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The Spellmason Chronicles #1
Alchemystic
AN OLD FRIEND OF THE FAMILY... Alexandra Belarus is a struggling artist living in New York City, even though her family is rich in real estate, including a towering Gothic Gramercy Park building built by her great-great-grandfather. But the truth of her bloodline is revealed when she is attacked on the street and saved by an inhumanly powerful winged figure. A figure who knows the Belarus name... Lexi's great-great-grandfather was a Spellmason--an artisan who could work magic on stone. But in his day, dark forces conspired against him and his, so he left a spell of protection on his family. Now that Lexi is in danger, the spell has awoken her ancestor's most trusted and fearsome a gargoyle named Stanis. Lexi and Stanis are equally surprised to find themselves bound to each other. But as they learn to work together, they realize that only united can they save the city they both love...
290 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 25, 2012
49 people are currently reading
1607 people want to read
About the author
Anton Strout
33 books314 followersWhen not plotting against his mortal enemy Patrick Rothfuss, Anton Strout is the author of the Simon Canderous urban fantasy series for Ace Books including
Dead To Me, Deader Still, Dead Matter and Dead Waters.
His new series with Ace Books is entitled The Spellmason Chronicles. Alchemystic is first in the series, followed by Stonecast and the upcoming Incarnate .
He is also the host and curator of content for The Once & Future Podcast, a weekly show that focuses on discussions with other working writers.
His other writing has appeared in a variety of anthologies—some of which include Simon Canderous tie-in stories—including: Boondocks Fantasy, The Dimension Next Door, A Girl’s Guide to Guns & Monsters, Pandora’s Closet, Spells of the City, and Zombie Raccoons & Killer Bunnies, Spells of the City, Boondocks Fantasy, After Hours: Tales from the Ur-Bar, and the upcoming Human For A Day .
He currently lives outside New York City in the haunted corn maze that is New Jersey (where nothing paranormal ever really happens, he assures you). In his scant spare time, he is an always writer, sometimes actor, sometimes musician, occasional RPGer, and the world’s most casual and controller-smashing video gamer. He also works in the exciting world of publishing, and yes, it is as glamorous as it sounds.
He can be found lurking the darkened hallways of www.antonstrout.com.
His new series with Ace Books is entitled The Spellmason Chronicles. Alchemystic is first in the series, followed by Stonecast and the upcoming Incarnate .
He is also the host and curator of content for The Once & Future Podcast, a weekly show that focuses on discussions with other working writers.
His other writing has appeared in a variety of anthologies—some of which include Simon Canderous tie-in stories—including: Boondocks Fantasy, The Dimension Next Door, A Girl’s Guide to Guns & Monsters, Pandora’s Closet, Spells of the City, and Zombie Raccoons & Killer Bunnies, Spells of the City, Boondocks Fantasy, After Hours: Tales from the Ur-Bar, and the upcoming Human For A Day .
He currently lives outside New York City in the haunted corn maze that is New Jersey (where nothing paranormal ever really happens, he assures you). In his scant spare time, he is an always writer, sometimes actor, sometimes musician, occasional RPGer, and the world’s most casual and controller-smashing video gamer. He also works in the exciting world of publishing, and yes, it is as glamorous as it sounds.
He can be found lurking the darkened hallways of www.antonstrout.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
August 11, 2016
A fun YA/NA Urban Fantasy...
secret societies,
hidden family histories,
a full-on paranormal/urban fantasy thing going on,
not to mention a funny and strong main character.
However, I had a hard time latching on to this book.
It simply wasn't a story which grabbed me from the beginning. Quite frankly, it didn't grab me until the 14th Chapter. I muscled through the first thirteen chapters because I was interested in the premise:
a gargoyle created by a spell mason to protect future generations of his family from a mysterious evil.
I also continued reading because I was intrigued by Alexandra, the female lead - emotional but not helpless - she's overwhelmed with the consequences following the death of her brother, but she retains a backbone and a sense of humor that I appreciate in a female main character. How could I NOT have a soft spot for an artist who speaks in pop culture references?
ALEXANDRA:
I'm sure this book is perfect for someone, because it really was a good read. However, I doubt I'll continue the series.
***I won this book through a "first reads" giveaway on Goodreads.com!***
"I lifted my knife, ignoring how it shook in my hand. Whether I could use it was another story, but I'd be damned if I was going to play the victim again. Something dark was rising up in me."The story had several elements which generally appeal to me:
secret societies,
hidden family histories,
a full-on paranormal/urban fantasy thing going on,
not to mention a funny and strong main character.
However, I had a hard time latching on to this book.
It simply wasn't a story which grabbed me from the beginning. Quite frankly, it didn't grab me until the 14th Chapter. I muscled through the first thirteen chapters because I was interested in the premise:
a gargoyle created by a spell mason to protect future generations of his family from a mysterious evil.
I also continued reading because I was intrigued by Alexandra, the female lead - emotional but not helpless - she's overwhelmed with the consequences following the death of her brother, but she retains a backbone and a sense of humor that I appreciate in a female main character. How could I NOT have a soft spot for an artist who speaks in pop culture references?
ALEXANDRA:
"We're in the twenty-first century now," I said. "Women don't need protectors. Besides, I'm so a Hermione, not a Bella."As adorable as it was, something about this book just didn't click with me. It had some great elements, humorous dialogue, and some action and suspense befitting the overall plot line... I just wasn't blown away by it.
I'm sure this book is perfect for someone, because it really was a good read. However, I doubt I'll continue the series.
***I won this book through a "first reads" giveaway on Goodreads.com!***
August 2, 2013
1.5
There's a little part of me - a very little part - that sort of wants to bump this up to 2 stars. This is down to two things: 1) I did sort of care about Stanis but the end of the book. (He's the gargoyle. He's also the only character with any real development.) 2) I still have a hard time using 1-stars for "didn't like" instead of "absolutely abysmal".
'Cause this book isn't abysmal... but it was pretty bad, and I did not like.
The story was pretty standard UF fare, the biggest difference being that the supernatural creature dujoir is a gargoyle instead of the more usual - and, really, that's mostly why I gave this book a chance. I blame my childhood love for the cartoon 'Gargoyles' (which is referenced in the story).
But this gargoyle doesn't turn to flesh, he's always stone - and, no, it's never explained how stone can fly. As my husband says for these occasions, "A wizard did it."
But it's not the predictability of the story which is the problem. It's the characters and the writing.
The first problems with the writing crop up pretty much immediately when we meet the characters, and are given horribly clunky chunks of expositionary dialogue. Here's a slightly hyperbolic example:
"Hello Aurora, my best friend. How are you, you fierce, wee thing, you?"
"Well, Lexi, as you know I am doing an intensive dance program and some other school stuff, and am panic prone to begin with."
"I know this is very true, my best friend Rory - which is what I usually call you."
Yes, it really is that bad.
And the characters are all pretty one-dimensional with their particular things which, of course, become relevant and useful in the story.
Lexi is a wanna-be artist, even though her family is in real estate and kinda want her to be in real estate, too. Of course, when shit goes down, it's her artistic side which becomes important - as one might guess from the whole Spellmason thing.
Rory, as stated, is a dancer and, apparently, this gives her mad fighting skills 'cause, ya know, fighting and dancing are totally the same, yo. (As someone who's done both - no. Just no.)
(She's also completely spastic. One page she's telling Lexi that maybe she shouldn't mess around with the magic 'cause she doesn't know what dangers it could have, and in the next page she's asking why Lexi hasn't been busy making a gargoyle army.)
And Marshall is a D&D geek, who can't say ANYTHING without it being a game reference (which would make slightly more sense if anyone else in the story was slightly into gaming, 'cause then it could be funny in-jokes, but, no, he's just a socially awkward loser who has no point of reference outside of D&D 'cause, ya know, gamers are losers and all). BUT his game knowledge comes in totally useful because he knows what things like alchemy are, and he can instantly memorize the layout of a building from all those years of campaigning.
'Cause, yeah...
Oh, and the parents are the typical emotionally distant and pressurey sort who can't understand why their daughter wants to be her own person instead of following the family business. (But this all works out conveniently in the end, so it's all good.)
And, ya know, I'm glad I wrote this review 'cause I totally remember why I one-starred it.
As I said, there is a saving grace in Stanis, who actually develops a bit through the story (and is the reason for that little half star) - but there are issues with this, too.
For one, he's sort of forced to change as Lexi takes it upon herself to give him back his memories, despite being warned how bad this could be. so he's mostly given back his character more than developing one.
And there are a whole host of other issues, like Lexi never considering that a living piece of stone might have feelings, or ever considering the moral implications of having, essentially, a magically bound slave.
So, yeah...
This is just really badly written. I boggle at the many rave reviews but, then, I'm a weirdo, so there's that.
There's a little part of me - a very little part - that sort of wants to bump this up to 2 stars. This is down to two things: 1) I did sort of care about Stanis but the end of the book. (He's the gargoyle. He's also the only character with any real development.) 2) I still have a hard time using 1-stars for "didn't like" instead of "absolutely abysmal".
'Cause this book isn't abysmal... but it was pretty bad, and I did not like.
The story was pretty standard UF fare, the biggest difference being that the supernatural creature dujoir is a gargoyle instead of the more usual - and, really, that's mostly why I gave this book a chance. I blame my childhood love for the cartoon 'Gargoyles' (which is referenced in the story).
But this gargoyle doesn't turn to flesh, he's always stone - and, no, it's never explained how stone can fly. As my husband says for these occasions, "A wizard did it."
But it's not the predictability of the story which is the problem. It's the characters and the writing.
The first problems with the writing crop up pretty much immediately when we meet the characters, and are given horribly clunky chunks of expositionary dialogue. Here's a slightly hyperbolic example:
"Hello Aurora, my best friend. How are you, you fierce, wee thing, you?"
"Well, Lexi, as you know I am doing an intensive dance program and some other school stuff, and am panic prone to begin with."
"I know this is very true, my best friend Rory - which is what I usually call you."
Yes, it really is that bad.
And the characters are all pretty one-dimensional with their particular things which, of course, become relevant and useful in the story.
Lexi is a wanna-be artist, even though her family is in real estate and kinda want her to be in real estate, too. Of course, when shit goes down, it's her artistic side which becomes important - as one might guess from the whole Spellmason thing.
Rory, as stated, is a dancer and, apparently, this gives her mad fighting skills 'cause, ya know, fighting and dancing are totally the same, yo. (As someone who's done both - no. Just no.)
(She's also completely spastic. One page she's telling Lexi that maybe she shouldn't mess around with the magic 'cause she doesn't know what dangers it could have, and in the next page she's asking why Lexi hasn't been busy making a gargoyle army.)
And Marshall is a D&D geek, who can't say ANYTHING without it being a game reference (which would make slightly more sense if anyone else in the story was slightly into gaming, 'cause then it could be funny in-jokes, but, no, he's just a socially awkward loser who has no point of reference outside of D&D 'cause, ya know, gamers are losers and all). BUT his game knowledge comes in totally useful because he knows what things like alchemy are, and he can instantly memorize the layout of a building from all those years of campaigning.
'Cause, yeah...
Oh, and the parents are the typical emotionally distant and pressurey sort who can't understand why their daughter wants to be her own person instead of following the family business. (But this all works out conveniently in the end, so it's all good.)
And, ya know, I'm glad I wrote this review 'cause I totally remember why I one-starred it.
