𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅.. 👀

📖 A Forbidden Alchemy
🧚🏻‍♀️ Stacey McEwan

Disclaimer : This beautiful book is gonna D3STROY you with the topsy turvey plot twists & the gut wren¢hing ending & you are going to be left STUNNED and unable to function normally for 3-4 business days!
(Based on real life events 🫠)

That being said, let me tell you, this book is the epitome of a PERFECT ROMANTASY with the ULTIMATE TROPES:

💫 Fantasy Romance
📜 Dual POV
💫 Fated Pair
📜 Sizzling Slow Burn
💫 Alll the Banter
📜 Found Family
💫 Unique elemental magic system
📜 Political Intrigue/Class war
💫 Fierce Sassy FMC
📜 Broody Morally Grey New Book BF MMC❤️‍🔥
💫 Betrayals & Plot twists that leave you emotionally unwell
📜 Cliffhanger that's gonna DESTR0Y you!
💫 Guaranteed whiplash!!

I've been a fan of Stacey for a very long time, not just as an author, but as the most amazing person! And this masterpiece just made me love her more!!

This book had me in a chokehold from page 1 !!
Easily the fastest 500 pages I've ever read!
I just couldn't stop turning pages💫

The pacing is absolute perfection with a plot to obsess over! The story is truly spectacular with a wonderful world building & characters you can't help but fall in love with🥰

Nina is a remarkable FMC with a beautiful character development. I love that we get to see her grow right from her childhood💜

The MMC , Patrick Colson is utter & absolute PERFECTION, there's just no other sane way to describe him !! I LOVE HIM and will not tolerate a word against him 😤 He's my grumpy morally grey cutie boo who is too good for this world & hence he's in the fictional world instead 😭

Gosh I absolutely adored their banter. And the Romance.. oh my MY.. sizzling swoon worthy slow burn❤️‍🔥

Andd the ending!! Its is gonna keep you awake at nights thinking what in gods name actually happened!!

I think I can talk about how much I loved this book endlessly ! So lemme just say that if you love Romantasy, you NEED TO READ THIS ONE!

Thank you so much @staceymcewanbooks and netgalley for this beautiful eARC 🥹


P.S. I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars 💜✨💜✨💜✨💜✨💜

Historical Dystopian Fantasy
Friends to Enemies to Lovers
Class War & Rebellion
Secrets & Betrayal
He Falls First and Harder
Slow Burn

Dual POV
Banter & Tension
Elemental Magic

I love dystopian worlds. For the 3rd one I’ve read this year I love how different they all have been. The world is split between Crafters and Artisans. Crafters are commonly out in the Brink, mining for ore to make Idium. Artisans can be found in Bellavere. Our FMC Nina just wants to be an Artisan and at the age of 12 is more than excited to see if she happens to be one. We meet our MMC Patrick as well, who starts off with a horrible impression... But something strikes him about Nina, he see’s she’s scrawny and takes the chances while they wait for their turn at the siphoning ceremony and pulls her to the National Artisan Building. Sneaking in, Nina hesitantly follows and goes in after Patrick, and once they’ve gone in their world is turned upside down. Secrets start to come to light. Patrick goes one way, and Nina goes the other. Not one day goes by though that she doesn’t think about that 12 year old boy. Follow Nina through her journey along with Patrick. Will they come back together? What did they learn and how will it affect their world? This book was really good, and I need more. I love the acknowledgement the author gives to Peaky Blinders and Six of Crows. The world definitely has the vibe for it. If you love Dystopian romances, then this is going to be a book I recommend!!

I can’t even tell you how hooked I was on this book. Something different but not completely out of my element.
Slow burn? ✔️
Bad boy? ✔️
Does he get the girl? Read to find out 😝
Baddie FMC? Hell yea
Giving peaky blinder vibes? ✔️
The twist was twisting for me but I had a feeling and you know what I was correct. Read to find out what I mean ☺️

I am so grateful to Saga Press and Simon Audio for my advanced reader copies. I started with the paperback but switched to the audio where I was put under a spell by Billie Fulford-Brown & Joshua Riley. Told in dual point of view the narrators cadence and accents were lovely.

