Powdered Oak & Seven Metals

Esoteric Alchemy #2

by Ryan Kurr

After Nina senses a push from Spirit, she relocates her coven to Nova, Colorado, a small, snowy mountain town just outside Denver. But when Leo—her most powerful and dangerously gifted witch—decides to stray from the coven’s goal for motives of his own, the coven begins to unravel. Soon they find themselves in greater peril than they ever imagined possible, hunted by murderous witches hungry for power and revenge, and with Death breathing down the neck of one of their own. As the rift between the coven and their prophesied goal widens, they struggle not only with their own fears and demons but a new plane of existence, while Leo is forced to make an impossible choice between restoring balance to the world—and his own soul.

Genres: Fantasy

426 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2021

About the author

Ryan Kurr is an author, pastry chef, and mystic practitioner. His debut memoir, Sugar Burn: The Not So Hot Side of the Sweet Kitchen was released in 2015. The first two books in his Esoteric Alchemy series became Amazon bestsellers in the LGBT Fantasy genre. His freelance work on spiritual and metaphysical witchcraft and original recipes has been published by Witches Magazine. He currently lives in Portland, OR.

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Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild ride! This second installment of the Esoteric Alchemy series had my attention from the very start. Within the first four chapters you could see the toll the events of the first book had on the coven, as well as how each member’s coping mechanism (or lack there of) effected the group as a whole. On top of dealing with the fallout of the events that happened in Louisiana, the coven has been relocated, set on the path to restore magical balance to the world, and must deal with a devastating and shocking death!

From the moment Nina was murdered Bisa, Avery, Ollie, Mitch, and Leo had to decide how to move forward as a group, to continue to be the coven Nina believed they could be. But overcoming all of the violence and loss is not so easy. Each member of the group had to make decisions… some of these decisions proved to be selfish and at times, deadly.

Throughout this second installment Leo and Per travels to Garland (the realm of the fairies) where Leo finds his soul, as well as one of the last living fairies. The rest of the coven follows, but are too late to save one of their own. In addition to the fairy realm, we see the Land of Perpetual Midnight, and get a glimpse of an old foes backstory. They battle old adversaries, and they attempt magic that can save the world. Every member of the coven makes personal choices and some, unbeknownst to them, have irreversible repercussions on the entire coven.

The twists, turns, and shocking deaths kept me me on the edge of my seat and had me guessing til the very last word. I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment.. I cannot wait to see how the coven moves forward.

Once again the author included a glossary of terms and places, recipes mentioned throughout the book, as well as “spells” the coven uses and the instructions on how to mix magical oils and how to use them.

I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who is a fan of magical realism!

[Hilda Baard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful must read. It gets a 5 star rating from me.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this even more than the first book in the series! It reminded me of the pacing and style difference between Kill Bill 1 and 2, but Powdered Oak was faster, more action-packed and definitely more fantasy-focused than the first book in the series. The characters are given a little more depth, there were a few wild surprises that I didn't see coming and that kept my interest. I cant wait to see what happens in the final book! I haven't tried any of the recipes in the back of the book, but it's a cool addition.

[Max Bever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another delightful and thought-provoking entry in this wonderfully witchy series. Everything you could ask for in a Part Two: old returning favorites, higher stakes, a deeper look at this magical world, and joyful & devious new characters alike. Kudos to author Ryan Kurr for deepening the mystery and emotions in this evocative series.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, thanks so much Ryan for giving me a copy of this book. I really enjoyed it. This book was so much more well developed than the first one.

I recently read A Court of Thorns and Roses, and I had a feeling from Book 1 that Rosemary had a lot in common with Amren from ACOTR. I definitely was not wrong. Rosemary was easily my favorite character of this book. She truly jumped off the page in my mind, and I just imagined her telling everyone what for.

The part with Garland was just fantastic. I could feel like I was there. It reminded me of an adventure you would see in something like The Magicians. The story of Nix was so fun. I really enjoyed seeing him become Death.

I just bought and started book 3 because I have to see what happens next. Also, I'm gonna have to make this piri piri chicken because I could smell it being cooked in the kitchen!

[Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went back to the bookstore and bought this and book 3 right after I finished the first book. I started reading it on a trip to Colorado, which is crazy because the book's setting moves to Colorado, so that was cool. I liked this one a lot more than book one. It moves a little faster, without cutting corners. I never felt like anything was missing.

The writing felt tighter and I loved the characters, even the ones I loved to hate. It also takes a turn into the unexpected and brings some heavy fantasy elements into it, which I wasn't expecting, but it didn't really feel out of place either.

I read this in a weekend and immediately started on the final book.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read!

I love his portrayal of the characters and the details he uses, which assist you in being able to visualize the settings and bring the characters to life. Another benefit of his writing, is the recipes he includes at the end of the book. I'm looking forward to making these soon.

[Jim S · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I'm diving back into this series and this time I'm actually jotting down thoughts instead of just slapping on a rating. Reading these back to back rocks instead of waiting for the next one to come out. The story is tight and the action is amped up, now that the groundwork's laid from book 1. Remember those rules we figured out? Well, now they're old hat, and things are moving fast. The battles and twists keep hitting you. It's like catching up with an old friend who's finally letting loose. It's wild that this sequel came just a year after the first, but the writing's sharper and the world's richer. Goodreads should seriously consider giving indie authors more love. I'd trade those popular titles they shove in my inbox for some hidden gems any day.