This Wretched Alchemy

This Wretched Alchemy caught my attention when I heard the author talking about it, and the synopsis convinced me to pre-order a copy. I couldn’t wait to lose myself in another story, so getting the chance to read an advance review copy was especially exciting.

Unfortunately, the book wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for, which has made this review difficult to write. Perhaps my expectations played a part, but I was anticipating a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance. Instead, the relationship felt rushed, with love—or lust—developing over just a few days rather than building throughout most of the book.

I can take or leave romance in fantasy. While I knew this book was marketed as romantasy, the genre’s biggest draw for me is the escape from everyday life and my disabilities. The opening world-building felt overwhelming and confusing, and I often had to reread passages. I was grateful for the glossary but felt that understanding too much of the story depended on memorising its details or constantly checking it. Even with that help, I sometimes felt lost and doubted my understanding, which diminished my enjoyment. I loved the alchemy-based magic system and was amused to realise I’d unintentionally read three books featuring alchemy this November. However, its workings were sometimes unclear, which left me frustrated.

The characters do have so much potential and I did like our female lead. Revel is strong, determined and fierce in her need to survive and for justice for her family and I wanted to see her destroy all that had left her broken when we first met her. She’s however easy to sway and places her faith in those that surprised me - the very people who have torn apart all she has but it’s understandable when they have her exactly where they want her and the odds are not in Revel’s favour. I do think I want to read the second book to see if the things I found problematic in This Wretched Alchemy will be ironed out and that perhaps the characters will show more of who they are, especially as it felt like a very abrupt ending in book one.

This was a rollercoaster of a read, let me tell you. I hadn't read a fantasy book in a while so I think that was the main factor in how long it took me to get in to the book. While I did struggle with the world building (due to the aforementioned lapse in fantasy books on my part), I did appreciate the style of world building. We didn't get a massive info dump at the beginning. We were provided a good basis that the rest of the book built off of. I had questions, but it made sense as I continued reading. This is my favorite type of world building. I don't want to be told everything at the start of the the book. I want it sprinkled in where it's relevant. I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of the book and I'm excited to see where this saga takes us. There were definite plot twists that I did not expect, nor could I have predicted. My one struggle with this book was the enemies to lovers plot. We are told the characters are enemies and why, and we see Revel's hatred for the Warbringer; however, there were lulls where some of the tension in the moment was fantastic but when looking back at the relationship arc, it sometimes felt off. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be picking up the next one. I would also recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“You’ll be my Death Poet. A blade to carve through my own nightmares—until I become one myself.”Available Nov. 10, 2026This Wretched Alchemy delivers nonstop action, morally gray characters, and a gripping atmosphere from the very first pages. It features some of my favorite tropes, including a deadly competition where everyone is a potential enemy, a fierce FMC who will do whatever it takes to win, and a unique world built around alchemy and gods.This is the kind of book that pulls you in quickly and makes you think, just one more chapter—until you suddenly realize you’re ten chapters deeper than expected. While I did guess most of the twists, which left the ending a bit underwhelming for me, it still sets up the next book well and leaves plenty of room for the story to expand.Overall, this is a strong start to a new series, and I’m interested to see where the characters go from here. If you enjoy darker romantasy, this is definitely one to add to your list.Tropes: enemies to lovers, deadly competition, revenge arc, trauma representation, unique magic systemThank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s publishing for the chance to read an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.