SLOW BURN AND MORALLY GRAY MEN ARE FOR ME. This story is SO captivating. The world????! Unreal. I loved having 2 POVS between the MMC & FMC. Nina & Patrick… are we all down bad for Patrick? If you read this i need you to come back and comment because whooooooof, that potty mouth OKAY. Nina… girly i wanted to help you out sometimes because that decision making was hard for you.. love u boo.

At first i was a little nervous because this book has been so hyped, but it is WORRTTTHHH it. She is stunning, beautiful, GORG. The ending will have you GASPING.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!!!

6/10

The setting and general vibes given off by it were great. The dialogue was top tier, and really the shining star of this book. As always Stacey's fantastic sense of humor adds a lot to this book as well. Unfortunately to me the story was just ok. I think this is mainly due to the fact that the main plot twist could be seen from lightyears away. This combined with the rest of the story following a pretty standard trope list left little suspense or room for the unexpected. Admittedly I am not sure where book 2 will take us now that the more obvious plot points are out of the way so that is something to look forward to.

So while I enjoyed this book I feel that it falls a bit flat of the expectations I had for it after the, in my opinion, comparatively better debut series that was The Glacian Trilogy

I love this book and these characters so much, I didn’t want this book to end! The magic system and the politics are so interesting and well done, but Patrick and his family are my favorite part of this book. All the character dynamics, motivations, and interactions were so good. I can’t wait for the next book!

🖤 Slow Burn
🖤 Fated Mates
🖤 Peaky Blinders Vibe
🖤 Class War
🖤 Betrayal and Secrets

I love the story that Stacey has created. Her writting is so lush and descriptive. The story definitely kept me guessing and I never quite knew what was going to happen next.

Patty and Nina's love story is both beautiful and heartbreaking. I loved Pat's character and all his layers. He was both feared and loved. He kept secrets in order to protect those around him. Oh but Nina, she definitely did not think her decisions through and several of those decisions led to life altering moments.

Thank you Saga Press, Netgalley and Stacey for the e-arc. My thoughts and review are my own.

I am still reeling from that ending! I thought the magic system was very unique and clever with the perfect amount of limitations to create realistic conflict. I loved the Peaky Blinders style setting and characters. I felt that each character’s motivations were complex enough to create tension and to keep me guessing as to what would happen next. I can’t wait for the next book!

JFC, STACEY.

I need a minute.

✨ 5 Stars for A Forbidden Alchemy! ✨

Steampunk lovers, buckle up because Stacey McEwan just took us on a wild ride. From the first page, this book hooked me with its intricate worldbuilding, alchemical magic, and just the right amount of danger.

The pacing slowed a bit in the middle, but just when I thought I had things figured out—BAM! Plot twists hit me left and right. And that ending?! I’m still recovering. I now understand what Katherine Heigl was talking about.

With steampunk aesthetics, high-stakes adventure, and a story that keeps you guessing, A Forbidden Alchemy is a 2025 must-read. ⚙️✨

Thank you to NetGalley, Saga Press Books and Stacey McEwan for the gifted e-ARC.

One of my favorite reads of the year! Loved the peaky blinders vibes and the romance between Patrick and Nina. The magic system is really cool and the banter actually feels natural! Definitely check this one out! Thank you to netgalley the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley & Saga Press for letting me read the e-ARC of A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan. I really enjoyed this story, the stakes started high and just got higher throughout the book. You meet the main POV characters as kids for a few chapters and then follow Nina as she goes through her schooling before there’s a bit of a time jump and the main storyline takes off from the initial build up, but the pace feels really steady and remains engaging. Definitely invested in the romance and eager for the sequel!

This book has been one of my most anticipated releases of 2025 and it did NOT disappoint! THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!!! The class system, the character development and growth from childhood to adulthood was top notch, the banter had me giggling, and the action and twists kept me on my toes throughout the entire book.

I am still reeling from this book days after finishing it and I NEED the next book YESTERDAY!!!

𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓥𝓲𝓫𝓮𝓼:
🧪 Historical Dystopian Fantasy
💜 Friends to Enemies to Lovers
🧪 Magic Haves vs. Have Nots
💜 Class War & Rebellion
🧪 Secrets & Betrayal
💜 He Falls First and Harder
🧪 Elemental Magic
💜 Slow Burn
🧪 Dual POV
💜 Duology
🧪 Banter & Tension


Thank you so much Stavey, S&S Press, and Netgalley for this advanced copy.

Thank you to Saga Press and Stacy McEwan for the arc.