I was transported to the world on the edge of civil war, with a magical school that hides a secret that will break the world apart. A Forbidden Alchemy weaves a world with an eloquent prose. The writing was beautiful, however I felt the pacing was quite slow. While marketed as a romantasy I would classify this more as a fantasy with romantic elements. I am torn on how to rate the book without giving spoilers because it had beautiful descriptions but the slower pace left me frustrated. The unique world and magical system hooked me and that ending while a bit predictable was also a large cliffhanger. So mind the cliff as we get ready for the conclusion in book two.

A Forbidden Alchemy was so good! I loved every second of it. The last few romantasy books I've read have left me wanting a bit but not this one. The story was fantastic, the characters were loveable, the magic system was unique, and the YEARNING was out of this world.

Every glance, touch, and overall chemistry between Nina and Patrick was EVERYTHING. I loved them and Patrick is a new book boyfriend. 100%.

"But he shouldn't look at her too closely, or she might recognize the wanting."

If you have been waiting to try romantasy, this would be a great starter one. I CANNOT wait for book 2!

What to expect:
-Slow burn
-Found family
-Dual POV
-YEARNING
-Class wars
-Elemental magic
-Rebellion

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review! And thank you Saga Press for this gifted physical ARC. #sagasayscrew

I went into this book COMPLETELY blind and woah guys. WOAH. It's been SO long since I found a fantasy book that was so easy to follow?! You know the usual, "wtf is even going on" moment in the fantasy book set ups? Stacey McEwan somehow completely eliminated that hurdle in fantasy books and by the time I checked my progress I was already 15% deep in the book. I loved the world building and was sucked into the writing so easily. I can see myself recommending this book to people who are interested in diving into the romantasy genre!

Okay now for the plot! This book had such a great plot progression, I never felt the story stagnate and I was locked in the entire time. It was easy, but very engaging and I honestly had no complaints! The characters were great as well. I mean PATRICK? What a man. Honestly the romance felt a little forced at the beginning, but it definitely became YEARNTOWN by the mid of the book which saved it for me. I haven't read Stacey McEwan's previous series, but I loved her writing in this so much that I am interested in checking out her other series as well. The cliffhanger was unreal and now potential plot development will be living in my head rent free for this book.

Thank you so much to Saga Press for the early readers copy of this book! You guys are the best!

Wow! I knew to expect something unique and engaging from McEwan, but this was a wild ride, start to finish. Pat is a beautiful anti-hero and Nina brings complexity from having existed in the two opposing worlds of crafters and artisans. The twists were twisting and I am chomping at the bit to read book 2, and this one hasn't even officially released yet!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted eARC. My opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Fated pair are thrust into a class war when they discover the secret behind the division. Swipe to read the full synopsis.

Read this for:
- class warfare
- slow burn
- secrets and lies
- name of the game is survival
- magic
- found family

My thoughts: I spent much of this book constantly thinking that I’ve read this before, but being deeply invested in Nina and Patrick’s stories. It really is a slow burn that is satisfying when it reaches a conclusion that still involves secrets and lies, or just omissions of answers to asked questions.

Recommend for those who love a good slow burn and love enemies to lovers to enemies.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This incredible book comes out tomorrow, July 1st, and I could not recommend it more!

I loved this book. I finished A Forbidden Alchemy a couple of weeks ago and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. I cannot wait for the next book to come out!

This story had such a different vibe from everything else out right now. It gave me Hunger Games energy with the Capitol vs. outer districts dynamic, mixed with Peaky Blinders. The magic system is so interesting: when you turn 12, you’re tested to see if you have magic. If you do, you become an “Artisan” and get to stay in the capital and attend the Artisan Academy. If not, you’re a “Craftsman” and sent back to your district town, basically doomed to the mines. It’s brutal and fascinating.

The book is told in dual POV, following a girl and a boy who had very different experiences after their testing at age 12. We follow them as they grow up and eventually come back together. As adults, a rebellion rises among the Craftsmen, and the FMC must decide whether to stay loyal to the Artisans who gave her her magic or choose the side of the MMC, the boy she once knew.

I was hooked on both of their stories the entire time. The found family trope in this book was giving. I loved every character and how deeply their relationships mattered. And I am obsessed with the MMC. He is so grumpy and I love it.

