A Forbidden Alchemy is a fantastical story of class war with a simmering romance that started in childhood. It explores the costs of revolution, home & family, and how your loyalty is determined, stretched, and altered.

Nina and Patrick come from mining towns and meet at the magical aptitude test every 12 year old is invited to take. In their society, you’re deemed either an Artisan or a Craftsman. Artisans wield powerful magic and live in grand Belavere City, studying in a fancy private school, whereas Craftsman are physical laborers, mining materials essential for magic.

The two kids accidentally uncover a devastating secret about the Artisan test, and both make very different decisions about their futures. But this spark of truth ignites a Craftsman revolution, and they cross paths once again many years later on opposing sides of the war. Patrick will do anything to protect his people, and  Nina must decide where her loyalties lie once and for all.

This is a fascinating world and I was immediately immersed. The grittiness, pain, and community of the mining towns, the sting and cycle of addiction when your world is fear & pain, and the uppity society of Artisans who are terrified of losing their power but also want to remain exclusive … it’s all so good.

These characters are TRULY morally gray, and their ethics and alliances shift and swirl. Both Patrick and Nina make unsavory decisions, and my heart was often pounding as a reader because I had no idea which way Nina was going to sway next. 

Patrick & Nina’s romance is compelling and believable, and I was rooting for them while also feeling like it was impossible to give them a happy ending. 

This ends on SUCH a cliffhanger and I’m eager to see what happens next!

CW: death, mass death, murder, war, classism, abandonment, addiction, sexual content

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)