A Ｆｏｒｂｉｄｄｅｎ Ａｌｃｈｅｍｙ．．．
𝖡𝗒 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝖼𝖾𝗒 𝖬𝖼𝖤𝗐𝖺𝗇
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟♾️
𝖱𝖾𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝖾𝗌 𝖩𝗎𝗅𝗒 1, 2025
✨𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖭𝖾𝗍𝖦𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝖱𝖢✨

"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽, 𝓢𝓬𝓾𝓻𝓻𝔂 𝓖𝓲𝓻𝓵?"
{𝖨'𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗅 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝗁𝗈'𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍... 𝖬𝖤! 𝖨 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝗑𝗍 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 RIGHT 𝗇𝗈𝗐}

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

UM it’s safe to say that this book 𝑭𝑰𝑵𝑰𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑫 𝑴𝑬... Stacey, I’m going to need that next book ASAP 😩😭 and I’m sending you my therapy bill!! That ending 😭

Just go ahead and Pre-order this 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 book and you can thank me later🤭 so many great twists and turns, a wonderful 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢 with 𝒷ℯ𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓊𝓁 & 𝓇ℴ𝓂𝒶𝓃𝓉𝒾𝒸 world building and storytelling with a bit of 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 and 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐭 ✨

❣️𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚔 & 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚂𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚕, 𝙽𝚒𝚗𝚊❣️

"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓽𝓻𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓷𝓸 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓝𝓲𝓷𝓪, 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓪 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓵𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓵."

This book was ABSOLUTELY 𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐... it was literally perfection and I would not change a thing… it’s safe to say I am now addicted to Stacey’s writing. Her style is so lovely, it really keeps you intrigued and right there in the story from beginning to end.

"𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓲𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝓮?"

Nina and Patrick are called up to the city when they are 12 years old for a chance to be artisans, wielding magic for the city.
For Nina this is a dream that would save her from her unfortunate life and for Patrick he has no interest, determined to be on a train home by the end of the day… but together they accidentally uncover a secret. A secret so big they must always keep it to themselves.

"𝓨𝓸𝓾'𝓿𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝓪 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓸𝔀𝓷, 𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓶𝓮. 𝓓𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓵𝓮𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓲𝓽."

When they re-unite years later, can they trust each other? Bonded by a secret and possibly something else, they are on a journey to end a war, but do they want the same outcome? It’s a scary world down in the mines. With Nina’s magic, he’s sure she can help him achieve his end goal for a town he loves but can he trust her? Can she trust him?

"𝓘 𝔀𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝔀𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓸𝔀 𝓶𝓮 𝔀𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓮."

I am loving this new world that we were introduced to in this first book. The academy/war setting is something that I have been wanting to read! I was intrigued from the get go and it did not disappoint. While it did start off a little slow, the twist and turns that happen make up for it. This book has so much to offer — a unique magic system, chemistry, love, betrayals, banter, interesting side characters you name it. I loved the balance between the romance and the action. I can’t wait to read the next book after that ending.

WTFFF WAS THAT ENDING!! I NEED THE NEXT BOOK PLSSS.

Nina and Patrick meet for the first time at the age of twelve in Belavere City for the Siphoning Ceremony where they discover a secret that changes their lives and the fate of the whole continent.

This is the perfect blend of fantasy and romance! Solid world building and magic system. THE ROMANCE OH MY GOD THE ROMANCE. PATRICK THE MAN THAT YOU ARE!!!!!! But in all honesty I had a great time. I loved the Peaky blinders vibes, I thought I was just the one feeling but the author actually took some inspiration for it. It was well written and I can't wait for the next book. I hope we get more POVs.

If you like:
- Peaky blinders
- Found family
- Rebellion
- Fated Romance

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Press for this e-arc.

This book is a magic/alchemy filled adventure following two powerful individuals,Patrick and Nina, on opposing sides of a brewing war. First off, woah that was a roller coaster! The first about 50 pages were a little hard to get through, but after that the years flash by and we were in the present. I enjoyed that we didn't dwell too long on the years passing and got right to the main story. The magic system of this book is very interesting and I enjoyed all the different types of magics and players that came into play. Loved the chemistry between the main characters. It wa a little insta lovey but not so much that I wasn't for it. But, what really got me was the last 100 pages. I was glued to this book nd then that cliffhanger ending I swear I gasped out loud and was shocked that was the end. Did not see that coming. Overall, very much enjoyed this book, the characters and the writing. I have very much looking forward to the rest of the books in this series.

