Well, I thought this was going to be fantasy. It wasn't really, was more historical fiction/adventure/alt world. It did have some mention of alchemy. I thought it was fun--I saw this one at the library and jumped at the description likening it to Monte Cristo. It was a revenge story, set amongst a backdrop of the sea and gambling dens. But I felt the world building was a bit shallow, and the romance was meh. The characters were quite diverse, but I didn't get a sense of who they really were most of the time. A fun, quick read, though. Don't know if I'd continue on with the series.