Dark
Alchemy
Laura
Bickle
On-sale: 3/24
ISBN:
9780062389862
Stephen
King’s The Gunslinger meets Breaking Bad in Laura Bickle’s novel Dark Alchemy.
Book
Description:
Some secrets are
better left buried…
Geologist Petra
Dee arrives in Wyoming looking for clues to her father’s disappearance years
before. What she finds instead is Temperance, a dying Western town with a gold
rush past and a meth-infested present.
But under the
town’s dust and quiet, an old power is shifting. When bodies start turning up -
desiccated and twisted skeletons that Petra can’t scientifically explain - her
investigations land her in the middle of a covert war between the town’s most
powerful interests. Petra’s father wasn’t the only one searching for the
alchemical secrets of Temperance, and those still looking are now ready to
kill.
Armed with
nothing but shaky alliances, a pair of antique guns, and a relic she doesn’t
understand, the only thing Petra knows for sure is that she and her coyote
sidekick are going to have to move fast, or die next.
About
the Author:
Laura Bickle
grew up in rural Ohio, reading entirely too many comic books out loud to her
favorite Wonder Woman doll. After graduating with an MA in Sociology –
Criminology from Ohio State University and an MLIS in Library Science from the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she patrolled the stacks at the public
library and worked with data systems in criminal justice. She now dreams up
stories about the monsters under the stairs, also writing contemporary fantasy
novels under the name Alayna Williams.
Her work has
been included in the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project 2013 reading list and the
State Library of Ohio’s Choose to Read Ohio reading list for 2015-2016. THE
HALLOWED ONES and THE OUTSIDE are her latest young adult novels.
MY REVIEW
Wow! That was my feeling on finishing Dark Alchemy. I actually felt quite breathless. This is certainly one of the most unusual books I've read, reminiscent of Stephen King or Ray Bradbury. It starts out almost like a rather dark western, then introduces Petra, a geologist with a heartbreaking secret in her past, on a quest to find her father. The characterization in this story is skilfully done, I felt I was with each character when they had their own point of view, but in particular Petra herself. She is strong, and at the same time vulnerably, and also very resourceful when it comes to creating useful and sometimes dangerous tools out of whatever happens to be at hand! This is essentially a horror story with dark magic and the alchemy of the title, but there is also a hint of romance, with two possible suitors, although I have to say the outcome was not quite what I expected.
The discoveries Petra makes, and the danger these discoveries put her in will have you turning the pages in quick succession. It's a thrilling ride, with one surprise after another and had me on the edge of my seat.
I have to say there is a fair bit of 'language' but it is keeping with the nature of the story. There is also a good sprinkling of 'blood and gore' but there are also some beautifully descriptive passages, and some almost poetic phrases at times.
If you enjoy a good horror story with likable main characters and some pretty revolting villains, not to mention a rather adorable pet coyote, I can thoroughly recommend this highly original and unusual novel.
NB: I received this book free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review
Wow! That was my feeling on finishing Dark Alchemy. I actually felt quite breathless. This is certainly one of the most unusual books I've read, reminiscent of Stephen King or Ray Bradbury. It starts out almost like a rather dark western, then introduces Petra, a geologist with a heartbreaking secret in her past, on a quest to find her father. The characterization in this story is skilfully done, I felt I was with each character when they had their own point of view, but in particular Petra herself. She is strong, and at the same time vulnerably, and also very resourceful when it comes to creating useful and sometimes dangerous tools out of whatever happens to be at hand! This is essentially a horror story with dark magic and the alchemy of the title, but there is also a hint of romance, with two possible suitors, although I have to say the outcome was not quite what I expected.
The discoveries Petra makes, and the danger these discoveries put her in will have you turning the pages in quick succession. It's a thrilling ride, with one surprise after another and had me on the edge of my seat.
I have to say there is a fair bit of 'language' but it is keeping with the nature of the story. There is also a good sprinkling of 'blood and gore' but there are also some beautifully descriptive passages, and some almost poetic phrases at times.
If you enjoy a good horror story with likable main characters and some pretty revolting villains, not to mention a rather adorable pet coyote, I can thoroughly recommend this highly original and unusual novel.
NB: I received this book free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review
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