WOW!! 5 Stars! I really enjoyed this story! Think of Peaky Blinders meets Shadow & Bone. I really LOVED the banter... I was audibly laughing out loud. I liked all of the characters, but Donny is my favorite. AND THE ENDING!? Are you kidding me..I really hope there is a book 2! I was not expecting the twists and turns!

P.S. - I love the cover! Very pretty!

P.S.S - I really hope there is a book 2 because I am NOT okay with that ending! I have so many questions!


Thank you to NetGalley, Saga Press & Stacey McEwan for letting me devour this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book deserves ALL the stars. I loved every single thing about A Forbidden Alchemy. From the richly layered characters to the stunning world building, from the perfectly paced plot to the heart-achingly beautiful romance—this book delivered on every front.

This was my first Stacey McEwan book, and I’m officially hooked. She has crafted a story that is everything a romantasy should be: emotional, immersive, and brimming with high stakes, deep connections, and a world you never want to leave.

The world of A Forbidden Alchemy is nothing short of captivating. In a society divided between “crafters” who live in poverty and primarily work in the mines, none of them with magic and “artisans” who wield power and live in luxury, children undergo a “siphoning” at age 12—an event meant to awaken magical potential through a substance called Idium. But what our protagonists, Nina and Patrick, uncover is a sinister truth: the system is rigged. The elite hoard the true Idium, feeding counterfeit doses to the lower class. When Nina dares to steal real Idium and enters the prestigious artisan school, the ripple effects change everything.

The story covers Nina’s journey from ages 12 to 18 during the first 20% of the book, chronicling her transformation within the Artisan’s world. Then a perfectly executed time jump takes us to her present at age 25—where the real heart of the story begins, steeped in betrayal, rebellion, and forbidden love.

And let’s talk about that romance. The forbidden love trope is done so well here. Every beat of Nina and Patrick’s relationship felt earned, tender, and utterly magnetic. The emotional tension, the history, their chemistry, the yearning!—it was all perfection.

This book gave me Peaky Blinders vibes with its gritty underworld politics, atmospheric tension, and morally complex characters. The writing is fluid, lush, and immersive. McEwan’s prose is so effortless, you forget you’re reading—it feels like falling straight into another world.

If you love:

Gaslamp fantasy
Forbidden romance
Deadly secrets
Unique magic systems
In-depth world building
Found family

...you need this book on your shelf.

I couldn’t gush more. This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year, and I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next installment. Stacey McEwan has truly conjured something magical.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you so much to Saga Press and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I should've known, the way this book has been blowing up and the reviews that I've seen, that this book was going to destroy me. And it did.

I'll set the scene: dystopian fantasy, where the elite Artisans have special abilities, and the Craftsman do all the blue collar work to keep the country running--and most of it involves very dangerous work in the mines. Nina and Patrick first met as children, in the capital city where they're to be tested to determine which path their lives will take, when they discover a dangerous secret being kept from all the citizens of their country. And their paths diverge--Patrick goes home, and Nina stays and changes her entire life.

They meet again many many years later, but they never forgot each other, and now they're involved in so much more danger than they could have ever imagined. But at least they're together again.

And oh my god did this book have me hooked. I was so here for every second of Nina and Patrick, even when the former was making colossally stupid decisions. We all know how I feel about a cliffhanger ending though, so I wouldn't be me if I didnt give y'all a warning that this book ends on a GIGANTIC one that might make you want to throw whatever medium you're using to read it. Im going to read the next one, obviously, because I have to know whats going to happen next.

It’s giving frontier outlaws meets 20s gangsters against a caste system built on political lies and religious mythology. What’s not to love? Oh, and did I mention one of the gangsters has held a candle for the FMC since they were kids? Yes, please.

The only real gripe I have is that I wanted more in terms of the characters’ motivations. But I am definitely excited to learn more about the world, the history, and the characters in the next book!