As I said, there is a saving grace in Stanis, who actually develops a bit through the story (and is the reason for that little half star) - but there are issues with this, too.
For one, he's sort of forced to change as Lexi takes it upon herself to give him back his memories, despite being warned how bad this could be. so he's mostly given back his character more than developing one.
And there are a whole host of other issues, like Lexi never considering that a living piece of stone might have feelings, or ever considering the moral implications of having, essentially, a magically bound slave.
So, yeah...
This is just really badly written. I boggle at the many rave reviews but, then, I'm a weirdo, so there's that.
September 25, 2012
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
I'm not sure if this book was meant to be cute but that was my overall impression of Alchemystic. Alexandra, the heroine, is young and naive while as Stanis, the gargoyle, is old but has little memory of his past. Together they come across as the blind leading the blind but not in a bad way, this is where that cuteness factor I was talking about comes into play. One character has the will while as the other has the way and together they create a very neat team dynamic. I enjoyed reading the two points of view, uncovering Belarus' secrets and the ending proves that this is just the beginning of The Spellmason Chronicles. Alchemystic has a unique story with delightful characters and plenty of mystery to keep you interested.
The pacing in this book is excellent; there's a nice, balanced ratio of world building to plot development. Strout's concept is well thought out and flawlessly executed. It felt like every word had a purpose and that the story unfurled exactly as planned. The gargoyle wakes up, Alexandra realizes that she inherited some of her great-great-grandfather's Spellmason skills and then the bad guys show up. Anton kept things simple, didn't over-burden readers with unnecessary details and delivered a solid first installment.
I enjoyed experiencing the story from both Alexandra and Stanis' POVs. It kept things fresh and allowed me to see first-hand the development of both characters. One's bubbly and gung-ho while the other is, well, stone-y (for lack of a better word). The gargoyle is pretty indifferent with regards to human society just so long as neither of his two master rules come into play: protect the family and remain unseen. However, as the story progresses, cracks begin to form in Stanis' barriers and he begins to experience emotions. Watching him feel pain, happiness and love for the first time in centuries was truly something to behold. Both protagonists undergo a remarkable amount of growth for just one book. Anton definitely has a knack for writing engaging characters because the minor ones are just as fun to get to know; especially Lexi's two BFFs, Marshall and Rory.
There's a bit of romance in this book which I assume is some good old fashion foreshadowing of things to come on Strout's part. But overall, this story is Urban Fantasy at its best and all about the action. The ending opens up one hell of a can of worms and, as a result, the next installment has made its way onto my 2013 must-read list. Alchemystic is a charming read that even manages to make gargoyles sexy! I loved every minute that I spent inside The Spellmason Chronicles and can't wait for my next visit.
I'm not sure if this book was meant to be cute but that was my overall impression of Alchemystic. Alexandra, the heroine, is young and naive while as Stanis, the gargoyle, is old but has little memory of his past. Together they come across as the blind leading the blind but not in a bad way, this is where that cuteness factor I was talking about comes into play. One character has the will while as the other has the way and together they create a very neat team dynamic. I enjoyed reading the two points of view, uncovering Belarus' secrets and the ending proves that this is just the beginning of The Spellmason Chronicles. Alchemystic has a unique story with delightful characters and plenty of mystery to keep you interested.
The pacing in this book is excellent; there's a nice, balanced ratio of world building to plot development. Strout's concept is well thought out and flawlessly executed. It felt like every word had a purpose and that the story unfurled exactly as planned. The gargoyle wakes up, Alexandra realizes that she inherited some of her great-great-grandfather's Spellmason skills and then the bad guys show up. Anton kept things simple, didn't over-burden readers with unnecessary details and delivered a solid first installment.
I enjoyed experiencing the story from both Alexandra and Stanis' POVs. It kept things fresh and allowed me to see first-hand the development of both characters. One's bubbly and gung-ho while the other is, well, stone-y (for lack of a better word). The gargoyle is pretty indifferent with regards to human society just so long as neither of his two master rules come into play: protect the family and remain unseen. However, as the story progresses, cracks begin to form in Stanis' barriers and he begins to experience emotions. Watching him feel pain, happiness and love for the first time in centuries was truly something to behold. Both protagonists undergo a remarkable amount of growth for just one book. Anton definitely has a knack for writing engaging characters because the minor ones are just as fun to get to know; especially Lexi's two BFFs, Marshall and Rory.
There's a bit of romance in this book which I assume is some good old fashion foreshadowing of things to come on Strout's part. But overall, this story is Urban Fantasy at its best and all about the action. The ending opens up one hell of a can of worms and, as a result, the next installment has made its way onto my 2013 must-read list. Alchemystic is a charming read that even manages to make gargoyles sexy! I loved every minute that I spent inside The Spellmason Chronicles and can't wait for my next visit.
Read
January 22, 2022DNF at 50%
Well, after letting this book languish on my Currently Reading shelf for 5 months, I am calling it quits.
It's not too bad, as far as urban fantasies with a dose of paranormal romance go, but it's not for me. I cannot abide with a protagonist who is too dumb to live... who comes out of everything unscathed, no matter how stupid her actions are.
I get it that she comes from a wealthy family and has always been sheltered by her family name and reputation, but that doesn't excuse a complete absence of a brain and a sense of self-preservation. I also can't understand how her friends cheerfully encourage her to stick her neck under the guillotine time and time again. I honestly suspected that her bestie is secretly evil and trying to get her killed at one point.
But no, the protagonist survives every single dangerous situation her own stupidity puts her in time and time again. And never learns anything from the experience. When there are no stakes and no consequences, why should I keep reading?
Anyway, I'm out and this series is off my shelf for good.
Well, after letting this book languish on my Currently Reading shelf for 5 months, I am calling it quits.
It's not too bad, as far as urban fantasies with a dose of paranormal romance go, but it's not for me. I cannot abide with a protagonist who is too dumb to live... who comes out of everything unscathed, no matter how stupid her actions are.
I get it that she comes from a wealthy family and has always been sheltered by her family name and reputation, but that doesn't excuse a complete absence of a brain and a sense of self-preservation. I also can't understand how her friends cheerfully encourage her to stick her neck under the guillotine time and time again. I honestly suspected that her bestie is secretly evil and trying to get her killed at one point.
But no, the protagonist survives every single dangerous situation her own stupidity puts her in time and time again. And never learns anything from the experience. When there are no stakes and no consequences, why should I keep reading?
Anyway, I'm out and this series is off my shelf for good.
October 6, 2013
Gargoyles, gosh how I love them! So I was only too eager to toss my money out and buy this book! No, really their was begging. Even though Anton Strout's writing hasn't been my flavor in the past. I figured he was just underdeveloped at the time and now he'd be A-mazing!
Boom, always trust your gut instinct. Chapter 2, and I was living in a world of disappointment. Lexis (AKA Alexandra) was annoying. Weak willed, a push over (though I believe this was supposed to be taken as kindness, but no she had her bitchy moments), not independent, and lazy. Now she's a hard worker when it came to learning about her Spellmason/Alchemy skills. However, when she has to step in to help out the family business, she does nothing but complain. There's a lot of avoiding and—oh, yeah—complaining. She's had her whole life to do whatever and now when she needs to help out the family it's woe is her. Stanis, the gargoyle, was the only thing that kept me reading, I just knew why his memories had been stolen! And I had to confirm it.
Now the character connections, nothing felt real. Which is something I always find myself experiencing in Strout's work. It was like a fog was covering they're interactions. Most of the time it felt like Lexi, Rory—the best thing to happen to this book—and the nerdy Marshall where at each others throats! They're all supposed to be friends. Rory has been Lexi's bestie since forever! Lexi is bringing her friends into this whole new world and simply expects her friends not to have minds of their own.
Rory steps up and saves their asses from danger!
Lexi: what have you done! Monster!
The gargoyle suddenly attacks poor Marshall. Rory and Marshall get worried and question Stanis.
Lexi: He doesn't deserve that, he's our hero!
Really!? It felt like they were hating each other constantly. Marshall is bullied non-stop, even when he comes in handy. Nerds are funny, they make wonderful comic reliefs. However, I don’t like to read about bullying. Even if it’s trying to pass as affectionate friendship. Phew, I'll stop.
Stanis and Lexi had to have romance. That's what us Gargoyle fans want! Forbidden love of the ultimate beauty and beast variety! Lexi thinks of Stanis as a servant or toy at the beginning. Which I found strange considering that despite his lack of emotions and his missing memories, it's clear that Stanis is more then a lump of rock. Plus, if Lexi is as sweet and kind hearted as readers are being led to believe, why would she just assume he was a lump of stone? Why am I still complaining? Lexi starts to fall in love with Stanis! That love had there was no development. Boom! We've jumped to a budding romance, with no stalk to support it. (Yes, flower comparisons.)
There were plot holes. Huge ones! An enemy recognizes Stanis, but then later on in the book no one knows him. How did this random—expandable minion—guy know what really happened? Also, Lexi runs into other stone critters who have once been human. Wouldn’t a logical jump be to think that something as complicated as Stanis and these strange living rock men be related? Sure one is cruder looking then the other, but let's make logical jumps here! Plus a few other issues that I don't want to spoil the book with.
Though I have to hand it to Strout. Despite this book being really predictable, he pulled one over me. Here I am all this will happen next and this—BOOM! Total-awesome plot twist. Loved it! Then I realized that maybe about 72-ish percent in, Alchemystic finally grabbed my attention. (About where the “BOOM!” happens.) It was a fun rush and suddenly boring hunts for gem stones turned into Indiana Johns adventures! Er, with a few really stupid mistakes to make it grind my nerves. However, the last 20 percent was awesome. The emotions started to connect just a little bit better!
When a brick and wire made character becomes the highlight of your reading experience with the lead’s page time, something is wrong. When you like the best-friend more, another bad sign. Though Rory is an amazing character and it's hard to top her—a dancer with fighting instincts—she should have been the main character. Lexi felt like a character created for Lanis to protect. That's his job, but there should have been more depth all around. As said the last 30 percent made this book so . . . cool. Yet, I still feel torn, and I almost gave up. Which I hardly ever do. That last 30 percent can not be what I judge this book by. In the end I will say I have to get the next book, but I might try to find a copy to borrow before I commit to this series. No begging shall occur.
Sexual Content: Pretty clean by book peeps. Heck, I vaguely remember some sexual humor!
2/5- Average/disappointing, library check-out
Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.
Boom, always trust your gut instinct. Chapter 2, and I was living in a world of disappointment. Lexis (AKA Alexandra) was annoying. Weak willed, a push over (though I believe this was supposed to be taken as kindness, but no she had her bitchy moments), not independent, and lazy. Now she's a hard worker when it came to learning about her Spellmason/Alchemy skills. However, when she has to step in to help out the family business, she does nothing but complain. There's a lot of avoiding and—oh, yeah—complaining. She's had her whole life to do whatever and now when she needs to help out the family it's woe is her. Stanis, the gargoyle, was the only thing that kept me reading, I just knew why his memories had been stolen! And I had to confirm it.
Now the character connections, nothing felt real. Which is something I always find myself experiencing in Strout's work. It was like a fog was covering they're interactions. Most of the time it felt like Lexi, Rory—the best thing to happen to this book—and the nerdy Marshall where at each others throats! They're all supposed to be friends. Rory has been Lexi's bestie since forever! Lexi is bringing her friends into this whole new world and simply expects her friends not to have minds of their own.
Rory steps up and saves their asses from danger!
