Early Review – A Conspiracy of Alchemists (Chronicles of Light and Shadow, Book 1) by Liesel Schwarz (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: March 5, 2013
ISBN: 978-0345545077
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Chronicle of Light and Shadow
Source: eGalley through netGalley.com
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is a debut novel by Schwarz and the first book in The Chronicle of Light and Shadow. This second book will be titled A Clockwork Heart and is scheduled for an August 2013 release. I really enjoyed this book. It was an entertaining and fun Victorian steampunk read.

Elle is a lady pilot who has trouble getting jobs because she is female. As a result she does some less than savory work for Patrice delivering packages that need the utmost discretion. When Patrice asks her to deliver a small box, something warns her that this isn’t going to go well. Accompanying her is the devilishly handsome (and probably just as troublesome) Mr. Marsh. Before the delivery is complete Elle will find herself plunged into the world of Shadow and hunted for strange abilities she doesn’t even know she has.

This was a fast-paced and well written read. Elle is a spunky, yet sometimes vulnerable, female lead who is tons of fun to read about. I really enjoyed her. As the book progresses Elle develops interesting powers. I am very curious to see what happens with her abilities in future books.

Marsh is a wonderfully complex character as well, full of many hidden secrets. He is also absolutely to-die-for handsome and respectful and supportive of Elle. He was a wonderful male lead, and great fun to read about.

There are tons of nifty steampunk devices throughout this novel, Schwarz did an excellent job describing and researching all of this. Schwarz is obviously a huge steampunk fan and describes her steampunkish devices in wonderful detail. I really enjoyed reading about them.

The novel is a wonderful blend of steampunk, mystery, and a bit of romance. There is a lot of action and the novel is very fast-paced. I had trouble putting it down and was completely drawn into to this world where Light (tech) battles Shadow (magic).

The book was well written and easy to read. I also enjoyed that this was a well done and complete story. The Epilogue starts a little storyline that will be addressed in the next book.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, is was pure fun to read. There is lots of witty banter and humor in here, as well as an intriguing world and engaging characters. So if you enjoy steampunk, faeries, and some romance this is definitely a book you don’t want to miss. I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading the next one in the series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Get Steampunk’d Reading Challenge
– 150+ Reading Challenge