Name: A Conspiracy of Alchemists
Author: Liesel Schwarz
Genre: Steampunk/Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Series or Singular: Book #1 of The Chronicle of Light and Shadow
Publishing Date: March 5, 2013
Publishing House: Del Rey
Page Number: 352 (Hardcover)
Synopsis
Eleanor “Elle” Chance, that is—a high-flying dirigible pilot with a taste for adventure and the heroine of this edgy new series that transforms elements of urban fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal romance into pure storytelling gold.
It is 1903, and the world is divided between light and shadow. On the side of light is a wondrous science that has transformed everyday life by harnessing magical energies to ingenious new technologies. But each advance of science has come at the expense of shadow—the traditional realm of the supernatural.
Now two ancient powers are preparing to strike back. Blood-sucking immortal Nightwalkers and their spellcasting Alchemist allies have a plan to cover the whole world in shadow. All they require is the sacrifice of a certain young woman whose past conceals a dangerous secret.
But when they come after Elle, they get more than they bargained for. This enterprising young woman, the daughter of a scientific genius, has reserves of bravery and determination that even she scarcely suspects. Now she is about to meet her match in more ways than one: a handsome yet infuriating Warlock named Hugh Marsh, whose agenda is as suspect as his charms are annoyingly irresistible.
Review
Initial Reaction: Interesting. Not as intense as I wanted it to be. It focused a lot on the main male and female characters. I wish it spread their relationship growth out over the course of the three books instead of the first one.
On the Plot
The plot was rushed. I wanted this book to be great. I really did, but it fell at average. It started off great. A meeting that had to be kept under wraps in a seedy bar is awesome. Even the next scene was great. The special item was stolen, but now what are the heroes going to do? Well, they leave the country. Wait? What? They don’t even search for the damn item? Come on now. It went down hill after that with a few redeeming scenes.
On the Characters
I thought Elle was a little bit on the annoying side. The only thing that made her interesting was the fact that she was a female pilot in a time when women were viewed as things to look at. She’s prejudice against the Shadow side due to her mother’s death, but the truth was right at her finger tips. She was smart and completely stupid.
Hugh is a way more interesting character. He is dynamic and strong. You get a glimpse into his past and realize he is the way he is. I did hate that the author switched him from cold to hot very quickly. I expected him not to shed his hard shell in this first book. Like I said earlier, their relationship was a little bit rushed.
Patrice was pretty freaking cool. A quarter of the way through the book I realized who he was though. It was quite obvious in one particular scene. I wished the author made it more of a surprise.
On the Setting
I loved the time period and the way the author wove in the steampunk/fantasy aspect. The world sounds amazing. It’s just you can’t carry a book on an awesome world. There must be a good plot and character development.
Overall
This book could have been a lot better executed. I’m not saying it was a good book. It was a good book, but it seemed rushed to me. I mean there are at least two more books coming after this, so why didn’t the author space things out better? I have no idea.
Rating: 6.75/10
Later loves,