Lexi: what have you done! Monster!
The gargoyle suddenly attacks poor Marshall. Rory and Marshall get worried and question Stanis.
Lexi: He doesn't deserve that, he's our hero!
Really!? It felt like they were hating each other constantly. Marshall is bullied non-stop, even when he comes in handy. Nerds are funny, they make wonderful comic reliefs. However, I don’t like to read about bullying. Even if it’s trying to pass as affectionate friendship. Phew, I'll stop.
Stanis and Lexi had to have romance. That's what us Gargoyle fans want! Forbidden love of the ultimate beauty and beast variety! Lexi thinks of Stanis as a servant or toy at the beginning. Which I found strange considering that despite his lack of emotions and his missing memories, it's clear that Stanis is more then a lump of rock. Plus, if Lexi is as sweet and kind hearted as readers are being led to believe, why would she just assume he was a lump of stone? Why am I still complaining? Lexi starts to fall in love with Stanis! That love had there was no development. Boom! We've jumped to a budding romance, with no stalk to support it. (Yes, flower comparisons.)
There were plot holes. Huge ones! An enemy recognizes Stanis, but then later on in the book no one knows him. How did this random—expandable minion—guy know what really happened? Also, Lexi runs into other stone critters who have once been human. Wouldn’t a logical jump be to think that something as complicated as Stanis and these strange living rock men be related? Sure one is cruder looking then the other, but let's make logical jumps here! Plus a few other issues that I don't want to spoil the book with.
Though I have to hand it to Strout. Despite this book being really predictable, he pulled one over me. Here I am all this will happen next and this—BOOM! Total-awesome plot twist. Loved it! Then I realized that maybe about 72-ish percent in, Alchemystic finally grabbed my attention. (About where the “BOOM!” happens.) It was a fun rush and suddenly boring hunts for gem stones turned into Indiana Johns adventures! Er, with a few really stupid mistakes to make it grind my nerves. However, the last 20 percent was awesome. The emotions started to connect just a little bit better!
When a brick and wire made character becomes the highlight of your reading experience with the lead’s page time, something is wrong. When you like the best-friend more, another bad sign. Though Rory is an amazing character and it's hard to top her—a dancer with fighting instincts—she should have been the main character. Lexi felt like a character created for Lanis to protect. That's his job, but there should have been more depth all around. As said the last 30 percent made this book so . . . cool. Yet, I still feel torn, and I almost gave up. Which I hardly ever do. That last 30 percent can not be what I judge this book by. In the end I will say I have to get the next book, but I might try to find a copy to borrow before I commit to this series. No begging shall occur.
Sexual Content: Pretty clean by book peeps. Heck, I vaguely remember some sexual humor!
2/5- Average/disappointing, library check-out
Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.
May 19, 2014
This is a DNF review, I didn't finish the book.
This book is based on a short story Strout wrote in Spells of the City. I picked this book up because I really liked that short story and wanted more.
Yeah...
The gargoyle Stanis is really cool and I kind of liked the story idea, but I seriously disliked Lexi and her friends.
They were bratty and annoying and in Lexi's case even obnoxious at times. I put this book down around page 118 when I realised I really wanted to punch Lexi and her friends.
Although I will confess I'm curious about what happens to Stanis, I really don't feel like reading more about Lexi.
--------------
edited May 2014:
I tried to read this book back in 2012 and wasn't able to finish it. I just really, really disliked Lexi and her friends. A comment by Strout (which showed humor) on my DNF review however, decided to not immediately banish the book to my attic, but to give it a second try eventually.
So I finally picked this book up last month, and this time I read it all the way through.
It is a nice read.
I will confess I still really, really disliked Lexi and her friends. Lexi especially is bratty and obnoxious, and the way she treats her friends and Stanis is often horrible.
But this time I decided to try to keep my calm and read on, even though the urge to punch Lexi was overwhelming at times.
And I discovered that I really liked the story. At my first try to read this book, I was very intrigued by Stanis, and curious to find out more about him. This time was no different. I found myself drawn into the story and rooting for Stanis. I kept getting annoyed by Lexi and her two friends (who all acted like a bunch of loons, instead of their age) but not enough to toss the book again.
At the end of the book I even got the feeling Lexi and her friends might be learning, although maybe I just got used to their obnoxiousness. I will have to say I'm even tempted to try the next book in this series, something I would never have thought would ever happen back in 2012.
This book is based on a short story Strout wrote in Spells of the City. I picked this book up because I really liked that short story and wanted more.
Yeah...
The gargoyle Stanis is really cool and I kind of liked the story idea, but I seriously disliked Lexi and her friends.
They were bratty and annoying and in Lexi's case even obnoxious at times. I put this book down around page 118 when I realised I really wanted to punch Lexi and her friends.
Although I will confess I'm curious about what happens to Stanis, I really don't feel like reading more about Lexi.
--------------
edited May 2014:
I tried to read this book back in 2012 and wasn't able to finish it. I just really, really disliked Lexi and her friends. A comment by Strout (which showed humor) on my DNF review however, decided to not immediately banish the book to my attic, but to give it a second try eventually.
So I finally picked this book up last month, and this time I read it all the way through.
It is a nice read.
I will confess I still really, really disliked Lexi and her friends. Lexi especially is bratty and obnoxious, and the way she treats her friends and Stanis is often horrible.
But this time I decided to try to keep my calm and read on, even though the urge to punch Lexi was overwhelming at times.
And I discovered that I really liked the story. At my first try to read this book, I was very intrigued by Stanis, and curious to find out more about him. This time was no different. I found myself drawn into the story and rooting for Stanis. I kept getting annoyed by Lexi and her two friends (who all acted like a bunch of loons, instead of their age) but not enough to toss the book again.
At the end of the book I even got the feeling Lexi and her friends might be learning, although maybe I just got used to their obnoxiousness. I will have to say I'm even tempted to try the next book in this series, something I would never have thought would ever happen back in 2012.
October 15, 2012
Comes out October 2012. The first 3 chapters were in a sampler from Comic-con. I like Lexi so far. She seems interesting...don't know much about Stanis yet cuz he only just woke up. At a panel the author referred to this series as something along the lines of his Gargoyles fan boy moment which immediately got my attention since I loved them! Have pretty good expectations for this series :)
...
Ok finally got to read it. Liked it. Very much reminded me of my love of the Gargoyles tv show :) kinda easy to predict stuff but it's not like it was supposed to be a mystery. Fast fun easy read!
...
Ok finally got to read it. Liked it. Very much reminded me of my love of the Gargoyles tv show :) kinda easy to predict stuff but it's not like it was supposed to be a mystery. Fast fun easy read!
January 15, 2013
At first read I thought perhaps my lack of experience with urban fantasy was the problem. There seemed so many holes in the book. So I did some more reading, and I found that the genre isn't to blame. This is a solid 2 star book. It'll keep you turning the pages, but barely.
The problem for this book is the character development, or lack thereof. Anton Strout needs to spend some time reading a few Stephen King novels. Characters drive a good story. This book is what happens when you have an admittedly good story drive your characters. This book reads like a Final Fantasy video game. The plot goes along, the bad guys get stronger and your characters level up suddenly gaining new abilities out of the blue. But in the real world and in the world of novels this doesn't work. The characters have to develop. Sure outside events can push them to become more than they would have normally, but just being around big events doesn't 'level up' your characters.
You have 4 main characters. Marshall is the quirky sidekick who doesn't really do much. (Although I can totally agree with his fear of going to jail because they don't have Magic: The Gathering tournaments there.) Stanis is the gargoyle, or grotesque as he prefers. His development is fine. There's not much that changes for this fellow until right at the end. He's a bit like Data in the Star Trek: TNG movies. He continually gains a little more character as the story progresses. Honestly he's by FAR the best written part of this book.
Lexi development is where things get derailed. At the beginning of the book Lexi is a sheltered artist. Her family is rich so she doesn't need to do much but paint and sculpt to her hearts content. Then her brother dies. Suddenly she's in charge of an empire of real estate. Apparently the author feels this is something that just anyone could do if they were thrust into the role with little to no training. When Lexi finds out that she comes from a line of stone masons she does some self-teaching and just picks it up. Over the course of perhaps a week or two we get to see her go from no believing that magic exists to being rather proficient. Sure she hasn't masters the advanced stuff, but hey, nothing another month of blind effort won't solve right? But as unbelievable as the changes in Lexi are, they pale in comparison to the leaps in character ‘development’ for Rory. Rory is a dancer. She agile and has good balance. That is until the plot needs someone to kick some ass. The suddenly she's disarming hired thugs and knocking them out with commando like moves. if that's not enough she holds off some armed guards with a pole arm. Apparently being in shape as a dancer turns you into a natural fighter. Rory and the others seem surprised at her ability to be the enforcer of the group but that's as far as the author feels they need to go here. Never is there a single discussion of where a willowy girl that spends her time studying dance has somehow become a martial artist.
Who should read this: People in waiting rooms. If you have nothing to do and this book is handy it'll pass the time. But if you're looking for a good book, or even a passingly fair book, look elsewhere.
The problem for this book is the character development, or lack thereof. Anton Strout needs to spend some time reading a few Stephen King novels. Characters drive a good story. This book is what happens when you have an admittedly good story drive your characters. This book reads like a Final Fantasy video game. The plot goes along, the bad guys get stronger and your characters level up suddenly gaining new abilities out of the blue. But in the real world and in the world of novels this doesn't work. The characters have to develop. Sure outside events can push them to become more than they would have normally, but just being around big events doesn't 'level up' your characters.
You have 4 main characters. Marshall is the quirky sidekick who doesn't really do much. (Although I can totally agree with his fear of going to jail because they don't have Magic: The Gathering tournaments there.) Stanis is the gargoyle, or grotesque as he prefers. His development is fine. There's not much that changes for this fellow until right at the end. He's a bit like Data in the Star Trek: TNG movies. He continually gains a little more character as the story progresses. Honestly he's by FAR the best written part of this book.
Lexi development is where things get derailed. At the beginning of the book Lexi is a sheltered artist. Her family is rich so she doesn't need to do much but paint and sculpt to her hearts content. Then her brother dies. Suddenly she's in charge of an empire of real estate. Apparently the author feels this is something that just anyone could do if they were thrust into the role with little to no training. When Lexi finds out that she comes from a line of stone masons she does some self-teaching and just picks it up. Over the course of perhaps a week or two we get to see her go from no believing that magic exists to being rather proficient. Sure she hasn't masters the advanced stuff, but hey, nothing another month of blind effort won't solve right? But as unbelievable as the changes in Lexi are, they pale in comparison to the leaps in character ‘development’ for Rory. Rory is a dancer. She agile and has good balance. That is until the plot needs someone to kick some ass. The suddenly she's disarming hired thugs and knocking them out with commando like moves. if that's not enough she holds off some armed guards with a pole arm. Apparently being in shape as a dancer turns you into a natural fighter. Rory and the others seem surprised at her ability to be the enforcer of the group but that's as far as the author feels they need to go here. Never is there a single discussion of where a willowy girl that spends her time studying dance has somehow become a martial artist.
Who should read this: People in waiting rooms. If you have nothing to do and this book is handy it'll pass the time. But if you're looking for a good book, or even a passingly fair book, look elsewhere.
April 13, 2014
I was super excited by this book when I first heard about it, the concept sounded really fun. even thought the cover was cute. Almost as soon as I started getting a couple pages in I realized this book was not for me. The characters are extremely flat, there isn't any depth or real personality building. The MC is a whiny rich girl that plays the victim the entire story, very much a turnoff. Her friends are just strange, the story would have been no different without them IMO.
