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hurls298's review against another edition
3.0
Too similar to many others
While some parts of the book were enjoyable there was too much that seemed formulaic, contrived, or derived from other, better, steampunk work. For example, the love interest being across class boundaries, pirates who are incompetent,both have, in my opinion, been better handled by authors like Gail Carriger.
I also found many of the characters were too archetypical, for example the evil overlord and his histrionics, the housekeeper who dispersed good food and advice, etc. etc.
I doubt I will read more from this author.
While some parts of the book were enjoyable there was too much that seemed formulaic, contrived, or derived from other, better, steampunk work. For example, the love interest being across class boundaries, pirates who are incompetent,both have, in my opinion, been better handled by authors like Gail Carriger.
I also found many of the characters were too archetypical, for example the evil overlord and his histrionics, the housekeeper who dispersed good food and advice, etc. etc.
I doubt I will read more from this author.
smaximiek's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to like this. I did. The fundamental problem is that it read like a cross between extremely bad fanfiction and wanna be erotica - with questionable editing. You know, just to add insult to it all.
Ok, here is an example: Marsh, you honestly don't think that I am going to swallow all this wibble about magical women who rule the world?
Wibble?! I am supposed to give her bonus points for working in a partial Dr. Who call out in a book? Oh wait. Victorian era steampunk. No.
And this take place in a middle of the worse pivotal plot change moment ever. She has been Fighting her Destiny Loudly all along. And then its just...Oh! Well, because you said so! I will happily accept my destiny! Lets tally on then! Woot!
It was the most single boring change of mind I have ever read.
And lets talk about the romance. Oh dear lord. This read like a very bad harlequin novel here. I mean, it was...ok, it was drivel. By the end, when she was in negligee - uh, opps, I mean, toga - laying on a stone slab to be a sacrifice (NOT KIDDING HERE) I was waiting for this to turn into a bad sex scene - you could tell she just wanted to go there.
The closest thing to interesting in this book was the absinthe fairy. That is not saying much.
Ok, here is an example: Marsh, you honestly don't think that I am going to swallow all this wibble about magical women who rule the world?
Wibble?! I am supposed to give her bonus points for working in a partial Dr. Who call out in a book? Oh wait. Victorian era steampunk. No.
And this take place in a middle of the worse pivotal plot change moment ever. She has been Fighting her Destiny Loudly all along. And then its just...Oh! Well, because you said so! I will happily accept my destiny! Lets tally on then! Woot!
It was the most single boring change of mind I have ever read.
And lets talk about the romance. Oh dear lord. This read like a very bad harlequin novel here. I mean, it was...ok, it was drivel. By the end, when she was in negligee - uh, opps, I mean, toga - laying on a stone slab to be a sacrifice (NOT KIDDING HERE) I was waiting for this to turn into a bad sex scene - you could tell she just wanted to go there.
The closest thing to interesting in this book was the absinthe fairy. That is not saying much.
isabelisalright's review against another edition
3.0
From the title and cover alone this book sounds promising. Even the blurb is promising, but all it manages to do is stumble about and be a weird mix of steampunk and not steampunk. Instead of complaining though I'll break it all down for you.
A seemingly strong female Elle is put into a precarious situation with her father being kidnapped and the 'quick' delivery she was supposed to make. It all turns out to be a huge set up for some terrible things to take place.
The things I liked in this book. The characters were pretty unique and awesome. Lots of treachery and fun to be had by all. It was interesting seeing some of the characters I was suspicious of turn out to be evil. I really liked Marsh and how much he grew throughout the book. Elle seemed like a strong character, but later on she started to fall flat for me.
The things I didn't care for was that the book literally took a turn around 50% of being slow and boring. I almost didn't finish it, but I made myself stick it out. Which the ending was pretty good so I'm glad I did.
Overall I really can't say a lot of good about this book I give it 2.5/5 stars. I was left just not as interested in the end. Don't foresee myself picking up the sequel either. It's definitely more on the trash end of things.
A seemingly strong female Elle is put into a precarious situation with her father being kidnapped and the 'quick' delivery she was supposed to make. It all turns out to be a huge set up for some terrible things to take place.
The things I liked in this book. The characters were pretty unique and awesome. Lots of treachery and fun to be had by all. It was interesting seeing some of the characters I was suspicious of turn out to be evil. I really liked Marsh and how much he grew throughout the book. Elle seemed like a strong character, but later on she started to fall flat for me.
The things I didn't care for was that the book literally took a turn around 50% of being slow and boring. I almost didn't finish it, but I made myself stick it out. Which the ending was pretty good so I'm glad I did.