This book was SO GOOD and you should definitely read it. I already know I’ll be first in line for the sequel.

In this world, Stacey has invented in A Forbidden Alchemy, in many ways, reminds me of steampunk; we have a caste society. There are Artisans who get to use magic and craftsmen who mine the precious element that bestows magic on "chosen" individuals. Supposedly, Artisans are chosen by the goddess randomly, and her element selects the ones who are to be Artisans. There, our story begins. From there, we discover how Nina and Patrick meet, and that meeting sets a course for them that will bring them back into each other's lives just a few years later. This was an exciting novel of betrayal, a fantastic magic system, a real hate-inducing bad guy, and more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at. Needless to say, Stacey left me cursing her with her cliffhanger. But I should expect no less from this author. What better way to keep me dangling until the next book? Nina and Patrick make an interesting couple, but they have issues. Let's not forget the romance; there was real longing between these two, and I enjoyed their relationship; however, as I said, issues. Let's see what happens!

Thank you, NetGalley and Saga Press, for the eArc. These opinions are mine.

He heard her laughter, and he thought its sound could end a war.

Okay. Deep breath.
I finished A Forbidden Alchemy weeks ago and I still think about it almost every single day. It's not just the best book I've read this year—it might be one of my favorite books ever. Stacey McEwan owns me now, and I'm not even mad about it.

The book starts with two twelve-year-olds—Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson—being whisked away from their crumbling, working-class towns to the elite, shining city of Belavere to see if they're "special" enough to become Artisans, the city's magical upper class. But what they find out is... not what they expected. "Artisans aren't born, they're chosen." And chosen how, exactly? Let's just say it's not by talent alone. That truth shatters everything between them.

Fast-forward a few years and Nina and Patrick are on opposite sides of a class war. Nina is now one of Belavere's elite, with a rare magical ability to charm the earth itself. Patrick is leading the rebellion. And when their paths cross again, it is electrifying.

The tension between them is immaculate, and the banter is devastating in the best way. I can't stress this enough: the BANTER. The moments between them. It just ruined me.

"Hello, Miss Clarke," he said in that same drawn, as though every word dragged from his lips was one too many. He studied me openly, his eyes gliding over my feet, legs, waist, chest, neck, and then, finally, his eyes found mine.
Prismatic blue.
A shock bolted through me.
"I've been lookin' for you," he said.

Patrick Colson is peak Tommy Shelby energy. He's quiet, sharp, infuriating, gentle when you least expect it, and completely undone by Nina.

"I never had a hope in the world of forgetting you, Scurry girl."

That man opened his mouth and I fell in love. His attention to Nina is so intense, it's almost unbearable at times. The way he sees her, how he never really stopped seeing her... I swooned. I screamed. I annotated the heck out of my copy and will treasure it forever.

Nina is just as compelling—smart, wounded, angry, brave. She's been through hell and refuses to go back to who she once was. I love her grit, her guilt, her softness buried under armor.

How I hated the quiet. The solitude. Seven years, and it clung to me still. I wanted volume and laughter and the tinkling of many voices talking at once. I wanted meals in the company of others whose elbows rested alongside mine. I wanted to reclaim familiarity with someone who knew who I was. I wanted and wanted and wanted but had learned to ignore it.

She doesn't let anyone tell her who she is, and when people try, she remembers:

I was young.
I was not the weapon they thought me.

And Donny—Patrick's brother—he's such a fun addition. He brings levity and warmth and made me laugh more than once. Honestly, all of McEwan's characters feel real and alive. Even the background ones.

But it's McEwan's writing that makes this book magic. She's subtle and sharp and somehow manages to break your heart and stitch it back together in the span of a few lines.

He looked at me, tormented, a card house quickly folding. And I couldn't say why I pushed him, or why I felt suddenly starved. In truth, I wasn't thinking at all. I only felt, and whatever it was, I was sure he felt it, too.
So when he crowded me against the door I was already expecting it, and I hardly moved, hardly breathed. His hands slipped over my waist and around my back, and his voice ghosted over my lips. "I'll wake tomorrow, and you'll have been somethin' I imagined, I'm sure of it." And then his lips pressed to mine. Briefly, softly, and so heart-wrenchingly gentle.