The book is broken down into two first person points of view, first being Alexandra and the other Stanis. You can technically tell the switching of POVs by looking at the top of the page and seeing their name and a small moon, at least on a hardback copy. If you don't pay attention to this it's extremely difficult to tell who's talking. Both characters are like identical, the writing does not change at all through this book. You can't tell who's voice is whose.
Overall, the main concept is fascinating and if done properly would have been awesome. However, the writing and flat characters pretty much destroyed this book. I also found it annoying that there was so much description and emphasis put on what the characters were wearing, it was really odd. I wouldn't recommend it.
The book is broken down into two first person points of view, first being Alexandra and the other Stanis. You can technically tell the switching of POVs by looking at the top of the page and seeing their name and a small moon, at least on a hardback copy. If you don't pay attention to this it's extremely difficult to tell who's talking. Both characters are like identical, the writing does not change at all through this book. You can't tell who's voice is whose.
Overall, the main concept is fascinating and if done properly would have been awesome. However, the writing and flat characters pretty much destroyed this book. I also found it annoying that there was so much description and emphasis put on what the characters were wearing, it was really odd. I wouldn't recommend it.
November 14, 2012
Couldn't finish it. Flat characters, no real sense of danger, idiotic actions by the characters, and cartoon cut outs for conflict. Made it jut over halfway through when I gave up. Agree with other reviews that this feels like a YA book, but sadly not a good one. Skip this.
October 12, 2012
I'm sad to say that I didn't love this one. I felt like the main character, Lexi, was oddly detached. There was none of the humor or wryness that I expected from Strout. I didn't get a sense of her as anything other than generic heroine girl. OK fine, she wants to be an artist, she hates being pushed into business by her family, but what's her personality, what's her sense of humor or temper or anything else that makes her different from anyone else in the world? Especially when she's going to be annoyingly suddenly good at magic and have all of the good leadership ideas and be heroically brave and not flipped out about any of this stuff, at the young age of 22, all of the urban fantasy stuff that annoys me; in that case then she really needed a strong personality to balance all of those generic qualities that bug me. And she didn't have them, she was just a blank. Her best friends were more interesting, Rory the dancer, it made bit of sense that she would be coordinated and able to fight using her strong and capable body. And Marshall the gamer, using his theoretical strategic knowledge for the first time in real life situations. Yes, they were both a little too brave to be believable, but they were trying to help defend their friend, and they did occasionally try to express the voice of reason as well. But I just felt like Lexi was a cipher.
The story was ok, but not great. Lexi figures out how to do magic very easily from reading her great-great-grandfather's books, it's just in her blood. She never seems particularly surprised at her new abilities, and her friends take all of this in stride as well. They almost get killed several times and the they pretty much take that in stride too. They're all very brave and heroic, just like I'm sure any one of us would be under the same circumstances. Except me, personally I'm no hero, and I'm well aware of my weakness in this department. You won't see me running onto a boat full of monsters or any other crazy thing that these kids did, but hey, no one is going to write a book about me, either. Anyway, the story proceeds along predictable lines, they achieve their goals step by step, there are no real surprises.
And there was lot of awkward and inconsistent dialog. Like when Stanis was asked if he wounds hurt and he said, "I wish I could say that they do not, but then I would be... What is the word...? Lying?" This was page 248, he's already narrated chapters, been eloquent, made jokes, yes he doesn't know some modern terms, but he certainly knew what lying is. It hadn't been established whether or not he could do it, but he sure as heck had a command of the basic English language, it was just slang that he had trouble with. If he could figure out what"effing" meant then "lying" was just weird.
Overall it was fine, just kind of lightweight and generic. Definitely not what I expected from this author. I don't mind it being something new and different, of course, but I needed more of a connection with the characters and would have enjoyed a more complex plot as well. But the cover is great, it's nice to see a cover that really represents the story inside. And a woman on a cover who isn't in some weird position, thrusting out her hip or holding a dagger in a position that no person would ever actually use.
The story was ok, but not great. Lexi figures out how to do magic very easily from reading her great-great-grandfather's books, it's just in her blood. She never seems particularly surprised at her new abilities, and her friends take all of this in stride as well. They almost get killed several times and the they pretty much take that in stride too. They're all very brave and heroic, just like I'm sure any one of us would be under the same circumstances. Except me, personally I'm no hero, and I'm well aware of my weakness in this department. You won't see me running onto a boat full of monsters or any other crazy thing that these kids did, but hey, no one is going to write a book about me, either. Anyway, the story proceeds along predictable lines, they achieve their goals step by step, there are no real surprises.
And there was lot of awkward and inconsistent dialog. Like when Stanis was asked if he wounds hurt and he said, "I wish I could say that they do not, but then I would be... What is the word...? Lying?" This was page 248, he's already narrated chapters, been eloquent, made jokes, yes he doesn't know some modern terms, but he certainly knew what lying is. It hadn't been established whether or not he could do it, but he sure as heck had a command of the basic English language, it was just slang that he had trouble with. If he could figure out what"effing" meant then "lying" was just weird.
Overall it was fine, just kind of lightweight and generic. Definitely not what I expected from this author. I don't mind it being something new and different, of course, but I needed more of a connection with the characters and would have enjoyed a more complex plot as well. But the cover is great, it's nice to see a cover that really represents the story inside. And a woman on a cover who isn't in some weird position, thrusting out her hip or holding a dagger in a position that no person would ever actually use.
December 9, 2014
One out of five is not really being cruel, this book is awful. I'd give it an extra half a star, but I really don't feel like it's worth a second full one, because it wasn't "okay". It was bad.
The two reasons to read this are not sufficient: the setting is interesting, and the gargoyle is kinda neat.
Lexi, the main character, is probably the worst part about this book, she's so poorly written and riddled with creepy daddy's girl stereotypes. (Seriously, she can't say no to her dad about anything, he even grounds her even though she's an adult in her twenties and all she does is pout and accept it. He literally rules her life.)
She has a serious derth of empathy too. To give an example, she collapsed a building with people inside it, and then didn't even bother to consider if she might have killed someone. Her inner monologue might as well have been: "Lalala, I'm Lexi, I totally don't have to think about the consequence of my actions. Oh I don't have time to think about others, I have to move on to my next task with more forced urgency."
Marshal is a "NiceGuy"TM (so not really nice) He's self absorbed and largely only concerned with games/getting laid/his own feelings and no one elses. He also is incredibly bland, there's basically nothing to him other than being a geek. (Which he's made fun of for, for no apparent reason considering both the girls like fantasy stuff.)
Rory, Lexi's best friend starts off good, but by the end of the book she's almost as bad as Lexi. If you read the TV tropes page for "Tiny Tyrannical Girl" and "Pint sized powerhouse" combined with general quirkiness, you'd get Rory the tiny bloodthirsty dancer.
I wanted to keep liking her, but she really does become intolerable.
Lexi's brother, even in retrospect is an awful person, and he's plot relevant because he's part of the mystery throughout, it can be summed up in a non-spoiler plus a spoiler: "Whaa! I was strongly encouraged to take on the family business and be a millionaire, it was so hard for me!" there's no redeeming factors no matter how much Lexi mopes about it, he's a fucking jackass.
Anton, your world building is good, your characters suck: Do better.
November 21, 2012
Truly amazing book! I received an early copy of the paperback edition for review from Literal Addiction. I am already a fan of gargoyles. I was a fan of the cartoon and love seeing pictures of them and especially love seen buildings that have gargoyles carved into the architecture. Alchemystic was a great adventure. I loved every page of it. It was the story of Alexandra Belarus who comes from a family with a deep architectural history in Manhattan. The Belarus clan also has a secret which they were not even aware, Alexander Belarus was gifted in magic that could control stone. He did leave them protection from something they are not even aware is a danger to them, something from his past. This protection comes in the form of Stanis, the coolest gargoyle ever!
This book has some wonderful character development. There were times that I wanted to kick Alexandra. She had her moments of being obviously entitled, bossing her friends around as if they were her sidekicks until she was faced with how treating them that way might affect her relationship with them. We watch her grow as a person and as she comes into her gifts. Alexandra's parents have secrets of their own as do most people. What happens when family secrets come to light? Some serious tension which pushes this book's characters stand out more. Alexandra's relationship with her brother is best depicted by the opening scene of the book. Words cannot express my opinion of Devon. He has to be experienced by each reader for themselves.
The action and magic in this book was truly great. The fight scenes were very well written and they did not all involve Stanis, though he was truly bada**. We learn a lot about his background and what his desires and goals are and how he is driven to complete those goals. No other words describe it and I love a well developed action sequence. This book had several exciting action scenes and architectural exploration hunting for hidden items needed to solve a mystery. I loved being introduced to Anton Stout's creatures in this book and his own spin on alchemy and gargoyles. I am totally enthralled by this story and I am really ready to know when book two comes out because it promises to be a serious knuckle biter!
Review can also be seen at Lady Techies Book Musings at http://LadytechiesBookMusings.Blogspo...
This book has some wonderful character development. There were times that I wanted to kick Alexandra. She had her moments of being obviously entitled, bossing her friends around as if they were her sidekicks until she was faced with how treating them that way might affect her relationship with them. We watch her grow as a person and as she comes into her gifts. Alexandra's parents have secrets of their own as do most people. What happens when family secrets come to light? Some serious tension which pushes this book's characters stand out more. Alexandra's relationship with her brother is best depicted by the opening scene of the book. Words cannot express my opinion of Devon. He has to be experienced by each reader for themselves.
The action and magic in this book was truly great. The fight scenes were very well written and they did not all involve Stanis, though he was truly bada**. We learn a lot about his background and what his desires and goals are and how he is driven to complete those goals. No other words describe it and I love a well developed action sequence. This book had several exciting action scenes and architectural exploration hunting for hidden items needed to solve a mystery. I loved being introduced to Anton Stout's creatures in this book and his own spin on alchemy and gargoyles. I am totally enthralled by this story and I am really ready to know when book two comes out because it promises to be a serious knuckle biter!
Review can also be seen at Lady Techies Book Musings at http://LadytechiesBookMusings.Blogspo...
April 10, 2013
Funny story about this book...I'd have given it at least four stars anyway. I found it to be fun, fresh, and hell, it has GARGOYLES in it. While it had the darkish feeling that an urban fantasy should have, there was plenty of humor that didn't feel forced (forced humor is a pet peeve of mine), and I felt that the characters were relatable--really liked the dynamic between them. All good things. But this happens to be the book I brought with me on a cross-country trip to Seattle a few days before Hurricane Sandy struck the east coast. And I'll tell you, if you're a nerd like me who happen to be stranded indefinitely on the west coast, 3,000 miles away from most of your friends and family, this is a great book to have. I was able to disappear into the world of this story, with characters who were disturbingly like some of my closest friends from back home (not to mention me...yes, I did indeed identify with one of the characters, but I won't say who--you'll just have to read and find out!). So I gave this book an extra star (maybe...as I said, I was on the fence between four and five to begin with) for being my home away from home when I was stuck in a really bad place. Anything that could let me escape from that acute homesickness has to have been magical indeed!