Overall I really can't say a lot of good about this book I give it 2.5/5 stars. I was left just not as interested in the end. Don't foresee myself picking up the sequel either. It's definitely more on the trash end of things.
kolausen's review against another edition
3.0
Dirigibles, warlocks, and absinthe fairies. What's not to like about that?
caffeinatedreviewer's review against another edition
4.0
I get a little nervous when someone says a book offers a blend of genres as nine times out of ten one of those genres suffer and usually it’s the one I bought the book for. So it was with trepidation that I began reading A Conspiracy of Alchemists by Liesel Schwarz. My fears were quickly put to rest as I slipped into this delightful steampunk fantasy wrapped in paranormal and historical elements. I found I could not put this action packed tale down and quickly consumed it.
The tale takes place in 1903 where science and magic are split. On one side is the shadow or the realm of supernatural and on the other is light where science creates new technologies and wonderful gadgets. This balance has been kept in check but as man creates more technology the power of the shadow realm begins to fade and a plot is devised to take over the world from the light once and for all. With the help of Nightwalkers and spell-casting alchemists they plan to perform a ritual using a special woman as the conduit to harness the power. Aren’t you already drooling..I was. We meet our protagonist Ella, the daughter of a scientist, an ace mechanic and a pilot. She is hired to transport a package from Paris to London and the tale that unfolds is action packed and magical with a hint of romance as Ella finds herself at the center of a war. Determined to fight back she teams with Hugh Marsh, a Warlock who both captivates and annoys her. I found myself complete spellbound as we traveled across Europe by air and the Oriental Express.
Eleanor “Elle” Chance is absolutely delightful and refreshing. She is certainly not, molded after the women of 1900’s and in fact her Aunt’s attempt to have a season for her was an absolute disaster. She lives with her inventor father and after the death of her mother he dotes on her. He has tried to get her to conform, but as most daughters are capable of she slowly chips away at his resolve and gets her way. This includes attending the flying academy, wearing pants and traveling the world. She is a better shot then most men and has a specially made corset that she wears on the outside of her clothes, complete with gun harness. She loves logic and as she discovers more about herself and her mother she struggles to accept things. I loved this vulnerable side of her. She is brilliant and kick-ass and oh so much more. Meaning she needs a man who is her equal in all things and who can handle a strong-minded, fearless woman and that my friend is the deliciously handsome warlock, Hughes Marsh. As a member of the Order he has obligations and duties but soon finds his priorities have changes. Elle captivates him on many levels and he struggles with who she is to the order and who she is to him as a man. We meet characters from both the light and the shadow and they added to the tale.
The world building in this urban fantasy was refreshingly delightful. I am a huge fan of steampunk and so appreciated the author’s inclusion of these elements from gadgets to setting. She then mixes in magic, myth, and the supernatural to create a battle of shadow and light. I loved where Elle’s role will be in all of this and look forward to seeing her grow and mature. The romance was sweet, but clearly played second to the epic plot with its twists and turns. We get a beautiful history of the how and why of the shadow and the light setting us up for the rest of the series. This was a strong tale and would work as a standalone as well. I absolutely loved the journey the characters went on from England to Constantinople and did not want it to end. Was I surprised by the overall plot and turn of events; no but the delivery and genre elements made this original and I look forward to continuing this series.
ARC provided for unbiased review
See more of my reviews @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
The tale takes place in 1903 where science and magic are split. On one side is the shadow or the realm of supernatural and on the other is light where science creates new technologies and wonderful gadgets. This balance has been kept in check but as man creates more technology the power of the shadow realm begins to fade and a plot is devised to take over the world from the light once and for all. With the help of Nightwalkers and spell-casting alchemists they plan to perform a ritual using a special woman as the conduit to harness the power. Aren’t you already drooling..I was. We meet our protagonist Ella, the daughter of a scientist, an ace mechanic and a pilot. She is hired to transport a package from Paris to London and the tale that unfolds is action packed and magical with a hint of romance as Ella finds herself at the center of a war. Determined to fight back she teams with Hugh Marsh, a Warlock who both captivates and annoys her. I found myself complete spellbound as we traveled across Europe by air and the Oriental Express.
Eleanor “Elle” Chance is absolutely delightful and refreshing. She is certainly not, molded after the women of 1900’s and in fact her Aunt’s attempt to have a season for her was an absolute disaster. She lives with her inventor father and after the death of her mother he dotes on her. He has tried to get her to conform, but as most daughters are capable of she slowly chips away at his resolve and gets her way. This includes attending the flying academy, wearing pants and traveling the world. She is a better shot then most men and has a specially made corset that she wears on the outside of her clothes, complete with gun harness. She loves logic and as she discovers more about herself and her mother she struggles to accept things. I loved this vulnerable side of her. She is brilliant and kick-ass and oh so much more. Meaning she needs a man who is her equal in all things and who can handle a strong-minded, fearless woman and that my friend is the deliciously handsome warlock, Hughes Marsh. As a member of the Order he has obligations and duties but soon finds his priorities have changes. Elle captivates him on many levels and he struggles with who she is to the order and who she is to him as a man. We meet characters from both the light and the shadow and they added to the tale.
