Reviews: A Conspiracy of Alchemists (1)

I love this sort of fantasy novel: a slightly historical setting, lots of steampunk creations, and a female lead who knows what she wants from life and won't let the fact that she's a woman stop her. The book begins with Elle in Paris, meeting a contact who gives her a mysterious package to take back to England. Unfortunately, she's attacked before she can leave Paris, and this kicks off a journey where she and the enigmatic Mr Marsh are chased to her Cambridge home, then across Europe, to Constantinople.

The chase added a sense of urgency to the book, which I think might have lacked a little otherwise. Although there is a deadline driving the bad guys, our good guys are just trying to keep one step ahead of the danger. In a lot of places, then, Elle is forced into action because of outside factors, rather than her own drive. The events of A Conspiracy of Alchemists affect her a lot, however, so I'm optimistic that she'll be different in the rest of the trilogy.

The descriptions of the settings and scenery around our main characters are very well done. Liesel Schwarz brings Paris, Venice and Constantinople to life. I hope book two has as much traveling for Elle, because I'd really like to see what else Ms Schwarz can conjure up for the reader.

Overall, this was a great book. The plot carried me along, I feared for the characters' safety, despaired over some of their decisions, and cheered at their successes. I love the world Liesel Schwarz has created, and I found it a lot of fun to read this book as well. It's not written to be funny, as Gail Carriger's books are, but there is a certain sarcasm to some of the interactions which made it very entertaining. I really enjoyed the book, and I'm looking forward to the sequel when I can get a copy. I'm giving this one 7/10.

I have decided that Steampunk is my go-to genre whenever I need a bit of a mental holiday. When life gets a bit too much, I just hold up my imaginary parasol and dream of vampires and dirigibles.

This book filled my need for an imaginary excursion to perfection. It read like one of those films that you'd want to watch again and again, and it ticked all the boxes I was hoping for: spunky heroine, dashing love interest, magic and lots of tea.

I suppose the only thing I could criticise is the predictability of the book, but then I think that's one of the great things about genre fiction and the predictability is what makes it so comforting. If you're a steampunk stalwart and are looking for something brand new, this may not have the surprises you're after, and I do wish that the book was a little saucier at times, but otherwise read this and enjoy your time in a magical post-Victorian fantasy-land. It's marvellous!