May 4, 2016
I have finally finished this after all these months! It was so slow and boring to me it finally started picking up at the end but oh my was it a struggle to get to even there. It also didn't help that I didn't like the characters much other than Stanis, now him I liked and I think I only kept reading for him he is the only one that seems to have any depth to him. I hope it gets better as the books continue on, and if I didn't already on book 2 and 3 I might let this series go but maybe just for Stanis I will keep going. Though it will probably be a while till I get to the next one.
January 23, 2017
Oh dear... It has been long!
I can't really go into details anymore, but I definitely enjoyed it.
It was a very easy read, and the characters sometimes not as "real" as I would have liked, but overall I was very will entertained, and read it in just two days.
I can't really go into details anymore, but I definitely enjoyed it.
It was a very easy read, and the characters sometimes not as "real" as I would have liked, but overall I was very will entertained, and read it in just two days.
July 2, 2016
Review after second reading, May 30-June 2, 2016:
Oddly, my feelings for this book underwent a sea change from how I felt about it after my first reading, which you can read all about below. But in short, the first time through it, I really liked Rory and Marshall and found Lexi to be annoying. This second time through it, I really liked Lexi and found Rory and Marshall to be the really annoying ones. lol. . .Go figure, huh? ;-)
I may have been more forgiving of Lexi's little foibles because I revisited my review before starting it for the reread, and so went into it with my eyes wide-open. But I think it's more that I just recognized Lexi as being young, and that explains a lot of her behavior and choices. She's only 22, I think it said. So from my advanced age of 41, I was pretty forgiving. (lol)
Rory and Marshall, on the other hand, annoyed me this time because I didn't like how Rory sometimes acted around Lexi. She was, at times, less than supportive. And she downright bullies Marshall. So. . .not much to like this time through. And Marshall! Him I didn't like because he's the weak-willed one of the three of them. If I were him, I wouldn't be besties with Rory (or Lexi) because they don't understand him and, instead, belittle him at nearly every turn. . .and he puts up with it! Argh!!!
I don't understand how I missed these character traits and faults the first time I read it. I blame it on whatever I read leading up to my first read of this book. This second time, I was still coming off of a major burn-out from reading the entirety of the Jane Yellowrock series. So I was sort of worn-out from (of?) reading, which is another reason why it took me four days ( 4 DAYS ) to read this 290-page book. (The main reason being that I was interrupted by a variety of truly excellent distractions, lol.)
As far as the rest of the story goes, I'll again speak to that in regards to what I wrote in my first review. I said that I was confused by why Well, this second time through I recognized and realized that we were told why: So. . .turns out it was understandable after all. :-)
The other, first, two things I sort-of complained about were non-issues for me this second time through. I did wonder how and , but I just read those scenes and moved on this time.
As I did the first time I read this book, this second time I really liked Rory's mother and father. Well, I liked her mother when she showed herself to still be possessed of a spine and I liked her father once he came around and accepted Lexi for who she is, but still. . .they were great characters. :-)
I'm super curious about what's going to happen in book two of this trilogy, since this one ended with . But this time, I actually have the second book - and the third one - already out from the library. I hope to start them sometime within the next week. I just have two other books to read first, for challenges. ;-)
I need to share how this book actually ended, though - the final lines - so that I can review in case this story fades too much from my memory by the time I'm ready to start book two.
So, in the end, as said a couple of paragraphs ago, In the final chapter (Chapter 34), Lexi
So that's my second, revised, review. But before I say good-bye, I want to share two "new" annoyances - both minor - that cropped up as I was reading and after I finished this book.
The first is that when Lexi in Chapter 33, she just said So that was rather disappointing and highly anticlimactic.
The second is one that occurred to me a few hours after I finished the book. Stanis is a gargoyle, right? Well, have you ever seen a stone gargoyle wearing stone pants? So my second disgruntlement involves the fact that Lexi and friends were presumably palling around with a naked male for the whole book, but no reference was made to his presumed nakedness (or to pants). So is he anatomically correct for a male? Or what? lol . . . This second annoyance in no way impacts my review, it's more that my curiosity was aroused and left unsatisfied. *a-hahaha* ;-)
And that's a nice note to end this review on, don't you think? lol So. . .that's it for my second review. ;-) I feel a lot better about rating this book a four-star read. This is a really good book - a really good story - and I really enjoyed it. :-)
Review after first reading, September 14-17, 2013:
In the end, I really liked this book. :) It had its moments, though. Lexi was fairly annoying, for one: she was too weak-willed for me. Her lack of independence (and lack of fight for said independence) really grated. She definitely was not the kick-ass heroine I've come to expect in female-led urban fantasies. I suppose this is a good thing, though, since expectations are never a good thing to have when it comes to experiencing anything new. And Lexi does have room-to-grow going for her. :)
Lexi's best friend, however, was the kick-ass type. :) Rory was fabulous! I loved her: she was both spunky and snarky, two of my favorite character traits. :)
Another reason I really-liked-this-despite-a-few-things was due to the introduction of a few plot points that were never fully developed in the narrative. :( The first of these was in Chapter Six: ? Their interaction was fascinating and I kept hoping to have the former's knowledge of the latter explained later in the story, but it never was. :(
Another thing I didn't like was introduced in Chapter 18: . But how it survived the destruction and what that role was were also never explained. :(
And the third and final thing that annoyed me was first introduced when we met Stanis in the beginning, but in Chapter 33 . It was mentioned at some point that this was done for his protection, but I don't understand how he was protected. Did I just miss something? Was it obvious to anyone else? If yes, can someone explain it to me, please?
All in all, though, the above things weren't enough to ruin an otherwise great book. Perhaps this is because I really wanted to like it since it had a gargoyle in it (I've read four (just 4) books with gargoyles in them in 2013, out of the 100+ urban fantasy/pnr books I've read so far). But no matter my rationalizations, I still feel that this was a pretty good book.
Some of the things I especially liked about the story were Lexi's interactions with her father in Chapter Nine: :) I also loved her mother in Chapter 10: :)
As I said earlier, I also really liked Rory. Marshall was pretty great, too. I loved his geekiness when it came to his gaming. He endeared himself to me fairly early on (pretty much right from the get-go, in fact). :) Stanis was great fun, too: protective and alpha, but flawed...very likable, in other words. :)
I look forward to reading the next one in the series, especially since this one was rather open-ended and clearly is leading somewhere. I want to know where that somewhere is right now! :)
Oddly, my feelings for this book underwent a sea change from how I felt about it after my first reading, which you can read all about below. But in short, the first time through it, I really liked Rory and Marshall and found Lexi to be annoying. This second time through it, I really liked Lexi and found Rory and Marshall to be the really annoying ones. lol. . .Go figure, huh? ;-)
I may have been more forgiving of Lexi's little foibles because I revisited my review before starting it for the reread, and so went into it with my eyes wide-open. But I think it's more that I just recognized Lexi as being young, and that explains a lot of her behavior and choices. She's only 22, I think it said. So from my advanced age of 41, I was pretty forgiving. (lol)
Rory and Marshall, on the other hand, annoyed me this time because I didn't like how Rory sometimes acted around Lexi. She was, at times, less than supportive. And she downright bullies Marshall. So. . .not much to like this time through. And Marshall! Him I didn't like because he's the weak-willed one of the three of them. If I were him, I wouldn't be besties with Rory (or Lexi) because they don't understand him and, instead, belittle him at nearly every turn. . .and he puts up with it! Argh!!!
I don't understand how I missed these character traits and faults the first time I read it. I blame it on whatever I read leading up to my first read of this book. This second time, I was still coming off of a major burn-out from reading the entirety of the Jane Yellowrock series. So I was sort of worn-out from (of?) reading, which is another reason why it took me four days ( 4 DAYS ) to read this 290-page book. (The main reason being that I was interrupted by a variety of truly excellent distractions, lol.)
As far as the rest of the story goes, I'll again speak to that in regards to what I wrote in my first review. I said that I was confused by why Well, this second time through I recognized and realized that we were told why: So. . .turns out it was understandable after all. :-)
The other, first, two things I sort-of complained about were non-issues for me this second time through. I did wonder how and , but I just read those scenes and moved on this time.
As I did the first time I read this book, this second time I really liked Rory's mother and father. Well, I liked her mother when she showed herself to still be possessed of a spine and I liked her father once he came around and accepted Lexi for who she is, but still. . .they were great characters. :-)
I'm super curious about what's going to happen in book two of this trilogy, since this one ended with . But this time, I actually have the second book - and the third one - already out from the library. I hope to start them sometime within the next week. I just have two other books to read first, for challenges. ;-)
I need to share how this book actually ended, though - the final lines - so that I can review in case this story fades too much from my memory by the time I'm ready to start book two.
So, in the end, as said a couple of paragraphs ago, In the final chapter (Chapter 34), Lexi
So that's my second, revised, review. But before I say good-bye, I want to share two "new" annoyances - both minor - that cropped up as I was reading and after I finished this book.
The first is that when Lexi in Chapter 33, she just said So that was rather disappointing and highly anticlimactic.
The second is one that occurred to me a few hours after I finished the book. Stanis is a gargoyle, right? Well, have you ever seen a stone gargoyle wearing stone pants? So my second disgruntlement involves the fact that Lexi and friends were presumably palling around with a naked male for the whole book, but no reference was made to his presumed nakedness (or to pants). So is he anatomically correct for a male? Or what? lol . . . This second annoyance in no way impacts my review, it's more that my curiosity was aroused and left unsatisfied. *a-hahaha* ;-)
And that's a nice note to end this review on, don't you think? lol So. . .that's it for my second review. ;-) I feel a lot better about rating this book a four-star read. This is a really good book - a really good story - and I really enjoyed it. :-)
Review after first reading, September 14-17, 2013:
In the end, I really liked this book. :) It had its moments, though. Lexi was fairly annoying, for one: she was too weak-willed for me. Her lack of independence (and lack of fight for said independence) really grated. She definitely was not the kick-ass heroine I've come to expect in female-led urban fantasies. I suppose this is a good thing, though, since expectations are never a good thing to have when it comes to experiencing anything new. And Lexi does have room-to-grow going for her. :)
Lexi's best friend, however, was the kick-ass type. :) Rory was fabulous! I loved her: she was both spunky and snarky, two of my favorite character traits. :)
Another reason I really-liked-this-despite-a-few-things was due to the introduction of a few plot points that were never fully developed in the narrative. :( The first of these was in Chapter Six: ? Their interaction was fascinating and I kept hoping to have the former's knowledge of the latter explained later in the story, but it never was. :(
Another thing I didn't like was introduced in Chapter 18: . But how it survived the destruction and what that role was were also never explained. :(
And the third and final thing that annoyed me was first introduced when we met Stanis in the beginning, but in Chapter 33 . It was mentioned at some point that this was done for his protection, but I don't understand how he was protected. Did I just miss something? Was it obvious to anyone else? If yes, can someone explain it to me, please?
All in all, though, the above things weren't enough to ruin an otherwise great book. Perhaps this is because I really wanted to like it since it had a gargoyle in it (I've read four (just 4) books with gargoyles in them in 2013, out of the 100+ urban fantasy/pnr books I've read so far). But no matter my rationalizations, I still feel that this was a pretty good book.
Some of the things I especially liked about the story were Lexi's interactions with her father in Chapter Nine: :) I also loved her mother in Chapter 10: :)
As I said earlier, I also really liked Rory. Marshall was pretty great, too. I loved his geekiness when it came to his gaming. He endeared himself to me fairly early on (pretty much right from the get-go, in fact). :) Stanis was great fun, too: protective and alpha, but flawed...very likable, in other words. :)
I look forward to reading the next one in the series, especially since this one was rather open-ended and clearly is leading somewhere. I want to know where that somewhere is right now! :)
January 31, 2013
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: A slow start but some peculiar characters and mythology make this Urban Fantasy a humorous read.