Im fighting Stacey when I meet her outside for sure. The cliff hanger is literally nail bitting and I appreciate how Stacey made us experience such a heart break by doing this!!!!

As for the book and its magical world building.... I was instantly enthralled and pulled in and I couldn't stop reading! As we follow Nina and find out things are too good to be true I was hooked and damn it... just ate this book up! I don't want to spoil too much but trust me..... this book was worth every second I read!

The good: The worldbuilding was expansive and incredibly intriguing, and the romance was well done and I enjoyed despite not being a huge romantasy fan. The magic system was very interesting as well.

The not so good: This falls in to the classic “withholding information” romantasy trope that drives me insane, in which one of our leads decides to withhold information from or deceive the other for reasons beyond my understanding that aren’t explained well enough in the text. Because genuinely, why couldn’t all be revealed much earlier? This trope just serves for a dramatic blowout argument in the third act in which all comes to light against the deceiver’s will and the other lead is betrayed. It’s such a romantasy staple and I find it very graying. And I really found the main character insufferable because of this.

Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

Oh my god. THAT ENDING!! Hitting that acknowledgments page hurt. I absolutely loved the plot and the Six of Crows/Peaky Blinders vibes of the story and world. The beginning sets up the story so perfectly, and I knew the betrayal and twists were gonna hurt but I didn't know they'd make me cry! The love I have for the Colson's (especially our MMC Patrick) knows no bounds. Nina was written so well, that I felt like I grew WITH her. I'm left with so many questions!! This was fantastic and I cannot wait for the next book!

I am struggling to find the words to express how utterly perfect this book was, and I'm absolutely furious about how long I now have to wait to read the next book! Stacey has created a truly unique story here - gaslamp, industrial vibes with a magical system of haves vs have-nots in a society that feels a touch like the Hunger Games world, but the MMC is Tommy Shelby. The blend sounds weird but I promise it's spectacular.

We start with Nina at 12 years old, meeting Patrick, and setting off a chain of events that will ultimately change their lives and the world. I LOVED the small time jumps forward so we could watch Nina's life unfold, with fewer flashbacks except where necessary. It felt more immersive to me, and boy was I immersed. I could not put this book down. I neglected basic needs. I lay in one spot on the couch and hissed at my husband if he tried to interrupt me. I read the whole thing in one afternoon and if had been a physical book, I would have chucked it across the room because THAT ENDING. Patrick is super hot, Nina is super intense, the side characters were fascinating, and I want to punch *redacted* in the face.

Anyways this was absolutely freaking amazing and 12 hours later my heart rate may have slowed down. Please read this book, please give me book 2.

Thank you netgalley and Saga Press for the eArc of A Forbidden Alchemy

4.5 ⭐️/5

Overall I thought this was a great story and one of my favorite reads of the year. The beginning started out a little slow for me but I'm glad I kept going. It was definitely worth it. Some of the story reminded me of Blood over Brighthaven which was also a favorite read of mine. Both books have a ruling class that is lying about the magic system to the rest of the citizens. There were a few times where I just wanted to shake the fmc, Nina, and was just so frustrated with her decisions. I was not expecting the cliffhanger ending, so now I'll have to not so patiently wait for the next book.

The twists, reveals, and betrayals are spectacular. The weight of a hard childhood, of damaging work, and the burden of keeping people safe is stellar. The ache of wanting is beautiful.

The start is slow, and it takes a while to get you to the present; there is too much time being 12-18 for my liking. The romance felt forced (why is Patrick so infatuated with her still after spending less than one day with her thirteen years ago?!), and would have been better (in my opinion) with a slower transition into lovers or if they had just been friends.

Star crossed lovers meets industrial revolution with an emphasis on the REVOLUTION BABY!!!

guys i was fucking hooked on this book ⛏️ a man who redistributes resources from the rich to the poor AND he’s been obsessed with you since you both were children? I’ll take that over a billionaire any day 🙂‍↕️ the characters in this book were so well written and the side characters had me laughing until i couldn’t see straight (let me know if you get this pun after you read it okay?). I literally gasped at the plot twist and the last half of the book FLEW by like a canary 🐤

This book is marketed as a Peaky Blinders inspired romantasy and it’s so accurate. For all my Tommy Shelby girls, this is for you 🙂‍↕️ for all my revolutionaries, this is for you too 🙂‍↕️ and for all the star crossed lovers peeps, this is definitely for you too 🙂‍↕️ did i mention there’s a little bit of spice too? get diggin babies 🪏

A unique magic system, a revolution, and a story that left me hoping that more pages would magically appear at the end(Really. I kept tapping on my kindle begging it to load more)

I absolutely loved this book. It is incredibly well written and almost impossible to put down. I appreciated that even though the story starts when Nina is 12, there wasn’t just a time jump to adulthood. We got glimpses of the past over time that helped build the story and character development.

