This book was worth it waiting for, it was so good. This is easily my newest romantasy addiction with morally gray main characters, slow-burn with intense tension, unique magic system, and deadly trials, with a plot twist! And that ending was something..!! Will be recommending it to our readers.

This book was wow just wow! I enjoyed it so much and it left me on a cliffhanger. I need more answers and to know what happens next.

This is going to be a major dark romantasy title and I can't wait for the world to get it!!!

Tina put together such an intricate, interesting, and brutal world. We are dropped right into the story and I felt like the intensity never subsided. Revel is strong-willed, but still figuring things out. Morally grey (we looooove a morally grey FMC!!!), and so stabby!!

This is gladiator x asian mythology and I couldn't get enough. The ending absolutely hurt and I can't wait for more!!

This Wretched Alchemy is a fast paced fantasy that kept me turning the pages to see what happened next. When House Bellatoris took over her House, Revel lost almost everything. She has been imprisoned and put through tests and trials just to keep her mother and sister alive. Once the Call, a contest for House heirs, is announced, Revel is chosen as House Bellatoris's champion and in order to gain freedom for her family, she must win and kill the Warbringer. Revel must decide who she can trust, find out who the Warbringer is, and survive the brutal trial while not being distracted by the handsome man she meets at the ball.

The world building and magic system in the story are well developed. The chemistry between Revel and Axus is great and I enjoyed reading their plot line. After the twist at the end, I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

I am UNWELL in the best way after finishing This Wretched Alchemy. This book grabbed me by the throat, whispered something wicked in my ear, and refused to let go. 😭✨

The magic system? Dark, twisted, and deliciously dangerous. Every spell felt like it cost something real — blood, loyalty, sanity — and I ate up every single consequence. I love when magic isn’t just sparkly power but something feral and corrupting, and this delivered.

And the tension?? The angst?? The morally gray energy?? Inject it into my veins. The relationships simmer and snap in all the best ways — trust is fragile, betrayal hits hard, and the emotional fallout is brutal. I was screaming at characters one minute and ready to defend them with my life the next.

The atmosphere deserves its own award. It’s moody, shadow-soaked, and thick with dread. You can practically taste the rot and ambition in the air. Every chapter made me feel like something terrible (and amazing) was about to happen.

If you love:
• Dark alchemy and magic with teeth
• High-stakes emotional chaos
• Slow-burn tension that hurts so good
• Characters who make questionable choices for understandable reasons

…this is your book.

I’m obsessed. I’m devastated. I need the next installment immediately. 🖤

This Wretched Alchemy has taken me on a wild ride. Revel wants to save her family. She will do anything to protect them, even if that means dying. When forced into the Call by the Prime, Revel may be in for more than she can handle. Faced with difficult decisions and other scions that want her dead, she will have to face the villain within to make it out alive.

Tina Mars writes poetry on the page. Her visuals are descriptive and lyrical. The reader becomes entranced in Revel's mind and experiences all the emotional trauma she lives with. The story opens with politics and deadly trials that twist and turn from page one. Each character has layers of hidden agendas and lies they hide behind. Tina crafted a main female character who struggles with basic principles of love and what it means to be loved. The main male character is guided by someone else's beliefs and wrestles with what it means to just be.

Beyond the world building and main characters, Tina devoted time to creating side characters that leap off the page. She entwines her culture and heritage within the creatures and lore throughout the entire book. Plus an animal side kick you are bound to love. I feel so incredibly lucky to get this book so early from Tina and her team. I can't wait for more readers to be ruined.

Wow, I absolutely devoured this book. From chapter 1, I could not put this book down! The world building was detailed but not confusing. The characters were compelling, deep, and well written. The FMC and MMC had so much chemistry. I love a good nickname from the MMC. I cannot recommend this book enough. Such a great debut! *Thank you SO much, Tina Mars, St. Martins Press, and Saturday Books for gifting me an ebook arc.

Thank you NetGalley, author Tina Mars, and the publisher for the chance to read this e-ARC! This was an anticipated book for me and it did not disappoint! I love Revel and Axus! The banter and yearning are everything! The world building was fascinating. The magic system was unique. This story has elements of Roman gladiators, deadly trials, and some Full Metal Alchemist too. I am a sucker for morally grey characters and both the FMC and MMC fit the bill. This book was so well done. The ending was unexpected and it left me eagerly awaiting book two! I highly recommend this book!

