Evocative prose, gripping story about resilience and feminine rage, and a touch of magical realism. There are a lot of dark themes in this book so you should check the trigger warnings before reading. Incredibly harrowing yet gripping read, with a very beautiful prose. There was just one thing that I didn't understand. I read that part twice and I just didn't get it. A nice read overall.

Briliant, brilliant writing. The court intrigue, scheming, betrayals, and the poetry magic will keep you glued to the pages. But most importantly, the characters are so layered that you might find yourself having a bit of sympathy for an atrocious villain. The main character, Wei, started as a naive girl from a farmer village, until she came into power. It was a journey full of scheming, betrayals and torture. Please check the trigger warnings because this has dark themes. The magic was also so unique and interesting. Highly recommended!

What an addictive series! I've been reading this for a week, and I found myself engrossed. Emma has finally come of age and her everyday adventures are still as hilarious, surprising, and heartwarming as in the previous volumes. I've been laughing, smiling, and quite swooning over Emma's antics. Aunt Eugenia's mouth is still full of bile, and I just want to toss her on a pile of garbage until she rots. Good thing, Emma's friends always come to the rescue. The Alchemy of Islington, Hawkes, Pierce and Lion is definitely something rare. I love their thursdays, their quiet reading over tea, their bickering and jokes. This is the kind of friendship everyone wishes to have. To be honest, among the eligible bachelors sorrounding our Emma, I might be partial with Islington. Their banter has wit, bite and charm. And their interactions are hilarious and fun. Even the way they met (in Volume 2 I think) was just so interesting and definitely would be a good premise for a Historical Romance novel. Emma and Islington's shenanigans in this volume were a delight to read! The enigmatic Young Hawkes intrigues me as well, but Islington is still my favorite. The characters in this novel are really interesting and remarkable. Marvelous read, as expected!

Emma's adventure continues and I find myself laughing and smiling at Emma's antics. I hated Aunt Eugenia! She's just so..horrible, obnoxious, annoying, etc. (every similar world in the dictionary!) I was glad Cousin Archibald has few scenes in this book, but there was Aunt Eugenia! What a hateful person! I think there were some anachronisms in this book. I don't think Aunt Eugenia can order Islington to do anything. That scene in the drawing room was not right I think (I am not really sure because my knowledge of the peerage is from HR novels). I also love the friendships in this series. Lovely, lovely read!