Wow this book was amazing ! It was different than the usual romantasy and use of elemental powers. I loved the political aspect of the book and the way it sonada through many years without it feeling removed from the characters or the story. This does end on a cliffhanger and I cannot wait for book 2. But please everyone do yourselves a favor and read this asap.

This was so goddamn good. 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed the absolute shit out of this & my heart is racing right now. If you are looking for Peaky Blinders vibes in your romantasy, sign tf up for this ride. THANK YOU to the author for providing me with an ARC, but also how dare you (because that ending… you know what you did & I’m reeling). Plot, pros, & cons below 👇🏼


PLOT
12 year olds Nina & Patrick, both from poor mining towns, meet waiting to find out if they have magic. They head into the wealthy city to the annual magic-identifying ceremony that will either send them to the elite magical academy or back home without magic & without options. While waiting for their deciding ceremony, they discover that it’s all a sham & inadvertently kick off a revolt. This book has
- rebellion & class war
- smart FMC & morally gray MMC
- banter & tension
- solid twists & turns
- covers a large timeline (starting aged 12 & going to 25)
- Love triangle-ishhhhh & some jealousy moments
- cool magic system
- Peaky Blinders vibes with gangs
- lower spice


PROS
- The banter in this is TOP FUCKING NOTCH. Ohhhh my god. You know how sometimes banter can feel faked? Like it’s written SPECIFICALLY for a BookTok audio or Booksta highlighted post? & doesn’t actually sound like an conversation the 2 characters - let alone any humans - would have? Throw that out of the window for this because that worry doesn’t apply here. I’m obsessed. It is elite.
- I’m not kidding I was kicking my feet & had butterflies the entire like, back 2/3 of this book. This is some of the best banter & tension I’ve read in awhile.
- I LOVE Nina. She’s both sides of every spectrum & I love that. Strong but soft. Brave but vulnerable. She’s super smart, clever, & not afraid to show it.
- Patrick, my god. What a swoon monster. I love him so much it hurts my soul. I am obsessed with the exact kind of MMC he is & now you give him what I made in my mind an Irish accent? Gtfoh (complimentary).
- The side characters are all solid. Theo is interesting & surprised me quite a bit, my feelings for him are complex & I enjoy that. I LOVE Tess (I always love a prickly mom figure, so no surprise there). Donny is absolute aces. Gunner is suuuuuper interesting. The Miners Union inner circle I just fell for because they felt real. Giving each other shit as a love language but would die for one another.
- The worldbuilding was rich. I could just see it all quite well.
- I was on the edge of my seat basically like, 60% of the book. Whether from the general plot or the tension, I was just like 3 heartbeats away from cardiac arrest at any given moment.
- Jesus fuck I am reeling from that ending. I have so many feelings.


CONS
- I genuinely don’t think I have one. Maybe that selfishly I wanted like 1 Theo chapter but that’s not really a con, just me being demanding? Call me Demanda.


NOTES
- This is more of a note to the reader than anything but it took me a sec to realize she was telling the story from the future, of the past. I was like “damn these 12 year olds have insane vocabularies” & then I was like “oh no I’m an idiot look at all this past tense” 😆


I cannot wait for book 2 of this trilogy (it was going to be a duet but I confirmed with the author she said trilogy) omg.

A dystopian fantasy with the perfect sprinkle of romance.

This was everything I could’ve asked for AND MORE! I swear Stacey looked at all my favorite books and pulled a bit of each to create this work of art.

When I say the world building is like a breath of fresh air… I didn’t have to use my imagination because it was ALL written there for you - even the small minute details. It was so well written that it just came to life. ✨ And not once did it feel like too much information. In fact, this book could’ve been longer and I would’ve still been craving for more of it.

A unique magic system, well-developed characters, the banter and the chemistry. I couldn’t get enough. Even the side characters had insane depth and development. The plot itself was chef’s kiss! The perfect amount of plot (and plot twists), romance, and action!

- Dystopian Fantasy
- Slow burn
- He falls first
- Touch her and die
- Dual POV
- Fated Pair
- Unique Magic System
- Class war & Rebellion
- Vibes it gave me: Peaky Blinders, Hunger Games, Harry Potter (magical school)

4.75 Stars!! The way I devoured this book!!

Thank you Saga Press for my #gifted ARC

Nina and Patrick meet when they are twelve years old and brought into Belavere City to discover their magical potential. The world they live in is divided into class systems by those who have magic known as Artisians and those who don't, known as craftsman. Nina and Patrick come from different mining towns and have other goals in life. Nina wants to escape the miserable home life she's had to endure after her mother left and dreams of attending the Artisian school. Patrick wants to head back on the train home to support his family and their craftsman community, staying far away from the Artisian school.

