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A review by intention_elle
The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro
4.0
(A Spoiler-Free Review)
Regency. Gothic.Queer. Romance. Fantasy. Mystery. Just a bit of horror. This story has a little something for everyone. We follow Emile - a marquis passing as a servant after running away from his Aunt after she threatened to have him committed for deviance after finding out he's gay. As if keeping his own secrets safe isn't enough, it seems that Emile has a knack for stumbling into other people's secrets as well, putting him in several precarious positions along his journey.
The second I saw that cover I was ready for this love triangle, and it did not disappoint. We have the obvious choice of Bram, who is a doctor by trade and an extremely kind person. He plays a perfect contrast to Henri, the Count of the family Emile works for, and an absolute entitled jerk to start. We do see a lot of improvement as he grows closer to Emile but honestly? It feels too little, too late after all the early red flags.
When there isn't a debate over who Emile likes more at any given moment, there's the matter of mysterious disappearances that are almost certainly murders and a curious illness that overcomes Henri's family once a month overnight.
When Emile learns the truth, will he be able to stay alive long enough to do something about it? And how much are Henri and Bram willing to risk to help him?
There were a few things that kept this from 5 stars for me. This story has a lot going on at times. It was difficult to decide which plot points were truly important to focus on with so many loose ends piling up along the way. I also wish we got a little more of Annette and Blanche - they always seemed to bring a great energy to a scene!!
But overall it was a story I enjoyed losing myself in for a little while and I'm glad I got the chance to pick this one up!
(Thanks to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for my ARC audiobook! All opinions are my own. )
Regency. Gothic.Queer. Romance. Fantasy. Mystery. Just a bit of horror. This story has a little something for everyone. We follow Emile - a marquis passing as a servant after running away from his Aunt after she threatened to have him committed for deviance after finding out he's gay. As if keeping his own secrets safe isn't enough, it seems that Emile has a knack for stumbling into other people's secrets as well, putting him in several precarious positions along his journey.
The second I saw that cover I was ready for this love triangle, and it did not disappoint. We have the obvious choice of Bram, who is a doctor by trade and an extremely kind person. He plays a perfect contrast to Henri, the Count of the family Emile works for, and an absolute entitled jerk to start. We do see a lot of improvement as he grows closer to Emile but honestly? It feels too little, too late after all the early red flags.
When there isn't a debate over who Emile likes more at any given moment, there's the matter of mysterious disappearances that are almost certainly murders and a curious illness that overcomes Henri's family once a month overnight.
When Emile learns the truth, will he be able to stay alive long enough to do something about it? And how much are Henri and Bram willing to risk to help him?
There were a few things that kept this from 5 stars for me. This story has a lot going on at times. It was difficult to decide which plot points were truly important to focus on with so many loose ends piling up along the way. I also wish we got a little more of Annette and Blanche - they always seemed to bring a great energy to a scene!!
But overall it was a story I enjoyed losing myself in for a little while and I'm glad I got the chance to pick this one up!
(Thanks to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for my ARC audiobook! All opinions are my own. )