The Alchemists of Loom marks the beginning of an all new fantasy series by Elise Kova. Combining Steampunk and high fantasy, the author revitalizes the genre, creating a detail rich world with unparalleled originality. Alchemists is extremely easy to read, but don't let that fool you, there's a lot to love here.

Loom is a world of opposites. Controlled by a powerful race of magic-wielding beings known as Dragons, the downtrodden, gray-skinned Fenthri are forced to live under the Dragon King's restrictive reign. Dragons dictate policy from their multicolored sky world of Nova. The Fenthri must contend with frequent Dragon incursions and their world's native monsters in order to survive.

Unable to look to the stars for support, a new group of heroes is forged.

Arianna, the infamous and mysterious criminal known as the White Wraith, has a chip on her shoulder. Her sole desire is to liberate the once great Steam-driven world from Dragon control. While her exact motives are unclear, her dedication is unyielding. Ari's quest for vengeance is put on hold only when a fallen Dragon (Cvareh) promises to help her in exchange for her escorting him to the most isolated place on the planet... the Alchemists' Guild.

>"Numbers remained consistent. Numbers and facts attempted to bring order from a chaotic world, to make sense of the impossible. They were the foundation for colossal structures and the tiniest of clockwork machines alike."

The narrative never wastes a second of the reader's time: like a fine time piece, the story is always precise, always moving. The Alchemists of Loom reads like quick action fantasy but has enough depth to rival the classics. Society is split into five interconnected Guilds - Ravens, Harvesters, Rivets, Revolvers, and the Alchemists - we learn about these as the book unfolds, not in huge info dumps. In that sense, every description in The Alchemists of Loom is well written, every character reflection is meaningful.


>"I want Nova to burn." - Ari

In a world with sleek golden airships, Ari's knowledge of engineering and her ability to control magically attuned gold fit the story and setting perfectly. The Fenthri dress style in cities is nearly Victorian: the blend of steam and magic complement the world itself. More importantly, Ari never seems overpowered or irrelevant in those cities. Forced to make a deal with a Dragon, her reactions to unfolding situations are true to life. A force of destruction ends up possessing a lot more depth than I was expecting. Simply put: Arianna is outstanding.

The other characters such as Leona, the frighteningly calm Yveun Dono, and Florence are all well done. Leona's feelings and desires are plausible from an entirely alien perspective. You really get her motivations immediately. Florence is probably one of my favorite characters. Her sisterly relationship with Arianna is heartwarming yet surprisingly not juvenile. While other authors would use Florence as a "tag along" character, possibly a comic relief, this character is serious and strong willed.

If you're a fan of steampunk and fantasy, The Alchemists of Loom is well worth checking out. It has great characters, strong character depth, an excellent story, great descriptive writing, and an action packed pace. I predict great success in store for the Loom Saga in the months to come. 5/5

(This book was received from the publisher for a fair and honest review.)

Ever since the resistance fell, Ari has been making her money by selling her talents to those with the most money. She is brilliant, fearless, and as good a thief as an engineer. Until she comes across a dragon on her way home from a very risky job. Should she stop and take it's heart for more money, or be happy with the money from the job she just finished? This was the first book I've read by Elise Kova, and I have to say, I've been missing out. The book started a little slow, but picked up after the first few chapters. The characters are fantastic!! I love the cover too.

Elise Kova, talented author of the elemental magic series ‘Air Awakens’ introduces us to a new world full of magic, dragons, and political intrigue. Part steampunk, part action-adventure, ‘The Loom Saga’ takes place in an extremely developed alternate world of Loom and its land-above-the-clouds, Nova. Kova has seamlessly integrated steampunk inventions with dragons, chimera, and a third new species, called Fenthri, into a clear to follow and fast-paced plot.

‘The Alchemists of Loom’ is narrated, primarily, by three main characters; Arianna (Chimera), Cvareh Xin (dragon), and Florence (Fenthri). Each is fully developed; their thoughts and motivations easy to understand and agree with, despite some hidden agendas thrown in for good measure. The different narrations blend together perfectly to provide readers with a more complete picture of the story than each character possesses on their own.

I recommend this magical adventure to any reader who enjoys dragons, steampunk, and fantasy. ‘The Alchemists of Loom’ will be available from your favorite bookseller on January 10, 2017.

