A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan

TL;DR: I absolutely ate this up and loved it.
Source: NetGalley – Thank you to the publisher!!

Plot: Two young kids start a revolution and as adults have to pay the price.
Characters: I really liked these two, they weren’t wildly unique in romantasy but I still liked them.
Setting: Peaky Blinders style steampunk fantasy! Yes yes yes.
Fantasy: This was super strong and well built.

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. 

Thoughts:

I devoured this in a sitting. Granted I was trapped in a chair for hours getting a tattooed but I was still completely engrossed. The beginning of this is brilliant as we quickly meet and grow with our primary heroine Nina as she is made an Artisan and grows up holding on to a very dangerous secret. She survives a huge loss, runs away, and struggles through a war only to end up back with Patrick, the only other person who knows the secret and who has used it to start a revolution. Then the REAL story starts.

The steampunk vibe of this is so, so good. If you’re tired of the same kind of romantasy settings then you have got to give this one a try. Nina and Patrick are both very familiar feeling but the setting and the magic is lovely. I truly appreciated how it felt like Stacey McEwan built this world from the magic up, instead of character up. There were so many times that I was shocked and surprised, even having guessed half of what was happening.

This is just a well written and fun book. I really think a lot of readers are going to like this, not just Romantasy fans. Fantasy fans will love the setting and magic and romantasy fans will love the romance. That ending too. COME ON. I don’t know what hurt more, the tattoo I was getting or this cliffhanger!