Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber – Book Review

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Series: Alchemy of Secrets (Book 1)

Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

Spice: Mild

Summary:

Holland St. James believes that life is full of magic, both big and small. After taking a class on Folklore from an enigmatic professor as an undergrad, she is now a master’s student writing her thesis on a local Los Angeles legend that she believes could be the reason her parents were killed.

When Holland stumbles upon one of the legends from her Folklore class, a man who can tell you when you will die, he throws her world into turmoil when he tells her she will die at midnight tomorrow. The only way she can save herself is by finding the Alchemical Heart, another tall tale that even those who believe in real magic, like Holland, think is a myth.

Now, she’s being drawn further into a magical world she only dreamed existed. But as she rushes to find the Alchemical Heart, she realizes that not everyone is who they seem. She’ll have to learn to trust her instincts and follow the clues her father left her to find the Alchemical Heart and save herself.

Reaction:

Alchemy of Secrets is an adrenaline-filled, fast-paced urban fantasy thriller filled with magic and lies. Only a few chapters in, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to see where the adventure led next. It was so exciting with vibrant characters, hidden magic, and elements of romance.

It was evident early on that this was the type of book that every page is hiding a clue and I loved reading into even the smallest details. Even with looking out for clues, there were still plenty of surprises and the types of epiphanies that make you want to go back and read previous passages to see how the author pulled all the loose story ends together. In this way the book has elements of both a mystery as Holland tries to solve a puzzle, and a thriller since she's solving the puzzle because her own life is at stake.

Set in Los Angeles with a focus on the film industry, any classic film buff would enjoy the backdrops and references in this book. I am not a classic film buff, but I could feel and appreciate the old Hollywood aesthetics throughout the story, which is a testament to the author’s ability to pull the reader in with her descriptions. The way the magic was integrated into the story initially as folklore before becoming a proven entity to the FMC made this version of LA totally believable as well as being important to the plot. I really liked how the author made the magic system very broad with seemingly no limit to the abilities an individual could have, but keeping the rules and entities rather straightforward as it applied to this story. It allowed the magic to enhance rather than distract from the mystery and adventure.

I really enjoyed the dichotomies present in Holland’s character. She seemed to have a side of her that was responsible and felt the need to blend in and have elements of a normal life (get a degree, date a nice guy, have good friends, etc.). Then there was the other side that was obsessed with magic and getting any small piece of information on her parents she could. This combined to make her a very naive character that everyone wanted to protect, and these two sides of her continued to butt heads throughout the story creating a critical internal conflict. That makes her relatable, and a perfect character to follow as the reader is introduced to this magical LA. I also thought all the supporting characters were well developed with unique personalities and backstories that I hope we dive into more in future books.

This book doesn’t have a traditional romance plot, but there are definitely romantic elements all over the place because Holland has (by my counts) 4.5 potential love interests throughout the book. Because Holland has internal conflict, she doesn’t really know what she wants, but she’s attracted to power, which fits with her magical obsession. Her potential romantic partners serve as a major contributing factor to her character development, so they are important to the story even without the traditional storyline. And while I usually balk at so many love interests in a romance book (because that feels unrealistic), in this case I think it serves to emphasize that Holland’s journey is her own and wasn’t materially changed by who she was attracted to, which is a message I can feel satisfied with.

Alchemy of Secrets was a nice breath of fresh air for me after quite a few high fantasy style reads. The scavenger hunt for the Alchemical Heart was engaging and entertaining, and I enjoyed following Holland on her adventure. I’d recommend this book to those who like a relatedly naïve FMC, conspiracy theories coming true, and a little magic with their thriller. There were quite a few questions I still had at the end of the book, so I was pleasantly surprised when I checked out Goodreads and saw an Alchemy of Secrets 2 out there on the author’s profile. I’ll definitely be reading the next book once it’s dropped!