This YA fantasy romance is centred round the search for a powerful book, it is set in a world with magic but only the rich and powerful are allowed to study it. You can tell that it is a fantasy world as while there is plenty of oppression and hatred but nobody is being oppressed because of their gender or sexuality, when a gender fluid character changes gender presentation nobody bats an eyelid. Yes the main characters make stupid decisions and while that can be annoying they are behaving as teenagers do, all in all it is a good start to the series.

Prepare to be immersed in the captivating journey of three young alchemists as they navigate the realms of love and power beyond their wildest imaginations.

Meet Ash, a passionate lover of books, particularly those on magic. Though the term "magic" is now considered outdated, Ash's fascination remains unchanged. Being self-taught in the art of alchemy, Ash conceals his true abilities, fearing the consequences should anyone discover his secret. Enter Ramsay Thorne, a condescending figure, an alchemy professor, who catches Ash off guard. Instead of turning him over to authorities, Ramsay offers Ash a proposition: aid her in the search for the legendary Book of Source, and she will teach and safeguard his secret. This sacred text holds unimaginable power for its reader, and as Ash and Ramsay grow closer in collaboration, their connection takes an unexpected turn.

"The universe is a woven tapestry made of threads of energy streams that we think of as life. With Source, we are aware of each and every single string."

Amid their shared mission, Ash uncovers the true peril that lies ahead, putting them up against influential and formidable alchemists, including Ash's own estranged father. Ash's journey stretches across the vast landscapes of New Anglia, encompassing both bustling cities and untamed wilderness. Throughout this adventure, Ash must redefine his understanding of true power and confront the lengths to which alchemists will go to claim it.

In this remarkable YA fantasy debut by bestselling and award-winning author Kacen Callender, the pages are ablaze with passion. It stands in stark contrast to traditional fantasy fare, breathing new life into the genre. The characters feel authentic, embarking on transformative journeys that captivated my imagination. Witnessing their mistakes, growth, and learning was a delight that had me teetering on the edge of my seat, hoping for their success.

Prior to reading this book, I had never experienced Kacen Callender's writing. Suffice to say, I was enthralled by their unique style. The representation of diverse identities is skillfully woven into the narrative, and the world-building is executed with precision. The story maintains an ideal pacing, I definitely felt carried along on an exhilarating adventure.

There is so much to adore about this book. From the intricate workings of magic and alchemy to the exploration of queer and gender fluid identities, as well as the importance of staying true to ourselves and the intricacies of polyamorous relationships, Infinity Alchemist offers a tapestry of themes to captivate many readers. While it may not be flawless, there is undeniable power in crafting a tale that is both enchanting and adventurous. Infinity Alchemist receives a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

I am very grateful to NetGalley and Faber for the advance reader copy.

I gave this book 4.5/5 stars!

I think Callender is a born fantasy writer.

Firstly, to get the criticism out of the way first: I think some scenes moved a little fast, I would have liked it to be a little more paced. Another thing I wish had been done was the development of side characters (besides the villains), but that's about it!
However, the world-building was so much fun to dive into and the characters so unique and lovable. I really appreciated the way the relationships between the characters were built, the foreshadowing and pining was delicious!! the characters back stories were SUPER well used to give the characters some motivations, but I liked it the most how the author made their characters outgrow their own pasts.

"Infinity Alchemist" is a ya fantasy novel written by Kacen Callender.

I loved the premise of this book, but the development unfortunately did not convince me, leaving me rather lukewarm.

The world building based on alchemy is wonderful! Seriously, I was intrigued by this complex and articulate system! However, I admit that I found it somewhat nebulous and chaotic, with many things not explained, others explained too quickly, and still others taken for granted.

The story proceeds fast and briskly, but with an uneven pace. Slower, more reflective moments alternate with rushed, convulsive ones. The entire second half seemed excessively fast to me, with an ending that was really too hurried for the events narrated. In addition, I perceived several plot holes, various situations of convenience, which left me somewhat perplexed.

I liked the characters a lot! I didn't find them particularly deep, but they still won me over. The story features three povs, all in third person. I loved the romance, although the development was too fast for me. Also, I loved the LGBTQ+ representation featured in this book!

All in all this is an enjoyable and compelling book, which did not fully convince me in its development.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this. The concept sounded amazing, the whole idea was fascinating and it had a beautiful cover, I adored the first third of the book and then it just started to slip for me.

