This felt fresh and uniquely crafted! God, do I ever low a slow burn and this book delivered. I think sometimes the romantasy books can begin to blend together, but I enjoyed this one as a standout in the genre. I will be looking out for more from Stacey McEwan!

A Forbidden Alchemy gave me everything I was hoping for. It gave me Romantasy and Historical Fiction vibes meshed into one, with a morally grey MMC. The characters were richly developed and I loved and hated some for their own various reasons. What I enjoy about Stacey's love stories is that she gives the FMC what they need in their MMC. In life, we tend to have seasons of love. And Stacey gave Nina the loves she needed at different points in her life.

This book will throw your heart and your mind through the ringer. There were so many twists and betrayals. Do. Not. Trust. Anyone.

As a fan of Stacey McEwan and Peaky Blinders, I was honored and excited to be approved for this e-ARC. I absolutely loved it. I can't wait for more readers to fall in love Nina and Patrick's story like I did.

Ughhhhhh... This book just ruined me 😫😫 five stars, no notes.

A Forbidden Alchemy releases this July and trust me when I say, you wanna read this!

It's a romantasy with epic Peaky Blinders vibes, a unique magic system, rebellion and class war, so much banter and yearning, topped off with crazy twists and turns. That cliffhanger devastated me in the best possible way and I'll now be sitting in a corner, staring off onto the distance, as I await the next book...

Listen, you may think you’re ready for this one but you will not be. The main cast of characters is fantastic, well-written, and well-developed. The side characters sometimes steal the show, building up a found family for our FMC, Nina. This is certainly one of my favorites this year in terms of characters.

But wait there’s more. The MAGIC system is fun and the way that it is set up to benefit the rich and powerful is wiiiiiild. Think essentially how everything is rigged for The Capitol and Districts 1 and 2 in The Hunger Games. I know it is not the point of this story, but I honestly would love a novella of Nina’s time at the magical academy.

The banter between Nina and Patrick is fantastic! I love how much their relationship grew over the book. There are so many spoilers I would love to discuss but cannot. Because there are some phenomenal twists and turns that will break your heart. I need book 2 like yesterday because I have already been sitting on this cliffhanger for too long.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @sagapressbooks for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for the gifted arc!! I absolutely loved this book. It was such a breath of fresh air in the romantasy genre, utilizing alchemy in a peaky blinders-esque setting. It was incredibly well-written and full of twists and turns that had me hooked from the first page.
The romance in this wasn’t a slow burn, but it was done incredibly well. I loved that we got to see Patrick and Nina meeting as children, along with snippets of Nina’s time at the artisan school. When they meet again 13 years later, their circumstances are vastly different, but that connection is still there, and their chemistry is palpable.
I absolutely love the side characters and the found family in this. Specifically Donny, who must be protected at all costs. I was pleasantly surprised by the actions of a certain character towards the end, but I’m not saying who to keep this from being spoilery.
The world in this was super unique, and very much had the feel of a kind of Industrial Revolution era. The concept of artisans and crafters is really interesting, with powers being awakened by an alchemical substance.
I actually hate that this is an arc because it means that I’ll have to wait even longer for book 2–that ending was RUDE!!! In the meantime, I think I’ll go read Stacey McEwan’s other books

I loved this book so much! I couldn't put it down and was just enthralled. I loved the layering of the story and the character development. I think this story needs to be experienced so I will not provide a summery. Just know that this was excellent writing, excellent world building, and a wonderful story that is going to now make me practice patience because now I have to wait for the next one...Thank you netgalley for the arc!

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: July 01, 2025
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

GIVE ME MORE! This was so good. Slow burn, fated, war, love, loss and betrayal..SO NO MORE. The way dove head first into this book. The way this book gave me whiplash and took me on the ride of my life haha! This has lots of twists and turns for you if that is your thing. Our main characters are well written, story line & plot keep you submerged in the world and the ending. will have your jaw dropped. This is a must read my friends, a must read!!!

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Multiple POV, Tension, Slow Burn, Secrets, Magic, Wars, Betrayal, Twists For Days

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Saga Press | S&S/Saga Press

What is the saying? Ate. And left no crumbs? Because that’s what happened here. What a well written, emotional, captivating, roller coaster of a ride that was! I can’t even write an adequate review I’m so speechless at the cliffhanger. I’ll be processing my feelings on this one for a while and ultimately screaming at everyone to go read it!

