An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors

Disclaimer: I initially received this book for free in exchange for reviewing it once it would be published. But that was many years ago, and an early draft, so when the book was finally published I wasn't confident it hadn't changed in editing. So I bought the official version and this review will be based on that.

If you like fantastical science, strong female leads, wormfingers, political intrigue, and/or witty comebacks, it's safe to assume you'll enjoy this book. Well, as long as you also like books that have you thinking “There's no way this situation could get any wors—oh... How in the world are they getting out of this one?” While not as bleak as media such as Attack on Titan or Game of Thrones, the world of The Risen Kingdoms is still not a happy fantasy land. Being important doesn't keep people safe, and being smart doesn't mean you're safe from evil plots. Even the main characters' dashing personalities and wits still aren't enough to keep them ahead of the many nefarious plots and betrayals waiting for them at every corner. Unlike the aforementioned stories however, this book is less about “surviving” than “persevering”, which is an important distinction in tone.

While fantasy may not be my favourite form of speculative fiction, I do appreciate steampunk aesthetics and science-focused details, both of which this novel has in abundance. But calling this novel steampunk would be a disservice to the fact that it's actually aetherpunk, and we all know that aether is a better form of steam. :) My main gripe with fantasy as a whole is that there are some very common tropes that it seems unable to escape, especially in regards to the basically-interchangeable settings (generic Medieval England anyone?). While An Alchemy is still very obviously fantasy, and full of fantasy tropes, it at least avoids most of the annoyingly common ones. The steampunk aspect necessitates a setting that's more Victorian than medieval, and the Kingdoms are culturally distinct (in fact, I would say that having passing familiarity with French and Spanish language is useful, though not necessary).

The magic systems are unique, but every fantasy novel requires as much. More kingdoms and systems of magic are hinted at, but I think it was a good idea to focus on only two, since the story doesn't info-dump its explanations. At times the novel can seem a bit literary or self-indulgent, but I typically assume that means the author is having fun writing, which is fine even if it takes me out of the story a tiny bit. I generally prefer flawed characters, and though the characters are flawed they're perhaps a bit too competent for my tastes. However, they stay far enough away from being Mary Sue's that it's not an issue; and as I stated earlier, being competent is just barely good enough to survive.

Looking forward to the sequels, and I'm glad they were all mostly finished before this novel was released, so that we don't have to wait a decade between each book.