Book Review :: A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan

A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan
ISBN: 1668076187
on 1 July 2025
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romantasy
Goodreads

Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are twelve years old when they are whisked away from the shadows of their disenfranchised mining towns to dazzling Belavere City to discover their magical potential. Those who pass Belavere’s test will become Artisans, wielders of powerful elemental magic destined to fulfill the city’s grand ambitions. For Nina, the Artisan School symbolizes a dream and an escape from her harsh reality, while Patrick yearns to return to his Craftsman family, whose extraordinary physical strength serves the idium mines keeping the city alive.

And then they uncover a devastating truth: Artisans aren’t born, they’re chosen. They part ways on very different paths, leaving them to carry the burden of this secret alone.

In the years that follow, a Craftsman revolution ignites, thrusting Nina and Patrick into opposing factions of a brewing war. Now an elite Artisan with the very rare talent for charming earth, Nina has turned her back on the fight, haunted by the loss of her found family. But fate intervenes when she is captured by Patrick’s rebel group.

Despite the years and conflict that separates them, Patrick hasn’t forgotten Nina. He desperately seeks her help for a mission that could shift the tides against Belavere City. Reluctantly, she agrees, battling the sparks flying between them. But when Nina’s first love reappears, asking her to betray Patrick for the sake of the Artisans, Nina faces an impossible choice that could alter the fate of their world.

Last updated on 20 July 2025

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What is A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan about?

A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan is about Nina and Patrick, two kids who came from nothing and grew up to find themselves on opposite sides of a brutal class war. With magic. Kinda.

Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are just twelve when they’re pulled from their dusty, forgotten mining towns and dropped into the glittering world of Belavere City. They’re there to prove they’ve got the magic to join the elite Artisans, who are a group of the rare few who can bend the elements.

For Nina, the Artisan School is everything she’s ever dreamed of. And for Patrick? He just wants to get back to his Craftsman family, who keep Belavere’s mines (and economy, too, to be honest) running.

But when they’re there, about to be tested, they uncover a HUGE secret. Artisans aren’t born, they’re chosen. And that secret changes everything.

Fast forward to many years later, and Patrick is at the heart of the rebellion. Nina, now a powerful Artisan with a rare gift for charming the earth itself, has tried to leave it all behind, and she’s been on the run for … I wanna say a decade? When Patrick’s rebels capture her, their worlds collide again, even though they haven’t seen each other since they were 12.

Patrick needs her help for a mission that could change the future of Belavere. Nina isn’t sure she can trust him. And when her first love, Theo, turns up, asking her to betray Patrick for the sake of the Artisans, Nina is faced with an impossible decision: one that could tear her heart (and their world) in two.

My thoughts on A Forbidden Alchemy

I absolutely loved A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan.

I first discovered McEwan on Instagram, and followed along to watch her brilliant book-related Reels and content, and then read her debut book, Ledge, and then continued the series, too. I thoroughly enjoyed Ledge, and while I didn’t enjoy the sequels as much as the first one, I was still super keen to read whatever she released next.

A Forbidden Alchemy was that book. And I soaked it right up.

This felt really different to her previous books. Yes, the storyline, plot, magic, and characters etc were all different, but it read differently, too. One of the things that I didn’t like so much about the Ledge series was the way it was written. It was written in the third person present tense which I haaaaate, and I actually found it a big draw card, and I dropped it by a star.

However, A Forbidden Alchemy was different and much more enjoyable to read. I read it in just a few days, always wanting to go back to it.

While I haven’t seen Peaky Blinders (at the writing of this review), I still got the feel of it through the character of Patrick. He definitely gives off that Peaky Blinders vibe. The way he talks, the way McEwan describes what he wears. She’s brought it up in interviews, too.

The plot clips along at a really good pace and never felt myself getting bored or wanting specific parts to hurry along (as is the case with many a book, unfortunately). I like the first few chapters where the story is laid out with young Nina and Patrick, before they go their separate ways, and the time jump to Nina years and years later when they’re finally reunited. There were some twists and turns along the way, too, which was brilliant for keeping you on your toes.

The characters in the minor town were brilliant. They were harsh and calloused and hard working people, but also really likeable, each with their own struggles and woes. It was small-town vibes but in a fantasy mining town … which is not a sentence I ever thought I’d write, or a book I’d ever read. But here we are.

Overall, I loved A Forbidden Alchemy and I’m excited for the next one! If you’re looking for a slow-burn romantasy that is tense, magic-filled, a bit political … then definitely give this one a go!

Have you read A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan yet? What did you think?