Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber
Stephanie Garber is one of my auto-buy authors of all time, so I was on my toes jumping with excitement when I received a copy of Alchemy of Secrets. It was one of my most anticipated book releases of the year due to my need to read another Garber book that will have my head spinning in all the right ways.
It all starts in modern Hollywood — with some magical twists.
A Devil in LA and a Ticking Clock
Holland St. James has always been interested in magic and magical beings, so she signs up for the Folklore 517 class, where they talk about myths and magical things all around LA. The most recent myth that she wants to chase is the Watchman, a boogeyman who supposedly shows up and tells you how long you have to live.
Well, as she searches for him, guess who appears? Yup; the Watchman approaches Holland out of the blue and lets her know she has 24 hours to live — until 11:59 on the night of Halloween — unless she finds the Alchemical Heart, sn object with the ability to revive anything. Obviously, as any sane person would react, Holland goes into a spiral about how she is going to find the Alchemical Heart, considering she has never even heard of it before (even the Google searches don’t help her out).
Running Out of Time … and Allies
So she seeks the help of Jake, an old lover, but when she gets to his apartment, she finds the Watchman has killed him for “reasons Holland cannot yet grasp”. To make matters worse, after leaving the apartment, she receives a message about her late father’s box at a very fishy bank, one where magical things are known to occur.
Her sister January, her only remaining family, can’t be reached — until the mysterious Gabe shows up. He says January has sent him to protect Holland. So, Holland, being Holland, in good spirits, trusts Gabe, and they go after the box at the bank in hopes of finding the Alchemical Heart.
A Fantasy Read Filled with Heart and Mystery
From there, the twists start, and your head starts to spin because Stephanie Garber’s magical world cannot be matched. She makes the reader feel all the senses while reading her work, and makes you feel like you’re watching a movie in your head. You can almost hear the giggles, the screams, the laughter, but you certainly cannot smell the twists coming.
Once you start this book, you will not want to put it down. It’s like solving a mystery where you, as the reader, have to find the clues and decide who to trust in finding the Alchemical Heart. And once you are in it, you will not want to come out.
About Stephanie Garber:
Stephanie Garber is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart series. Her books have been translated into more than 30 languages. Alchemy of Secrets is her debut novel for adults and will be published around the world.
