to everyone for spooky season reading!
Thank you so much to Flatiron for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This was honestly not what I had expected at all given Stephanie’s previous fairytale-esque stories, and I was afraid I wasn’t going to enjoy it as much, but boy was I wrong.
There were parts of it that did bring me back to some of her other stories - some settings remiscent of Caraval, some characters who reminded me of Jacks.
Otherwise, this was completely its own story - and there was certainly no fairytale here.
This story was a mash up between horror and fantasy, definitely giving off spooky vibes (and it takes place on Halloween Eve and Halloween). There was lore and devils and magic and literally not a single character you felt like you could truly trust beside our FMC Holland.
I could not put this down and picked it up any chance I got. I was so enmeshed in this story. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while and will be recommending it to everyone for spooky season reading!
Thank you so much to Flatiron for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No