Release Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books
Series: Chantress Trilogy, Book 2
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: Edelweiss
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository ● Kindle ● B&N
Goodreads ● Website
Read my review of Chantress HERE
Lucy is the last Chantress, the only remaining girl who can sing magic into the world. Since she defeated the evil Lord Scargrave, England has changed—and not for the better. With crops failing and the people rebelling, Lucy is called urgently back to King Henry’s court. His Inner Council is convinced that making gold through alchemy will save England. But a critical element to the alchemical process has been stolen. Lucy is tasked with finding it with her magic… or else. And until she succeeds, the castle is on lockdown.
Court too has changed. Scargrave's brutal Chantress-hunter has become King Henry's closest advisor. Lucy’s beloved Nat has fallen out of favor and is shunned by his colleagues; their romance means trouble for both of them. Worst of all, something goes wrong with Lucy’s magic. The palace is a labyrinth, and there’s a monster at its heart — a monster who may have the power to defeat Lucy once and for all.
Amy Butler Greenfield returns to the beguiling world of Chantress for a suspenseful tale of courtly intrigue, music, and magic in Chantress Alchemy.
Court too has changed. Scargrave's brutal Chantress-hunter has become King Henry's closest advisor. Lucy’s beloved Nat has fallen out of favor and is shunned by his colleagues; their romance means trouble for both of them. Worst of all, something goes wrong with Lucy’s magic. The palace is a labyrinth, and there’s a monster at its heart — a monster who may have the power to defeat Lucy once and for all.
Amy Butler Greenfield returns to the beguiling world of Chantress for a suspenseful tale of courtly intrigue, music, and magic in Chantress Alchemy.
I may have had some problems (tiny ones) with the first book, Chantress, but holy moly, Chantress Alchemy was AH-MAY-ZING. So much happened and I’m still reeling it all in! It definitely keeps you on your toes with a classic who-dun-it with larger consequences.
When I heard that alchemy was going to be apart of the book (duh, the title should have been a big giveaway for me...), I got super excited! Nope, I’m not smart enough to actually know really anything about the subject. Heck, I don’t even take a proper science subject! But I do love the topic of Nicholas Flamel (the subject and main character of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel and mention in the first book of Harry Potter) and so to integrate that into this story created a much richer backdrop, as well as built up the time period and context.
Speaking of– my main problems with the first book were to do with the fact that there was no character development and world-building. THIS BOOK HAS ANSWERED MY PRAYERS! I fell in love with the characters and was able to imagine the setting so clearly. I love how much history has been put into this book, and it just gives it so much more depth that (aside from the magic and paranormal) it breathes a century's worth of famous figures and stories.
Character-wise, I think that Lucy has had a huge improvement. I got kind of annoyed with her in the first book because she was so rash and thought about herself a lot, and made a lot of stupid decisions while she was at it. True, at the start, she is like Chantress-Lucy again. But there was so much character development! I feel so much more comfortable with Lucy as a protagonist now, because I’ve been able to see her mature in this instalment, and I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next in the final book of the trilogy.
I read in an interview that Greenfield liked this book a lot because of the developing romance between Lucy and Nat. That was something that I was absolutely looking forward to this book, and I was not disappointed. It seemed kind of stale and very G-rated in the last book, and there really was no connection between the two of them. I like how it progresses and continues to grow (leaving you with a somewhat heart-pounding ending), and again, I’m excited to see where their relationship will end up.
Holy hells, there’s only one thing I can say about the twist in this book:
I. DID. NOT. SEE. THAT. COMING.
Chantress Alchemy was, well, an enCHANTing read. Exquisite details, vivid emotions, and characters so real you can feel them breathe out of the pages. Greenfield’s follow-up is brilliant, spellbinding and flawless, and her words leave you hanging and hungry for more. It will be sad to see the trilogy end, but I’m eagerly waiting to devour more.
If you like this, try...
- Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan ● Goodreads
- The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas ● Goodreads
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AMY BUTLER GREENFIELD
Amy Butler Greenfield was a grad student in history when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Since then, she has become an award-winning author.
Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains and later studied history at Williams College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oxford. She now lives with her family in England, where she writes, bakes double-dark-chocolate cake, and plots mischief.
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My Dream Cast for Chantress Alchemy
by Rabiah
I think it’s been forever since I’ve actually done a dream cast, and I LOVE that it’s going to be for Chantress Alchemy. The number of possibilities of leads and supporting actors... not to mention drooling over endless pictures of really cute actors *swoon*. Anyway, here’s who I would cast!
Georgie Henley as Lucy
I think it might be her association with Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia, but this is who I was picturing when reading Chantress and Chantress Alchemy. Plus, she’s just a little bit older than the character, so luckily it’s not someone who’s like close to 30.
Emily Watson as Norrie
After seeing her play Rosa Hubermann in The Book Thief, I thought she was PERFECT to play Norrie: She’s stubborn and scolds, but she still really loves and cares for Lucy. She does have a strict-ish face, doesn’t she?
Callan McAuliffe as Nat
It was SUPER difficult to cast Nat. I actually spent the longest time trying to find someone to play him! Everyone was too young, too old, too-not-Nat, and of course (naturally) there needs to be a swoon-factor. I’ve seen McAuliffe in Flipped and I Am Number Four, and think he would make a really great Nat! :D
Toby Regbo as King Henry
King Henry is only slightly older than Lucy, so of course a young actor was needed. Being a fan of the TV show Reign, I immediately thought that Regbo would be perfect for the part. He looks so different with a beard, so either version of him (shaven or unshaven) would work. A little humour on the side: he does play the heir to France in Reign and his father is called King Henry in the show!
Sean Connery as Penebrygg
It seems though that this is a little bit of a *slower* role for Connery... I had a really tough time trying to find the perfect actor for Penebrygg and he was the closest to who I thought of when reading!
Ed Skrein as Wrexham
Wrexham in the book is described to be built as a Viking and has that blunt, cocky character. I totally thought of Ed Skrein as him when I first read of his character. I’ve seen Skrein on Game of Thrones (he was the original Daario in season 3) and he’s perfect for the role.
Saoirse Ronan as Sybil (1)
Initially I thought Saoirse could play Lucy, but Lucy’s hair was much darker, so when I stumbled upon Sybil’s character I thought OMG she could totally be her! She looks a lot older and more “regal”. But another actress I also had in mind for Sybil was...
Natalie Dormer as Sybil (2)
Even though she’s a lot older than the part, she DEFINITELY doesn’t look like it. I’ve seen her play Margaery on Game of Thrones, and she looks young and sweet... but of course, has her manipulative ways. I totally imagined her when there were conversations between Sybil and Lucy!
Sam Claflin as Lord Gabriel
I’m forgetting what colour hair Lord Gabriel has in the book, but brunette or blonde, Sam Claflin can definitely work both colours! Loved him in Pirates 4 and Catching Fire, and I think he could be a charming and slightly cocky Lord Gabriel.
Jeremy Irons as Sir Isaac
Again, like Penebygg a bit more weathered, more mature, and I thought that Irons could totally pull it off (obviously), but also for the fact that he can totally do dynamic!
Guys... now I really want this movie!!
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Giveaway time!
What’s up for grabs?? Well, you could win...
(1) Hardback of Chantress Alchemy (INT)
(1) Hardback of Chantress Alchemy (US ONLY)
Enter via the rafflecopter below!
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Check out the other stops on the tour! Click on the tour banner at the top of the post or on the button below to see what else is going on:
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