Review: Alchemy - K.J. Wignall

A demon ended my childhood. I was not bitten, do not think that of me, but in a very real sense I was infected, and the darkness of that creature crept into my heart. It is lodged there still, and the only way I'll ever be free of it is to rid the world of the demon itself . . .

The vampire William of Mercia continues to search for answers about his long, undead life, together with Eloise, the girl with whom his fate is entwined. But the darkness doesn't yield its secrets easily.

As they edge closer to the truth, it becomes clear that something evil knows their every move, and this time it's targeting the person Will needs most of all.

Lost in a frozen landscape, powerful adversaries are locked in a battle that not everyone can survive, as destiny collides with a sorcerer's dark arts . . .

Mercian Trilogy:
Blood
Alchemy
Death (release date to be confirmed)

Visit K.J. Wignall's website for more information

Review:
Alchemy picks up the story not long after the ending of Blood and I would recommend reading this series in order to make the most of the ongoing story line. Eloise has returned to her school to investigate the links to Will's past and Will is staying nearby in a property that used to belong to his family. It appears that there are enemy spies surrounding them though and it could put Eloise's life at risk. Can Will keep her safe as they work together to uncover the truth about his destiny?

I enjoyed the first book in this series and was looking forward to finding out more about the prophecy surrounding Will and Eloise, although I'm still left with a lot of questions we did make a few interesting discoveries in this instalment. We get to find out the motives behind sorcerer Wyndham and we learn exactly what he holds against Will. Although Wyndham started out trying to destroy evil it was interesting to see how his actions have evolved and the way he now blurs the lines and carries out some very questionable actions in the name of good. It makes for an interesting contrast between him and Will, Will is a vampire and he freely admits that he murders people to survive but in a lot of ways he has more good in him than the self professed good guy does.

I have to admit I'm still not the biggest fan of Eloise, she isn't a bad character but she isn't someone that stands out in my mind and I still don't understand the burgeoning romance between her and Will. I can see why she would want to help him but I'm not convinced she'd be attracted to him or he to her. Having said that the romance still remains firmly in the background of the story which is what I was hoping for so it didn't cause me any problems. It will be very interesting to see how things continue in the next book Death. I have a lot of questions that I'm hoping to get answers to and I'm very curious to find out more about the prophecy and what Will and Eloise will need to do to fulfil it.

Source: Initially received from publisher via NetGalley but I also received a print copy from Egmont in exchange for an honest review

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