The world building in this urban fantasy was refreshingly delightful. I am a huge fan of steampunk and so appreciated the author’s inclusion of these elements from gadgets to setting. She then mixes in magic, myth, and the supernatural to create a battle of shadow and light. I loved where Elle’s role will be in all of this and look forward to seeing her grow and mature. The romance was sweet, but clearly played second to the epic plot with its twists and turns. We get a beautiful history of the how and why of the shadow and the light setting us up for the rest of the series. This was a strong tale and would work as a standalone as well. I absolutely loved the journey the characters went on from England to Constantinople and did not want it to end. Was I surprised by the overall plot and turn of events; no but the delivery and genre elements made this original and I look forward to continuing this series.
ARC provided for unbiased review
See more of my reviews @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
missmusicbox's review
2.0
Well this was not as good as I hoped it would be. The heroine is not really that likable. Everyone keeps saying she is special and her love interest says shes "unlike any woman I've ever met" when really she is pretty ordinary. I was hoping there would be more flying involved. Also more magic! I mean the main guy is a Warlock and the villains are alchemists. There should be cool battles right? Unfortunately, the Warlock does 0 magic because, low and behold, all the Warlock's powers are gone. Wasted opportunity if you ask me. So 2 stars and I doubt I will continue the series.
bookworm1858's review against another edition
3.0
Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
When I read the summary for this book, something about it made me think of Gail Carriger's Soulless books, the first one of which I enjoyed (haven't had a chance to try the others). But when I picked this one up to read, it just wasn't clicking for me. I had to make myself concentrate and give it a fair shake in order to be able to see its merits.
I will get to why I didn't love this in a second but first I really want to applaud the steampunk elements. I thought every bit was pretty fantastic. This was no halfhearted attempt to cash in on the steampunk frenzy; this was a carefully planned and written incorporation of some of the most interesting parts and it pays off. As I've been discovering, I really love the idea of steampunk and it's great to read it being done well.
On the less positive side, I just had trouble clicking with Ellie Chance, our main character here. She is very special and talented, which is only just starting to be unraveled in this first book. But she's also incredibly stubborn, including shutting out people who have information, no matter how vitally important it might be. There are several places when she ducks out of learning something that might have helped her to know. The other main character is Mr. Marsh and I really liked him. He's a Warlock and although his character is somewhat mysterious, I enjoyed the time we got to spending learning about him.
There are a few other characters but the story mainly rests on the two already mentioned, which surprised me. I expected a much larger cast to populate this bustling world and it made me try all the harder but ultimately unsuccessfully to fall for Ellie. Future books have a lot of room to play with and I hope that those who liked this first book will continue but I will not be.
Cover: Not that much of the book takes place in Paris although that is the opening scene. Actually a lot of the story takes place while traveling so a train or dirigible might have been more fitting.
When I read the summary for this book, something about it made me think of Gail Carriger's Soulless books, the first one of which I enjoyed (haven't had a chance to try the others). But when I picked this one up to read, it just wasn't clicking for me. I had to make myself concentrate and give it a fair shake in order to be able to see its merits.
I will get to why I didn't love this in a second but first I really want to applaud the steampunk elements. I thought every bit was pretty fantastic. This was no halfhearted attempt to cash in on the steampunk frenzy; this was a carefully planned and written incorporation of some of the most interesting parts and it pays off. As I've been discovering, I really love the idea of steampunk and it's great to read it being done well.
On the less positive side, I just had trouble clicking with Ellie Chance, our main character here. She is very special and talented, which is only just starting to be unraveled in this first book. But she's also incredibly stubborn, including shutting out people who have information, no matter how vitally important it might be. There are several places when she ducks out of learning something that might have helped her to know. The other main character is Mr. Marsh and I really liked him. He's a Warlock and although his character is somewhat mysterious, I enjoyed the time we got to spending learning about him.
There are a few other characters but the story mainly rests on the two already mentioned, which surprised me. I expected a much larger cast to populate this bustling world and it made me try all the harder but ultimately unsuccessfully to fall for Ellie. Future books have a lot of room to play with and I hope that those who liked this first book will continue but I will not be.
Cover: Not that much of the book takes place in Paris although that is the opening scene. Actually a lot of the story takes place while traveling so a train or dirigible might have been more fitting.