I am very happy to present my stop on the Alchemists of Loom blog tour run by Xpresso Book Tours. I have been a fan of Elise Kova and her other series, Air Awakens, for a while now. So, I jumped on the chance to read this book, as you definitely should too. If you are a fan of fantasy, dragons, and dynamic heroes looking for revenge, then this is the perfect book for you.
Alchemists of LoomBy Elise Kova
Loom Saga #1
Published January 10, 2017
Fantasy, Young Adult
This book was provided to me from Xpresso Book Tours via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I swear on my bookshelf that this has not affected my opinion of the book.
Her vengeance. His vision. Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer turned thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins. When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go. He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom.
Review
As an avid fantasy fan who has been devouring books for a while, it can be hard to find something unique. After a few years, it seems like the genre is just made up of the same stories about vampires, werewolves, and witches. It follows the same cycle that The Chosen One learns how to defeat The Evil and Save the World. Thankfully, Elise Kova breaks this trend with her inventive and unique world of Loom and unconventional characters.
The magic system in Kova's world is different from anything I have ever read. It is even more impressive since she essentially created two worlds; the human world of Loom and the Dragon territory of Nova. Each sphere is equally developed and described in order to create two very different, yet surprisingly parallel, settings. The only thing I can complain about this novel is the slow explanation of the world's intricacies. There was a lot of action, which I loved, but there was not a lot of explanation, especially of the political and social situations. I felt out of the loop during the first quarter of the novel due to all of the name-dropping and fantasy elements.
Even though the explanation was not completely on par, I loved the inclusion of different fantasy factors. There are Dragons, Chimeras, and humans, but even the mortals have a few tricks up their sleeves. There is a social structure that complicates the plot and adding dimension to the character. Kova paints a whole new world with her words. I loved learning about Cvareh and his world in the sky just as much as finding out more about the woman behind the heart of Loom.
But the real stars of the novel are the characters and their relationships. The adorable and fierce friendship between Ari and Flor is honestly #goals. I also loved watching the development between Ari and Cvareh. Kova tackles some big questions in this novel through their relationship. She made me think about the danger of prejudice and the power of a person's true talents.
Ari reminds me so much of my precious Kaz from Six of Crows. Really, that is probably the highest praise I can give a character. Both of them seem to be evil and immoral, but you quickly realize that they are more complicated than you ever realized. Ari is definitely an anti-hero who I ended up rooting for. Normally, a lack of morals and conventional heroic qualities turns me off from a main character, but the emotion and complexity behind Ari's character made me rethink what it means to be a hero.
Speaking of heroes, I think that Florence is the real hero of the story. She is Ari's right-hand woman and a counterbalance to her zeal for danger and challenge. Florence's perspective in the novel really tied together the narrative. Her story and background really added to the harsh and unforgiving atmosphere of Loom and Nova.
With strong friendships, a surprisingly lovable anti-hero, and not one, but two, amazingly developed worlds, Alchemists of Loom is a must-read for fantasy fans. The story twists the stereotypes of fantasy in order to start a promising new series.
About the Author
Elise Kova has always had a profound love of fantastical worlds. Somehow, she managed to focus on the real world long enough to graduate with a Master’s in Business Administration before crawling back under her favorite writing blanket to conceptualize her next magic system. She currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and when she is not writing can be found playing video games, watching anime, or talking with readers on social media. She is the USA Today bestselling author of the Air Awakens Series as well as the upcoming Loom Saga (Keymaster, 2017).Giveaway
Tour Wide Giveaway
- 1 Signed Hardcover of the Alchemists of Loom
- 3 Hardcover Preorders of The Alchemists of Loom (Available through TBD)
- 5 Swag Packs
Are you stuck in a fantasy rut? What is the most unique fantasy book you have read? Have you read any of Elise Kova's other novels? What is your opinion on antiheroes?
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