"Infinity Alchemist" by Kacen Callender is a spellbinding young adult fantasy novel that weaves together magic, adventure, and unexpected love in a richly imagined world. Set in a society where practicing alchemy is restricted to an elite few, the story follows Ash Woods, who takes on a secret role as a groundskeeper at the Lancaster College of Alchemic Science after being rejected as a student. When Ash's alchemical talents are discovered by Ramsay Thorne, an apprentice, instead of reporting him, Ramsay proposes a daring alliance. Together, they embark on a quest to find the legendary Book of Source, a text of immense power.

Kacen Callender's storytelling prowess shines as they skillfully craft a narrative filled with intricate world-building and diverse, vibrant characters. Ash and Ramsay's dynamic, evolving relationship forms the heart of the story, highlighting themes of trust, identity, and self-discovery. The inclusion of trans, queer, and polyamorous characters of color adds depth and authenticity to the narrative, creating a much-needed representation in the fantasy genre.

The world of "Infinity Alchemist" is both enchanting and perilous, with a captivating blend of magic and mystery that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end. As Ash and Ramsay navigate a treacherous landscape filled with powerful adversaries and unexpected challenges, the novel explores themes of power, privilege, and the lengths to which individuals will go to secure it.

Kacen Callender's prose is beautifully crafted, drawing readers into the vivid landscapes of New Anglia and immersing them in the characters' emotions and struggles. "Infinity Alchemist" is a triumph in young adult fantasy, combining a compelling plot, diverse representation, and thought-provoking themes to create a novel that will resonate with readers of all backgrounds.

I wish there'd have been a excerpt—the writing didn't work for me. The voice and execution didn't draw me in enough unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest, spoiler- free review!

Themes: Love, Social Class, Magic
Representation: Trans, Genderfluid, Polyamory, LGBTQ+, POC
Content Warnings: Death, violence, classism

Premise: Ash Woods wants to get a license to practice alchemy. When Ramsay catches Ash practicing illegal alchemy, she decides to teach him if he helps her find the Book of Source. But along the way, they discover dangerous secrets and their feelings for each other grow.

PERSONAL COMMENTS
Generally, I try to do book reviews objectively and measure things objectively in my book reviews. Thus, my ratings for books tend to be higher when I do the ARC reviews. Because there are certain books that I might not like, but I think, objectively, that it is a well-written book. However, obviously, my personal feelings do get in the way. So my book reviews now end up being 50% influenced by personal opinions, and 50% objective.

Thus, I am now going to introduce a new category for my book reviews: personal comments and rating. I am also going to rename the “style” category as “other” because “style” sounds weird and doesn’t really cover everything. So I will rename it to “other” which covers mostly “themes,” “diction,” stylistic choices, and other things. Things like if the book has a map or a playlist or cool chapter names or whatever.

Anyhow, now that we get this out of the way, I’ll leave some personal comments:

One, although I enjoyed the book, I feel like I didn’t “absorb” the book as much as I wanted to due to life happening. (I had a job to attend to, university applications to prepare, IB to conquer, and friendships to foster.)

BUT two, I DID like the book. I liked the representation of the characters. I liked how the author introduced the characters and represented queer characters and characters that are POC in a “natural” way. I also liked the plot as a whole and enjoyed the world that the author built. However, I wished some parts of the plot was more “fleshed out” and that the author spent a bit more time on introducing the world that they built.

But overall, 4 stars for my personal rating.

CHARACTERS
I thought that each of the characters were well-developed and unique. Plus, the cast is quite diverse. The main character Ash is trans. Ramsay is genderfluid (I will be referring to Ramsay as she/her in this review because in the synopsis, the author referred to Ramsay using she/her pronouns; the reviews that I’ve read also referred to Ramsay as she/her since that’s what she identified as at the end of the book). And most of the characters are people of colour (as stated in the blurb).

I think that the author does a good job of explaining and introducing and representing these characters in a natural and not “forced” way.

For the main character Ash, we understand him as a character that wants to learn alchemy. For Ramsay, we know her as snarky and smart and wanting to defy expectations. We don’t meet the other characters until a bit later. But Callum is written as a sweet character that is chained to his familial expectations. And even the villains (Ash’s father) have their own backstories.

Overall, I liked how the author spent time building backstories for each of the characters, even if they might be more minor characters. I also liked that everyone’s personality is unique and distinct. And because the characters are well-developed and have distinct personalities, this makes the book better.

As for the romantic aspect, I think that the characters have chemistry and care about each other. I think that the author does a good job of writing polyamory, with consent, explaining feelings of jealousy, and writing it, again, in a positive and “natural” way. However, I do feel like the author could do more “showing not telling” with the characters in regards to their romantic attraction to each other. Which would help boost their chemistry even more!

Thus, 4.8 stars.

PLOT
I did some research and I found out that not all stories follow the “plot mountain” which is something that I’ve used A LOT to help me review the plot section of my book reviews. However, not all stories follow this. (Which is true.) In a lot of the books I’ve read, there is an established exposition and rising action. However, it can be tricky identifying the climax and falling action. Sometimes, there is no denouement or resolution in a book. So, I’ve just decided to do three parts: the beginning, the middle, and the end.

