Though Stephanie Garber is well-known for her best-selling Caraval sequence, her newest novel is being bought as her first novel for adults.
From the writer: It begins with a category in an outdated film theatre.
Folklore 517: Native Legends and City Myths, taught by a lady referred to as the Professor.
Most college students consider the Professor’s tales are simply fiction. There isn’t a person in Hollywood who you possibly can name to search out out the time you’ll die. There’s not a haunted resort bar in Los Angeles that the satan likes to frequent. There’s no such factor as magic.
However . . . most college students don’t have the identical tragic previous as Holland St. James.
Now a graduate pupil, Holland is hoping to make use of her thesis to rewrite her previous by proving that among the most notorious deaths in outdated Hollywood have been really murders dedicated by the satan. She has no concept that this quest will lead her right into a lethal world of century-old secrets and techniques and unimaginable lies and onto the trail of two very harmful males, each of whom are keen to do no matter it takes to discover a magic that can both eternally alter Holland’s life or utterly destroy it.
I believe that for a lot of city fantasy readers this one will tick numerous containers. Holland St. James is a pupil in Los Angeles, enrolled in a secret graduate course in Legends and City Myths, (Folklore 517) the place acceptance is just doable by way of choice. She’s a twin, together with her sister January off working elsewhere, who’ve a tragic previous – their father, a well-known movie director, was murdered by their mom earlier than killing herself about fifteen years in the past.
Now with a change of surname (to keep away from the ensuing publicity) Holland is having fun with the graduate pupil life-style, and hanging out together with her pals Likelihood, Cat and Eileen. Her graduate dissertation at the moment being written, maybe unsurprisingly, seems to be for a hyperlink between the Satan and a few of these so-called Hollywood murders. Some would possibly say that she was searching for the Satan himself, or at the very least a solution to the query of why her mom did what she did, presumably being persuaded by the person himself.
Usually although, issues are ticking alongside properly, till all of this adjustments. Holland all of the sudden receives a mysterious message, informing her that she must contact the First Financial institution of Centennial Metropolis. She must open a secure deposit field that had been left for her by her father – however she solely has just a few hours to take action because the lease on the field is about to run out.
Holland is each reluctant to take action and enthusiastic about this. What may this be? May or not it’s the reply to her many questions? Cash? A fortune now matured? A confession letter? A replica of the legendary lacking script her father was engaged on when he died?
Her go to to the financial institution begins a sequence of conferences, with dodgy characters who is probably not what they appear to be, headlong chases across the movie units, bars and night time spots of Hollywood, the potential uncovering of long-held secrets and techniques, to not point out the fixing of a puzzle, which have to be achieved earlier than 11.59pm on Halloween, when it has been prophesised that Holland will die.
It’s clear that this one has the setting of a modern-day mystical Hollywood – assume La La Land with out the musical songs, however with magic. Holland travels from resort and bar to movie studios and Hollywood properties, and all of this, usually with a wonderful Artwork Deco setting, offers the e-book a pleasant sense of glamour. References to outdated movie stars like Humphrey Bogart and Veronica Lake and films like Casablanca assist make this really feel somewhat like a love letter to outdated Hollywood, from the times of the large studios, earlier than tv.
The concept of secrets and techniques being held and uncovered additionally appears to be a significant a part of the novel. (The clue’s within the e-book’s title!) A lot of the e-book is about deception, withholding secrets and techniques or uncovering them, and there are lots of situations the place poor outdated Holland finds it troublesome to consider something or anyone. At occasions among the options to her issues are somewhat too pat, and among the characters are dismissed somewhat to glibly for my liking, however typically there’s sufficient to maintain you going and never take into consideration them an excessive amount of, however it all comes proper ultimately.
Briefly, I actually preferred this one. For an ‘grownup’ novel there’s not an excessive amount of to scare away the youthful readers – there’s no specific intercourse, the language is pretty tame (just one “Fxck” so far as I can bear in mind – hardly the stuff of most Romantasy fiction.) Immersed in a love of outdated Hollywood, Alchemy of Secrets and techniques is a darkish academia novel with a pleasant sense of place, characters you possibly can care about and a plot that builds up rigidity as much as the top. Stephanie’s first foray into grownup fantasy exhibits an creator who has achieved her journeyman apprenticeship to now write this – a piece clearly written with love and coronary heart. One to simply flow and quiet down with because the nights develop darker – a beautiful Autumn learn.
And I have to lastly touch upon the standard of the proof given for evaluation – not one thing we do too usually! However the high quality of the proof, with its gold inlay cowl, hidden message and a printed edge was probably the greatest I’ve ever seen. Actually attracted me to the e-book.
© 2025 Mark Yon
Hardback | Gollancz
ALCHEMY OF SECRETS by Stephanie Garber
October 2025 | 384 pages
ISBN: 978 139 9634 182
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