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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Loved it! A must-own book!
Looking for a heart-wrenching fantasy romance full of secrets, rebellion, and a hero who’ll melt your soul with every word? A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan might just break your heart (and your TBR). Keep reading for my A Forbidden Alchemy book review.
Summary:
Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are twelve years old when they are whisked away from the shadows of their disenfranchised mining towns to dazzling Belavere City to discover their magical potential. Those who pass Belavere’s test will become Artisans, wielders of powerful elemental magic destined to fulfill the city’s grand ambitions. For Nina, the Artisan School symbolizes a dream and an escape from her harsh reality, while Patrick yearns to return to his Craftsman family, whose extraordinary physical strength serves the idium mines keeping the city alive.
And then they uncover a devastating truth: Artisans aren’t born, they’re chosen. They part ways on very different paths, leaving them to carry the burden of this secret alone.
In the years that follow, a Craftsman revolution ignites, thrusting Nina and Patrick into opposing factions of a brewing war. Now an elite Artisan with the very rare talent for charming earth, Nina has turned her back on the fight, haunted by the loss of her found family. But fate intervenes when she is captured by Patrick’s rebel group. Despite the years and conflict that separates them, Patrick hasn’t forgotten Nina. He desperately seeks her help for a mission that could shift the tides against Belavere City. Reluctantly, she agrees, battling the sparks flying between them. But when Nina’s first love reappears, asking her to betray Patrick for the sake of the Artisans, Nina faces an impossible choice that could alter the fate of their world.
📖 What’s Inside:
- 🌎 Elemental magic
- Mining ⛏️
- Dual POV (change in tense)
- ✊ Rebellion
- On-page intimacy 🔴
- Found family
- Explicit language
- 🌈 Inclusive
- Disability rep ♿️
✨ Vibes:
Divergent meets Dance of Thieves.
💭 My Thoughts:
The perspective shifts between POVs can feel unusual—FMC is in first person/past, MMC is in third person/past—but it works. Their dialogue feels so distinct, almost vintage, with an old-fashioned flair that reminded me of the 1920s. The pacing in Act 1 was a little rushed, glossing over her school years and early setup, but I realized later it was intentional to preserve the weight of the secrets everyone’s hiding. And wow, did that pay off.
Patrick? Not your typical MMC. He’s giving full-on Noah Calhoun (The Notebook) with a southern twang that melted me completely. Everything he says and does is pure perfection: a new book boyfriend for the shelves. The worldbuilding is rich, inventive, and cozy. I could picture Kenton Hill so clearly, I wanted to step inside it myself.
Finished the book. Stared off into the middle distance. Researched book 2’s release date. Unknown. Fell into pit of despair. I. Am. Unwell. Read this so you too can carry the burden of this ending.
Should you add A Forbidden Alchemy to your TBR?
Lord, but if you don’t I’ll suffer that ending alone! Please join me in the miserable wait for book 2, I beg of you!
Want more five-star book recommendations? Check out the best books I’ve read so far!
Mining for Hope, Finding Heartbreak
If you can’t tell from my A Forbidden Alchemy book review, this book wrecked me in the best way. Now spill: would you survive that ending or are you crying in the corner with me? Let’s commiserate in the comments!👇
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