While waiting for their turn they discover a huge secret that if shared would threaten the entire world-class system and power.

With the secret of their discovery held close to their hearts, they part with their lives heading in different directions, until years later when they're brought back together with their factions at war.

What you'll find:
Bit of a Hunger Games feel but with a Peaky Blinders vibe
Government corruption
Elemental magic & alchemy
Class war & rebellion
Blackmail
Love triangle (it works in this story!)
Found family
Secrets & Betrayal!!
Duology

The plot twists are twisty and I'm dying over the ending!!

Run, don't walk to read on July 1, 2025!!

Romance Content: 2 open-door scenes and language
Closed-door modification: Chapters 48 & 49

4.75 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟

This is the best ARC I’ve ever been privileged to read. Thank you NetGalley!!! 🥹 I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE BOOK TO COME OUT & THE SERIES TO CONTINUE! 🥲 As someone who LOVES historical fiction, romance, & dystopian/fantasy, this book is a great mix of the three genres! It’s about societal war & rebellion, magical powers based on alchemy, and a slow burn romance made of secrets. 🥺 It is toooo good, tooooo good! I hate how I have to wait for the next book to come out; oh please I hope to get the ARC for that one too!!! I’ll be buying the physical book for this! 😍

Writing: 4.5/5
Pace: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Ending: 4/5
Enjoyability: 5/5

(More in-depth analysis below)

👩🏻‍🏫💡 I received this book to read as an Advanced Reader/Review Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.


💕Would you recommend this book?
YES YES YES YES YES!!!

🪶Favorite Quote:
“ You’ve got a mind of your own, he reminded me. Don’t let those fuckers take it. “

🌶️ Spice Level: 🔥
Slow burn but romantic steaminess 🥵🥰
——


📝Writing Style: 4.5/ 5
We get two POVs: the female MC’s first-person POV and the male MC’s third-person POV. It’s really interesting how the story is written this way but I’m a fan of it. I also love Stacy McEwan’s lyrical prose— the writing FITS the Victorian era style, making me feel like I’m part of their time period. The only reason I knocked off half star is of some overuse and repetition of the same description/adjectives.

🏃🏻‍♀️Pace: 5/5
It’s unbelievable how fast paced this book was! In the beginning we’re graced with pivotal moments in the FMC’s youth from 12-18 years of age. I initially thought this was going to be another young adult story; but the story comes up to speed in the present time when she’s 25yo & still in a middle of a war and rebellion.


🗺️Plot: 5/ 5

Plot Themes/Tropes-
* Societal War/Rebellion
* Love Triangle
* Slow Burn Romance
* Secrets & Betrayals
* ⚠️Trigger Warnings/Other topics: Violence, bombs & explosions, murder, death, betrayal, secrets, treason

Summary: In world divided between magical Artisans and physically powerful Craftsmen, Nina & Patrick (two 12yo who grew up less-privileged) uncover a devastating secret: Artisans aren’t born with magical powers, they’re chosen. This revelation sets Nina & Patrick on divergent paths as Nina chooses to be an Artisan while Patrick goes back to his town as a Craftsmen. Years later, Nina, now an elite Artisan, is captured by the rebellion and is forced to choose sides.

The plot in this book is a mix of Hunger Games and Peaky Blinders. It’s set in the Victorian era, which I love because I’m a huge sucker for historical fiction and dystopian/fantasy! Some of the plot is predictable but it’s meant to be that way because the political conflict is the main storyline.


👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Characters: 5/ 5

Female Main Characters (FMCs):
Nina - I don’t know how to feel about her.. Most times I feel like she makes bad decisions. She’s supposed to be intelligent but she had a rough upbringing & I think that’s what causes her to think selfishly. This is the first time that I’m not a huge fan of the FMC of the story. I don’t hate her, but I don’t love her.

Male Main Characters (MMCs):
Patrick is rough around the edges and is painted as morally grey. He has a potty mouth too, but I love how loyal and loving he is to his family, town, and… Nina. I love the way he’s manly but when it comes to Nina, he’s reverted back to being a boy with a crush on a girl. It’s adorable.

Theo… I was iffy about him from the beginning, mainly because he’s painted like a typical teenage boy who doesn’t know of loyalty yet. That, and the fact his father is a Lord… he just gives off “rich boy who listens to everything his father wants” type. Bleh.

Supporting Characters: I love the Colson brothers… Donny more than Gunner though. At first, I wasn’t a fan of the mom, but she grew on me eventually.

I honestly love the relationships and banter between the characters. I feel like we’re meant to grow to like everyone because there’s more to the story that will leave an emotional impact. I’m just hoping that Nina will grow on me in the next book and that we see more about her family as well.