It's the gentleness that wrecks you. It's never overwrought. McEwan doesn't have to scream—she whispers, and it guts you even more.

The second half of the book is filled with twists. And there are moments so intense, especially towards the end, I had to physically stop reading because my heart was racing and I wasn't ready. That ending—Jesus. I knew it was going to hurt, and I still wasn't prepared. I dreaded every page, knowing what was coming, and yet I couldn't stop.

How many moments had he imagined her in his hands? A hundred? A thousand? Could she feel the core of him rearing, clawing her into its recess?
What will I do, he thought, if she claws her way out?

McEwan burns everything to the ground, and somehow, you still thank her for it. When I finished, I just sat there, blinking at the last page, thinking "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

So yeah. I'm obsessed. I don't even have it in me to be chill about this book. Read it. Let it destroy you. Let it ruin all other slow burns for a while. I'll just be over here thinking about how every woman wants a man to think of her like this:

He was nearing insanity. Lord, but being near her was a descent into madness.

This was such a fun Romantasy, and I really loved the vibes of it. Gaslamp fantasy is one of my favorite subgenres and this really delivered those grungy 20s vibes with the addition of magic.

I liked how the story was told, starting by flashing through the FMCs childhood before getting caught up to the present day for the main story. I think it was important to be able to see what her life was like and why she is the way that she is.

The tension between the two leads really worked for me, I loved their banter and how their relationship and trust developed. I thought they were both really interesting characters.

I enjoyed getting to know this world, the twists and turns that took place, and the developing war. I can’t wait to see more.

Thanks to Saga for the copy.

I still haven’t been able to pick my jaw off the floor! I couldn’t put this book down it was so fun! What I really liked was the discussion on unions and community especially considering what’s happening politically in the world.

In this book we meet Nina Harrow and Patrick who 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. 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. 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.

Being a lover of Peaky Blinders I think the book did a great job in giving that vibe especially with Patrick’s character and family. I really enjoyed the romance aspect of the book the forbidden love, love triangle aspect was really juicy!

There were some minor things that I had issue with like some of the characters motivations, POV switch (1st to 3rd) and world building but it didn’t take away my enjoyment of the story.

I will be (not so) patiently waiting for the second book!

This was my firs5 read by Stacy McEwan but it definitely won’t be my last. I loved the writing, pacing , and the characters. The emotions were very high in this story.

This is the first book in a duology and it definitely captured all of my attention. I enjoyed the pacing and the overall way the plot twists were introduced throughout the story. I personally did not see every plot twist coming and I liked that it wasn't completely predictable for me.( most books are)

After meeting as children and discovering a massive government secret, Nina and Patrick are separated by class and circumstance. Thrusted together as adults on opposite sides of a conflict Nina must decide who she's loyal to and how far she's willing to go for love and her ideals. By the end I was completely distraught and in tears. I need book 2 now please.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Stacy McEwan for this ARC

I feel like when Stacey McEwan was writing this book, she questioned herself on how many plot twists would be sufficient, and decided the limit does not exist because Holy Plot Twists Batman! there are so many my head exploded. Particularly toward the end of the book. The biggest twist to me was realizing this is not in fact a standalone, for half of the book I was under the impression it would be, but things just kept getting more and more complicated.

This book is described as being a Peaky Blinders meets Panem world and that could not be more accurate. We start this story with two characters Nina and Patrick who are from the "brink", these are the outliers or poorer towns. They have been brought to the main city at the age of 12 to be tested on if they are an artisan (who have magic) or if they are craftsman and to be sent back home. Nina is desperate to be an artisan and get away from her small town, while Patrick desires nothing more than to go home to his family. While these two come together by Patrick "annoying" her into friendship they go on a small adventure to discover a secret that would change...well.. Everything. What comes next for two kids who have just discovered the biggest secret? well. Patrick uses it to go home, and Nina decides to change her fate and stay.

We lose track of Patrick while we follow Nina briefly through her time at the Artisan school, developing her abilities till, with a Boom, our story takes off. Nina and Patrick are thrown together in one of the most, to Nina, surprising turns of events ever. She has been on the run for 7 years until the rebels have captured her. Who does she discover is the one in charge? The boy she met when she was 12 that she could never forget. All the secrets are starting to unravel, and honestly, even with the end of the book I have no clue who to trust.