Opening Sentence: Waking was easy.
The Review:
Alchemystic sets up the beginning to an inventive and fun new series. Alexandra Belarus has no desire to go into the family business of real estate. Her family owns quite a few properties in the New York City area and they also have a legacy of amazing artwork created by Lexi’s great-great-grandfather. All she wants to do is create artwork and sculptures like her grandfather did, but she’s not very good at it, and when her brother dies in a terrible accident she is left no choice but to go into the family business.
Unbeknownst to Lexi, she is descended from a Spellmason who used alchemy to create a living gargoyle with a soul, a gargoyle that has been tasked to protect the Belarus family. Lexi is being hunted by a group of strangers for that Spellmason knowledge. After being saved from an attack, Lexi confronts her savior and learns about her heritage in which she immediately immerses herself in learning all about her grandfather and Stanis, the gargoyle. Stanis has little to no memory of his life before so Lexi enlists the help of her friends Rory and Marshall into unlocking the secrets of Stanis’ creation.
Alchemystic begins with Stanis awakening after years of sleep, an intriguing beginning but then gets off to a slow start setting up the world before the mystery and action kick in. When the action does start, these are some of the best actions scenes I have read this year. I would absolutely love to see these scenes on the big screen, especially the one in the underground tunnel.
Alexandra does have some personality flaws. She is often aloof and she kind of turns into a mad scientist as the story progresses. I could just hear her mad cackling as she is experimenting with her new found knowledge. Lexi is privileged to have two really good friends that stand by her even as she seems to be going crazy. Rory and Marshall each bring something to the table that helps Lexi with her search to awaken Stanis’ memories. They also help bring comic relief into what could be a dark storyline.
Overall, Alchemystic has an excellent mythology to build upon for subsequent novels in this series and I am intrigued about where this story moves next. I will pick up Stonecast with a little bit of trepidation but I know I will be fully entertained by Rory and Marshall.
Notable Scene:
“I’ll grant you that it’s fantastic,” she said, “but I’d rather know exactly what’s bringing it to life.”
“I am,” I said, unable to hide the harsh tone in my voice.
She walked over to me and got right in my face, meeting me with as much attitude as I was giving. “Are you sure?” she asked. “Because I’m not.”
“Why not?” My clay figure continued walking in little circles on top of my art station as I pulled my focus more to dealing with Rory.
“Why not?” Rory repeated. “Because Alexander warned you in his books of trickster and malevolent spirits! Consider that grotesque that watches over your family. That creature isn’t just reacting to your control, your pushing and prodding of it. It acts on its own. There’s life to it. Giving something life doesn’t just happen in a vacuum. Until you figure that out, you need to stop this. Now.” She grabbed both my arms hard, as if she were trying to restrain me, which set me off.
She wasn’t wrong. There was certainly more to Stanis than stone. But I was frustrated with what felt like an interrogation. I shrugged her off and stepped back, raising my voice.
“Did you just see what I did here, Ror?” I shouted. “Did you?”
She nodded but didn’t move, only meeting me with silence.
“Jesus, can’t you just be excited for me?” I said. “I find one thing that breaks me out of the monotony of learning the real estate market of New York City, and you can’t just join in the fun for a single moment—“
“Lex,” Rory said, looking over her shoulder. Her voice was stern, but I was having none of it or her attitude.
“Let me finish!” I shouted.
Rory waved me over without turning to even look at me. “Can’t,” she said. “Too important.”
“Tough,” I said. “What I have to say is important to me.”
She grabbed my arm and pulled me to her. “You need to calm down,” she said.
“Why?”
She pointed at my art station. “That’s why.”
My tiny figure shook on the table, looking like a junkie going through withdrawal, the bulk of its body falling over as the brick dragged around the tabletop, and it wasn’t alone.
Every other piece of stone or clay on the table was also in motion. Bricks, lumps of clay still in the package, and even fragments of discarded stone twitched and slid around the surface, many of them threatening to tear apart the pages of my great-great-grandfather’s secret book.
The Spellmason Chronicles:
1. Alchemystic
2. Stonecast (September 24, 2013)
FTC Advisory: Penguin/Ace provided me with a copy of Alchemystic. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: A slow start but some peculiar characters and mythology make this Urban Fantasy a humorous read.
Opening Sentence: Waking was easy.
The Review:
Alchemystic sets up the beginning to an inventive and fun new series. Alexandra Belarus has no desire to go into the family business of real estate. Her family owns quite a few properties in the New York City area and they also have a legacy of amazing artwork created by Lexi’s great-great-grandfather. All she wants to do is create artwork and sculptures like her grandfather did, but she’s not very good at it, and when her brother dies in a terrible accident she is left no choice but to go into the family business.
Unbeknownst to Lexi, she is descended from a Spellmason who used alchemy to create a living gargoyle with a soul, a gargoyle that has been tasked to protect the Belarus family. Lexi is being hunted by a group of strangers for that Spellmason knowledge. After being saved from an attack, Lexi confronts her savior and learns about her heritage in which she immediately immerses herself in learning all about her grandfather and Stanis, the gargoyle. Stanis has little to no memory of his life before so Lexi enlists the help of her friends Rory and Marshall into unlocking the secrets of Stanis’ creation.
Alchemystic begins with Stanis awakening after years of sleep, an intriguing beginning but then gets off to a slow start setting up the world before the mystery and action kick in. When the action does start, these are some of the best actions scenes I have read this year. I would absolutely love to see these scenes on the big screen, especially the one in the underground tunnel.
Alexandra does have some personality flaws. She is often aloof and she kind of turns into a mad scientist as the story progresses. I could just hear her mad cackling as she is experimenting with her new found knowledge. Lexi is privileged to have two really good friends that stand by her even as she seems to be going crazy. Rory and Marshall each bring something to the table that helps Lexi with her search to awaken Stanis’ memories. They also help bring comic relief into what could be a dark storyline.
Overall, Alchemystic has an excellent mythology to build upon for subsequent novels in this series and I am intrigued about where this story moves next. I will pick up Stonecast with a little bit of trepidation but I know I will be fully entertained by Rory and Marshall.
Notable Scene:
“I’ll grant you that it’s fantastic,” she said, “but I’d rather know exactly what’s bringing it to life.”
“I am,” I said, unable to hide the harsh tone in my voice.
She walked over to me and got right in my face, meeting me with as much attitude as I was giving. “Are you sure?” she asked. “Because I’m not.”
“Why not?” My clay figure continued walking in little circles on top of my art station as I pulled my focus more to dealing with Rory.
“Why not?” Rory repeated. “Because Alexander warned you in his books of trickster and malevolent spirits! Consider that grotesque that watches over your family. That creature isn’t just reacting to your control, your pushing and prodding of it. It acts on its own. There’s life to it. Giving something life doesn’t just happen in a vacuum. Until you figure that out, you need to stop this. Now.” She grabbed both my arms hard, as if she were trying to restrain me, which set me off.
She wasn’t wrong. There was certainly more to Stanis than stone. But I was frustrated with what felt like an interrogation. I shrugged her off and stepped back, raising my voice.
“Did you just see what I did here, Ror?” I shouted. “Did you?”
She nodded but didn’t move, only meeting me with silence.
“Jesus, can’t you just be excited for me?” I said. “I find one thing that breaks me out of the monotony of learning the real estate market of New York City, and you can’t just join in the fun for a single moment—“
“Lex,” Rory said, looking over her shoulder. Her voice was stern, but I was having none of it or her attitude.
“Let me finish!” I shouted.
Rory waved me over without turning to even look at me. “Can’t,” she said. “Too important.”
“Tough,” I said. “What I have to say is important to me.”
She grabbed my arm and pulled me to her. “You need to calm down,” she said.
“Why?”
She pointed at my art station. “That’s why.”
My tiny figure shook on the table, looking like a junkie going through withdrawal, the bulk of its body falling over as the brick dragged around the tabletop, and it wasn’t alone.
Every other piece of stone or clay on the table was also in motion. Bricks, lumps of clay still in the package, and even fragments of discarded stone twitched and slid around the surface, many of them threatening to tear apart the pages of my great-great-grandfather’s secret book.
The Spellmason Chronicles:
1. Alchemystic
2. Stonecast (September 24, 2013)
FTC Advisory: Penguin/Ace provided me with a copy of Alchemystic. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
October 26, 2014
Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..
Unlike the rest of her real estate mogul family, Lexi Belarus is much more whimsical, preferring to surround herself in art like her great-great grandfather rather than focus on money. But everything changes when she is attacked and saved by a creature beyond imagination. Turns up dear old Grandad was involved in a lot more than just sculpture and real estate as he used alchemy and his Spellmason powers to create a gargoyle named Stanis out of stone to protect his family and legacy over the ages. Lexi quickly realizes that she has a bit of that same Spellmason power herself, albeit very rough and untrained, it still makes her an even bigger target for those who would seek to bring her family down. With time quickly running out on the protections placed upon her family home, she'll have to learn to master her abilities fast before even Stanis's protection isn't enough.
Lexi's voice in Alchemystic felt very fresh and unique. Although her talking about being a non-violent person at the beginning of the book was rather amusing to me as early on, it became very apparent that she has a rather nasty temper. Aside from that she's a fun and quirky girl who has a penchant for getting herself into trouble more often than not, but luckily she has fiercely loyal friends and her gargoyle protector to get her out of her messes relatively unscathed. In fact, the whole dynamic between the team really sucked me right into the book. Rory is like the sidekick friend everyone needs to have as she is spunky and fun, but also isn't afraid to speak her mind, especailly when she thinks Lexi is headed in the wrong direction. Also she can majorly kick butt, which honestly makes her rather awesome in my book. I even loved how Marshall's uber geekness in his role playing games wound up saving them more often than not. I mean the guy lives and breathes the stuff, but he also finds a way to apply that fantasy world into real life application when it matters most.
Now onto the gargoyle. Honestly, this was the number one factor that drew me to wanting to read this book. I'm still crazy in love with the Urban Fantasy genre, with the vamps, witches, fey, and weres galore, but I have to admit it is always refreshing to read about other types of creatures for a change of pace. I loved Stanis as he was very calm and steady throughout, being much like the stone he is made out of. Of course that does start to change as Lexi seeks to restore him to his full power, and bit by bit he gains a little more humanity. Don't get me wrong, he still is very strong and steady, there is just more emotion behind him rather than simple practicality. I cannot wait to see more of him in future books!
The magic behind Alchemystic was incredibly intriguing. It did take a while for any real answers to happen, but I never felt frustrated with the pace, as just enough was revealed to keep me moving along happily. That being said, I have a feeling the surface has only been scratched, and there will be so much more involved as Lexi learns more about her heritage and abilities. The only thing I could possibly complain about in Alchemystic was the complete lack of romance, which isn't really a complaint, but more of a stylistic preference. I will say that the intrigue of the story and the action kept me more than entertained, so I didn't miss the lack all that much in the end. All in all, Alchemystic was a very solid start to a new series, that will definitely be on my radar for future releases.
