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A review by mackle13
A Conspiracy of Alchemists by Liesel Schwarz
3.0
Mental note: Just because a book cover reminds you very strongly of one series doesn't mean that the new series will be remotely similar.
*ahem*
So, this book has a lot going on - different kinds of magic, faeries, vampires, missing persons, romance, steampunky gadgets, damsels in distress, overbearing men, intrigue, etc - but none of it felt fully developed. Like, we never get any real detail on the different types of magical systems. We're told that the Light and Shadow balance each other, but also that scientific advancement hurts the magical side - but we're not really told how the balance/interdependence thing works while also, apparently, being divided.
Also, the book will, I think, appeal to those who like larger doses of PNR in their diet. For those who like such things more on the side, I might recommend skipping this. It's one of those books where, despite everything else going on, they can't help but focus on the shape of the other person's fingers, or some such.
For all of that, though, it's a decent enough little story. It kept me engaged enough to be interested, and I never really lamented it.
I did lament the characters a bit, though. Elle is meant to be strong and independent, but comes across more often as petulant and obstinant, almost, but not quite to the point of being TSTL. Of course, part of that went into the shaky world-building. I mean, Elle was "skeptical" and outright dismissive of magic at times - but this is a world where she knows, for a fact, that faeries and vampires exist and has seen magic work.
Marsh is one of those men whose meant to be charming, but often is just overbearing. But, again, it varies. In one chapter he very sensibly explains that Elle isn't the sort of woman who can be forced to do anything and has to come to a decision in her own terms, but, in the next chapter, is doing the very thing he told others not to do.
It was all very inconsistent.
Luckily, though, both of them developed into the people they were described as being in the beginning, and became much less annoying, in general.
Oh, and the surprised twist about the identity of the bad guys was telelgraphed from a mile away. Boo.
I'm sort of on the edge about whether I'll want to continue this series or not. It wasn't bad, really, but it didn't leave a very strong impression, either. For instance, I kept thinking that I had to write a review for something, but couldn't remember what it was I'd read. And then I had to read the blurb to remind me of Marsh's name. So, yeah...
***
One last thing, about world-building, and a bit of nitpicking.
There's one character who is described as being a female fairy trapped in horse form who is dripping with water. She's later in human form, with black hair, and also has the water thing going on. Sounds like a kelpie, right?
Except the book calls her a sylph.
A sylph?
Sylphs are fucking AIR elementals.
Even if you don't want to go kelpie for some reason, at least use undine - a water elemental.
And how, exactly, does a member of the Dryad, whatever that means, turn into an absinthe faery? The way it's used, "one of the Dryad" is almost like "one of the Fae" so, in that sense, I guess I understand... but it's a bit jarring since a dryad is a particular kind of fae.
This goes along with the sort of shoddy world-building in general. If you're going to use creatures from existing myth, you should probably do your research. Or, if you can't be bothered, then make up entirely new names, at least, so as not to just look lazy.
***
The more I think about it, the more I think I'm gonna downgrade this to 2.5.
*ahem*
So, this book has a lot going on - different kinds of magic, faeries, vampires, missing persons, romance, steampunky gadgets, damsels in distress, overbearing men, intrigue, etc - but none of it felt fully developed. Like, we never get any real detail on the different types of magical systems. We're told that the Light and Shadow balance each other, but also that scientific advancement hurts the magical side - but we're not really told how the balance/interdependence thing works while also, apparently, being divided.
Also, the book will, I think, appeal to those who like larger doses of PNR in their diet. For those who like such things more on the side, I might recommend skipping this. It's one of those books where, despite everything else going on, they can't help but focus on the shape of the other person's fingers, or some such.
For all of that, though, it's a decent enough little story. It kept me engaged enough to be interested, and I never really lamented it.
I did lament the characters a bit, though. Elle is meant to be strong and independent, but comes across more often as petulant and obstinant, almost, but not quite to the point of being TSTL. Of course, part of that went into the shaky world-building. I mean, Elle was "skeptical" and outright dismissive of magic at times - but this is a world where she knows, for a fact, that faeries and vampires exist and has seen magic work.
Marsh is one of those men whose meant to be charming, but often is just overbearing. But, again, it varies. In one chapter he very sensibly explains that Elle isn't the sort of woman who can be forced to do anything and has to come to a decision in her own terms, but, in the next chapter, is doing the very thing he told others not to do.
It was all very inconsistent.
Luckily, though, both of them developed into the people they were described as being in the beginning, and became much less annoying, in general.
Oh, and the surprised twist about the identity of the bad guys was telelgraphed from a mile away. Boo.
I'm sort of on the edge about whether I'll want to continue this series or not. It wasn't bad, really, but it didn't leave a very strong impression, either. For instance, I kept thinking that I had to write a review for something, but couldn't remember what it was I'd read. And then I had to read the blurb to remind me of Marsh's name. So, yeah...
***
One last thing, about world-building, and a bit of nitpicking.
There's one character who is described as being a female fairy trapped in horse form who is dripping with water. She's later in human form, with black hair, and also has the water thing going on. Sounds like a kelpie, right?
Except the book calls her a sylph.
A sylph?
Sylphs are fucking AIR elementals.
Even if you don't want to go kelpie for some reason, at least use undine - a water elemental.
And how, exactly, does a member of the Dryad, whatever that means, turn into an absinthe faery? The way it's used, "one of the Dryad" is almost like "one of the Fae" so, in that sense, I guess I understand... but it's a bit jarring since a dryad is a particular kind of fae.
This goes along with the sort of shoddy world-building in general. If you're going to use creatures from existing myth, you should probably do your research. Or, if you can't be bothered, then make up entirely new names, at least, so as not to just look lazy.
***
The more I think about it, the more I think I'm gonna downgrade this to 2.5.