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joannarasreads 's review for:
A Forbidden Alchemy
by Stacey McEwan
Wow. This book was so good! It completely pulled me in from start to finish. The worldbuilding is vivid and immersive. I could see everything so clearly in my mind. Stacey McEwan does such a phenomenal job creating a complex, magical world filled with rebellion, betrayal, and secrets.
This story is packed with top-notch banter, tension, and a deliciously slow burn romance. I absolutely love the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Nina and Patrick. Both characters are layered in the best way. Nina is smart and clever and actually shows it on the page, and Patrick is swoon worthy, complex, morally gray, and mysterious.
I also adored the side characters. They aren’t just there for filler. Each character has purpose and adds so much to the story.
One unique aspect of this book is the alternating points of view. Nina’s chapters are told in first person, giving you deep insight into her thoughts and feelings, while Patrick’s chapters are told in third person, adding to his mysterious, morally gray aura. At first the switch between POVs was a little jarring, but I quickly got used to it and found it enhanced the reading experience.
The story begins with Nina and Patrick as children from low-class labor towns. Nina is desperate to leave the life in her small town for a better future and dreams of becoming a magical Artisan, and Patrick wants nothing more than to return to his home. They meet at the ceremony that determines if they have magical abilities, and what they discover there changes everything they thought they knew about their world. Years later, their paths cross again, and the tension between them is absolutely electric.
This book has everything I love:
✨ Morally gray characters
✨ Found family
✨ Rebellion against corrupt power
✨ Magic
✨ Betrayals
✨ Plot twist after plot twist (I did not see them coming!)
I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, and the ending left me devastated but also so excited for the next book.
If you love fantasy with tension-filled slow burn romance, morally gray characters, and twists that keep you guessing, A Forbidden Alchemy is a must-read.
I want to say a huge thank you to Stacey McEwan for DMing me a link to download this book through NetGalley. Stacey is an incredibly kind and generous author and is so engaging with her readers. I’m incredibly grateful.
This story is packed with top-notch banter, tension, and a deliciously slow burn romance. I absolutely love the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Nina and Patrick. Both characters are layered in the best way. Nina is smart and clever and actually shows it on the page, and Patrick is swoon worthy, complex, morally gray, and mysterious.
I also adored the side characters. They aren’t just there for filler. Each character has purpose and adds so much to the story.
One unique aspect of this book is the alternating points of view. Nina’s chapters are told in first person, giving you deep insight into her thoughts and feelings, while Patrick’s chapters are told in third person, adding to his mysterious, morally gray aura. At first the switch between POVs was a little jarring, but I quickly got used to it and found it enhanced the reading experience.
The story begins with Nina and Patrick as children from low-class labor towns. Nina is desperate to leave the life in her small town for a better future and dreams of becoming a magical Artisan, and Patrick wants nothing more than to return to his home. They meet at the ceremony that determines if they have magical abilities, and what they discover there changes everything they thought they knew about their world. Years later, their paths cross again, and the tension between them is absolutely electric.
This book has everything I love:
✨ Morally gray characters
✨ Found family
✨ Rebellion against corrupt power
✨ Magic
✨ Betrayals
✨ Plot twist after plot twist (I did not see them coming!)
I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, and the ending left me devastated but also so excited for the next book.
If you love fantasy with tension-filled slow burn romance, morally gray characters, and twists that keep you guessing, A Forbidden Alchemy is a must-read.
I want to say a huge thank you to Stacey McEwan for DMing me a link to download this book through NetGalley. Stacey is an incredibly kind and generous author and is so engaging with her readers. I’m incredibly grateful.