Just the right amount of otherworldly and creepy while feeling like it takes place in a familiar past. Excited to read the sequel.

Can’t believe I waited so long to read this! But I have mixed feelings and I don’t know what to say. I’m going to wait a bit before I dive into the next book.

This is the first book in a Ya fantasy duology. It follows Nedra, who wants to be an alchemist so that she can help cure the plague, which is a disease that is ravaging the country that she lives in. She gets accepted to this prestigious school for alchemists and she has to go prove herself. While she's there, she meets the other main character, Grey, who is a student already there. So this is told in two perspectives. Once she gets there and starts studying, she realizes the plague may have a darker more sinister root than she originally realized - and she may have to delve into a different type of alchemy than she ever thought.
The world building was really vague and lackluster. You spend a lot of time mostly with Nedra, and she is the main focal point of the story. She gets boiled down to her need to help, ,but that aspect of her personality gets beaten into you. She isn't fleshed out very well, so it makes it hard to root for her. The ending warps her personality, and there wasn't any foreshadowing for it. Grey is just a basic character, and the romantic that blooms between them isn't anything spectacular.
The plot had a lot of potential, but it fell a bit flat. Most of the story has no necromancy which is the most interesting part.

I just finished this book and it was a little weird reading a book about necromancy and a plague and and political overthrow while at least 2 of those things are being reflected in reality.

Overall I really loved the premise and I can't wait to continue on this path. The end seemed a little abrupt. Like I could feel all those things building but I think the way they all concluded at once made it feel rushed and a little telly instead of showy. I feel like if we had just gotten a litttttllle more exposition or maybe Grey was a little more fleshed out as a character I wouldn't have felt this way. But Grey was very very flat to me and I would have loved if we had a little more development there.

Overall it was a great read and I recommend it!

I think fans of dark fantasy books will like this one. Worth purchasing for your library collection.

There really aren''t enough books that allow their main characters to be the villains! And it's a clever author that can do that and still let the audience root for that character.

This is a read that teens that enjoy darker fantasies would enjoy. It was not my favorite book I have read as of late, but I think it will make a good recommendation for teens that enjoy this genre. The start of a new fun series in the genre that many of loving right now.

A wonderful , immersive read. Revis' reputation precedes her, and this is an admirable addition to her body of work!

I definitely went into this novel thinking it was just a generic YA, but I'll admit I might have been wrong. I loved the unexpected darkness of this novel! I already knew I liked Beth Revis from her previous series, and I'm excited that she's adding another genre to her repertoire.

*4 stars*

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nedra Brysstain is a young woman from a small, poor town who is finally fulfilling her dream of studying medicinal alchemy at an academy in the city. She has received a scholarship from a mysterious benefactor to allow her to study there. She does not fit in with the rich students and is ignored by most, except for a boy named Greggori Astor who is fascinated by her intelligence and beauty. A romance blooms, but all is not well in the world. A plague is quickly sweeping through the colony, and no one knows the cure. Nedra and her teacher seem to be some of the only people in the capital not caught up in politics and are helping the plague victims. They soon realize that the cause of the plague is darker then anyone suspected, and it may take the dark practice of necromancy to save them all.

This was a dark and beautiful book. Nedra's transition into an anti-hero was dark, creepy, and heart-wrenching. There is a romance plot, but it is secondary to the emotions of grief that take a forefront in this book.

When Nedra is selected to attend an elite university to study alchemy, she hopes to be able to learn enough to cure the plague that is spreading through the land. A somewhat predictable plot does slow down the book somewhat, but a not totally unexpected plot twist leaves the reader interested after about half the book has been read. There is a romantic interest but it isn't that compelling-however, it's not the insta-romance that many YA novels resort to. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the sequel. Overall, I did enjoy reading this story.

I have to admit I couldn't finish this book--not because of any fault of the writing or plot, but primarily because it featured amputation, which, although perfectly appropriate in context, frankly grosses me out. Overall, I liked the story, and thought the characters were interesting. Nedra was determined and serious, but I didn't feel like she was a clone of Hermione from Harry Potter. Grey started off like the typical male lead in female protagonist books: a bit careless and rootless, but I'd thought he was improving over the course of the story. Although I personally didn't enjoy the story, I can think of a number of teens who might (though, unfortunately, none at my particular library), and would happily recommend it to anyone who likes dark fantasy.

