Name: The Alchemy of Forever
ISBN: 9781442443167

Avery Williams

Forced to leave her alchemist boyfriend centuries earlier when she resolves to stop stealing the bodies of other people in order to extend her own life, Seraphina survives by inhabiting the bodies of dying girls and unexpectedly falls in love despite a dangerous power that causes the death of any human she kisses.

An Incarnation Novel

The Alchemy of Forever

Cassidy

While the idea was orignal and a good one, the plot was too predictable, as I predicted about 95% of it before it happened.

Ashton Reed

2.5 stars

Don't get me wrong; I did enjoy reading this book. However, it is way too short and fast for my taste and didn't live up to what it could've been.

Seraphina's story starts in 1349. She just turned fourteen, meaning she's eligible for marriage, so she's off to her first ball in search of a suitor. She meets a handsome guy, who ends up being the apothecary's son. She falls in love with this boy, but the horrific happens. And this boy, named Cyrus, is forced to save Sera's life by disconnecting her spirit from her body and transporting it into another's. Fast forward hundreds of years, and Sera's no longer in love with Cyrus. And she's no longer content with being manipulated and killing in order to prolong her unnaturally long life. But what if she can't escape Cyrus' hold? Or what if, by escaping, she places others in Cyrus' path?

First of all, the premise is so intriguing. I love the idea around immortality, and William's ideas had so much potential.

Secondly, the characters are interesting and unique. Sera, especially, has a unique character arc, in which she goes from hopeless in a dying body to hopeful in somebody else's body... and life. It's interesting to see her as a cunning, six-hundred-year-old spirit and as a teenage girl wanting real love. None of the characters are flat, though I've read other reviews that see it differently.

I just wish it was longer. It was so short, and everything goes so fast. The romance is so fast, there's no way it's actually "love," you know? And the story had so much potential, if only it was drawn out. Elaborate on everything, throw in a few more intense moments, and boom, it's perfect. It's sad, to be honest, to see this story's potential and know it wasn't reached. I might get to the second one at some point, because this one ends in a cliffhanger, and I want to follow Sera's story. However, I think Williams could have smashed this duology into one novel, and she would've had a fascinating hit.

Thanks for reading, and au revoir!

Oh, and if you enjoyed reading this review, be sure to follow by email on my blog (https://tomyfellowbookworms.weebly.com) so that you can be notified when I post. I also have a bookstagram @ashton_reads , so you can follow that, too. Thanks for everything, and au revoir, my fellow bookworms!

The Alchemy of Forever An Incarnation Novel

Reviews

Highlights