The Alchemists of Loom (Loom Saga, #1)

by Elise Kova

Hoang Lap (Artist)

Her vengeance. His vision.

Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer-turned-thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.

Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins. 

When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.

He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom.

• ISBN10: 1949694437
• ISBN13: 9781949694437
• Publish Date: 25 October 2022 (first published 10 January 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Silver Wing Press
• Edition: 2nd ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 350
• Language: English

Reviews

[anastasia]

Full Review on my blog!

This is my first foray into Kova’s writing and the first thing I will say is that I was not expecting the world of Loom to be SO big. The Alchemists of Loom has everything you'd ever want out of a fantasy adventure story. I was completely invested from beginning to end; what a wonderful, kickass first book in this series!

The book begins with Ari, a Chimera, known as the Write Wratih, she is a thief off on a job that no one should be able to do but she can with ease. This job brings her into contact with Cvareh, a Dragon and an enemy for being so. But they strike a deal and it starts a chain of events that will have you flying through this book.  Honestly, the first few chapters were a little confusing but you are slowly wrapped into it as you learn about where these characters are and the history that has morphed their personalities.

The world building was imaginative, detailed and impressive. I was quickly drawn into Ari, Florence & Cvareh’s quest and their worlds. It was fast paced with filled with mystery and unexpected twists, great characters and plenty of action and suspense.

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[Kate (Blogging with Dragons)]

I adored The Alchemists of Loom so much that I read it twice within a month. I love the original ideas, the world-building, the characters, the slow-burn romance--everything. I simply cannot rave about this steampunk fantasy novel enough and I am itching to pick up the next novel in the trilogy.

In The Alchemists of Loom, there are two races--the Fenthri and the Dragons. The Fenthri dwell below the realms of the dragons, Nova, and are gray-skinned, smaller, and weaker than their dragon counterparts. The dragons aren’t the typical dinosaurs with wings either, but are humanoid creatures with colorful skin, powerful strength, and the ability to regrow almost anything if their head and hearts are left intact. At first, I was really disconcerted about this, but I quickly learned that these humanoid dragons are just as powerful as their typical counterparts--each has deadly claws, strength two times that of the Fenthri, and magical powers that reside in their organs.

We idling the magic that the Fenthri created through the combined effort of their Guilds, the dragons quickly descend on their new gliders to the world of Loom, took over and began governing it, killing any Fenthri that did not follow their new laws. They separate the Guilds--Rivets, Revolvers, Alchemists, Harvesters, and Ravens--into completely separate branches, making those born into their Guild, stay there regardless of preference and skill, and killing those that do not pass merit or try to escape their designated classification.

“She knew Arianna had real memories of the time before the Dragons, when the Five Guilds were free and the world was run by the Vicar tribunal; when Fenthri didn’t have to be marked--when they were free to study and learn as they wanted. There was a terrifying lust for that time in Ari’s heart.”

Main character Arianna, known as the White Wraith, strives to fight against these dragons in any way possible. One of the few who remembers life before the dragons took over--and stubbornly, as well as illegally, unmarked as belonging to any guild--she takes part in the illegal trade of dragon organs, which allow Fenthri to become Chimera. Being a chimera herself, Arianna is able to wield her own magical powers--using magically enhanced daggers and a winch box to easily defeat her foes. When she stumbles upon an injured dragon, Cverah, the last person who expects her to help him is her. But with the offered promise of a boon, she agrees to help him reach the Alchemist Guild, the home of the last ill-fated resistance against the dragons.

“It really didn’t matter to Ari what she had to do for the boon. A wish. There were so many things she could wish for. So many old wrongs she could right with the unquestioned help of a Dragon and his magic. It could be a chance for redemption--for vengeance. Or, at the very least, she could always wish for him to cut out his own heart and give it to her. Then she’d get the satisfaction of watching him do it.”

From the very beginning of the novel, the book is action-packed. But that doesn’t mean the author doesn’t spend plenty of time developing the world of Loom and the characters who reside in it. I love bitter, sarcastic, and powerful Arianna, who has a softness toward her young ex-Raven turned Revolver student, Florence, and a hatred for anything dragon. It’s always interesting to me when a fantasy novel handels racism, albeit fictional, so adeptly. What’s more, I loved how the book expertly handled her growing, extremely reluctant admiration for Cverah. And I love how Cverah turns from his own prejudice against Fenthri-- finding Arianna hideous and dirty as both a Fenthri and Chimera--to gradually see her as beautiful, interesting, and capable.