Beginning: Where generally, things are introduced and explained. From the premise or blurb or synopsis (whatever you want to call it): everything before and during the event in which Ash meets Ramsay.

In terms of the beginning, I think the author generally does a decent job of introducing the characters and the plot and the world. We are quickly acquainted with Ash and Ramsay and their wants and needs and goals. We are also introduced to the magic system and the world. However, at certain points, especially at the beginning, it could be difficult to follow the world and the characters. And also, not all the characters are specifically introduced at the very beginning.

Middle: Where most of the story takes place and action occurs. From the premise: Everything after and before the resolution of this book.

I think that the middle of the book is filled with a decent amount of action. It has its slow parts and action-filled scenes. And (without spoiling anything), there are enough twists and turns and unexpected portions to keep you reading the book.

End: The last 10-25% of the book. Where, basically, things are set to finish. Usually, there is a resolution. But sometimes, the book just “ends.” In that case, it is just mainly the events just before “the end” and “the end” itself. Since this book DOES in fact have a resolution, “the end” is some of the events leading up to the resolution of the book and the resolution itself.

I think that the end of the book is written well. Personally, I think, in general, it is better to have a resolution in your book (unless it’s part of a series or something). This is because it can be difficult to pull off writing a book that cuts just after the “climax” or even the “falling action” as there are so many things unanswered. And I think that having a resolution definitely helps this book (especially since it’s a standalone YA fantasy) and I think that the author effectively “tied up all the loose threads” in the book, as I had no unanswered questions after finishing it. Which can be satisfying.

So the overall plot rating is 4.7.

OTHER
I’ll probably talk more about the diction and tense in this book rather than the themes are representation….

Anyways, for themes and representations: the themes are introduced more subtly. The theme of magic is blatant because, well, the book is fantasy. Also, I’m not sure it counts as a theme, really. The theme of “class” and “privilege” is subtly mentioned in Ash’s retorts. And the theme of “love” is tied in with the representation of a polyamorous relationship, which I’ve already touched base on in my “character” section of my book review.

Now, moving on, the book also has humour in it. Which is seen in the character’s quip and banter.

And finally, the book is written in third-person omniscient point of view and in past tense. I think third-person omniscience is difficult to pull off, especially if one is not switching from character to character every chapter, or does not establish a basis for the switching between the points of views. Thus, while reading this book, it took a while for me to get used to the switch in the point-of-view, and this even took me out of the story at times. I can totally see why this tense is used (for plot reasons) but sometimes feel that the switch between tense can be stiff. As for the book being in past tense, I can say that it is the “easier” and “safer” tense to write in (compared to present tense). So the tense doesn’t have a lot of effect on the story.

Therefore, 4.5 stars.

NOTE: RIP me for always making my book reviews so darn long XD

RATINGS
Personal Rating: 4/5
Characters: 4.8/5
Plot: 4.7/5
Other: 4.5/5
Final Rating: 4.5/5

Date Read: August 21st, 2023
Date Reviewed: August 21st, 2023

Readable, but extremely heavy on the exposition. It was not for me. I stopped after the first two chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

This is the proof that Kacen Callender can write absolutely anything, no matter the genre.

YA contemporary? Check.
Middle grade fantasy? Check.
Adult romance? Check.
YA fantasy? Also check.

"Infinity Alchemist" reminds me a bit of "Dragonfall" by L.R. Lam, so if you enjoyed that book, definitely give "Infinity Alchemist" a try!

Infinity Alchemist was the perfect blend of fantasy and romance, with wonderful writing, world building, and main characters. I'm not one for romance, but the characters in this book, Ash, Ramsay, and Callum, felt so real and were well flushed out. The last fifty pages also had me on my toes, genuinely nervous to watch the fates of the main characters play out. This was an unbelievable read, Kacen Callender really knows what they're doing.

Once again Kacen Callender has knocked it out of the park. This book pulled me so far that I never wanted it to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the e-ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Rep: trans MC, genderfluid MC, polyamorous romance, queer people of color

CW/TW: sexual content, classism, bullying, gender dysphoria, death, death of a parent, blood, violence, injury/injury detail, murder, attempted murder, mass murder, hanging, torture

Infinity Alchemist is Kacen Callender’s YA fantasy debut, and it follows Ash Woods, a young man learning alchemy in secret because it is illegal for him to practice without a license. One day, his curiosity gets the best of him and he ends up being coerced into assisting Ramsay, a brilliant apprentice, in her search for the Book of Source.

I loved this book. The story was good, the characters were really interesting and the romance was lovely. It was nice getting to know Ash, Ramsay, and Callum throughout the book. They each have their own struggles and flaws, and I liked seeing their journey and character development. My favorite character was Callum. He had the most evident character growth and he was also just so sweet.