The worldbuilding was tenuous for me, it didn't feel super solid and was a little all over the place. The pacing also felt off and it didn't improve. Far too much was squished into the last 10% of the novel and it felt incredibly rushed. The characters were also not what I was looking for, they felt underdeveloped and honestly I didn't really 'like' any of them so it was hard to get invested in the story.

This book had so much potential and so many bits that I should have loved but it just didn't work for me. I didn't dislike it but I've no strong feelings about it.

“We’re all made of energy” Ash said quickly. “We all practice alchemy naturally, with every breath and every thought and emotion. To say that only a conveniently wealthy few can legally become alchemists is bullshit.”

Rating: 2/5 stars

I feel like I’ve cycled through all 5 stages of grief, before finally landing on acceptance that I didn’t like this book… With its great concept and a powerhouse of an author behind it, Infinity Alchemist was one of my most anticipated books of 2024, but the final result was something that I couldn’t enjoy, despite my best efforts…
Many of Callender’s strengths that made me love their contemporary work in the past are present here as well, but unfortunately, I just feel like their talent doesn’t translate too well to the cornerstones of the fantasy genre.

The story follows Ash, a 19-year-old trans-boy who works as an assistant groundskeeper at Lancaster, a magical academy where only the most elite are permitted to study Alchemy. Although Alchemy is innate in some individuals, its practice is highly regulated and only allowed with a license, making it impossible for the less-privileged of society to get a foothold in.
Ash, knowing his background will exclude him from a place at the academy, has been practicing alchemy in secret. When one day, he crossed paths with Ramsay, a talented apprentice with secrets of their own, the two join forces in a quest for a powerful alchemical text, known as The Book of Source. Their journey will change their lives, and potentially the future of alchemy forever.

What I loved:
Callender is know for their amazing LGBTQ+ writing, and the representation in Infinity Alchemist is just as good as you’d expect from them. We have a trans-male protagonist, a genderfluid protagonist (Ramsay, who changes gender-expression and pronouns on a chapter by chapter basis), and a polyamorous relationship that wonderfully subverts the tropes of the love triangle so overdone in YA-fantasy. All of these elements are just allowed to be present on page and are never made into a “big deal”, or larger message. I personally love that form of representation, and wish we’d have more of that. I do have to say that Ramsay’s changing of pronouns got in the way of readability in some chapters, and will bother some readers. There are instances where it can become confusing to have one of the characters change pronoun midway through a paragraph. Especially in the case of multiple male characters, it’s often not clear if the “he/him” the text refers to is aimed at Ramsay or other male characters. Personally, I felt it was an issue of the writing, not the pronouns themselves, but it’s worth a mention.
I also loved the discussion the book brought up about elitism and privilege in the context of academia. That, as well as the other messages about polarization, acceptance and more, were very powerful and resonated with me.
In a contemporary novel, a compelling cast and strong message might have been enough to carry a novel. That doesn’t work for a 400+ page piece of fantasy, which is where Infinity Alchemist takes a tumble.

What I didn’t love:
Carrying the novels ideas, is a very weak plot, hampered even further with glaring pacing issues. The story basically boils down to a McGuffin-chase, that stretches out too long and is ultimately wrapped up far too fast and easy to be satisfactory. I cannot stress these pacing issues enough. Without hyperbole, I wanted to DNF this book every single time I put it down for a break. I would’ve done so too, had this not been a review copy. I simply couldn’t get invested in the story, for multiple reasons; most prominently, the characters.
I’m okay with an unlikable or flawed main character, but I found Ash to be insufferable. He’s quick to anger, selfish and immature, which I can all excuse since he’s supposed to be a teenager. What I can’t excuse is his self-pitying and often hypocritical attitude towards those who he sees as “more privileged”. He demonizes the elite for thinking they’re better than others, whilst simultaneously kicking down at all the scholars for “being book-smart” and “only learning facts”, whilst his self-taught alchemy is “the real, practical thing”. On several occasions, he actually mocks Ramsay for studying for her tests and learning within the traditional education system, and it comes off as ignorant and disrespectful.
Your background should never exclude you from an education, but on the other hand “being self-taught” doesn’t put you above those who did receive an education. Your background also doesn’t exclude you from putting in the work, and the only examples the author provides us (unintentionally!) is Ash not doing that.
Granted, Ash does go through some character-development, but much of it happens past the 90% mark, and feels very sudden and unearned, lacking the proper build-up. The same goes for the (romantic) relationships; the characters don’t spend enough (page-)time together for me to believe their strong emotional connection, or be invested in them. It doesn’t help either that emotional beats (for example, a characters traumatic backstory) are consistently told, not shown.