🎬Ending: 4/ 5
AHHHHHHHH!!! The climax at the end!!! So much action and so much emotion! Why did it have to be that way?! WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN NOW?!! I’m so mad that I have to wait for the second book when this book hasn’t even been released yet! LOL


🙂Enjoyability: 5/ 5
I loved this book so much! I think Patrick’s character brought the story to life. Him being rough around the edges but having a soft heart despite all the chaos in this rebellion! I enjoyed unraveling secrets & figuring out the loyalty and betrayal in these characters.


📈Final Rating Averaged: 4.75 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
——

Rating Rubric:
1/5: 🌟 Horrible - “Why did I even waste my time?”
2/5: 🌟🌟 Unimpressed - It could have been better.
3/5: 🌟🌟🌟 Good/Average- I would recommend this, but nothing was too out of the ordinary; it’s what’s expected.
4/5: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Great! - There were some good surprises, but not enough to blow my mind.
5/5: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Outstanding - Above & Beyond, It left me wanting more and thinking more about it.

Wow, what a book! The world building was exquisite, with an incredibly unique magic system. The jumps in time and flashbacks are interwoven to the narrative in such a seamless manner, helping flesh out the characters and their motivations. There were a million twists and turns - and while I guessed the final twist, I could never have gotten there if Stacey had not laid the path before me with such precision and care (and let’s be honest, by that point I was just throwing around outlandish “where could this be going??” in my head and happened to land on the correct one). The FMC was strong, stubborn, and immensely likable. The MMC was truly everything you wanted a morally gray borderline (or maybe not so borderline)-crime boss main love interest to be. This was an excellent romantasy, and I’m so incredibly grateful for the ARC in return for my honest review.

This was an interesting start to a romantasy and it felt like a unique read. This had all the intrigue, magic, class wars, uprising, and alchemy plot.

The mmc is morally grey, he is kinda a rebellion leader from his town, and he enlists the help of the fmc with her magic aspect, not knowing the secrets she is keeping from him.

This book balances the romance and fantasy elements extremely well, which most books in this genre fail to accomplish. It also happens to be so much more than a "romantasy." It tackles important social issues like human and workers' rights, class systems, prejudice, and does so in a non-forced, organic way.

This was such a fun read!!!!

The world building was great and this story had a good mix of mystery and magic. I really enjoyed the characters as well@

If you love magic schools and secrets, this will be the book for you!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review of A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan.

This was by far one of the best books I have read from the romantasy genre. If I could give it 6 stars, I would. I think about this book every day and wish I could read the second one now!
What a fantastic story. The plot, magic system, and romance were all so well written and intertwined. One did not overshadow the other. The TWISTS were so good and the storyline moves forward at a nice pace. There is also so much angst in this book and I just could not put it down. Some pieces of the end I saw coming, because we all know secrets never stay secrets, but also there was so much I did not see coming.

In regards to the characters, the FMC was strong and stood up for herself, yet not overbearing and always angry to the point she was arrogant, like how many other FMCs from this genre are written (this FMC was refreshing!!). The MMC, Patrick, was also very well written, demonstrating the complexity of war and trying to save one’s town. He is described as a gangster and the leader who is more “cold,” but he is only warm for his family, but specifically the FMC. I love the chapters from his view and the demonstration of his internal dialogue about trust. My heart loved these chapters! Patrick is one of my favorite MMCs. The side male character, Theo, was also well written, with a twist about him at the end I did not see coming.

I immediately purchased this book once I finished my ARC. I will anxiously wait for the second, which sucks because the first is not even out yet!

I found this to be very interesting. I enjoyed the magic system to be new and different than I have seen prior. I enjoyed the slow burn. I did find the characters needed a little more to them. Wish they were less surface level and more in your face. I’m hoping more of the chemistry we all know and love comes in book 2.

BLOWN AWAY. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this book but the plot looked very interesting so I gave it a try. What a great story!

Nina, 12 years old, takes a train to Belavere City to see if she will become an Artisan. She meets Patrick and he isn't wanting to become an Artisan but just wants to go back to his home town. The two make a discovery that will turn their fates forever. The story unfolds as Nina grows up, she goes through the Artisan program but is forced to go on the run as she is graduating. Years later she is captured by none other than Patrick. She is forced to choose a side of the fight and isn't sure which way will lead to the least amount of destruction.

The magic weaves perfectly in this story without being ridiculous. The love story that unfolds will have you rooting for Nina and feel so much heartache for Patrick. The worst part that is that is definitely going to be multiple stories and I have to wait so long for the next book to come out (since the fist hasn't been published yet).

Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for an ARC in return for an honest review.