The poly rep was great. I found each of their relationships unique. It might not have started that way, but their moments with each other were filled with so much tenderness. There was also amazing communication. Alchemy played a key role in these characters’ relationships. I feel like it fast-tracked their bonds with one another, which is why I’m not mad at how fast they grew to feel love.

The worldbuilding was decent. I found the magic system interesting, and I also liked how they depicted the gender identity of characters.

My biggest critique of the book was the formatting. The first chapter read more as prologue than a first chapter. It was just one page, and it was in Ramsay’s POV. At first, i thought this meant that the book would sort of evenly jump between Ash, Ramsay, and Callum, but it didn’t. Most of the book is Ash, but there are small snippets of Ramsay and Callum, along with some other people’s POVs that I thought were unnecessary. The inconsistent placement of them confused me and took me out the reading. Especially, because there was no immediate indication that we weren’t following Ash. A missed opportunity from the author in regards to this was deciding not to showcase Ramsay’s POV more. Out of three, Ramsay’s character was the most closed off and there is a considerable amount of time in the book in which we don’t see her, so she could have benefited from having her POV shown more. I liked her character, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like I would’ve appreciated her and her growth a lot more, if the author had done this.

After I finished the book, I checked to see if this was going to be a series. I only found one article that called this the first part in a duology, so I’m hopeful that we’ll get to see more. If we don’t, that’s okay. I was pleased with the ending. It was a bit rushed but mostly everything was resolved. I absolutely do recommend this book. It was a fascinating story with amazing queer rep. Five stars. Can’t wait for it to come out.

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Note: Ramsay is genderfluid. In the book, Ramsay’s rule of thumb for people is to refer to her as the gender she identified with the last time they saw her. That is why I used she/her pronouns in this review, because that’s what she was identifying as at the end of the book.

I liked a lot of things about “Infinity Alchemist” but other things proved so distracting that this wasn’t quite the book for me.

This is an entertaining YA fantasy with an intriguing magic system, in which magic is alchemic power pulled from the body’s energy. The use of alchemy is regulated and licensed and people train at a school to pass a licensing exam. Everyone has the potential for alchemy but in reality only the rich and powerful Houses are allowed to practice it.

Ash is a talented, self-taught alchemist and assistant groundskeeper at Lancaster, an alchemy school, where he practices alchemy in secret (or, not so secret, since he keeps getting caught, for a crime that’s punishable by death, no less.) An apprentice at the school, Ramsay, is the child of notorious mass murderers. One day he stumbles upon a secret in Ramsay’s office and the two begin a clandestine journey to recover the all-powerful Book of Source, the same journey that led Ramsay’s parents to murder.

I loved how gender identity was handled in this. Ash is a trans guy and Ramsay is genderfluid. Though Ramsay’s gender isn’t shown by anything but pronouns changing each chapter, I thought the portrayals of gender in this hierarchical, conservative world were authentic. I also loved the polyamory in this; Ash falls for both Ramsay and Callum, Ramsay’s teenage love and an heir to the house of the redguards.

I felt the magic system and worldbuilding were intriguing, though I wanted to know more about how alchemy worked.

But I struggled with the pacing. A lot of action happened in this book but it was a drag to read for some reason. And I struggled with the character motivations. It’s fine for Ash to be irrational and have a temper but he seemed to have zero instinct for self preservation and that bothered me. Also his temper flare-ups rarely made much sense to me. How can anyone be that tightly wound all the time? What’s the motivation?

I also struggled with descriptions of feelings and the relationships between the characters. There was a lot of telling (“He felt excited, etc”) and attraction turning quickly to love.

There was lots to like here but this wasn’t the book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Infinity Alchemist was a fun and entertaining YA fantasy read. I enjoyed the premise and the world building was mostly well handled (although the constant references to 'the Source' kept making me think of 'the Force'). Once or twice I had some queries on how things worked, but that was minor and didn't pull me out of the story. Ash and Ramsay (and Callum) were all interesting characters and it was great to see the LGBT rep. The only downside I'd say was that, after all the build up, the ending felt a little rushed and too easily resolved. But it was still a satisfying conclusion in many ways, making this a good standalone read for YA fantasy fans. I am giving it four stars.

Thank you to TorTeen for this arc!


This book follows Ash as he is learning alchemy in secret. It is illegal for anyone to practice alchemy without a license. He is working as a groundkeeper at the Lancaster College of Alchemic Science. When he is caught by a brilliant apprentice, Ramsay Thorne, Ash agrees to work with Ramsay. These two are determined to find the legendary Book of Source, a sacred text that gives its readers astounding power.

I enjoyed this book. To me, the world is the most exciting aspect of the book. I have not read a lot of books using alchemy as power. It really made me want to learn more about people's abilities. I thought that the fighting scenes were so good. Honestly, I want this to be adapted into either a tv series or a movie. There is a polyamorous relationship that develops in the later part of the book and I wish I could have spent more time with them. The moments that I got were filled with tenderness. I really like how they communicated. I really could not put this book down. I just needed to know what would happen next. So tea, a second book maybe?

This is my second book by this author and I can't wait to read their backlist and future works.