Nedra is desperate to learn medical alchemy for her rural northern town. She hopes to give her community better access to medicine and stop a necrotic plague that has been killing people throughout her world. She is given the opportunity to add an alchemy school on scholarship in the city. It is hard for her to leave her family behind, but Nedra knows that this chance is the best for all of their futures. While she starts behind her classmates, Nedra is determined to catch up. As the plague continues to spread throughout the world, infecting more than just the poor, Nedra catches the eye of her master who allows her to focus solely on curing the disease. She works day and night at the hospital and throws herself into the study of illegal necromancy, which seems to be the source of this sickness. Nedra has started down a dangerous path, she will need to stay strong to avoid the call of this illegal alchemy. Things become more difficult when the plague starts hitting closer and closer to home.

I think this book is great at showing a hard balance between villainy and heroics. The world was well developed and the plot moved quickly. I think that Grey, the male main character, was not as strong as Nedra. This novel would have worked just as well without his perspective. The plot twist was expected for the reader, though it would not have been expected by the characters, which I found interesting (kinda like when playing DND and trying not to meta-game…yep I am a nerd.) I don’t know if I would continue to read the series, but it is strong enough for me to recommend it to fantasy readers.

I loved everything about this story. The main character experiences so much within the span of the story and she is realistically affected by it. It's nice to see a heroine that is truly changed by her experiences much like how we are.

2.5 but i'm rounding up for now. Review to come when I've thought about it a little more.

Okay, I'm back. But I thought about it for too long and now I've forgotten everything.

Basically, Nedra was kind of boring for most of the book and Gray was boring for ALL of the book. And they were both kind of stupid? And I like books about necromancy!

How far will you go to keep your family, to save your people, to stop a plague?

Nedra has finally won a scholarship to study medical alchemy in the city. She’s been anxious to leave her village in the north, she wants to learn, and to see more things and people. Once there it is evident she is very different from the other students. They are privileged and see no need to befriend the new girl. Nedra doesn’t care, she is there to study; she wants to find a cure for the plague before it gets to her village. But the plague is spreading fast and the cost to stop it might be more than she can bear.

I keep thinking about this book. I currently have it shelved in fantasy, but wonder if I shouldn’t move it to horror. Maybe I’ll see where the series goes. I loved that Nedra really didn’t care what the other students thought of her. She has her mission and wasn’t about to be distracted by rumors or gossip. She did let herself be slightly distracted by Grey, but not when it really counted. The darkness in this one creeps up on you, and it is not a neat and tidy tale. Nedra is a driven anti-hero with little left to lose at the end of the first book, but determined to keep what she has.

Nedra receives a scholarship to attend the Yugen Academy, a place where alchemy is taught. Her classmates are from the wealthiest and most powerful families, leaving Nedra to feel out of place at the school. When plague begins to spread, Nedra finds herself working day and night to help the victims.

This was an utterly fascinating book. Nedra was a very believable and well rounded character. The book was paced nicely, and the world was well described. I look forward to reading more from this author. Overall, highly recommended.

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. When I read "medicinal alchemy" and powerful families, I was hooked. This is a book about so much more than magic or family issues. It's about facing down oppression, a story of loving the villain's fall into darkness. I will say that Grey acted more as filler, a puppet to take the place of a convenient love interest, nothing more. This story, rightly, belongs to Nedra. Give it to her. Let her rise, beautifully.

I loved the fact that the "hero" of the story evolved into the villain! At first you think it's going to be your usual YA fantasy where they might be tempted but persevere and become this great hero...but not here! As a warning, this story is dark. Some parts might be "too much, too intense", it was still a great story and added to the character development. Let's face it, every good story has a good villain. I look forward to where this story goes in the next book

*Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this title!*

At seventeen, Nedra moved from her poor, rural town in the northern territories of Lunar Island to attend Yugen Academy and become an alchemist. Luckily for Nedra, she has gotten a scholarship to attend... unluckily, this means that she doesn't quite fit in with the other students, most of whom are from wealthy and prestigious families.

Her solitude doesn't bother her - she is much more interested in her studies - even after she befriends wealthy and popular classmate Greggori, who is immediately smitten with her. Nedra is much more concerned about the Plague that has been spreading across the island, and what it means for her family and friends. She may be only a student, but she is determined to find a cure. Much more determined, as it happens, than any of her fellow students.

Unfortunately, Nedra isn't getting much closer to a cure. It almost seems as though the plague has a supernatural origin! It might be time for Nedra to dive into necromancy, a forbidden craft, in order to learn its secrets. Hopefully, she can discover a cure before she is driven so far into the dark that she can't turn back.

*My Notes*
I was much more interested in the plague/alchemy aspects of this story than Nedra's love life, but it was a great read. I didn't agree with a lot of the choices she was making, but it did make me wonder just how far I'd go against what I was uncomfortable with in order to benefit the greater good.