nobs3685 's review for:

A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan

3.5

slow-paced

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

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“This stunning slow-burn romantasy follows a fated pair who uncover a world-changing secret….”

The synopsis contains some key trigger words to snag attention to the book, and in my case, it worked out for them. However, I was very disappointed.

I was bored. A lot. After 60 pages of the MC being 12, I declared it a sloth-burn romance. Fortunately, it picked up with time jumps. But it took 290 pages to get me slightly interested. 

I cannot classify this as a Romantasy. It is a majority of a political civil war with a splash of magic being the thing fought over. There’s no depth to the magic system or world. There’s no build up to the civil war. There isn’t even a mention of the 2 characters being a “fated pair.” And I honestly don’t care about their romance.

Overall, it’s a decent storyline. I’m slightly intrigued as to how the next book can go, but not enough for a countdown to the next one. So 3.5 stars, with the .5 being due to the pretty Walmart exclusive cover and edges.