I received this as an ARC from the publisher but the review is my own.
This is the second title in the series and can be read as a stand alone.
Bianca Goddard, daughter of an alchemist, is no one's fool. The search for the philosopher's stone has proven nothing but futile as she knows only too well and many suffer as the hunt for the elusive elixir of life continues. But in order to improve her balms and medicines Bianca is willing to learn more about the processes used in alchemy in her continual attempt to improve her own concoctions.
When she is introduced to an alchemist who is reputed to have actually solved the mystery and shown proof she is elated to have found a teacher who can help her save so many. But on the very verge of glory and distinction he is found dead and his journal and work disappear. As Bianca tries to come to terms with what she feels maybe an undetected murder, the urgency of her investigation takes a much more personal tone when her husband comes down with the sweating sickness. If Bianca cannot find the alchemist's journal she could lose the man she loves but if she finds it will she be able to recreate the elixir and save him or kill him in the attempt. Bianca will find herself in a race both against time and other players who are as invested in acquiring the journal as she, one of them enough to commit murder.
Set against the 16th century London of Henry VIII, where the slums reek of poverty and disease and Southwark is a cursed refuge for the vilest of men, this series has plenty of potential to immerse one in the daily lives of its population whether criminal or citizen. These will keep you captivated and pull you in. Only twinge of annoyance with this series is that each ending leaves you feeling like you've reached the end of a chapter and are hanging on for the next. Small niggle, really.
This is the second title in the series and can be read as a stand alone.
Bianca Goddard, daughter of an alchemist, is no one's fool. The search for the philosopher's stone has proven nothing but futile as she knows only too well and many suffer as the hunt for the elusive elixir of life continues. But in order to improve her balms and medicines Bianca is willing to learn more about the processes used in alchemy in her continual attempt to improve her own concoctions.
When she is introduced to an alchemist who is reputed to have actually solved the mystery and shown proof she is elated to have found a teacher who can help her save so many. But on the very verge of glory and distinction he is found dead and his journal and work disappear. As Bianca tries to come to terms with what she feels maybe an undetected murder, the urgency of her investigation takes a much more personal tone when her husband comes down with the sweating sickness. If Bianca cannot find the alchemist's journal she could lose the man she loves but if she finds it will she be able to recreate the elixir and save him or kill him in the attempt. Bianca will find herself in a race both against time and other players who are as invested in acquiring the journal as she, one of them enough to commit murder.
Set against the 16th century London of Henry VIII, where the slums reek of poverty and disease and Southwark is a cursed refuge for the vilest of men, this series has plenty of potential to immerse one in the daily lives of its population whether criminal or citizen. These will keep you captivated and pull you in. Only twinge of annoyance with this series is that each ending leaves you feeling like you've reached the end of a chapter and are hanging on for the next. Small niggle, really.
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