Thanks to Elise Kova and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first foray into Kova's writing and the first thing I will say is that I was not expecting the world of Loom to be SO big. The world of the Fenthri (Loom) and the world of the Dragons (Nova) lie one atop the other, only separated by a treacherous cloud bank. The Fenthri of Loom do not know the touch of the moon, the Dragons of Nova are a people so redolent with magic that they did not see the point in developing technology for centuries. The people of Loom live in Guilds, each continent and people specializing in a specific task, enforced by their Dragon overlords, whilst the Dragons of Nova stagnate in their strict, hierarchical and violent society, their magical strength alone letting them keep control of Loom with ease. But the Fenthri of Loom have their own methods of gaining magical strength. Through harvesting and transplanting Dragon organs, the source of their power, they create strange Fenthri/Dragon hybrids called Chimaera.

Our protagonist, Ari, is one such of these Chimaera, a shadowy figure intent on protecting her young apprentice and enacting revenge on the Dragon society that ripped her life from her. I immediately fell in love with Ari as a character, she's unapologetically harsh, her every instinct centered on survival and the care of the one person she has left. (See also: canonically bisexual!!) I feel like she's a fresh female equivalent of the male grimdark antihero trope. (She also has a really cool harness transport system that I want in a video game STAT.)

Kova's writing of women in this book is so strong. Other than Cvareh, pretty much every important character in this book is a lady, and a fascinating, multi-faceted lady at that. Florence, Ari's young apprentice, is a tiny gunsmith and demolitions expert with a rather snazzy tophat; the Dragon King's right hand 'man' is a brutal and utterly relentless woman who will stop at nothing to keep order and ranking within her world. There are also some really important moments of true female friendship and protectiveness, something I found really refreshing in a genre where connections between women are often lacking and not given enough page time.

The action is cinematic, I couldn't help but think just how good it would look on a screen hooked up to my Xbox, with a mana bar and a wheel choice system of different gun canisters. If any of you are gamers, think a world reminiscent of Dishonored or Thief, full of crumbling quarters and sinister lighthouse prisons. The character designs are more adventurous than most, in fact, neither of the protagonists could be called human, one grey, the other blue skinned. Cultural and hierarchical differences are noted and shown through clothing and status symbols, such as the forelock of a dragon rider, threaded with a bead for every dragon defeated and heart consumed. It's just so rich and wonderful, I felt thoroughly immersed.

I'm not entirely sure whether I would call this book young adult. Ari is in her twenties and has a very adult view of the world. I suppose I would slot it into the same age bracket as 'A Darker Shade of Magic' (Schwab), not inappropriate for young adult readers, but not necessarily fitting smoothly into the young adult genre. Likewise, I wouldn't say it was sexually explicit but, as in 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' (Maas), the main protagonist has a more adult view of intimacy and knows very much what she wants.

So, after much rambling, I will try to keep the recommendation short. I can see this book being much beloved by fans of the Mistborn series (Sanderson), ADSOM and Six of Crows (Bardugo). If you like incredible world building, small ladies with enormous guns and brutal action sequences (with plenty of heart eating), this is the book for you!

Many thanks to Keymaster Press for an ARC in return for an honest review!

(Review links will be updated when the review is posted closer to the publishing date)

This is one of the best books I've read this year. I know it's cliché, but I really couldn't put it down. I loved the complexity of the World. It's built from the bottom up and Kova did a great job building it.

I liked having different points of view in the story because it gave a sense of every character.

I can´t wait to read The Dragons of Nova!

Thank you kindly for the opportunity to read this title before the release date. I really enjoyed The Alchemists of Loom. Now I have to go back and read her other titles.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Adulthood just meant finding the variety of crazy that resonated the most with you and doing it until you died or it killed you—whichever came first.”

This book really surprised me! The Alchemists of Loom ended up being a wonderful steam punk set story, filled with mystery and twists, and had a beautiful message: You can be anything you want to be, you do not have to be the expectations that other people have for you.

The world felt like something right out of Borderlands. The characters were heartfelt and compassionate. The message was really important and meaningful.

But this world is very unique, and the new lingo could be a little confusing. The rundown is basically this:

There are two worlds, separated by the clouds:
•Loom: The main setting of this book, that is home to Fenthri and Chimeras and their five guilds.
•Nova: The Dragon homeland that is inhabited by three Dragon Houses.

There are three races:
•Fenthri: Grey, black, white, the weakest of the three races, and have tattoos on their face depicting what guild they belong to.
•Dragon: A vast array of colors, very primal, can regrow most things from their bodies, have magical abilities, enslaved Loom and sees Fenthri as servants.
•Chimera: Fenthri with Dragon blood and/or organs. They are made by Alchemists, and are very strong, but not as strong as Dragons.