This Wretched Alchemy was such an impressive debut novel from Mars, whom I've followed for quite some time on Instagram.

Her talent truly amazes me! The world building, although complex, really drew me in and provided a foundation for the entirety of the story.

I am obsessed with deadly trials in novels, and although I've read a lot of them, this one still stood out, due to the dystopian setting, and truly not knowing who to trust or what would happen next.

The lore and depth of emotional complexity between the characters, along with their banter and slow building tension, had me invested in them from their first interaction.

The twists were phenomenally executed! I can't wait to see what comes next!

Apparently I'm in my emotional damage era.

Take a seat and buckle-up for a wild ride. I don't know that I will ever be mentally over this book. I was okay, everything was going great. . . until it wasn't.

The secrets and betrayals in this book will have you screaming! I'm one of those people that can usually see the writing on the wall. Not with this one. Yeah, i knew there were a ton of secrets. And yes, I knew the betrayal was coming. It's the way that it was done though that has me floored. Honestly? I feel betrayed at this point. That's how invested this book made me.

It is written beautifully, the world is intriguing, the alchemical magic is unique, the lore is perfection, and the yearning is everything!

Axus and Rev are both beautifully flawed and their back stories will have you in their corner! I could easily see Axus becoming a top-tier book boyfriend. While Rev could become one of those heroines people compare others to.

If anyone needs me, I'll be over here nursing my battle wounds, emotional scars, and broken heart.

OH MY GOODNESS. This book was so beautifully written. I was hooked from start to finish. The world building was perfect, it didn’t slow down the plot too much and was weaved in so seamlessly that I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters were so complex and were written so well that I found myself rooting for others aside from Revel. AND THE PLOT TWISTS?! Were so deliciously good, I enjoyed every single one of them. Just when I thought I guessed correctly and figured this book out, I was pleasantly surprised. I can’t wait for book #2!!! Definitely a must read and one of the best books I read this year thus far!

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

This book is an interesting mix of ancient Roman life and I would guess more of a Japanese Mythology, the names of the gods lean that way. (Full disclosure I am not familiar with Japanese Mythology, but now I want to be.) This is an amazing Dark Romantasy, with a great enemies to lovers story line, forced proximity, trials, and truly compelling character arcs. We follow Revel as she enters the Call a perilous trial, to protect her mother and sister. Revel is so thoroughly fleshed out as a character from the first pages I immediately connected to her. All of the characters of import are well fleshed out and complicated. The amount of morally gray in this is excellent. I was definitely caught off guard by 2 of the 3 reveals at the end of the book. The last was not 100% what I expected, but I was definitely more in line with that one. I cannot wait for book 2, but I will definitely be rereading this while I wait.

This Wretched Alchemy by Tina Mars hooked me from the very beginning. Revel is such an intense, broken, and determined protagonist, and I loved watching her face The Call while trying to complete her mission to kill Axus, the feared Warbringer. The tension between them is incredible; it starts with distrust and hatred but slowly turns into an obsessive and emotional slow burn romance.

What I loved most was the dark atmosphere, the alchemy-based magic and god-shards, and the whole deadly competition between houses. Axus ended up being one of those morally gray characters that’s impossible to hate, especially because of the way he protects Revel without ever making her seem weak. I also loved how poetic and emotional the writing felt; it made everything so intense and addictive. It’s definitely one of those romantasy books that leaves you emotionally destroyed and desperate for the next installment immediately.

Everything I wanted and hoped it would be and more. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it delivered. The competition aspect was everything! I love enemies to lovers and this one felt like a true enemies to lovers. Revel and Axus forever!

Review of digital advanced copy from NetGallery.

Oh my goodness—I went into this planning to read “just one chapter” and immediately lost all sense of time. This book had me hooked from page one and refused to let go. It feels like a greatest-hits remix of fantasy tropes—in the best way possible—blending everything I love into one addictive ride.

We’ve got enemies to lovers, found family, close proximity… basically a trope lover’s buffet, and I happily went back for seconds. The FMC’s struggle with feeling like she’s enough hits a little too close to home in the most relatable way, adding a layer of emotional depth between all the chaos and tension.

The character development? Absolutely top tier. I was so invested I didn’t even hesitate—I’ve already preordered a physical copy for my shelves. And that ending? Rude. Disrespectful. I need the next book immediately, preferably yesterday.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing this advance copy for an honest review.