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Book: “A Forbidden Alchemy” by Stacey McEwan
Publishing Info: S&S/Saga Press, July 2025
Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: 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.
Review: This is the kind of book that has really stuck with me since reading it, both due to the aspects that I very much enjoyed, but also due to some points of frustration that I really can’t let go of!
Let’s start with the things that I enjoyed though. First and foremost, I’m a big fan of this author’s writing style. She’s incredibly “readable,” easily weaving together nuanced worlds, incredible characters, and a smooth style of writing that sucks me in and doesn’t let me go until its several hours later and I realize I haven’t eaten for a while. All of that was true here. I was immediately invested not only in our two main characters when we first meet them as children, but also with the stakes of this world and the building division and conflict between the workers who live out in the countryside and the magical elite who live in their, quite literal at times, ivory towers.
The magic system was fairly straight forward, and the kind of thing where it’s probably best to just take it as it comes. I did have a few questions about how some of this all worked (or how it had been allowed to work this way as smoothly as it had for so long), but I was happy enough with the action of the plot to let these little niggles go.
I think it’s also fair to say that this author knows how to write an excellent romantic arch. I’ve been loving second-chance/childhood friends romances, and this one works so well as it also dips its toes into the tried-and-true enemies-to-lovers trope as well. Yes, there is the barest hint of a love triangle, but as it is set up so obviously weighted in one direction, it didn’t bother me in the way that most love triangles did. I will say, I’m not quite convinced that this other character really served much of a purpose in being in this book past a certain point. Sometimes it felt like he was there just to build angst and push forward the main romantic couple’s interactions.
But when we were focused on this main couple, the swoon-worthy moments hit hard. Both main characters were at their best in the scenes between them, and the tension was built up nicely as they grew to better understand and trust one another. Perhaps if I had my way, I would have held off on them actually getting together until the next book. But hey, I know I’m in the romantasy-readers minority with my strong preference for true slow-burn love stories.
Now, my frustration came with regards to the over use of the miscommunication trope that played out strongly in the last half of this book. The conflict it set up fairly early (though we did run into the problem where we were in the head of Nina for much of this time and it made no sense for one of these “twists” to not be mentioned in her own thoughts), but the way it actually played out was incredibly frustrating. There was one particular scene where Nina pretty much lays it all out there. And then the book (and the characters!) act as if somehow she didn’t just give the entire gig away! There was such an incredibly obvious follow-up question that was just…ignored, for the sake of the plot. And even without asking it, an intelligent person (as the hero is set up to be) could easily make some deductive jumps that would explain the current situation. But nope. None of that happens and when the true conflict hits in the end…Shock! Horror! Betrayal! But…didn’t you guys already know all this basically?? I found it incredibly frustrating.
Overall, however, I enjoyed the main plot points and Nina and Patrick as individual characters and as a couple. While some of the twists towards the end were fairly predictable, I’m still excited to see where the story goes from here! I just may have to skip a few scenes where the characters deal with the stupidity of their own confusion and betrayal here…
Rating 8: A bit frustrating at times with the predictable build up to the ultimate reveal, but the world and characters were still strong and I’m excited for the next book!
Reader’s Advisory:
“A Forbidden Alchemy” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Original Stories . . . a Breath of Fresh Air and Romantasy TBR 2025.
The Library Ladies 