“But he wanted to know about her. What had made Arianna into the woman she was.”

I love all the characters in The Alchemists of Loom so much, that for once, I didn’t even mind the switching of Point-of-Views between characters, even when it was the villainous captain of the Dragon Riders, Leona. This switching of perspectives was incredibly well-done, allowing each character to come to life. I especially loved reading Florence’s perspective on the relationship of Arianna and Cverah. Watching their mutual respect grow from an outside perspective, while they too were experiencing it in theirs was quite thrilling and layered:

“It had been slow coming, but in the weeks they’d spent together, Arianna and the Dragon seemed to have found a kind of mutual peace. After the floating prison and the Underground, that peace had blossomed into appreciation. Florence had watched it grow all along, two people determined to hate each other realizing just how much they could complement each other.”

The setting for the characters are similarly brilliant. The author spends just enough time building her steampunk world--explaining the magic, the time before the dragons, the guilds and their skills, the technology, the resistance, the black market, the Underground, the floating prisons, the different territories, and even the world of Nova. But she also leaves just enough of a mystery to make reading the next in the series a must.

Honestly, I cannot recommend The Alchemists of Loom enough. It has everything--action, romance, superb character development and world building, magic, and foreshadowing. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

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[ross91]

The beginning was really promising, but then it became more and more predictable and bland... I'm gonna read the sequel anyway, in hope it will be better.

[lizarodz]

Quite the Novel Idea https://quitethenovelidea.com https://quitethenovelidea.com/liza-reviews-the-alchemist-of-loom/This review was originally posted on Quite the Novel Idea

[tweetybugshouse]

This is the second series by Elise that i had the privilege to read and review. This one blew me away by its uniqueness. You got two worlds Loom and Nova and it seems the two have to co exist to exist but Loom does not welcome the opression of the dragons that from what we been told just showed up and took over attempting to fix what they did understand. Now when i first started in the novel and dragons where brought up i imagined dragons in the sense of a huge animal. Elise has taken that image and flipped head over heels these are creatures with humanoid features. Their magic with a twist of steam punk to be sure and characters that are not always what they seem. If you pick up this book your in for a treat in ways i never could of imagined. An impressive start to what i sure will be a 5 star read all the way through.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
I won't lie, I was nervous. Because I held Elise's previous works in such high regard (and was still kind of hung up on my Vhalla and Aldrik feels, let's be real), I didn't know how I'd take to a whole new world. And it is new, guys. This isn't like anything I have ever read before. Ever. The amount of imagination and world building in this book is incredible.

And at first, it scared me and even overwhelmed me. This world is complex. These characters are complex. It is a world unto itself, not our human world, not even close. And my imagination is... well, it's certainly not great. So I think it took me some time to acclimate to everything that was going on. I think this won't even be a problem for a lot of fantasy readers, but it is absolutely very high fantasy, so be prepared going in.

But eventually, as I started to familiarize myself with the world and the different aspects of the characters lives, I became quite invested. The characters... well, they are not the warm fuzzy type. They are looking out for their own agendas, and they all have shady background stories- and frankly, spend quite a bit of time in the present engaging in underhanded activities. Ari, Cvareh, and Florence are all quite different in personality, and I enjoyed the way they interacted with each other, and I certainly loved watching their characters develop. While in the beginning I had a bit of difficulty connecting to them (except Florence, I kind of adored her from the start), I did eventually grow to care for them all- and care for what would befall them on their journey, too.

I also liked that as the book went on, I began to feel more comfortable in the world, and started to get a better picture and understanding of it. There are still lots of secrets to be revealed, I am sure, but by the end I felt more at home in this masterfully created setting. I also felt quite happy that it was fictional, because I don't think I would last two seconds in this world. It is cutthroat and not a happy or peaceful place. But the author does such a remarkable job of setting up the atmosphere, that it works perfectly. You can feel the sense of unease in this world, and why the characters will go to the lengths they do.

Bottom Line: I won't go into much more detail (because you should probably just read the plot yourself hah) but it was definitely a fast paced book with lots of action, and an abundance of imaginative settings and characters. While I did have a bit of trouble at the start wrapping my head around the complex world and rules, it was still most certainly worth it!

Will I read the next book: Of course!
3.5*

**Copy provided for review