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A Conspiracy of Alchemists Book One in The Chronicles of Light and Shadow Liesel Schwarz 9780345545077 Books

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A Conspiracy of Alchemists Book One in The Chronicles of Light and Shadow Liesel Schwarz 9780345545077 Books

The Good: The heroine of A Conspiracy of Alchemist, Elle Chance, is sassy, strong, and independent while managing to be feminine. Many authors have a difficult time finding this balance, but Schwartz succeeds. I truly like Elle from the get-go, something I can't say for most of the books I read, where I prefer the secondary characters to the the protagonist.

The tension between the headstrong but vulnerable, Elle, and the persistent yet confusing, Mr. Marsh is clearly modeled after the greatest couple of all time, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. It's very obvious, and that's ok, `cuz it totally works. This is a love story done right.

In typical Steampunk fashion, there are dirigibles, gyrocopters, and other strange and wonderful inventions, but it doesn't take over the story. There is a nice balance between romance, adventure, and the paranormal.

The Bad: I was so ready to give A Conspiracy of Alchemists a five star rating, until I hit the halfway mark. That's when things began to get a little bumpy. At the pivotal moment when our reluctant heroine realizes her gifts...nothing happens. Elle, who has been in complete denial the whole time, just kind of accepts it and says, "alright, now what?" It was a bit jarring in its inconsistency with her character. But I was still enjoying myself, so I was still going to give it 5 stars. There were a few more annoying little things that were easily overlooked and, I hoped, would be fixed in the editing process. (Such as a very loooong play-by-play of Mr. Marsh searching the streets for a certain tower which took up far more space than it should have). But when I got to the end, there was another pivotal scene (which I'll call "the rescue scene") where the characters' reactions, though meant to be quirky and funny, were so completely inappropriate that I found myself wishing it was over. Never a good thing when it comes to reading.

Bottom Line: This was a fun book that could have been edited down quite a bit. I wish the last half was as good as the first, but it was a bit rocky and, at times, disappointing. I think that Liesel Schwartz had so many good ideas that she overwhelmed herself. That being said, I had a good time reading this book and the characters were wonderful, which is the most important thing for me.

The enchanted town of Fairwick's dazzling mix of mythical creatures has come under siege from the Grove: a sinister group of witches determined to banish the fey back to their ancestral land. With factions turning on one another, all are cruelly forced to take sides. Callie's grandmother, a prominent Grove member, demands her granddaughter's compliance, but half-witch/half-fey Callie can hardly betray her friends and colleagues at the college.

To stave off disaster, Callie enlists Duncan Laird, an alluring seductive academic who cultivates her vast magical potential, but to what end? Deeply conflicted, Callie struggles to save her beloved Fairwick, dangerously pushing her extraordinary powers to the limit--risking all, even the needs of her own passionate heart.

My Turn
I've got some mixed emotions about the 2nd of Juliet Dark's "Fairwick Chronicles". Like the 1st book, "The Demon Lover", this book is smart and fun. Unfortunately, this installment left me a little confused and unsatisfied.

The Good: There is still a smart plot, a good use of the English language, and a fun and endearing cast of characters. I enjoyed the new bits and pieces Dark introduces us to: Undines and Norns, specifically. The overall plot is a good one, a real page turner.

The Bad: I was immediately confused with the direction the plot was taking. At the end of the 1st book we are left thinking that the conflict for the next book will be Callie's coerced involvement with her grandmother's club of bitches, I mean witches. While we do get to see more of the members of this club, and they are really bad, the potentially volatile situation that Callie might have found herself in (because she was acting as a spy of sorts) never actually materialized.

Juliet Dark resorted to a few of her old tricks: the appearance of a mysterious man (is he or isn't he her demon lover? I won't tell); and, what has Callie ushered through the Faerie door this time? However, the love story takes a back seat to the current problem facing the town, which is perfectly fine except that it felt there was a hurried wrap-up at the end.

The Bottom Line: There was just so much going on in this story. It felt a little unbalanced and was not wrought with the same skill as The Demon Lover. That being said, it was still an enjoyable read and fans of the 1st book will enjoy learning more about the history of their favorite Fairwick townsfolk.


Tags : A Conspiracy of Alchemists: Book One in The Chronicles of Light and Shadow [Liesel Schwarz] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b><b> LEAVE IT TO CHANCE.</i> Eleanor “Elle” Chance, that is—the intrepid heroine of this edgy new series that transforms elements of urban fantasy,Liesel Schwarz,A Conspiracy of Alchemists: Book One in The Chronicles of Light and Shadow,Del Rey,0345545079,Alchemists;Fiction.,Balloonists;Fiction.,Paranormal fiction.,Action & Adventure,Alchemists,Balloonists,Fantasy,Fantasy - Historical,Fantasy - Paranormal,Fiction,Fiction - Fantasy,Fiction Action & Adventure,Fiction Fantasy Historical,Fiction Fantasy Paranormal,Fiction-Fantasy,GENERAL,General Adult,Monograph Series, 1st,Paranormal fiction,SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY,United States

A Conspiracy of Alchemists Book One in The Chronicles of Light and Shadow Liesel Schwarz 9780345545077 Books Reviews

Goodreads Blurb
<blockquote><strong>LEAVE IT TO CHANCE.</strong>

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.</blockquote>

An exciting and creative series debut, this book deftly combines history with science fiction, fantasy, in the wonderful and magical world of steampunk fiction. From the very beginning this series revolves around a very strong-willed young lady, one who can serve tea in the drawing room to members of high society, then turn around and pilot her own dirigible. Elle takes after her father with a mind for mathematics and engineering, yet remains as feminine as the next debutant - when it suits her that is.

