Chantress Alchemy Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Chantress Alchemy (Chantress Trilogy #2)
Author: Amy Butler Greenfield
Release Day: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books
352 pages

Rate: 4

Synopsis:

Since defeating Lord Scargrave with her music, Lucy, the last Chantress, has lived by the sea, mastering the intricacies of Wild Magic. But now her quiet life is about to end: the wheat crop has failed, the people are rebelling, and Lucy is called urgently back to King Henry IX’s court. There she finds the Inner Council planning to save England by making gold through alchemy. But the golden crucible — the critical element in the alchemical process — has been stolen, its guards murdered. Lucy is charged with finding the traitor behind the attack. 

Meanwhile, enemies old and new are gathering. Scargrave's brutal Chantress-hunter has become King Henry's closest advisor. Lucy’s beloved Nat has fallen out of favor and is shunned by his colleagues; their romance means trouble for both of them. Worst of all, something goes wrong with Lucy’s magic. The palace is a labyrinth, and there’s a monster at its heart — a monster who may have the power to defeat Lucy once and for all. 

Amy Butler Greenfield returns to the beguiling world of Chantress for a suspenseful tale of courtly intrigue, music, and magic in Chantress Alchemy.

Chantress Alchemy is the second installment in the Chantress Trilogy - a young adult fantasy that follows Lucy, the last Chantress in the world, as she tries to learn more about her magic and how to harness it. Things have been quiet since Lucy helped save the kingdom and restored the rightful king - King Henry - to the throne. Suddenly, Lucy is called back to court because the crops have failed, the people are starting to rebel, and a key part of the Council's one shot at fixing everything has been stolen. Lucy learns that a lot has happened in the months since she left and the entire country is in an uproar. The King's Inner Council has decided to turn to alchemy to fix the problem of money  - by creating the fabled Philosopher's Stone. Lucy is charged with the task of finding the missing crucible and who stole it, but soon it's clear that things won't be that easy as more deception is uncovered, the King's life is put in danger, and Lucy's magic disappears. Will she be able to find the person responsible before it's too late? Will she be able to regain her magic or is it gone for good this time?

I absolutely love all fiction that has to do with magic and I adored the first book in this trilogy. This installment picks up a few months after the events of the first book. I found myself immediately pulled back into Lucy's life and her world - an alternative version of 17th century England. I loved learning more about the lore behind the Chantresses - I think it made the story deeper as a whole along with Lucy's character discovering more about herself and those before her. She never had much information about her magic and she learns a lot in this book that makes her question things she never thought possible. Another thing I really loved in this book was the alchemy aspect. Alchemy is incredibly fascinating, in my opinion, and I loved the way the author wove it into the story alongside the Chantress magic and the royal court. There were lots of details about alchemy in the book, which I loved and  brought the story to a whole new level. There are new characters introduced in the book, along with reunions with old friends and love interests. Lucy's character experienced a lot of character growth in the book on several levels - maturity, confidence, inner strength, love, and lots more. I enjoyed watching her character develop as well as the relationships between the other characters. The bit of the book that's a mystery - who stole the crucible and is behind everything - took a bunch of twists and turns. It had me guessing the entire time until we finally found out who the "bad guy" is - and I couldn't believe it. Overall, this was a great second book in an enchanting trilogy, and I'm already eagerly awaiting the final book to see what's going to happen. There's only one part that I didn't like - the ending - and those of you who have read it know why. I'm really hoping things will take a different turn in the final book. Highly recommended for fans of magical fiction and fantasies!

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Amy Butler Greenfield was a grad student in history when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Since then, she has become an award-winning author. 

Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains and later studied history at Williams College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oxford. She now lives with her family in England, where she writes, bakes double-dark-chocolate cake, and plots mischief.

Win (1) hardback of Chantress Alchemy (INT)

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Question of the Day: Have you read any of this series yet? If so, what did you think? Are you excited for the last book?

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