Publication date : 7 Oct. 2025
Language : English
Print length : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1399631322
ISBN-13 : 978-1399631327
Book Blurb
YOU’RE HERE BECAUSE OF A STORY . . .
It starts with a class in an old movie theatre. Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, taught by a woman called the Professor.
Most students believe the Professor’s stories are just fiction, but Holland St. James has always been convinced that magic is real.
Her search for the truth leads her to a dazzling new world, a deadly ultimatum hidden at the heart of Los Angeles, and into the path of a magnetic stranger who claims he’s been sent to save her life.
But everyone in this intoxicating new world is lying to her, even this stranger. And if she can’t figure out whom to trust, her magical reality could change from a Hollywood dream to a nightmare.
My Review
In the world of fantasy fiction there has a lot of excitement and hype about Alchemy of Secrets since the beginning of the year, and finally next week it is released. Stephanie Garber is famous for her young adult Caravel series and the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy, and this is her first Adult Fantasy Book. Set in Los Angeles, Holland is convinced that the stories told in her class, Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, are true, that people make deals with the devil and that there is magic. One morning January finds her wish come true, magic is real, and she finds herself on a journey to find a magical item that will save her life. But as she soon realises a world of magic can be dangerous and you have to be careful who you trust.
The central character of Holland has many secrets in her life; she uses a fake surname, doesn’t talk about her family and is obsessed with local mythology and finding the devil. She has her reasons for this obsession, mainly the death of her parents as she doesn’t believe her father would murder her mother, she believes her parents made a bargain with the devil and didn’t repay him. As a female lead she was likeable and dogged in her search for the truth, taking everything in and rather thatn being worried or frightened she ran towards danger. However, as a female lead she also got on my nerves slightly, I wanted her to more assertive and less led by the two men who enter her life, Gabe and Adam. Not sure who can she trust she finds herself with each one in diffent parts of the book as both profess to have her best interests at heart. However I really enjoyed her journey through the book, the clues she had to follow and the unforseen outcome.
The plot reminded me in part of Alice in Wonderland, in the way of Holland’s life changing in a day, falling down a metaphorical rabbit hole, finding out magic is real and meeting some strange new people and having tea with the Watch Man. It was fast paced and I loved the idea of a treasure hunt to find a magical item. With the inclusion of secret societies, a sacred order, a magical bank, and a hotel where time slows down Stephanie Garber builds a wonderful alternative Los Angeles. I will be honest that I thought it was a bit mundane at first but I continued reading and found myself lost in the treasure hunt and Stephanie Garber turned it around with an ending that was a surprising and brilliantly plotted.
I really got caught in the hype around Alcheny of Secrets and I think that this clouded my judgement when I started reading; I had it in my mind that this was going to be spectacular and the best book I’d read. Taking away my preconceived ideas and just looking at the story it was a fascinating and magical read with some intriguing characters. Fans of Stephanie Garber will love this book and I look forward to reading her next foray into adult fantasy fiction.
