Book Review (ARC) | The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova

Title: The Alchemists of Loom
Author: Elise Kova
Publication: January 10th 2017 by Keymaster Press
Series: Loom Saga #1
Pages: 380
Genre: Fantasy
Copy: ARC provided from publisher in exchange for an honest review
Summary: 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.

My expectations were pretty high for this book since reading Air Awakens, but somehow, Elise surpassed them.  The world building in this book is absolutely incredible!!  I was blown away by the complexity and beauty of the world that Elise created.

In the world of Loom, the people are separated into guilds. There's the Ravens, Rivets, Alchemists (I'm in this one!), Harvesters, and the Revolvers.  Think of it like the factions in Divergent.  Their world is basically colorless.  Their skin, clothing, and buildings are all in shades of white, black, and grey.   Then there's the Dragons.  (And no, they're not actually dragons.) They have a whole different society that lives above Loom, and they have color!  Not only is there an emotional/mental separation between these societies, but also a physical one.  So you can imagine that there's gonna be some conflict between them and the characters.

Speaking of characters, they were definitely my favorite part about this book!  Ari is strong and stubborn and incredibly badass.  Cvareh is strong, but he has a softer side to him that I love.  And not to mention his fashion obsession!!!  And then we have Florence.  Flor is sweet and brave, and she helps balance out everyone else.  Together, these characters made the perfect mix.  Usually I have a strong favorite in each series I read, but it's so hard to decide with this book!

Overall, I have to hand it to Elise for creating yet another show-stopping fantasy.  I'm already dying for the next book, and I can't wait to see where Elise will take us in this series!