(None of the characters in this world are Human, but they are for sure Humanoids)

The three Dragon Houses:
•Rok: Strongest house, and the Dragon King’s House.
•Tam: Second strongest house, and very aligned with House Rok.
•Xin: Weakest house.

The five Guilds of Loom:
•Alchemists: Developed Chimeras, and the only guild to not be under the Dragon King’s thumb.
•Rivets: Specializes in refining processes in steel mines and applications for gold.
•Revolvers: Explores all the uses for guns and explosions!
•Harvesters: Supplies all the bare materials to all the other guilds.
•Ravens: Moves people and goods all around Loom.

The five guilds are all linked together as a system to help one another, but that’s been very hard ever since that Dragons of Nova traveled down from the clouds, into Loom, and made the Fenthri population do their bidding.

The people from these guilds have a face tattoo for easy recognition. People of Loom are not able to choose or pick which house they are in. They are basically pre-placed, and forced to take two tests. If they are unable to pass these tests, they could be sentenced to death.

Not having a mark is also illegal, and Ari, our main protagonist, does not have a mark. The world knows her as the most notorious criminal of Loom, the White Wraith, and her story starts out with her completing a heist. Her past is a big mystery, but as the book goes on we are able to learn more and more.

“It doesn’t matter who she was. It matters who she can become…”

During that heist, she meets a Dragon named Cvareh. Ari hates, and refuses to trust, any Dragon, but when he offers her a boon to take him to the Alchemist Guild she finds herself unable to refuse. Cvareh is from House Xin and in desperate need to protect his family.

Ari also has an adorable assistant named Florence, who completely won me over. I was unsure of her age until towards the end of the book (16), so for a while I thought her and Ari were a thing and would end up together (this made me extremely happy, by the way), but I was kind of let down when I realized Flor’s age and that the relationship was more of a big sister/little sister relationship.

But Ari does identify as bisexual, and even though we don’t actually see her with another woman I was still happy with the representation. Also, I cannot wait to find out all about Ari’s past and the demons that still are chasing her.

“Don’t let the shadows of the past smother the possibility for a bright future.”

The other thing that I loved, besides the story and the world, was the writing. Elise Kova really strung together some breathtakingly beautiful sentences that left me wanting so much more. Her talent really shined with this book, and it left me very interested in reading more of her work.

“She waited for him to say something more. The silence held ciphers of truths that lingered between them, written in a script that neither knew yet how to decipher. This would not be the moment they were given sound.”

Like I said, I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. My only main criticism was the feeling of queer-baiting through the first half. Maybe if they author told the ages of the girls, or explained Ari and Flor’s relationship a little better, I wouldn’t have felt like that.

Also, this is my own personal opinion. You might not even pick up the vibe I was getting from the girls. Maybe I’m so desperate for more F/F books that I’m trying to see it every time I read.

My other minor criticism is that the romance in this book does feel a little too insta-love-y for my personal tastes. Like, it went from cold to hot really quickly. Like, in the blink of an eye. It didn’t bother me, or pull me out of the story, but it didn’t feel 100% natural.

I know my break down above could seem a little overwhelming, because of all the new terms, but creating a completely new world out of nothing is never easy and there will always be a learning curve. This book is really rewarding and really worth the time. I honestly loved this, and I cannot wait for The Dragons of Nova in April 2017.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC. I plan to read anything Elise Kova writes. I love her style and world building. This series is deliciously dark with a steam punk edge. The world building is everything a fantasy lover is looking for. If you enjoy steam punk then don't miss this new series!

Wow. This world building? AMAZING. It was the perfect beautiful blend of steampunk meets fantasy meets just plain awesome.

Now I'll be honest - the first 10-15% I wasn't interested much. I didn't connect with the characters and I felt like a lost lamb thrown into a hurricane. There was so much info + action with not enough background. KEEP READING.

Pull a Dori and just keep reading because it gets so much better. It's worth it. Cannot wait to read what Kova has up next!!

This is a great start to a series. The main characters are engaging and the premise and world building in this book are wonderful I look forward to more from this author.

I jumped at the chance to review The Alchemists of Loom. I had high expectations going in. I haven’t read the Air Awakens series yet. I have been seriously planning to for ages but life just got in the way. However, all of the rave reviews had me ridiculously excited about this book.

The first few chapters had me seriously reconsidering my previous excitement. I couldn’t connect. The world, while unique, was super confusing. There was just a lot of new words and guilds and so much information being thrown at me that I just didn’t know what to think. Did I make a mistake? Should I keep reading? I put the book down for a week due to work commitments and then casually picked it up again. I was going to give it a second chance. If not, then I would have to give in and move on. THANK GOODNESS THAT I DIDN’T GIVE UP! That would have been a HUGE mistake on my part. Yes, the start is slow and a bit mind boggling but the struggle is worth it. THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!!

