How to Be an Alchemist in a Fantasy World (A Cozy Fantasy Novel)

by Shawn Wyatt

Hawke Moonsnow is a brilliant alchemist. A prodigy of his time. He knows it. Everyone else knows it. There’s just one problem…

He has the common sense of a golden retriever.

After an accident leaves his old shop in smoking ruins, Hawke takes a loan from the Adventurers’ Guild to open a new location in the town square. Now he has to work to pay back that loan despite charging lower prices to guild members, inventing new cures, and trying to catch the attention of the fetching waitress at the tavern — all while continuing forbidden research into a dangerous plague.

This story

Cozy, slice of life adventuresSlow-burn romanceMouthwatering descriptions of foodLots of alchemical shenanigansPlenty of humorAnd, of course, a happily ever after.
First released on Royal Road, this tale garnered more than 1,400 followers and over 200 ratings. Just take a look at what a few readers had to

"Finally, an actual Alchemist story!"

"The characters feel real, the world building sets a good backdrop and avoids info dumping on you, and I'm a sucker for slice of life."

"An actual slice-of-life without becoming a god!"

(Although this is technically the second story in the series, they can be read in any order. Alchemist takes place a few weeks after Farmer.)

Genres: Fantasy

349 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2023

Reviews

[Roberto Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same style as the last book but. . .

The main character was nowhere near as interesting. The general demeanor and tone left this book being bland. It was okay but never very fun.

[MyDoRyS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Same sexist issues as the first one, a single guy can't properly decorate? WTH? I didn't like the story overall that much. At least the first one had likable characters, I did not like these characters. No matter how much the author tried making them likable, I couldn't build any rapport with them. The whole construction was ridiculous in the middle of winter....so maybe it needed better editing? Hope the 3rd one is better. If not, I will be dropping the series. Onto my next adventure, Happy Readings!!!

[Youssef · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should be marketed very differently because it's not a "cosy fantasy" in the adult sense. If you can imagine a pre teen anime, well then you have it. Characters are thinner than washi paper, story line and motivations are transparent and you still get repeated explanations as if a presenter with saccharine voice is about to ask you "what have we learned kids?" at the end of every chapter.

[Sundeep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to the first book in this series, this was a quick and lighthearted read (with a different main character). Hawke likes to push the boundaries of alchemy experiments, which leads to accidents and goals that we readers get easily invested in. Would have enjoyed more if there were more deeper interactions with the side-characters.

[Stephanie Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series. The writing is funny, the characters are well developed, and the plot is chill.