Unlike the rest of her real estate mogul family, Lexi Belarus is much more whimsical, preferring to surround herself in art like her great-great grandfather rather than focus on money. But everything changes when she is attacked and saved by a creature beyond imagination. Turns up dear old Grandad was involved in a lot more than just sculpture and real estate as he used alchemy and his Spellmason powers to create a gargoyle named Stanis out of stone to protect his family and legacy over the ages. Lexi quickly realizes that she has a bit of that same Spellmason power herself, albeit very rough and untrained, it still makes her an even bigger target for those who would seek to bring her family down. With time quickly running out on the protections placed upon her family home, she'll have to learn to master her abilities fast before even Stanis's protection isn't enough.
Lexi's voice in Alchemystic felt very fresh and unique. Although her talking about being a non-violent person at the beginning of the book was rather amusing to me as early on, it became very apparent that she has a rather nasty temper. Aside from that she's a fun and quirky girl who has a penchant for getting herself into trouble more often than not, but luckily she has fiercely loyal friends and her gargoyle protector to get her out of her messes relatively unscathed. In fact, the whole dynamic between the team really sucked me right into the book. Rory is like the sidekick friend everyone needs to have as she is spunky and fun, but also isn't afraid to speak her mind, especailly when she thinks Lexi is headed in the wrong direction. Also she can majorly kick butt, which honestly makes her rather awesome in my book. I even loved how Marshall's uber geekness in his role playing games wound up saving them more often than not. I mean the guy lives and breathes the stuff, but he also finds a way to apply that fantasy world into real life application when it matters most.
Now onto the gargoyle. Honestly, this was the number one factor that drew me to wanting to read this book. I'm still crazy in love with the Urban Fantasy genre, with the vamps, witches, fey, and weres galore, but I have to admit it is always refreshing to read about other types of creatures for a change of pace. I loved Stanis as he was very calm and steady throughout, being much like the stone he is made out of. Of course that does start to change as Lexi seeks to restore him to his full power, and bit by bit he gains a little more humanity. Don't get me wrong, he still is very strong and steady, there is just more emotion behind him rather than simple practicality. I cannot wait to see more of him in future books!
The magic behind Alchemystic was incredibly intriguing. It did take a while for any real answers to happen, but I never felt frustrated with the pace, as just enough was revealed to keep me moving along happily. That being said, I have a feeling the surface has only been scratched, and there will be so much more involved as Lexi learns more about her heritage and abilities. The only thing I could possibly complain about in Alchemystic was the complete lack of romance, which isn't really a complaint, but more of a stylistic preference. I will say that the intrigue of the story and the action kept me more than entertained, so I didn't miss the lack all that much in the end. All in all, Alchemystic was a very solid start to a new series, that will definitely be on my radar for future releases.
December 20, 2014
This is the first book in The Spellmason Chronicles by Anton Strout. I picked this book up because I liked the cover and the blurb sounded interesting. I have always had a thing for gargoyles and this seemed a good fit.
The book opens from the point of view of the gargoyle, or as he prefers to be called a Grotesque, Stanis. It seems he only really awakens when the urge to Protect calls him. Otherwise, he is in some kind of half-wake state where he just absorbs and collects the changes going on around him without any real comprehension.
The second chapter gives us Alexandra, or Lexi as her friends and family call her, the main protagonist of this book. Her side of the story opens with an argument with her older brother defacing some of her art work. As a sculptor, she believes that their family heritage has more to do with the art and architecture of the Belarus family. Her brother Devon believes that is about managing their real estate holdings. Shortly after the argument, she gets a call from the police that her brother has been killed in a building collapse. He is identified by the family ring he was wearing holding the phone that he had just spoken to Lexi on.
Fast forward a couple of months, and Lexi is now hip deep in the family real estate business. She was forced to start learning as the last remaining Belarus heir. To keep her sanity in the nightmare that is the corporate world, she continues to try to work on her art at night. Unfortunately, she is constantly either late to or missing classes due to the family business commitments. Commitments which she only half-heartedly works at because its not the life she wants. Basically Lexi is a big ole hot mess.
Then, while walking home from class, Lexi is accosted and Stanis is awakened and comes to protect her. After a conversation between Lexi's accoster and Stanis, we find out that someone knows who Stanis is and believes that all the Belarus must be punished for what they did to Stanis. At first Lexi doesn't know how she escapes. Then with the next attempt at her life, she finds out a bout Stanis and his urge to Protect the Belarus family.
This was a very interesting book. I did like the way the story kept changing view points between Lexi and Stanis. There are lots of secrets and puzzles to be revealed and solved. Many go back generations. There were several times in the book I did the "Say what?" or "Really? Truly?" because the characters took huge leaps in faith several times. Things happened that I just could not wrap my head around as everyone just believing in and accepting as okay dokay. But that may just be me. I did enjoy the book and am interested to see where the author is going to go with the next book in the series, so I will be watching for it. I am giving it 3 stars on Goodreads.
The book opens from the point of view of the gargoyle, or as he prefers to be called a Grotesque, Stanis. It seems he only really awakens when the urge to Protect calls him. Otherwise, he is in some kind of half-wake state where he just absorbs and collects the changes going on around him without any real comprehension.
The second chapter gives us Alexandra, or Lexi as her friends and family call her, the main protagonist of this book. Her side of the story opens with an argument with her older brother defacing some of her art work. As a sculptor, she believes that their family heritage has more to do with the art and architecture of the Belarus family. Her brother Devon believes that is about managing their real estate holdings. Shortly after the argument, she gets a call from the police that her brother has been killed in a building collapse. He is identified by the family ring he was wearing holding the phone that he had just spoken to Lexi on.
Fast forward a couple of months, and Lexi is now hip deep in the family real estate business. She was forced to start learning as the last remaining Belarus heir. To keep her sanity in the nightmare that is the corporate world, she continues to try to work on her art at night. Unfortunately, she is constantly either late to or missing classes due to the family business commitments. Commitments which she only half-heartedly works at because its not the life she wants. Basically Lexi is a big ole hot mess.
Then, while walking home from class, Lexi is accosted and Stanis is awakened and comes to protect her. After a conversation between Lexi's accoster and Stanis, we find out that someone knows who Stanis is and believes that all the Belarus must be punished for what they did to Stanis. At first Lexi doesn't know how she escapes. Then with the next attempt at her life, she finds out a bout Stanis and his urge to Protect the Belarus family.
This was a very interesting book. I did like the way the story kept changing view points between Lexi and Stanis. There are lots of secrets and puzzles to be revealed and solved. Many go back generations. There were several times in the book I did the "Say what?" or "Really? Truly?" because the characters took huge leaps in faith several times. Things happened that I just could not wrap my head around as everyone just believing in and accepting as okay dokay. But that may just be me. I did enjoy the book and am interested to see where the author is going to go with the next book in the series, so I will be watching for it. I am giving it 3 stars on Goodreads.
July 16, 2013
This book was fun. I admit that the reason I read it was because the description made it sound like the book combined one of my favorite reading subjects (magic) with my work (masonry). This is mostly true but the masonry turned out to be more about architecture and sculpture.
The writing isn't bad. The story was interesting. The magic system the author introduces has potential even if a lot of the details are glossed over. The pacing of the writing was good. The introduction of the characters, the magic, and finally the adversary gives you time to let everything sink in without feeling slow. On the other hand, many of the scenes feel rushed. There are times where it is difficult to picture the surroundings and that's a problem for a book so focused on architecture. The characters start out with original personalities, but the author relies more on cliches as the book moves on. The personalities of the minor characters were inconsistent. At times the best friend was the calm center, at others she was a sage advisor, and still others a pole arm wielding psychopath. She learned martial arts faster than Neo. She reminds me a lot of Captain Janeway from Voyager. You just never know which personality you're going to get. Then there was the relationship between Lexi and Stan. I'm sure the intent was to portray the confusion the two characters were experiencing but, again, it just felt rushed and muddled.
This was a simple and fun read. Like I said, part of the hook for me was the two subjects that are near and dear to me. It written well enough that you can breeze through it without getting hung up on the holes in the story but if you go looking for inconsistencies, you will find some.
The writing isn't bad. The story was interesting. The magic system the author introduces has potential even if a lot of the details are glossed over. The pacing of the writing was good. The introduction of the characters, the magic, and finally the adversary gives you time to let everything sink in without feeling slow. On the other hand, many of the scenes feel rushed. There are times where it is difficult to picture the surroundings and that's a problem for a book so focused on architecture. The characters start out with original personalities, but the author relies more on cliches as the book moves on. The personalities of the minor characters were inconsistent. At times the best friend was the calm center, at others she was a sage advisor, and still others a pole arm wielding psychopath. She learned martial arts faster than Neo. She reminds me a lot of Captain Janeway from Voyager. You just never know which personality you're going to get. Then there was the relationship between Lexi and Stan. I'm sure the intent was to portray the confusion the two characters were experiencing but, again, it just felt rushed and muddled.
This was a simple and fun read. Like I said, part of the hook for me was the two subjects that are near and dear to me. It written well enough that you can breeze through it without getting hung up on the holes in the story but if you go looking for inconsistencies, you will find some.
January 6, 2016
Alchemystic is book one in The Spellmason Chronicles. Alexandra (aka Lexi) Belarus, an artist from New York City is greaving after losing her brother. With no one else to take the reigns of the family company, Alexandra must quit her artwork and learn the family business that she has no interest in, real estate.
Walking home in NYC by herself, Lexi is attacked and barely gets away with her life. She was saved by a gargoyle named Stanis. Lexi never knew that magic existed, or that her great-great-grandfather managed to craft grotesques (gargoyles) and made one into a living being. The whole reason Stanis was created was to protect the Belarus family. That's all he cares about, and I'll be interested to see where this series goes. Once Lexi finds all of that out she's determined to hone her newfound magic abilities while figuring out why random tattooed men are coming out of the woodwork intent to kill her. She has two BFFs that help her along her journey, as well as Stanis.
I can't say I've read all that many gargoyle stories, and I rather enjoyed this one! Lexi and the team really got into some situations that had me wondering if they were going to survive. I enjoyed Lexi's BFF's, Rory and Marshall. Rory was there for Lexi whenever she needed it, and I wound up really liking her character. I hope to see more of her in book two. Though there wasn't romance tossed in this installment, I believe there will be some later in the series. I recommend this book if you're looking for a gargoyle read.
Walking home in NYC by herself, Lexi is attacked and barely gets away with her life. She was saved by a gargoyle named Stanis. Lexi never knew that magic existed, or that her great-great-grandfather managed to craft grotesques (gargoyles) and made one into a living being. The whole reason Stanis was created was to protect the Belarus family. That's all he cares about, and I'll be interested to see where this series goes. Once Lexi finds all of that out she's determined to hone her newfound magic abilities while figuring out why random tattooed men are coming out of the woodwork intent to kill her. She has two BFFs that help her along her journey, as well as Stanis.
I can't say I've read all that many gargoyle stories, and I rather enjoyed this one! Lexi and the team really got into some situations that had me wondering if they were going to survive. I enjoyed Lexi's BFF's, Rory and Marshall. Rory was there for Lexi whenever she needed it, and I wound up really liking her character. I hope to see more of her in book two. Though there wasn't romance tossed in this installment, I believe there will be some later in the series. I recommend this book if you're looking for a gargoyle read.
November 11, 2012
My favorite character:
It would have to be Alexandra (Lexi). She is a struggling artist who has the facets of humanity that I love. Some of these include intelligence, creativity, moral compass, and spirituality.