A Forbidden Alchemy, by Stacey McEwan, is a sci-fi romance that will leave you wanting more.  It started quite slowly for me, but when it picked up, oh what a ride. The banter between the characters was a plus, and the twists kept coming and pulling me through the book until I was disappointed that it came to an end. When you first start this one, don't be disheartened and give up.  The last half is worth the wait.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC ebook that I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

This is the first book I've read by Stacey McEwan, despite following her on social media for years. The world building was really good and I liked the magic system. The Peaky Blinders vibes were on point! The pacing did seem a little fast at times, but didn't distract from the story. I'm excited for the second book!

This was good and entertaining. I wanted to like it more but found myself bored here and there. I loved all the twists and turns throughout, however, I felt like a lot could've been left out.
The magic and worldbuilding was great, and will probably continue the series.

This book is enthralling; once I made it halfway through I couldn’t put it down. The ending has me quite depraved. What the helly?!?!???


I can’t take it.

These pages are written with humor and heart. A story so enjoyable that it breaks me to see it end. I am ill, all I want is love. I hope they are redeemed.

Patrick represents my ideal man. I can only hope my boyfriend thinks of me in the same way he thinks of Nina.

Thanks to NetGalley fur this ARC. Already, I am desperate for the next one.

Wow. Just wow. I can't get over how much I enjoyed this. I thought the beginning was pretty anticlimactic, but once things took off, they really took off. I loved it. I loved Patrick and Nina. Their give and take was amazing. I loved the secrets, the mystery, the intrigue. I loved how everything came together only to leave me wanting more. I cannot wait for everyone to enjoy this heart wrenching masterpiece and be stuck waiting for the next one like I am.

Short Summary:

When a war breaks out between the working class and the magic wielders who keep them oppressed, two childhood acquaintances are reunited from opposite sides of the conflict. Everyone has their own agenda, but who will be left standing at the end?

Best Parts:

Magic system
World-building
Character banter

Worst Parts:

Theo & Polly
That ending (shock and impatience for me)

This was my first Stacey McEwan book and while I absolutely love her humor on Instagram, I was wholly unprepared for the way this book gripped my heart.

As someone who married my high school sweetheart, the childhood connection between Nina and Patrick absolutely melted my heart. I loved that when they met again as adults, even though they had boat changed dramatically and found themselves on opposite sides of the war, they could still SEE each other, through all the hurt and baggage and frustration. The brief but impactful day they spent together as kids allowed them to look past all that, in the present, and find common ground to trust each other.

The dual POV was chef’s-kiss PERFECTION, because Patrick belongs in the pantheon of Best MMCs EVER and it would be an absolute tragedy to be robbed of his beautiful, protective, feral thoughts, not only for Nina, but for his brothers and mom as well. Patrick loves, and he loves HARD. It also helps that his brothers’ playful banter (and complete support) were flawless, and I will love Donny Colson until my dying day.

The magic system was really innovative and I enjoyed the way that part of the world was laid out, though I’m still fighting the ingrained reflex to call them “earth-benders” and “fire benders - thank you, Avatar.

The ending left me chucking my kindle in frustration (with a hearty “Oh come ON!” to boot) so I am absolutely invested in this saga and 10/10 recommend it to everyone - because I need to know what happens next so it is now everyone’s problem. 😆

Wow. I enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next one. Nina was never meant to have magic eapecially not a charmer. Years after getting her powers, her world is at war.

There are so many plot twists that this book kept me on my toes. Highly recommend this one.

Thank you so much to the author and NetGalley for this eARC.

Now I am rating it 3stars for now but I will be rereading this book when it releases to give it a second shoot. It does give some steam punk vibes mixed with fantasy. I thought the world and system needed more detail and for it be laid out a bit more for me. I do also believe this book needed to be longer. I wasn’t given enough time to absorb everything. Again this is a me issue.
I will be rereading this book and most likely be looking into the second book after my reread!