Lord Greychester, also known as Hugh Marsh, is a striking leading male character. He is a lovely blend of domineering, devious, gallant, chivalrous, and utterly bemused by the young Ms. Elle Chance. As a Warlock Mr. Marsh has a duty, but he finds it more and more difficult to fulfill his obligations. The longer he goes without fully explaining himself to Elle, the stronger she is in her resistance of his 'requests.'

The other characters are just as developed as necessary to get by. They aren't particularly well-rounded, with a few exceptions of course. Normally that would bother me, but in this case it works. Most of the other characters fall into the roll of antagonist of varying degrees, and as villains they play their roles very well, if not a bit by rote. Most are caricatures of the evil villains of the 1920's and 30's, with the billowing black cape and mustache waxed into points, yet they fit the story flawlessly. They all have the traditional motivations, greed and power, and they are more than willing to kill to gain what they want, which of course is a real problem for Elle, seeing as she is what they want. Or more precisely, what is inside her is what they want.

This story starts neatly and quickly picks up speed, until it is as fast as a runaway freight train. Yet for all the speed the plot is still well rounded and peppered with great details and tantalizing glimpses of what might be. The arc of the story is smooth, with steady pacing that ebbs and flows with a very natural feeling. Each scene is smoothly constructed, and even with an explosive ending the book still leaves a few threads dangling to better set up the next book in the series. Though not the most original steampunk book I've read, this one more than satisfies.
The Good The heroine of A Conspiracy of Alchemist, Elle Chance, is sassy, strong, and independent while managing to be feminine. Many authors have a difficult time finding this balance, but Schwartz succeeds. I truly like Elle from the get-go, something I can't say for most of the books I read, where I prefer the secondary characters to the the protagonist.

The tension between the headstrong but vulnerable, Elle, and the persistent yet confusing, Mr. Marsh is clearly modeled after the greatest couple of all time, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. It's very obvious, and that's ok, `cuz it totally works. This is a love story done right.

In typical Steampunk fashion, there are dirigibles, gyrocopters, and other strange and wonderful inventions, but it doesn't take over the story. There is a nice balance between romance, adventure, and the paranormal.

The Bad I was so ready to give A Conspiracy of Alchemists a five star rating, until I hit the halfway mark. That's when things began to get a little bumpy. At the pivotal moment when our reluctant heroine realizes her gifts...nothing happens. Elle, who has been in complete denial the whole time, just kind of accepts it and says, "alright, now what?" It was a bit jarring in its inconsistency with her character. But I was still enjoying myself, so I was still going to give it 5 stars. There were a few more annoying little things that were easily overlooked and, I hoped, would be fixed in the editing process. (Such as a very loooong play-by-play of Mr. Marsh searching the streets for a certain tower which took up far more space than it should have). But when I got to the end, there was another pivotal scene (which I'll call "the rescue scene") where the characters' reactions, though meant to be quirky and funny, were so completely inappropriate that I found myself wishing it was over. Never a good thing when it comes to reading.

Bottom Line This was a fun book that could have been edited down quite a bit. I wish the last half was as good as the first, but it was a bit rocky and, at times, disappointing. I think that Liesel Schwartz had so many good ideas that she overwhelmed herself. That being said, I had a good time reading this book and the characters were wonderful, which is the most important thing for me.

The enchanted town of Fairwick's dazzling mix of mythical creatures has come under siege from the Grove a sinister group of witches determined to banish the fey back to their ancestral land. With factions turning on one another, all are cruelly forced to take sides. Callie's grandmother, a prominent Grove member, demands her granddaughter's compliance, but half-witch/half-fey Callie can hardly betray her friends and colleagues at the college.

To stave off disaster, Callie enlists Duncan Laird, an alluring seductive academic who cultivates her vast magical potential, but to what end? Deeply conflicted, Callie struggles to save her beloved Fairwick, dangerously pushing her extraordinary powers to the limit--risking all, even the needs of her own passionate heart.

My Turn
I've got some mixed emotions about the 2nd of Juliet Dark's "Fairwick Chronicles". Like the 1st book, "The Demon Lover", this book is smart and fun. Unfortunately, this installment left me a little confused and unsatisfied.

The Good There is still a smart plot, a good use of the English language, and a fun and endearing cast of characters. I enjoyed the new bits and pieces Dark introduces us to Undines and Norns, specifically. The overall plot is a good one, a real page turner.

The Bad I was immediately confused with the direction the plot was taking. At the end of the 1st book we are left thinking that the conflict for the next book will be Callie's coerced involvement with her grandmother's club of bitches, I mean witches. While we do get to see more of the members of this club, and they are really bad, the potentially volatile situation that Callie might have found herself in (because she was acting as a spy of sorts) never actually materialized.

Juliet Dark resorted to a few of her old tricks the appearance of a mysterious man (is he or isn't he her demon lover? I won't tell); and, what has Callie ushered through the Faerie door this time? However, the love story takes a back seat to the current problem facing the town, which is perfectly fine except that it felt there was a hurried wrap-up at the end.

The Bottom Line There was just so much going on in this story. It felt a little unbalanced and was not wrought with the same skill as The Demon Lover. That being said, it was still an enjoyable read and fans of the 1st book will enjoy learning more about the history of their favorite Fairwick townsfolk.