The Accidental Alchemist is one of my favorite series and I was very happy to be able to read an arc of the new installment.
The mix of different genres (cozy mystery, adventure, urban fantasy, YA, a pinch of romance) works very well and it creates a highly entertaining and gripping novel that kept me turning pages.
Zoe, Dorian and the gang are back at their best. We get to know more about Pernelle and Nicolas Flamel and we wonder what's happening to Max.
The plot is full of twists and turns and the last twists were totally unexpected and brought the book to a very satisfying end.
It's a mystery with no murder but two apparent subplots that will be joined at certain point leaving anything lose or unanswered.
The paranormal aspects plays an important role: Zoe is an alchemist of discovered the Elixir of Life and she’s older than 300 years even if she looks a twenty something, Nicolas and Pernell Flamel are the legendary alchemists who are adapting to life in XXI century, Dorian is a Notre Dame gargoyle brought to life but an experiment of a type of forbidden alchemy.
There’s a strong element of paranormal but they all also live a normal life and the author excels at mixing their secret aspects with everyday life.
I loved every moment of this story and can't wait to read another one.
Even if it could be enjoyed as a stand alone I advice to read the previous novels in order to appreciate the details and the characters.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Gigi Pandian for this ARC, all opinions are mine