What I loved the most was that the story was told through alternating points of view. Each chapter was dedicated to a different character and you could really tell the difference between them. Their voices and personalities were strong and unique throughout. I particularly enjoyed Ari, the main character and badass criminal mastermind. She was strong, determined, very intelligent and mysterious. Her characterization very much reminded me of Celaena Sardothien in the first Throne of Glass novel, which I loved so no complaints here!

The world was very interesting and different from what I have read before. The book starts out kind of with assuming the reader knows what’s happening, but don’t be like me and start to freak out. It’s meant to be that way. Everything is slowly explained and now that I finished the story I’m very thankful for that because it avoids a massive dump of information. Basically, the story takes place in Loom, a world enslaved by a dragon race. The dragons have forced the people of Loom to work in specialized guilds for their benefit. Once in a guild there is no way out. It’s illegal to leave or to not be associated with the guild of your birth. Besides the dragons (who aren’t actually like the mythical dragons we know and love), Loom is made up of the Fenthri, human-like people, and the Chimera, humans with dragon parts that can wield magic.

This magical world intrigued me because I don’t usually read books that contain elements of steampunk. Timekeeper by Tara Sim definitely changed my mind about the genre and this book further demonstrated why I’ve been missing out! For example, the dragons (who aren’t really dragons) don’t fly with wings. They fly using metal contraptions that allow them to dominate and attack their enemies from above. Ari used magic enhanced weapons and gunpowder to thwart her enemies. The technology and factories blended seamlessly with the magical fantasy I’m used to and I may just have found a new must-read genre.

So, I highly recommend The Alchemists of Loom! I’m so addicted to this world and characters that I can’t wait for the sequel…which probably won’t be for another year and that breaks my heart. I’m so impatient but it will be worth the wait!

This book is incredibly good. Starting from the world building and its plot, up to the characters and twist. Elise Kova is definitely full of surprises and doesn't fail to amaze me with her new series. Definitely hooked.

Where do I start from, with this incredible book?

Do you enjoy reading about dragons (especially a unique and original take in them), steampunk (with all the technology and dress style that comes hand in hand with the term) and amazing, strong, independent and mysterious heroes?

Then, look no further!

The first installment in the brand new series written by the author of Air Awakens, Elise Kova, has all those elements and so many more!

The story started with so much action right away, and I found myself trying to get a hold of everything happening, and attempting to understand exactly who the narrator is!
But, as soon as I got into the vibe, I fell right in love with all this action and the strong heroine.

The plot was very interesting. In a land of loom, where Fenthri (the "grey" equivalent of the common humans - who really have different shades of grey skins!) have to live below the clouds and suffer the will of the Dragon King. But, the interesting fact, is that the dragons (and their King) are not the typical 4-legged, winged and colorful creatures. While they are indeed colorful, the similarities end there! The dragons are 2-legged human(or, rather, Fenthri)-like creatures that can fly by using very advanced technology.

But, apart from Dragons and Fenthri, there is also another creature (that doesn't go bump only in the night)! Chimaeras are a combination of the two. They are Fenthri, who have acquired (with maybe not so legal ways) Dragon blood, organs and body part.

Our heroine, Ari is a Chimaera herself.

And, that is all that we actually know about her. Her whole previous life remains a mystery almost to the end of the book!

All we know is that she lives with Florence, since the latter abandoned her home in the Ravens Guild in order to pursue a life as Revolver.
Because there are 5 Guilds, and each Fenthri has (according to the law of the Dragon King) to belong in one of them and demonstrate it through a facial tattoo!

So much information. I know, and yet just the essential for you to get just a glimpse of this complex world created by Kova.

As for the characters, I liked Ari and I liked Florence. Each for different reasons.
Ari was strong and independent and brave and everything most people would want to be.
But, Flor was strong, too! In her own ways! And, while it didn't get proven until the second hald of the book, I still felt a little more love towards her then!

I liked Cvareh, too! He is a Dragon, and while it was a little difficult for me to picture him as colorful as he was, I loved his personality and the way he handled things.
He is a man in a mission and I loved his concentration and deep will to execute his mission!

The writing style was flawless, and the fact that everything started so seemingly sudden, I loved every single part of this book!
It makes me crave the release of the rest of the books in the series so bad!

All in all, 5 stars for a greatly executed novel, which revolves around a complex world, with its own intricate rules, brave and strong characters and lots of interesting new creatures!