Apart from the characters, the world wasn’t developed enough either for me to fully feel invested. We’re told that Alchemy has shaped society in many ways, but we never see it’s implications for the larger world outside the school-walls. We’re told that The Book of Source is almost akin to a Holy Grail, and yet we only encounter about a handful of alchemists looking for it… There’s mention of the many Houses, but none of them actually feel distinct or developed beyond a house-name…
The framework is there, but it needed so much more development to work. Which is a shame, considering the book already feels overly-long and bloated as is.

Overall, I really wanted to love this authors debut in the fantasy genre, but the quality simply wasn’t there for me. I highly recommend their contemporary works (King and the Dragonflies, Hurricane Child and Felix Ever After), but suggest you skip this one…

Many thanks to Faber & Faber for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
I had high hopes for this book, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. Once I realised this was a romantic fantasy, I did enjoy it.
Ash is the main point of view character, the illegitimate child of a powerful Alchemist forced to learn Alchemy in bitter secret, but he is a difficult character to like. I like the fact that he is trans and is just accepted by society with no explanation- that is how it is.

The romance between Ash and Ramsay dominates the first third of the book, the romance between Ash and a character introduced in the second third dominates the story and then for the last third, the story focuses on the romance between all three of them in a sweet polyamorous love story.
The actual fantasy about a special book that can give the reader power plays a background role as do the more fascinating elements that I would have liked to read about- the world and society Ash lives in, the houses, and the Alchemy.
There are some unique features of this Alchemy and society which are touched upon such as Ramsey is truly gender fluid as a result of their connection to the source but never in great detail.
The problem I had is the secondary characters are so much more nuanced and interesting than Ash and I was more invested in their stories than Ash’s- Ramsay, the gifted Alchemist living under the shadow of their parents’ heinous crime, Callum, Ramsay’s ex who is desperate for a different life but to scared to live it and Marlowe, the assassin working for Ash’s father. In fact, I would have loved to spend more time with Ash’s parents.
This book has a diverse range of characters and any inequalities in this society are based more on class and alchemy rather than race and sexuality.

This is marketed for Young Adults but in my view, this is more suitable for the older end of the age range.

I got through the first quarter of the book very quickly, really ate it up and was enjoying the worldbuilding and getting to know the characters. Unfortunately it did not keep that tempo throughout and it was hard to finish by the end, and the world and alchemy system turned out to not be as meaty as I would have hoped. I read this shortly after finishing Mistborn and as a lover of The Locked Tomb, the mix of science and magic felt lackluster. The characters were fine and I enjoy the queer setting but I felt that they didn't change much throughout the book aside from their relationships to one another.

This book was okay - I was a bit disappointed by it. It was alright but I think the world building was a bit of a mess and the plot felt a bit rushed. I was really really hyped for this so it may be that I just had too high expectations and I was also reading another dark academia fantasy book which ended up being one of my favourite books of the year at the same time so I think it suffered in comparison. Although the fantasy element didn't really deliver for me I do think that the queer side of it delivered and more - trans MC, gender fluid love interest, polyamorous relationship, queer normative world. Overall the fantasy reader in me is a bit disappointed but the gay in me is very happy so 3/5 stars

I enjoyed Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender.
It was a well written and fun YA read with an interesting world.
I especially liked the magic system!
I also really liked the characters and thought they were done really well.

I'm pretty sure there is going to be a sequel so I'm excited for that.
I would definitely be recommending this book!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

Infinity Alchemist is a fun YA fantasy following Ash, an alchemist who isn't legally allowed to practice it, despite his impressive power and talent. Ash ends up on a dangerous quest to find a mythical object as part of a trio determined to stop it falling into the wrong hands. A classic YA fantasy storyline, with great LGBTQ+ representation as fans of Kacen Callender might expect.

This was definitely an enjoyable read. I really like the idea of alchemy and the magic system hinted at in the book, with different tiers and needing to draw power from within. But I wanted more balance and exploration of this system. All of the characters in this book, on both sides, are immensely powerful and it felt like they could do anything with very little consequence. After an initial build up, the climax at the end of their quest happens in quite a rush.