My only complaint is that it ended too soon and I am left in limbo until the story continues.

Perfect for anyone who wants a book that is Peaky Blinders meets The Hunger Games.

This is absolutely a must read.

Wow. I am so thankful to be able to have this gift of reading this early but it just makes me sad that I have to wait for book 2 now. I am not always a slow burn girlie but this one had me! I was hanging on each page ... until 3 am. Yep I could not put this one down. I need more!! I love the fantasy of it all and the love they have - the secrets! You need to run not walk run and read this!

A FORBIDDEN ALCHEMY - 3.25 stars (Vague spoilers)

I'll admit I was very excited about this book and the way it was pitched, but it took me a long time to actually work my way through it. The premise is super interesting, and I'd love to sink my teeth into the world a bit more, because it was cleverly built and vividly painted.

My biggest issue with this book was the pacing. We spent the first 10% of the book with the main characters as 12 year olds. What happened in those chapters was very important, but it definitely could have been condensed because we ended up not getting to present day until 20% of the way through the book. I think flashbacks would have worked better than going entirely chronologically. Then once we got to present day, it felt like the romance arc happened very quickly and turned around a bit too fast.

I would have liked to spend more time with these characters as adults, especially in the early pages, because I just didn't get that connected to them, and I found Patrick pretty unlikable. I love the Peaky Blinders vibe and I think if that was set up earlier, I would have had a much easier time connecting with him. By the time the plot really picked up, I was curious about and invested in the story, but I didn't care enough about the characters.

I was also a little confused by the world, particularly the system of religion. It was such a cool world, but I was confused by how often the characters mentioned God, and a few other anachronistic words. It felt like we were talking about Christian God, but there was nothing else to clarify that. I couldn't tell whether this was a dystopian version of our world or an invented fantasy world.

Nina was a really interesting point of view to be in, and there was a lot of great social commentary from all sides and points of view. I especially appreciated being in Nina's head when it highlighted the gray areas of the ethics of the book. The ending had me screaming, and I thought the false victory twist was done very well. I'm curious to see where the series goes from here!

5⭐️

This book is such a strong contender to be my favorite book of the year. I can't believe how much I absolutely loved this one. Stacy McEwan is incredibly clever and she delivered.

I have actually never watched peaky blinders but I have a good idea of what it's about. This book did find those Robin Hood gangster type of vibe. Where an entire community respects but as has fear of Patrick. He is the leader of the Union trying to overthrow the current government. Where the wealthy has screws to power where some can manipulate elements to their will.

Then there is Nina a childhood friend of Patrick. Where she leaves at 14 when they find the magical potion and she drinks it. Becoming one of the most rare of elements wielders. She gets rushed away to the academy. Years go by, war ensues and they find eachother again on opposite sides of the war.

I adored these characters. I really liked Patty and his family so much. They were gritty and what I would think of a rival gangster family. It gave this strong Scottish feel too for reason. I also really appreciated that Patty was the strongest character of this book. Nina I also enjoyed but not as much, some of her decisions were a bit annoying. There was also a character from Nina's past that I really didn't like for a lot of it but then all the sudden now I'm really hoping we see more of and maybe some character growth.

The pacing of this book is also really well done. Only the first part of the book did I feel like it was a bit slow. It took a bit to get going but once we got past the school setting the story really picked up.

I'm very excited for the next book in this series and I'm going to read Stacy's previous series while I wait.

Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for the advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

If you want to feel every emotion and stare at the wall for 2 hours when you've closed the book, this is for you.
amazing world building, vivid descriptions and the writing has you pulled in from the start