My thoughts:
The premise of the book is like nothing I've ever read. I like the thought of gargoyle as a real life protector and the elements of alchemy has always fascinated me. To see it brought to life in a book is awesome. This book is a mixture of action speckled with humor and compassion. If you enjoy the ancient art of alchemy, this is a good reading choice for you. There is also the allusion to romantic elements which I enjoyed as well.
Some of my favorite Stanis quotes:
"If living forever at the cost of all others is your only goal, then there is no hope for you."
"What your great-great-grandfather did for me, he did out of kindness. He could not stand what had happened to me. He instilled that kindness within me, making me the grotesque you see before you. That was his gift to me."
My rating:
5 STARS
This is a heartfelt look into the human nature that is intertwined with magical elements. Metaphysics, romance, humanity, compassion, action, and humor all meshed into a wonderful masterpiece of writing splendor.
It would have to be Alexandra (Lexi). She is a struggling artist who has the facets of humanity that I love. Some of these include intelligence, creativity, moral compass, and spirituality.
My thoughts:
The premise of the book is like nothing I've ever read. I like the thought of gargoyle as a real life protector and the elements of alchemy has always fascinated me. To see it brought to life in a book is awesome. This book is a mixture of action speckled with humor and compassion. If you enjoy the ancient art of alchemy, this is a good reading choice for you. There is also the allusion to romantic elements which I enjoyed as well.
Some of my favorite Stanis quotes:
"If living forever at the cost of all others is your only goal, then there is no hope for you."
"What your great-great-grandfather did for me, he did out of kindness. He could not stand what had happened to me. He instilled that kindness within me, making me the grotesque you see before you. That was his gift to me."
My rating:
5 STARS
This is a heartfelt look into the human nature that is intertwined with magical elements. Metaphysics, romance, humanity, compassion, action, and humor all meshed into a wonderful masterpiece of writing splendor.
did-not-finish
September 28, 2012Alchemystic has an incredibly interesting premise, but I was not a fan of the writing style--which is ultimately why I could not continue reading this piece. I had no issue with the plot, but I also did not read enough of the book to be a good judge of said plot.
The heroine and her gargoyle sounded like the same exact character. In fact, I had a slight problem adjusting to the transitions between characters/chapters because of that. Their voices were also dull for me, which I hate to admit since I really wanted to like this book.
Another problem I had with the writing was that it felt somewhat chunky; the paragraphs were long and somewhat tedious to read, which I think contributed with my lack of enjoyment regarding the character voices.
I'm sure many others will enjoy this writing style, and they will enjoy the characters. Unfortunately, it simply did not work for me this time around. I would suggest reading a sample of ALCHEMYSTIC before purchasing it to see if the writing is your cup of tea, first.
The heroine and her gargoyle sounded like the same exact character. In fact, I had a slight problem adjusting to the transitions between characters/chapters because of that. Their voices were also dull for me, which I hate to admit since I really wanted to like this book.
Another problem I had with the writing was that it felt somewhat chunky; the paragraphs were long and somewhat tedious to read, which I think contributed with my lack of enjoyment regarding the character voices.
I'm sure many others will enjoy this writing style, and they will enjoy the characters. Unfortunately, it simply did not work for me this time around. I would suggest reading a sample of ALCHEMYSTIC before purchasing it to see if the writing is your cup of tea, first.
January 31, 2019
I loved this book. I am a reader and novice writer myself with a love for gargoyles seeing as I am writing a book with them in it as well. But I am also a reader that doesn't go into a new story with any preconceived notions or ideas of how it should be or what I would like it to be. I simply let the story unfold as it will. And I have to say this story unfolded nicely. I loved the characters for their own individuality. Each was perfect for the role they played. I am hooked and will be reading the other two in the series. I feel a connection to the characters now that I've finished that i haven't gotten from a book in a long time.
February 21, 2015
DNF. This book will infuriate you if you have a basic knowledge of any of the following: bats, stomach placement, Manhattan, Brooklyn, itches, grammar, Patrick Swayze movies, drying clay, police procedures, handling evidence, Dungeons and Dragons, basements, accents, and European Counties.
There are probably more things, but it was impossible for me to finish this book. None of the characters are relatable and the plot was nonexistent. Plus, for as much description as the author included, he manages to say absolutely nothing of relevance.
There are probably more things, but it was impossible for me to finish this book. None of the characters are relatable and the plot was nonexistent. Plus, for as much description as the author included, he manages to say absolutely nothing of relevance.
August 18, 2013
A nice start to what appears to be a fun series yet to come. A lot of nonstop adventure. Interesting characters each with their own sort of D&D personality in the real world, humans taking the rolls of the mage, the warrior, the rogue, the warlord, etc. And a not so often used supernatural, the gargoyle.
deals
January 15, 201615 January 2016: $2.99 on Kindle
March 12, 2020
Lexi, an artist from an affluent New York family finds herself in a difficult situation after her brother is killed and she finds herself thrust into an unwanted world of real estate when she’d rather be pursuing her art. But then she discovers that her family has a generations-old secret; her great-great-grandfather was a Spellmason, a mage who could work his will on stone, and Lexi has inherited the talent. With her friends Rory and Marshall, and an awakened gargoyle named Stanis, Lexi must master Spellmasonry, track down her brother’s killer, and reveal the secrets behind a long-kept grudge at the heart of it all.
Urban fantasy novels can be really hit-or-miss with me. I often find them too full of romance that I’m uninterested in, which overshadows and buries UF books that I would otherwise enjoy, because I’m too used to expecting to not like them that I don’t even give them a chance. But the Spellmason Chronicles were starting to sound like a pretty good bet for me, as I was hearing about them from sources that also weren’t that big on overlarge romantic subplots, so I decided to give them a chance.
And it was worth it. The idea of magic shaping stone was an interesting one to play with, especially with a character who was trying to figure out her talents through trial and error and decades-old notes from a dead ancestor. Seeing Lexi struggle with mastering her craft, and trying to balance responsibility with enjoyment was very well done, and something that often gets overlooked in stories. You often either have a character whose biggest struggle is to hide what they’re doing from others, but rarely does it happen that you see them in the early stages and trying to keep a mundane life going at the same time. The day-to-day grind gets forgotten, because it’s not as interesting. In theory. I actually found it quite realistic to see Lexi get frustrated by having to do a job she resented, while she’d rather be doing something she found much more worthwhile, even if it was arcane and obscure.
So that aspect of the story was good. So, too, were some of the characters. Stanis especially. He went from a blank slate (no stone pun intended), a family guardian with rules to follow but litter personality, to a person struggling not only to regain his memories, but also struggling with regaining his memories and what they meant for him, as he gradually turns from stone-come-to-life to a man made of stone.
The only character I wasn’t that fond of was Marshall. I found him unpleasantly stereotypical of the socially-inept geek. Despite knowing that neither Rory nor Lexi really was interested in role-playing, fantasy and sci-fi, or any of that stuff, he proceeded to make just about every conversation incorporate some element of genre into it, right down to mentioning how in Lord of the Rings, Sam regretted not bringing rope. I normally like geeky references in my fiction, but this was, at times, just painful to read, since there seemed to be little to Marshall’s character except for geeky references. It was like Rory making mention of dancing in every conversation she had, or Lexi bringing up art every time she commented on something. I wanted to like him more than I did, and I’m hoping that in future installments of the series, he gets a bit more character development and grows beyond what little I saw of him here.
The only other complaint I have about this book is the sheer leaps of logic required for plot advancement. And the leaps were always accurate. No false leads, no mistaken assumptions. Every time, complete accuracy. Which was impressive when you consider that some of the leaps of logic were along the lines of, “This thing we’re looking for is supposed to be in Tartarus, which is part of the Greek underworld where people got punished. If I were to go somewhere in New York City to be punished, it would totally be the subway system!” And of course, that was correct, despite only a few paragraphs later Lexi mentioning that back in her great-great-grandfather’s day, some subway stations were a marvel of architecture and were incredible to behold. It took a lot of tension away from the story and the discovery process, knowing that every time they had a puzzle to solve, it would be solved without error and that the solution wouldn’t always make sense anyway.
But for the most part, the story was crafted well enough that it was still enjoyable to read, despite its flaws. Most of the characters are interesting enough that I want to read more about them, and the story begun in Alchemystic has the potential to go far, and I want to see where the journey is going to take me as I follow along. I’m looking forward to reading the sequels, and I have high hopes for the series to keep entertaining me.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
Urban fantasy novels can be really hit-or-miss with me. I often find them too full of romance that I’m uninterested in, which overshadows and buries UF books that I would otherwise enjoy, because I’m too used to expecting to not like them that I don’t even give them a chance. But the Spellmason Chronicles were starting to sound like a pretty good bet for me, as I was hearing about them from sources that also weren’t that big on overlarge romantic subplots, so I decided to give them a chance.
And it was worth it. The idea of magic shaping stone was an interesting one to play with, especially with a character who was trying to figure out her talents through trial and error and decades-old notes from a dead ancestor. Seeing Lexi struggle with mastering her craft, and trying to balance responsibility with enjoyment was very well done, and something that often gets overlooked in stories. You often either have a character whose biggest struggle is to hide what they’re doing from others, but rarely does it happen that you see them in the early stages and trying to keep a mundane life going at the same time. The day-to-day grind gets forgotten, because it’s not as interesting. In theory. I actually found it quite realistic to see Lexi get frustrated by having to do a job she resented, while she’d rather be doing something she found much more worthwhile, even if it was arcane and obscure.
So that aspect of the story was good. So, too, were some of the characters. Stanis especially. He went from a blank slate (no stone pun intended), a family guardian with rules to follow but litter personality, to a person struggling not only to regain his memories, but also struggling with regaining his memories and what they meant for him, as he gradually turns from stone-come-to-life to a man made of stone.
The only character I wasn’t that fond of was Marshall. I found him unpleasantly stereotypical of the socially-inept geek. Despite knowing that neither Rory nor Lexi really was interested in role-playing, fantasy and sci-fi, or any of that stuff, he proceeded to make just about every conversation incorporate some element of genre into it, right down to mentioning how in Lord of the Rings, Sam regretted not bringing rope. I normally like geeky references in my fiction, but this was, at times, just painful to read, since there seemed to be little to Marshall’s character except for geeky references. It was like Rory making mention of dancing in every conversation she had, or Lexi bringing up art every time she commented on something. I wanted to like him more than I did, and I’m hoping that in future installments of the series, he gets a bit more character development and grows beyond what little I saw of him here.
The only other complaint I have about this book is the sheer leaps of logic required for plot advancement. And the leaps were always accurate. No false leads, no mistaken assumptions. Every time, complete accuracy. Which was impressive when you consider that some of the leaps of logic were along the lines of, “This thing we’re looking for is supposed to be in Tartarus, which is part of the Greek underworld where people got punished. If I were to go somewhere in New York City to be punished, it would totally be the subway system!” And of course, that was correct, despite only a few paragraphs later Lexi mentioning that back in her great-great-grandfather’s day, some subway stations were a marvel of architecture and were incredible to behold. It took a lot of tension away from the story and the discovery process, knowing that every time they had a puzzle to solve, it would be solved without error and that the solution wouldn’t always make sense anyway.
But for the most part, the story was crafted well enough that it was still enjoyable to read, despite its flaws. Most of the characters are interesting enough that I want to read more about them, and the story begun in Alchemystic has the potential to go far, and I want to see where the journey is going to take me as I follow along. I’m looking forward to reading the sequels, and I have high hopes for the series to keep entertaining me.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
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