ALC Book Review: Red City (The New Alchemists #1) by Marie Lu

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Urban Fantasy
Length: 418 pages
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: October 14th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Godfather meets The Magicians in the sweeping adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu. Perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Red City is a dark and deadly contemporary fantasy of magical warfare, star-crossed ambition, and the pursuit of perfection at any cost, set in a glittering alternate Los Angeles.

Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.

Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city—and the paths of their lives—will be irrevocably transformed.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

OH THIS WAS SO GOOD.

I was obsessed with this one from the first chapter y’all. It hit so incredibly well from the opening pages (I will also note the audiobook was incredible too). It gave me vibes from Jade City + Blood Over Bright Haven + Babel. And as someone who’s not an urban fantasy fan, this is the exception to the rule tenfold. YOU MUST READ IT. Easily my new favorite book from Marie Lu (and I’ve read them all).

This was convoluted and hard hitting and felt like the beginning of an epic saga. I loved the star-crossed lovers vibes BUT I will say this is not a ROMANCE in the usual sense. It does play a strong role in combination with many other factors and added the perfect dash to make me love this book even more.

I loved the dark nature of these competing companies and how sand is woven into the magic system. The alchemy idea is so cool (and frightening) and I thought it was awesome. I loved the morally grayness of everyone involved and the intricate layers of each character. I could not get enough of this book and I MUST have book two ASAP.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3ish open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: murder, loss of life, explicit torture, kidnapping, abusive relationship

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Book Review: A Steeping of Blood (Blood and Tea #2) by Hafsah Faizal

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Author: Hafsah Faizal
Publisher: First Ink
Release Date: September 25th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The epic conclusion to the #1 bestselling A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal; the gritty fantasy duology about an orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.

She’s had her tea, now she’s out for blood.

White Roaring is sharpening its fangs after the deadly night that left the city in shambles. The press are dead, the public calls for justice, vampires are in danger, and amid the turmoil, the Ram announces a celebration.

Still reeling from the bloodshed, Arthie Casimir has no time to mourn the death of anyone, let alone her own. She has no time for love, either, but it had saved her life. As Arthie navigates new emotions and new allies, she must reassemble her scrambled crew and scrape what little they have left to fight one last time – and she will need to face the ghosts of her past to do it.

In Ceylan.

After the jaw-dropping ending of #1 bestselling A Tempest of Tea, Arthie and her crew still have plenty of hearts to break and crimson-red secrets to uncover. Hafsah Faizal crafts a deliciously twisty and seductive sequel that will leave readers breathless until the very last page.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

WELL.

I’ll make a note first about the audiobook. While I thought the narrator read the book perfectly fine I think it’s frustrating when a book has 3+ POV’s and only ONE narrator. It made it difficult to switch to each POV in my mind and things started to run together and I got confused multiple times on who was who. I’d still recommend this but I would say go the eyeball read route.

But also maybe it wasn’t all the audiobook? I do think some of the ending pieces were a flop (ANGER INDUCING FLOP). I guess the plot wrapped up well after that? I DID like the vampire aspects. I’m not really a vampire girlie but this didn’t bug me at all. There were some good found family moments and the heist was fine I suppose.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: All I Want Is You by Falon Ballard

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Rating: ★★
Audience: Holiday Romance
Length: 256 pages
Author: Falon Ballard
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s
Release Date: September 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Bitter exes. Professional rivals. Just one bed.
What could go wrong?

Jessica Carrington always wanted her own happily ever after. But, until that happens, she spends her days as a small-time romance writer, penning satisfying Happily Ever Afters to soothe the heartache left by her ex-boyfriend Nick Matthews, a fellow romance writer and now her biggest rival, who has found success writing love stories without happy endings. It’s clearly what he’s good at, after all . . .

So, when their professional obligations find them snowed in – and forced to share a room! – at the same remote inn a few days before Christmas, Jess and Nick are both fuming. But what’s more fitting for two romantic writers in a slump? And when they realise the friction between them might be the only cure for their writer’s block, they decide to turn their frustration into fiction . . . and the pages start flying.

Jess can’t shake the feeling that Nick is the last guy on earth she should be falling for (again), but, as they both finally get back in their flow, is he actually all she wants for Christmas?

VERY FRUSTRATING.

This book made me angry. Anger inducing books get two stars.

So let’s see. The entire book is about the physicality of their relationship. It was practically the only thing they could talk about and it was not endearing in any way, shape, or form. I was tired of hearing about it and the book is less than 300 pages.

And the reason he broke up with her?! DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED. If I could have thrown a book I would have.

I enjoyed Lease on Love and everything after that has been downhill. I am calling it on reading anymore books by Falon Ballard.

Overall audience notes:

  • Holiday Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 4+ open door

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Book Review: The Weaver Bride (The Weaver Bride #1) by Lydia Gregovic

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: Lydia Gregovic
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: September 30th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A sweeping fantasy about a witch who must navigate a ruthless marriage competition—and try not to fall in love along the way. Part twisting mystery, part thrilling romance, The Weaver Bride is an unputdownable romantasy steeped in a lush magical world.

Lovett Tamerlane is a silkwitch. Like all girls of her kind, she holds a rare magic—a magic that can be harnessed only through marriage to a Weaver. But finding a Weaver husband requires status, refinement, and money, all of which Lovett sadly lacks. Her one secret ability, to open any door, is her saving grace. Hidden in plain sight, Lovett spends her days using her gift to steal from wealthy families and her nights avoiding the fate imposed on all unwed silkwitches: a life confined to the cloisters.

But opening doors can be dangerous, and when Lovett steals from the wrong person, she finds herself face to face with Eliot Lear, the notorious son of a prominent Weaver. It turns out Eliot’s been watching Lovett. He knows she’s a silkwitch, and he offers her a life-altering opportunity: entrance to the Vainglory, a competition with the ultimate prize—marriage to Noé Alaire, heir to generations of Weaver wealth. The catch? Last year, the Vainglory ended in tragedy. The winner died. And the winner was Eliot’s sister.

The arrangement is simple: If Lovett solves the mystery of Ophelia Lear’s death and unmasks her killer, Eliot will ensure she has her pick of Weaver suitors, regardless of who wins the competition. Yet unraveling Ophelia’s murder proves far more complicated than either of them anticipated. And Lovett should know better than to take a Weaver at his word.

After all . . . what is love without betrayal?

Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook and GetUnderlined for the final copy.

GIMME BOOK TWO.

After enjoying Lydia Gregovic’s debut I knew I had to get my hands on this one and it was a solid upper YA/NA fantasy romance! I liked the world building a lot and the complexity of the silkwitches and how they functioned in society. It set up the perfect atmosphere for rebellion and takedowns that I hope to see in the sequel.

The romance is a good heated enemies to lovers that pushes and pulls as the pages turn. I enjoy betrayal plotlines and I liked the ruthlessness that their story gave off. I do recommend the audiobook as the narrator did a great job voicing Lovett and the other characters (single POV).

I wasn’t 100% convinced by the competition storyline but it’s an easy book to consume. I like LG’s writing style and the way the romances are crafted. Looking forward to more!

Overall audience notes:

  • Upper YA/NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: moderate

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