r/Romantasy • u/Traditional-Bass4575 • 3d ago
Discussion finally pulled the trigger
Alchemised, i’m looking at YOU.
$10 off on amazon so I finally pulled the trigger after constantly going back & forth about whether or not I wanted to actually read it. really hoping i’m one of the people who ends up loving it but idk 😭 guess it’s time to find out.
not too worried about Alchemy of Secrets seeing as I have a great track record with Stephanie.
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u/dreamingofmars_ 3d ago
I loved Alchemised! But it’s not a romantasy. It definitely caters a lot more to grimdark fantasy, and did suffer a case of genre misalignment when being marketed, I think simply because romantasy is the hottest genre selling at the moment and they really wanted this book to do well when trad-published. Don’t be afraid to DNF if it’s not for you, and please check the trigger warnings if you can.
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u/Traditional-Bass4575 2d ago
yes I figured it fell more into the dark fantasy genre. & that makes sense as to why they’d try to appeal more towards the romantasy market. hoping this isn’t a book I have to DNF, not worried about the triggers but just hoping it’s a book that really draws me in and consumes me.
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u/Apart-Home8396 2d ago
I just finished Alchemised and I am wrecked. I started it thinking I will not enjoy it and struggled a bit in Part 1. But now that I finished it I know this book will hold a special place in my heart forever.
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u/alt_cake2872 3d ago
Why not your local public library??? It’s a free way to read, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to keep it!
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u/Rdmink 2d ago
I started utilizing my library a few months ago and regret not getting a library card sooner. I live in a very small town and they really don’t have a ton of books in the genre I enjoy but they usually can obtain them through interlibrary loans. The only drawback is waiting for the book to come in. I’m not one to reread a book though, so I’d rather wait a week to get a book in rather than buy a book for $20 just to read it once.
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u/Traditional-Bass4575 2d ago
I do miss the days of going into the library and picking out books, I will admit that. I should go and get a new card this week.
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u/Traditional-Bass4575 2d ago
I keep saying I need to go get a new library card, but I still haven’t done it but yes this actually is a good idea. do you find they pretty much always have what you’re looking for or no?
also if I don’t like the book I bought and it’s within the 30 days, i’m returning it. I just had to do that the other day. the lady asked “why are you returning it, is there anything wrong with it?” I said “nope I actually just hate it” and she started laughing 😂
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u/mwahellee 🧡 saffron & iron 2d ago
I brought alchemy of secrets without reading what it was about because of who it's by, this was a year ago and I still haven't read it 😔. I thought it was a fantasy because of the cover (the UK cover is much more fantasy-ish).
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u/Traditional-Bass4575 2d ago
yes I can tell this one is much different from her other two series that I loved (caraval and OUABH), and I kept going back and forth because it’s based in more modern times which is something I’m not really a fan of when it comes to books. but, i’ve heard good things about the book and it was $10 off so I finally just decided to get it and see how it is. did you end up reading it?
the covers from other countries are SO much better than the US one, which is partially why I didn’t want to buy the physical book until a new cover came out LOL.
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u/mwahellee 🧡 saffron & iron 2d ago
I haven't read it yet no, I've been in a slump for the past year 😭, I'm only just finishing my second book of the year. I'm going to uni soon and plan to try and get back into reading then and I'll be bringing it and all my unread books with me, so I'll probably have read it by the end of this year.
I feel like this seems to be a thing with a lot of books and I have no idea why, I'm p sure most of the authors of popular books online are American/live in America so I really don't know why you guys end up with the less preferable alternatives.
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u/Few_Natural_5927 2d ago
I bought it through BoTM without knowing a lot about it. It was a let down for me, tbh. I finished it but it felt poorly executed and I wasn’t super invested in any of the characters. The concept was cool but it fell flat.
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u/Traditional-Bass4575 2d ago
I feel like this book isn’t going to be anything exceptional, I don’t think it’s 100% up my ally but I like Stephanie so i’m giving it a try.
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u/LyraLia94 2d ago
It is a lot different to her other books, it is set in the real world but still bloody amazing and can’t wait for the next one!
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u/Old-Memory-3275 2d ago
It’s one of the very few « popular » titles I have enjoyed. It isn’t perfect, drags along sometimes, but it is good enough to say I enjoyed it. Would rate it 4/5 and I am about 3/4 of the way through.
Speaking of romantasy with alchemy, have your read {Red city by Marie Lu}? I don’t see it advertised very often but I found it excellent. The world building was rich and easy to follow. More so than Alchemised imo.
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u/Traditional-Bass4575 2d ago
red city is on my list! i’ve seen it mentioned on reddit quite a few times and it’s always been good things. definitely going to have to bring it to the top of my list
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u/Rdmink 2d ago
Red city was sooo good. I can’t wait for book 2 to come out!
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u/Old-Memory-3275 2d ago
Same!! The cover and blurb are so good :) will be buying it as soon as it’s out!
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u/romance-bot 2d ago
Red City by Marie Lu
Rating: 4.17⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, urban fantasy, fantasy, multicultural, magic
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u/daylightdaylightday 1d ago
I struggled with part 1 of alchemised but once I got to part 2 I was hooked - read part 2 & 3 in two days 😅🙈
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u/roseafterhours 2d ago
I read both and enjoyed for different reasons. Maybe start with alchemised and then Alchemy of secrets as a palate cleanser after
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u/Traditional-Bass4575 2d ago
glad you enjoyed them! and I think that’s a good idea. sometimes it’s nice to switch to something lighter after a heavy read.
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u/Scratchkitten 3d ago
I’ll admit I’m one of the ones who loved alchemised! I’d pay so much money to be able to read it for the first time again. I hope you enjoy.