From the hidden identity, to the love triangle, the BETRAYAL'S, the painful yearning of love, of hope that it's real, the spice, again the MAJOR PLOT TWISTS, to the magic system and the world building. The revolution that's right on the brink of explosion. Stacey has created a captivating book that will keep you on the edge of your seat feeling the tipping point going to hit at any moment.

The ending, the ending will have you screaming at the book and begging for more pages to appear.

Thank you so much to Saga Press, NetGalley and Stacey McEwan for the chance to ARC read this book. I will be begging for the chance to do the same with the second book whenever it comes.

"A Forbidden Alchemy" by Stacey McEwan (out 1 July 2025). Thanks Saga Press for the copy, though I seem to have found a cliff instead of more words to read.

So the government has rigged magic so only the rich get it. Gives them an easy way to control the work force. But some meddling kids found out and one took advantage. Nina, can now move the very earth and has been trained to use this gift for years. At least until class war breaks out due to the secret being exposed. And wouldn't you guess who happens to be involved in leading that movement?

Reasons to read:
-Class warfare against a scummy antagonist and system
-Chemistry between the mcs
-Big Peaky Blinders vibes
-Using magic to get good plumbing
-A dog with good timing
-Glad not a single spoiler has reached my eyes, hats off to the fans for that

Cons:
-She can't keep getting away with this

This book got better and better with each chapter! Every dream I’ve had this week has been about these characters and this world. Do I still have questions about the magic system? Yes. Do I care about those details after THAT ENDING!? No. Patrick Colson, the MAN that you are *swoon*

This is a slow slow SLOW burn that really takes you back to the very origins of the characters meeting, then follows through their development as people and within the framework of Belavere.

Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are children from not so different circumstances who meet during the annual testing of children for magic. Neither come from Artisan families, and Patrick is more than happy to check the test off of his to-do list and return home to his family of crafters. Nina, however, has always yearned for more. When they uncover the devastating truth: thatArtisans aren’t born, they’re chosen. They must instantly choose to remain silent or face dire consequences, possibly even death.

From that beginning, Nina and Patrick’s lives diverge. Nina trains as an elite Artisan, while Patrick heads a rebel group fighting against the system of oppression. Nina's time at school is fascinating, showing the subtleties of privilege and class within the system in a school that should already been filled purely with the elite. The magic is really interesting, and I loved watching Patrick stay strong to his values while Nina struggles to figure out whether she should do what's right, or what's right for her.

Characters:5/5
Story/Plot: 4/5
Writing: 5/5

Having read Stacey McEwan’s other series, I can confidently say that she has grown so much as a writer.

A Forbidden Alchemy is a well crafted new world where Craftsman and Artisans are at war over Idium, a resource that can awaken magic of various types in individuals. The world building was simple yet effective and left me wanting more. There is a guns, booze, and coal element to this, akin to Peaky Blinders that added a bit of grit to the atmosphere, that I just ate up. I never had trouble picturing the surroundings, nor did I feel bogged down in descriptions.

Plot wise it was twisty throughout and kept me turning pages as fast as possible to see what the characters would do next. I was a little sad that we didn’t get to see more of Nina’s time in school. We do get a few flashbacks, but I really wanted to spend more time in that chapter of her life.

The characters in this were outstanding. Most, if not all, were morally grey and I was left as conflicted as Nina on which side to support. Nina is a really strong FMC, but also has room for soft intimacy despite all the horrors she has endured. Patrick is a more brutal product of his upbringing, but through Nina starts to soften ever so slightly. The development between the two was fantastic and a nice slow burn.

I absolutely cannot wait for the 2nd book in this series!!


Thank you to Sage Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you Stacey McEwan (except not thank you and you know why), Saga Press, and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The banter was great. The story was captivating. I was hooked. The slow burn sloooooowly burned then burnout out 😭. I enjoyed the family of brothers and their protective mom. There were parts of the story I felt needed to be explained or flushed out better like <spoiler why would Aunt Francis lie or take her in. </spoiler>. I enjoyed most of the characters. I think the evil Lord could have been more evil. It's a story of haves vs have nots. I enjoyed the book overall and looking forward to book two. I hope I don't have to wait too long!j