Gender identity representation is great in this book, with a trans main character and a gender fluid main character, and I was pleasantly surprised by the romance element. I jumped into this book without reading, or at least remembering, the blurb. So whilst I wasn't convinced by the initial romance development (I think it was the teacher-student dynamic that put me off at the beginning), I enjoyed where it ended up.

this was all right, but i think i might have outgrown ya, in a way. i didn’t feel as though the main characters resonated with me — which is a shame, because the queer rep was lovely and the premise was really fascinating, but oh well. i do think its target audience will thoroughly enjoy this one, though.

This was an interesting read with a good political system in place that set up the basis of the story.

I liked the characters and their story lines and felt that they were the strongest part of the book.

The pacing was a bit off though. Through parts of it, it really dragged and there were times I felt that I would have given up. However, it goes much more quickly in the later part of the book

Lots of things to love about this book. Magic, fantasy, queer and gender fluid identities. An action packed adventure. Also includes polyamory which was ok but I felt slight distracting from the main thread. A great read. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Three young alchemists embark on a quest leading them towards unexpected love and unimaginable power. Ash Woods isn’t supposed to perform alchemy, he’ll be arrested if anyone ever finds out, but when he’s caught by none other than the condescending Ramsay Thorne, he offers an ultimatum. Instead of handing him over to the authorities, Ramsay blackmails Ash into helping him with a dangerous personal mission. Finding the legendary Book of Source, which is said ti make its reader an an all-powerful alchemist.

As they work together and their feelings towards each other grow, Ash discovers heir mission is more gagerous that he imagined. Pitting them against influential and powerful alchemists, even his estranged father, their journey takes them to the cities and the wilds across the lands. This journey forces him to discover his own definition of true power and how far alchemists will go to see it.

An epic novel about how far we are willing to go for power, being true to ourselves and answer the magic that sings in our blood. This in an incredible novel steeped in magic and alchemical knowledge, perhaps this story is even the Book of Source, itself. There is power in creating a tale that is equally as enchanting as it is adventurous. Filled with an incredible cast of characters, a budding romance and an adventure that will continue after you finish the last page.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘵𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘈𝘭𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘒𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳

I was really hooked in the beginning. The Author can clearly catch someone’s attention. Unfortunately I lost a bit of interest about halfway in.
I would have liked to see the relationship between Ash and Ramsey take a bit more time, but that might just be me being a little too old to be the intended audience for the book. I know I would have loved this when I was fifteen.

I really like the world, and there is a logic to it, which feels very welcoming. I love that alchemy is something inherent in all people, but to at it is still being highly controlled. That is a thing that I don’t see that often, and it war a really cool way to build to the world.

I really loved the premise of this book, and the description really hooked me, and other reviews were really positive but unfortunately it was very close to a DNF, and took me a really long time to get through.

The world building and the magic system was really interesting and I think if they had been weaker it would have been a DNF. I loved the inclusion of non-binary and trans characters. A complex relationship between the MCs was also an interesting addition.

However the story and the characters really fell flat for me. The story somehow dragged out and also felt rushed, everything kicked off in the last 10% of the book and that was really the bulk of the action - it wrapped up quickly and without much pay off. The relationships between the characters felt similarly rushed and at points didn’t really feel believable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber for the advance reader copy.

This was my first time reading a book by Kacen Callender and I really enjoyed it.

The representation is done well, the world building was good and I felt that the story was paced fast enough that you were kept wanting to continue reading.

I enjoyed that there was a resolution to the story and a partial set up for a sequel but not in a cliffhanger way.

Overall I enjoyed this book and am excited to read more of what Callender had written.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Infinity Alchemist' by Kacen Callender.

'Infinity Alchemist' is a new novel by Kacen Callender. I have followed them since 'Felix Ever After' so seeing that they have made a fantasy novel was so exciting to me. Callender's writing style translates so beautifully to fantasy and the characters are mindblowingly amazing to read about. 'Infinity Alchemist' is a joy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber LTD for approving my request to read an eARC of this book.

I’ve been really looking forward to this one and after hearing how much Kacen Callender had been wanting to write fantasy books, I could really tell! There was so much passion in the pages, and wasn’t just rehashed tales like some fantasy books are. This was so refreshing and I really enjoyed reading it. The characters were so real and I was on the edge of my seat at parts, crossing my fingers that they’d make it.

I highly recommend reading this queer fantasy book, it was brilliant