Reviews with content warning for Death - Infinity Alchemist

A decent and magical book that was fun to read with great representation and tropes that sometimes overshadowed a plot that even the characters were questioning the accuracy of.
Let me be clear, there are books you enjoy because they are fun to read and have amazing writing and books you really have to force yourself not to focus on the plot holes and the writing in order to enjoy them. This was the later, but I did end up having a fairly good time until the second half.
I really did love the inclusion of a genderfluid character like Ramsay. I have never read a book that describes gender so beautifully, and the concept of binary. It really touched my soul and made me feel happy, just like how every scene with Ash and his binder felt relatable to me. The romance between the three mc did end up feeling sweet, if not a bit rushed and flat.
"'Energy is infinite, and love is energy, so love has the potential to be infinite, too.'"
We had so much build up towards the end, I was ready for a big dramatic showdown, massive battle scene, or some confrontation. Instead it kind of felt like... a let down? Almost too easy in a way? There were several moments I had to stop and wonder what the point of the whole story was if characters could have done things a certain way from the beginning.
My biggest pet peeve is as follows;

why on earth was Lord Alexander wanting to make Ash his new adviser? It makes zero sense. Even the characters realize it. "And even if Ash had stopped his father, he was still an untrained, unlicensed alchemist with no mind for politics."

And then we have Ash acting as if he hadn't had any growth or change the whole book, just nearly spitting in the face of authority. Like? Color me confused because talking back to a man who could have you killed in a moment, why would you suddenly be prideful again for no reason? Yes, have your moment and stand up for yourself, but I was a little shocked by the context. Ash has a whole moment of realization before this and then it's what, gone? I think of interactions I've had with authority figures, nearly tripping over myself to not piss them off, (fellow BIPOC, you know what I mean) something that is engraved in our very souls from a young age. And after finally getting everything resolved Ash nearly risks it all and then just saunters out of there. (And then everyone clapped moment)
It was a really weak point of the book for me.
I like all the characters, I really do. It just almost felt like the author went into writing this with the intent of having certain tropes or having a poly romance and worked backwards from there. I loved Callum, but truly his whole character and storyline could have been left out and the book could have been stronger. (Or it should have been longer, the ending felt rushed)
I'm not saying this was a book built on tropes, because that is very far from the truth. But the way this book has been marketed, and blurbed, really pushes the whole "polyamorous and queer" representation. Which yes, I was so happy to see and get. But by the time it finally comes into play it honestly feels a little late in book for it. Then we come to the ending and it's...meant to be a bit of a cliffhanger moment I guess? After everything works out perfectly for everyone? I understand what I was meant to feel, but I just didn't feel it.
I felt the battle sequences were weak as well, being able to conjure and fight by imagining things is great, but it lacks the impact of tense combat or showing what it would look like.

I found myself having some of the same issues with their writing style, and how glossed over some plot points become. The pacing changes several times and I liked the first chunk of the book better than the last. Some of the characters feel like they're there just to serve as plot devices, and others lose their growth over the course of the book. I think if this was much longer we could have more time of developing relationships and better pacing. I'm honestly not sure what the point of even including Tobias to such an extent was if he wasn't going to be used as a red or as a truly major plot point. He just felt there to cause strife and further development of Ash.

I do recommend this book, it is a fun read, just not a solid one. Just know what you're getting into before you pick it up.
3.5 stars>

Complete random additional thought: Does anyone else agree this book was really male dominated? Curious if I'm crazy, because it felt like most/all of the side characters apart from plot device Marlowe were male.

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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

2.0

“But maybe that’s where freedom lies—not knowing what will happen. Just following happiness.”

➽ I loved Felix Ever After, but Kacen Callender's Fantasy debut didn't work for me at all. I'm still disappointed as Infinity Alchemist was on my anticipated releases list because it sounded so good. The story follows Ash, who wants to study Alchemy but is barred by the rigid rules of society that dictate who can practice magic. He's teaching himself, but it's considered a crime, so he can't let anyone find out. When a young, talented Alchemist called Ramsay offers to teach him in exchange for supporting his research, Ash seizes his chance to study Alchemy properly. I loved the idea of his book, as there are great discussions about elitism in academia and how people without privilege are barred from studying Alchemy. Ash is working as a groundskeeper at the college, so he confronts the privilege of the real Alchemy students while having to practice the craft in secret.

➽ My biggest issue was that I couldn't stand the characters. I feel like this story was more character-driven so this didn't bode well for me. I loved how the author wrote unlikable characters in Felix Ever After, so I was surprised that it didn't work out for me here. I felt sympathy for Ash and agreed with him calling out the privilege and elitism in academia. However, I struggled with Ash's blatant lack of self-preservation as he'd snark at people more powerful all the time, even though he'd get into serious trouble. After a while, it felt like he just judged everyone he came across that he saw as privileged in any way without taking into account their personal history. It was offputting seeing him being so judgemental, as it took away from the valid points he was making. The ending attempted to show that Ash had grown and realized his behavior, but it felt so unearned as he didn't put any effort into growing as a person.

➽ While I liked Callum, I didn't connect with Ramsay. Callum at least felt developed with his own issues. He wants to do the right thing but is held back by his toxic family which he feels compelled to obey. Ramsay used to be his friend before he broke things off. I wanted to like Ramsay as he's a genderfluid character (switching between she/her and he/him pronouns) with a tragic past, but he was such a snob in the beginning. She literally kept hounding Ash for being too late (because he was doing his job that he couldn't just push off!!) for their meetings and kept dismissing his struggles. In the end, I didn't feel like I got a grasp of who Ramsay really is.

➽ Due to my issues with the characters, I didn't connect with the romance. Ash and Ramsay start off antagonizing each other, but then Boom it's Insta Love! I don't think their dynamic was well-developed. It just suddenly shifted to romantic tension without the characters making any effort to understand each other and their different situations. By the halfway point of the book, Ash was in love and I had no idea why. Ash and Callum's dynamic almost felt more interesting as it was more organic. I wanted to like the romance more, especially as it turns into a poly relationship and that's important to explore in YA. Unfortunately, I didn't really care about the romantic drama between the characters.

➽ In general, the plot was weak and the worldbuilding was underdeveloped. I found the different levels of Alchemy interesting, but I don't think they were properly explained. There are various houses that you can pledge yourself to, but I had a hard time keeping them apart. Instead of showing, there was so much telling about the world and the characters. I wasn't invested in the story, so the plot felt slow and boring to me. It was supposed to be this epic hunt for the Book of Source, but despite the action scenes, the story didn't feel focused. The ending was rushed in comparison to the buildup and almost felt too easy.

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essjayeffsea's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

So glad to have found and inhaled this ya fantasy romance novel. It is queer, trans, and poly in such a thoughtful and realistic way. It is so inclusive and queer. A true YA romance fantasy novel, it may be a little disappointing to some that it's not a very smutty book, but truly that's what made it so thoughtful and inclusive, I think everyone who enjoys YA fantasy would love this book. The characters are relatable and well-written.

Bravo to Kacen Callender! I cannot wait to read more from them!

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sheyri's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I need a novella or something that is just fluffy, calm, everyday life of our MCs. For my mental health and soul and all that shit.

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bibliosaurier's review against another edition

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4.75

it needed that extra spark to be a five star read, and admittedly the pacing and plot weren't flawless but it made me feel all the feelings and i fell in love with the characters (especially callum) so here we are

+ two trans characters and a polycule?? i need more of that in my fantasy books

i also agree with a lot of people i've seen saying this is more NA than YA (it's still apprioriate for YA readers, but i also think it could have been even better if it wasn't)

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