The Alchemist’s Illusion

Centuries-old alchemist Zoe Faust is tired of running from her past. She’s finally got her life on track in Portland, Oregon, gardening and cooking in her fixer-upper house with her mischievous best friend, Dorian the gargoyle chef. It seems like the perfect life for Zoe, until she discovers her old mentor Nicolas Flamel, who she thought had abandoned her, has been imprisoned.

A local artist holds the secret that could lead Zoe to her mentor, but the artist is murdered, and the painting containing the hidden clue is stolen. To rescue Nicolas, Zoe and Dorian must explore art forgery, a transformative process that has much in common with alchemy and cooking—but one which proves far more dangerous.

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Series: An Accidental Alchemist Mystery – Book #4
Author: Gigi Pandian
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary/Paranormal
Publisher: Midnight Ink

Rating:

Gigi Pandian has a creative mind that has a way of coming up with new and captivating ideas. The Alchemist’s Illusion from Midnight Ink stems from that creativeness and intrigues the reader from the beginning. That said, it would be better for readers NOT to start reading this series with the current and latest book. This is a series that must be read from the beginning. Readers who start with the newest edition will have problems following along and may not understand who the characters are, and they may not be willing to find out either.

The character of Zoe Faust is interesting, and a bit complicated. She doesn’t like being in the background all the time but is smart enough to understand that being in the forefront could be bad for her health. The world has changed since Zoe was a young woman, hundreds of years have passed, but some things never change, and people’s fear of magic and alchemy is one of those things that hasn’t changed all that much. Zoe is intelligent and compassionate. Her best friend is a gargoyle and the love of her life a mortal human cop. It makes for a challenging dynamic.

Other characters in this book are fascinating, they are not your average everyday sub-characters, readers will like them but don’t worry about them unduly. Quite the contrary, readers will worry and get excited every time these characters are in danger or try to help Zoe.

The setting of Portland, Oregon is fitting to a story that is about alchemy. In a city that prides itself on its environment-saving philosophies, art, and culture, it is rather closed-minded when it comes to magic.  That mixed with the side story in this book and series will keep the reader turning the page.

Unfortunately, as a reader I take issue with the character’s names, having the main character named Nicholas Flamel is too reminiscent of the Harry Potter character with the same name who was also an alchemist. Even Zoe Faust herself is named after a character in another famous book. Also, the mere fact that Zoe has a friend who is a gargoyle is similar to another series by another author. All of these combine to make it difficult to look past the issues and enjoy the story.

The premise for The Alchemist’s Illusions is wonderfully original to the cozy mystery genre, and for this reason alone it is hard to completely dislike the book. The writing is good, and the story flows nicely. If the reader isn’t bothered by too many resemblances to other books, characters, and storylines, then they will no doubt enjoy this book. Once again, I caution anyone who wishes to read this book to start from the being of the series and not with the fourth installment.