Scan barcode
balina_elah's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Dysphoria
torismazarine's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
natraf_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
romantic YA fantasy with leading trans, queer, and gender-fluid characters!
Three young alchemists from incredibly different walks of life join together with one mission, finding an incredibly powerful and ancient text… the Book of Source.
I loved this book - I do wish there was more explanation on the tiers of alchemy! I wanted to know so much more about their unique magic system. And knowing our main characters were so powerful, I wanted to know what made them special!
I wish we had seen more of the development in Ash’s skill as he began to practice techniques and build a foundation. Same goes for Callum, we meet Callum who clearly has a knack for alchemy as he’s been practicing it unaware in his fighting. I definitely wanted to see more of these three strengthen their skills and have it be applied to the storyline. Marlowe also had extreme potential!! The fact that she’s able to materialize into different spaces??? Extremely OP and needed more exploration! I really hope there is a second book that delves deeper into their alchemy and we can see them use it throughout the story.
Overall, a wonderfully unique read!
Three young alchemists from incredibly different walks of life join together with one mission, finding an incredibly powerful and ancient text… the Book of Source.
I loved this book - I do wish there was more explanation on the tiers of alchemy! I wanted to know so much more about their unique magic system. And knowing our main characters were so powerful, I wanted to know what made them special!
I wish we had seen more of the development in Ash’s skill as he began to practice techniques and build a foundation. Same goes for Callum, we meet Callum who clearly has a knack for alchemy as he’s been practicing it unaware in his fighting. I definitely wanted to see more of these three strengthen their skills and have it be applied to the storyline. Marlowe also had extreme potential!! The fact that she’s able to materialize into different spaces??? Extremely OP and needed more exploration! I really hope there is a second book that delves deeper into their alchemy and we can see them use it throughout the story.
Overall, a wonderfully unique read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and War
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse and Transphobia
dubious_little_creature's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Dysphoria
madscientistcat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship
hedonsgaybookshelf's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.
I was impressed by the large critical themes taken on by this YA book - structural class/religious oppression, relationship anarchy, gender fluidity and dysphoria. I really enjoyed MC Ash, who’s brash rejection of authority is clearly informed by a lifetime of class oppression. Raised by a single mother in a low-income neighborhood, he never had access to education or the privilege to practice alchemy that he so deeply craved. The MCs are all of similar age, yet at wildly different statuses due to family background, wealth, politics, and education, and it’s interesting to watch Ash grapple with both his resentment and attraction for Ramsay and Callum. I also love love love a polyamorous endgame, and really resonated with Callum’s rejection of the inherent limits of monogamy and openness to the infinite nature of love. House Lune represents organized religion in the novel, and the messaging is pretty explicit about religion as a control strategy and it’s leaders as deceitful hypocrites - I personally am here for it. I would have liked more attention to race, as we only know that Callum has “dark brown skin” and then I don’t believe this is never mentioned again. I also would have liked a clearer explanation of Ramsay’s gender fluidity and how the MCs knew when to switch Ramsay’s pronouns, as this was a major through-line but only briefly mentioned. I think the book did a nice job of explicitly detailing Ash’s gender dysphoria, both generally and during intimacy, which will be relatable for trans teen readers. The cliffhanger at the end felt just a little rushed, but overall I’m excited to read a sequel to this book!
I was impressed by the large critical themes taken on by this YA book - structural class/religious oppression, relationship anarchy, gender fluidity and dysphoria. I really enjoyed MC Ash, who’s brash rejection of authority is clearly informed by a lifetime of class oppression. Raised by a single mother in a low-income neighborhood, he never had access to education or the privilege to practice alchemy that he so deeply craved. The MCs are all of similar age, yet at wildly different statuses due to family background, wealth, politics, and education, and it’s interesting to watch Ash grapple with both his resentment and attraction for Ramsay and Callum. I also love love love a polyamorous endgame, and really resonated with Callum’s rejection of the inherent limits of monogamy and openness to the infinite nature of love. House Lune represents organized religion in the novel, and the messaging is pretty explicit about religion as a control strategy and it’s leaders as deceitful hypocrites - I personally am here for it. I would have liked more attention to race, as we only know that Callum has “dark brown skin” and then I don’t believe this is never mentioned again. I also would have liked a clearer explanation of Ramsay’s gender fluidity and how the MCs knew when to switch Ramsay’s pronouns, as this was a major through-line but only briefly mentioned. I think the book did a nice job of explicitly detailing Ash’s gender dysphoria, both generally and during intimacy, which will be relatable for trans teen readers. The cliffhanger at the end felt just a little rushed, but overall I’m excited to read a sequel to this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
quinniantheduck's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Sexual content
vemiline's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“We’re all selfish, Ash. You’re just brave enough to see it.”
