Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by lindsayaries
A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Yeah this is a 5⭐ read.
Plot-wise it might be one of the best reads of 2025 for me. I loved the setting, the stakes, the pacing. All of it. The magical class war/proletariat uprising setting while not overly unique was done incredibly well. I felt connected to the plot pretty much immediately.
I love how we shift around in time. The author doesn't tell you key details until they become relevant, peeling back the layers of the story piece by piece. Chef kiss.
The magic was, again, not extremely unique, but it was done well and really just a vector for a rebellion.
I loved ALL the characters. I felt their voices were so clear. I had no issue balancing the cast in my head.
There are two things I think set this book so far beyond a lot of fantasy romance.
1) the stakes. I felt like the stakes were SO HIGH. The tension was palpable. When the characters were desperate, I was desperate with them. When the characters were panicked, I was too. I was hanging on every word by the end.
2) the prose. Sometimes when I recommend a book and someone says "oh, it's good?" I wonder what makes a good book. Is it the story, the writing, the characters, the setting, what is it? And it's hard to just blanket statement say "yes" at times because you just don't know how to quantify 'good'. But this book is good. The writing was poetic and heart wrenching at the same time. The voices were crystal clear. I was just lost in this book in a way I haven't been in a while.
The cliff is properly hangered at the end though so reader beware, it's not a complete series yet. I'm DYING to know what happens next.
Plot-wise it might be one of the best reads of 2025 for me. I loved the setting, the stakes, the pacing. All of it. The magical class war/proletariat uprising setting while not overly unique was done incredibly well. I felt connected to the plot pretty much immediately.
I love how we shift around in time. The author doesn't tell you key details until they become relevant, peeling back the layers of the story piece by piece. Chef kiss.
The magic was, again, not extremely unique, but it was done well and really just a vector for a rebellion.
I loved ALL the characters. I felt their voices were so clear. I had no issue balancing the cast in my head.
There are two things I think set this book so far beyond a lot of fantasy romance.
1) the stakes. I felt like the stakes were SO HIGH. The tension was palpable. When the characters were desperate, I was desperate with them. When the characters were panicked, I was too. I was hanging on every word by the end.
2) the prose. Sometimes when I recommend a book and someone says "oh, it's good?" I wonder what makes a good book. Is it the story, the writing, the characters, the setting, what is it? And it's hard to just blanket statement say "yes" at times because you just don't know how to quantify 'good'. But this book is good. The writing was poetic and heart wrenching at the same time. The voices were crystal clear. I was just lost in this book in a way I haven't been in a while.
The cliff is properly hangered at the end though so reader beware, it's not a complete series yet. I'm DYING to know what happens next.