All I have to say is WOW. This will easily be one of my favorite reads of the year and one of my favorite arc reads ever. I am utterly blown away by how much I loved this book. Three pages in I was recommending it to everyone I knew.

The writing was absolutely stunning, there are very few times where I have felt so immersed into the story and so vividly can see everything being described. Stacey McEwan could’ve been writing a load of nonsense and I would’ve enjoyed it just for the writing alone.

The dialogue was some of the best I’ve ever read and had me feeling like I was right there with them. The characters were so easy to like and I loved how there was so many secrets, we never truly got to know what anyone was really up to.

One of my favorite parts was all the nicknames used for everyone and the familiarity that made the reader feel like they were a part of the family/friend group. The characters were so goofy and funny but if anyone tried to go up against them, they all became instantly lethal. There was also the sense of impending doom that built the entire book so tensions were always super high waiting for the ball to drop.

I just cannot wait for the next book.

This was such a refreshing fantasy read! It felt comfortable and familiar in all of the best ways while simultaneously maintaining its uniqueness. The twists kept me guessing every few chapters! Our characters had true depth and realistic complexities, showing us readers a plethora of people with different morals and ideals. While I didn't agree with every action taken throughout this story, every decision felt fitting to the person.

I loved getting to watch some of our MC's pasts unfold before the heart of the story takes place. I felt truly connected to our characters and liked that I could get POV's from both Artisans and Crafters. The pacing during the younger years of our MC's lives was a bit slow, but all of the information learned during this point felt necessary to the story. Once the plot develops a bit more, the story really takes off and I could not put this down!

The dialog and world descriptions really stood out to me! Everything felt so real, and I could truly visualize the scenes playing out. I enjoyed all of the banter and communications in this book and felt like I was reading through real conversations. The miscommunications and omissions felt fitting to our characters and true to real life relationships. The chemistry between our MFC and MMC was especially strong! I loved all of the moments shared between these two. Watching the romance develop left me feeling so giddy!

Now for the hardest part of ARC's, that ending absolutely broke me and there is no conclusion on the radar yet! I will be watching the development of this duology(hopefully more?) like a hawk.

ARC provided for an honest review.

This slow burn fantasy romance was so fun to read! The world is fascinating, divided into Craftsmen and Artisans. The power that the Artisans wield is given to them through Idium, an elixir that gives each person a different kind of talent.

We follow Nina and Patrick who meet as preteens as they discover a secret that changes both of their lives. As their paths diverge, they hurry to meet their new destinies. Nina is an artisan and Patrick, a player in the Revolution that is fighting to shift the power structure. As violence and war escalates, the two must find a way to navigate in a world that will use them and want them dead.

I could not stop thinking about all the characters as they come to terms with their own challenges and successes. Found family is quickly becoming one of my favorite plot devices and this author writes it so well. There is a major twist about ⅔ into the book and I was wrecked. I struggled to see how it could all work out the way I hoped it would and now I anxiously await book 2! This one doesn’t even come out until July 25th! Thank you @sagapress for an early arc!

In a world split by power and class, two childhood friends are chosen to train as elite magic wielders in a city that promises them everything. But when they uncover a secret (that magic isn’t earned, it’s given), their paths diverge. One clings to the structure that shaped them, the other joins the rebellion meant to tear it down. Years later, they meet again on opposite sides of a war, forced to reckon with the truth they’ve both carried and the love they never left behind. Caught between duty, desire, and revolution, one decision could shift the future of everything.

This book felt like breathing new air into a genre I thought I had outgrown. It’s one of the most original romantasies I’ve read in years. It was gripping from the first chapter and full of bold, quiet magic that reminds you why you fell in love with stories in the first place.

It’s Peaky Blinders coded, but also Patrick gave me Noah from The Notebook energy in the most unexpected way. Their love is rooted in something real - sacrifice, history, resilience. There’s so much heart in these pages, and even more tension. I kept gasping out loud because nothing unfolded the way I expected.

What made it stand out was how grounded it felt. Patrick is written like a man who has lived, who knows loss, and who respects Nina without needing to overpower her. Every scene they shared felt like it was balancing on the edge of something, ready to unravel.

I couldn’t even write this review right away... I had to process my emotions first. My nervous system was deregulated. (Thank you, Stacey.)

Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for this ARC!