DELUXE EDITION--a stunning hardcover edition featuring dark crimson sprayed edges The Godfather meets The Magicians in the sweeping adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu.... This description may be from another edition of this product.
Alchemists have found the philosopher's stone and made it available for the right price as sand that when taken, enhances your strengths (and weaknesses). Definitely worse than the drug epidemic! But it makes for quite the compelling tale of Ari and Sam, youths pulled into the great war of alchemist syndicates on opposite sides after a childhood together. I loved it! Well, except for the fact that I have to wait for the next book to come out!
I went into this book not really knowing the plot and I feel it really made the story hit with a bang! It is a dark and glamourous world for those trained or lucky enough to have extra soul to become alchemists. There is a cost and I am not sure it is worth it to shine for a few years. But it is quite believable for me to see how many people would jump at the chance. This may be an alternative world but it really relates well to so much happening now and had me thinking about comparisons as I read this book.
I absolutely loved both Sam and Ari! Both are complicated and had so many hard choices to make for their families and a way to survive. I had to root for both, even if one worked for Grand Central and the other Lumines and how despite all the darkness, they still shone so bright for each other. To find a love like that, it was so heartbreaking and I loved it! It does get pretty graphic with the assassinations and what the syndicates do to traitors but even that was fascinating as it goes into alchemical transformations. I was fascinated by the training both Sam and Ari go through too, how it differed but also how they come to the truth of the cost of soul to do the workings.
This was a fantastic and definitely adult debut by Marie Lu! I will happily read this again and again, as long as the next book comes out soon! I am glad I got the chance to read this and discover the magic and darkness that is alchemy.
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