So I got this book as an ARC from NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group in exchange for a review, so thank you so much for giving me this opportunity!
“Why go back to his body, to this illusion he had created, to a world where desires that would never be filled were slowly killing him, where he couldn’t escape his own wants and thoughts and fears?”
This book…. was something I completely did not expect from it. There was a problem, yet there were so many layers to it, it was pretty interesting. I was expecting just magic and adventure and hoorah, but what I got were very thought provoking messages and an adventure that went on a lot longer than I thought it would.
“Maybe it wasn’t death that Ash feared, but the idea of dying with regret, thinking in his last moments everything he failed to achieve.”
I really appreciated the diversity. I loved that moment of realization that Ash was in the LGBTQ+ community and that there were even gender-fluid aspects in here too. I think that there needs to be more transgendered protagonists, and more insight to their thoughts and struggles about being born in the wrong body. There was also another… type of relationship between the characters and I thought that it was good to see because we don’t see it enough. I know a lot of people are probably gonna be against this aspect though.
“Magic. The word implied universes unknown and adventures undiscovered, power unfulfilled and possibilities that were endless.”
I think it was interesting to understand the world building and all that. I was worried it was going to be really confusing, and with all the different houses it was at first, but I just bookmarked the page that had all the houses and kept referring to it until the relevant houses stuck to my mind. I think I might need to reread this book again, but with the knowledge of how the world is like in this book. I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it. I’m honestly not even sure how I’d even improve it though, so that’s a whole other conversation.
“But Gresham again was a hypocrite. Weren’t all the great men?”
I did see that this is going to be a series, and while I know this wasn’t my favourite, becoming my favourite series is a very hard thing to do anyways, I think I want to keep up with this series. I appreciate that there was an ending to this book (sorry if that’s a spoiler….let me know if it’s too spoiler-y) and I hope Kacen Callender brings more of Ash Woods for me :)
So I got this book as an ARC from NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group in exchange for a review, so thank you so much for giving me this opportunity!
“Why go back to his body, to this illusion he had created, to a world where desires that would never be filled were slowly killing him, where he couldn’t escape his own wants and thoughts and fears?”
This book…. was something I completely did not expect from it. There was a problem, yet there were so many layers to it, it was pretty interesting. I was expecting just magic and adventure and hoorah, but what I got were very thought provoking messages and an adventure that went on a lot longer than I thought it would.
“Maybe it wasn’t death that Ash feared, but the idea of dying with regret, thinking in his last moments everything he failed to achieve.”
I really appreciated the diversity. I loved that moment of realization that Ash was in the LGBTQ+ community and that there were even gender-fluid aspects in here too. I think that there needs to be more transgendered protagonists, and more insight to their thoughts and struggles about being born in the wrong body. There was also another… type of relationship between the characters and I thought that it was good to see because we don’t see it enough. I know a lot of people are probably gonna be against this aspect though.
“Magic. The word implied universes unknown and adventures undiscovered, power unfulfilled and possibilities that were endless.”
I think it was interesting to understand the world building and all that. I was worried it was going to be really confusing, and with all the different houses it was at first, but I just bookmarked the page that had all the houses and kept referring to it until the relevant houses stuck to my mind. I think I might need to reread this book again, but with the knowledge of how the world is like in this book. I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it. I’m honestly not even sure how I’d even improve it though, so that’s a whole other conversation.
“But Gresham again was a hypocrite. Weren’t all the great men?”
I did see that this is going to be a series, and while I know this wasn’t my favourite, becoming my favourite series is a very hard thing to do anyways, I think I want to keep up with this series. I appreciate that there was an ending to this book (sorry if that’s a spoiler….let me know if it’s too spoiler-y) and I hope Kacen Callender brings more of Ash Woods for me :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death of parent and Murder
vagaybond's review
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Dysphoria