The Alchemists of Loom

So I have read my first Elise Kova book. I have been eying her work since the Air Awakens series came out last year, but I just have not gotten around to picking up the first book. When I found out she was coming out with another series, I knew I had to get my hands on it, especially when I heard it was steampunk with “warring” cultures.

First off, I just like to say that Elise has amazing writing ability. This book is so well written, I could easily imagine each character, object, and the world. I loved immersing myself in the world and the characters lives and Elise made that easy. It took me about 30 pages to absorb myself within the world and the characters, but after that I was fully invested and wanted to follow them on their journey in Loom. We follow the POVs of each character in this great trio as well as side characters, including those on the “bad” side.

From the beginning, this book was full of intrigue and action as the trio worked to complete their mission and also learn to work together. I really enjoyed the relationships between all of the characters and seeing them evolve over the course of the book. The end of the book left me with a lot of questions and theories about what we can expect in future books and I'm eagerly awaiting being able to read the sequel and see Ari, Cvareh, and Florence again.

eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review

OMG this was weird as hell. Cover looked cool but story was nothing special.

There's dragons in this but very different from what fantasy usually has. The MC is a Chimera, i.e., she's made up of dragon parts. (The dragons are humanoid beings and not flying winged creatures). If you cut off a part of a dragon, it regrows that part (omg so much gore).

It should've been more interesting, but the whole vampiric sub plot between Savare and Auri was forcefully introduced, even though you have no vampires in the story. Your characters should not fall in love because of the vampiric subplot you've put in. Baaaaaad!

TW: Blood, gore, killing, eating hearts, regrowing body parts, just lots of blood.

Florence was a good character. That is all!

Ever since the resistance fell, Ari has been making her money by selling her talents to those with the most money. She is brilliant, fearless, and as good a thief as an engineer. Until she comes across a dragon on her way home from a very risky job. Should she stop and take it's heart for more money, or be happy with the money from the job she just finished? This was the first book I've read by Elise Kova, and I have to say, I've been missing out. The book started a little slow, but picked up after the first few chapters. The characters are fantastic!! I love the cover too. I received a copy of this book from Net Galley.

It was a very interesting steampunk world with an imaginative take on races, technology, and magic. The antagonists were a bit one-dimensional, and the character development was a bit clumsy, with lots of telling, not showing, especially with regards to the relationships between the three protagonists. The protagonists Arianna, Cvareh, and Florence are all interesting and three-dimensional and the plot for the most part was engaging.

I got it as a discounted ebook, and I'd definitely read the next book in the series.