3.5 stars.

I liked the premise of this book but I felt like it didn’t know what it wanted to be. Did it want to be a tale of a girl, looking for her place in the world? Did it want to be the tale of an alchemist struggling with what she wants to do? It is a romance? Is it a mystery? There’s so much going on in this book that seems to change mid track.
I wish Thea were a stronger character and that the relationship with Will or Dominic or even Valentin were stronger to give some depth.
I wish her father were more consistent.
I wish the French Revolution theme were a bigger part as well.
As a final note, I wish there was a more solid end, rather than what were given. To me, it doesn’t read as a series but I might be wrong, but if it’s not, I would’ve liked a better end.
This book is a little bit of a mess, the result of too many themes, too many ideas trying to get out in one book.
It’s a great attempt but fell a little short unfortunately.