#Monday Review - The Secret City by C.J. Daugherty, Carina Rozenfeld (YA, Fantasy)

Series: The Alchemist Chronicles # 2
Format: E-Galley, 307 pages
Release Date: September 1, 2016 Book
Publisher: Bookouture
Source: NetGalley/Publisher
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

A boy with seven days to live.  An ancient curse. And one girl with the power to stop it. 

Hunted by Dark Alchemy and forced to leave their homes to protect their families, Taylor Montclair and Sacha Winters have arrived at Oxford’s St Wilfred’s College. Surrounded by Alchemists sworn to protect them, they are safe for now.  

But time is short. In seven days Sacha will turn 18, and the ancient curse that once made him invincible will kill him. And unleash a wave of destruction on the earth. Sacha and Taylor need answers – fast. 

When the safety of the college is breached, the alchemists are faced with a terrifying possibility. Could the source of the darkness be one of their own? 

Sacha and Taylor’s only chance is to go to where the curse was first cast - the medieval French city of Carcassonne. There they will face the darkest alchemy the world has ever seen, armed with only the power of their bloodlines. In Carcassonne, this will end. 

The Secret City is the second installment in authors CJ Daugherty & Carina Rozenfeld's The Alchemist Chronicles. The story picks up (3) weeks after the ending of The Secret Fire. For those who may be new to this series, welcome. This series focuses on two main characters. Sacha Winters and Taylor Montclair. Sacha and Taylor have only 7 days to find a way to solve the curse that will kill Sacha on his 18th birthday and unleash a Demon on Earth. His only real hope in all things that really matter may be Taylor, who has learned that she may be one of the more powerful Alchemists currently living thanks to being a descendant of Isabelle. the originator of the curse against Sacha's descendants 300 years ago. 

Taylor has little time to find a way to eliminate the curse that could not only kill Sacha, but unleash hell on earth thanks to the machinations of one Mortimer Pierce. She not only has to take a crash course in Alchemy, but also learn how to learn to fight against the monsters that may come for her and Sacha again. Sacha's life depends on Taylor learning everything she possibly can, from as many sources as she can, before time runs out for Sacha. While Taylor is learning, Sacha is feeling like a third wheel and chafes against the restrictions placed on him. Sacha and Taylor are connected through the most intriguing party. Not necessarily goodness, but perhaps a bit of darkness that may set them on a difficult path.

Pierce refuses to let them have Five minutes, let alone Seven days to find a way to destroy the curse and save the day. By attacking the school, and nearly killing or capturing Sacha and Taylor, he sends a message loud and clear that he can not be easily defeated. If you read the first book, that was the missing piece of the puzzle as to who was responsible for wanting to get their hands on Sacha. Now that Sacha, Taylor, and the Alchemists at St. Wilfred's College, including Louisa and Alastair, know who they are facing, it becomes even more important to stay ahead of Pierce and ensure that he doesn't get his hands on Sacha. A path that leads Taylor, Sacha, Louisa, and Alastair into a face to face fight to the death against Pierce in a small town in France called Carcassonne.

I really like Taylor and Sacha together. Brought together by strange circumstances, they have more than made up for being from different countries (England vs France). Sacha is one of the more intriguing characters because of the fact that he literally can not die. Oh sure, plenty have tried, but he keeps coming back to life. I like that Taylor isn't head strong where she believes she is better than Sacha. They are linked by friendship, by love, and by fate. I loved that the authors gave Louisa a narrative in this book. Her relationship with Sacha and Taylor may not be what you might think, but I dare say she has some respect for them. She even has her own romantic interlude with Alastair and may I just say, Hell Yes!

The Secret City ends with little or no questions left over for another book in this series, plus a surprising twist that I totally did not see coming. So, I am not sure at this time whether or not the authors or publisher intend to release a third installment. If I get an update, I shall update this review. 

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#Saturday Review - The Secret Fire by C.J. Daugherty (YA, Paranormal)

Series: The Alchemist Chronicles # 1
Format: E-Galley, 424 pages
Release Date: September 3, 2015
Publisher: Atom/Bookouture
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

French teen Sacha Winters can't die. He can throw himself off a roof, be stabbed, even shot, and he will always survive. Until the day when history and ancient enmities dictate that he must die. Worse still, his death will trigger something awful. Something deadly. And that day is closing in.

Taylor Montclair is a normal English girl, hanging out with her friends and studying for exams, until she starts shorting out the lights with her brain. She’s also the only person on earth who can save Sacha.

There’s only one problem: the two of them have never met. They live hundreds of miles apart and powerful forces will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

They have eight weeks to find each other.

Will they survive long enough to save the world? 

The Secret Fire is the first installment in The Alchemist Chronicles

by author C.J. Daugherty. Daugherty recently wrapped up her Night School series with Endgame, and now enters a whole new world. A world where thanks to a curse, French teenager Sacha Winters can't die. He can throw himself off a roof, be stabbed, even shot, and he will survive. That is until he reaches his Eighteenth birthday.

Sacha has pretty much walked away from school, his friends, and life. He's turned instead to doing dangerous stunts, and tempting criminals with his escapes. His mother knows about the prophecy, but tries hard not to think, or worry about it since she lost her husband to it. His Aunt knows about the curse, but she can only help so much. Sacha knows that with his death, not only will the curse end, but something horrible will be triggered.

Daugherty actually has two main characters, and alternates narratives between the two. The second and probably most important character in the story is Taylor Montclair from England. She has a goal of getting into Oxford where her Grandfather teaches. She's got a full plate which includes stellar grades, and tutoring opportunities that come her way. One of those tutoring opportunities leads her to Sacha Winters. A boy who is supposed to be taught English, but speaks the language fluently.

While Sacha is searching for answers to his own mortality, Taylor is suddenly having massive headaches, being following by creatures called Bringers, and apparently has some abilities that can't be explained. Taylor is nothing like Sacha. She is perhaps a bit too perfect at time but grows on you once she learns about how powerful she really is. But, the question still remains as to why she was "forced" into tutoring Sacha by her French teacher? Why did her own grandfather wait so long to explain to her about why she has the powers she has, and why when she connects with Sacha, they are a force to be reckoned with?

One of my favorite secondary characters is Louisa. She is a spark plug, and is an assistant to Taylor's Grandfather. She starts Taylor's training into her abilities, and becomes an important ally for Taylor entrance into the Alchemist world. Funny how Daugherty once again offers a school as a backdrop. This doesn't come into play until much later in the book, but apparently readers will once again find themselves in a school environment where the students face evil like they've never seen before.

Overall: There is action, but it takes awhile to get going. The creepy factor is definitely in play. The Bringers are nearly indestructible until they meet Taylor. There is apparently another powerful villain which Daugherty hasn't introduced yet. I dare say I kept thinking about the villain from her Night School series when the hints came in to who this person could be. I would say that the romance is meek in comparison to the Night School series. Then again, these two teenagers are thrown together in order to save the world and romance isn't high on their to do list. 

**I received this book for free from (Publisher) via (NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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