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Showing posts with label The Accidental Alchemist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Accidental Alchemist. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 30, 2022

ARC Review: The Alchemist of Riddle & Ruin By Gigi Pandian

 


Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

When Zoe Faust sees the ghost of a murdered young woman, is it really a spirit-or a flesh and blood woman who stopped aging because she's a fellow alchemist?

Sixteen years ago, high school student Ridley Price discovered a secret she planned to reveal through a party game-but someone killed her first. The baffling crime was never solved. Zoe's friend Heather has always wondered: which of the seven guests at the party killed Ridley? When the newly-appeared ghost turns dangerous, threatening people they love, Zoe teams up with her gargoyle roommate Dorian to unmask the supposed specter.

Review:

This is the sixth book in the Accidental Alchemist mystery series by author Gigi Pandian.  I started to read this series a few years ago, out of order.  But the wonderful thing about this series is that it isn't absolutely necessary to read it from book one.  Each book gives enough of the backstory that the reader is never lost.  But, having said that, it would actually be best to read this series from the beginning, if only to feel the delight in how these characters have developed over time.

I love this series for the wonderful cast of characters, from the main character, Zoe Faust (a 300 year-old alchemist), to her ex-police detective boyfriend, Max, to the lovable gargoyle (yes, gargoyle), and gourmet chef, Dorian.  There is also a wonderful feeling of community in this book, as well.  Zoe's friends are artists, artisans, small business owners, and several young teens.  She seems to create a vibe that is full of positivity.  Maybe this is because Zoe is an herbalist and vegan, but she has a way about her that is full of living a healthy and happy life. Her friends, and the reader are pulled in.

But, above all, this is a mystery novel.  I appreciate that not all of the novels are murder mysteries, but this one actually is.  But, in this case, the murder in question happened sixteen years earlier.  There was a clear list of suspects, but the author had me guessing until nearly the end of the book!  The details were fun, and full of twists and turns.  I enjoyed the use of the language of flowers, and poetry as they relate to the riddles that helped solve the case.

There is really so much to love about this book.  With fully realized characters, romance, a puzzling mystery, and vegan recipes, this novel checks all the boxes for an enjoyable book.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  August 30, 2022

Author:  Gigi Pandian

Publisher:  Gargoyle Girl Productions

Genre:  Mystery

Page Length:  256 Pages

Source:  Author

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  This is a fun mystery series filled with great characters, an intriguing mystery to solve, and recipes!  I highly recommend this book. 





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Friday, October 1, 2021

ARC Review: The Alchemist of Fire and Fortune by Gigi Pandian



Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
A blackmailer obsessed with gold. A boyfriend who’s more than he seems. And a treasure hidden on the Oregon coast.

Alchemist Zoe Faust’s mentor Nicolas Flamel is back in her life, but catching up with him will have to wait. An elusive blackmailer has threatened to expose a dangerous alchemical secret. Zoe’s boyfriend is out of town protecting secrets of his own. So when rumors of a treasure map reach Zoe, she turns her back on what sounds like no more than a game.

Zoe’s mischievous living gargoyle best friend Dorian, who thinks of himself as a modern-day Poirot, is convinced the map is real—and that it’s the key to proving himself as valuable to Zoe as her human family. With the help of the neighborhood teenagers, Dorian sets out to find the treasure, risking more than he planned in the process. Rumors, treasures, and secrets intersect to unearth more than Zoe could have dreamed—and could leave her family changed forever.

Can Zoe stop the threat to the family unit she’s created?

Review:
Gigi Pandian is the author who got me excited about reading mystery novels!  There are so many things to love about this series.  There's the hip Portland, Oregon setting filled with wonderful characters.  There's the twisty mystery that doesn't involve murder.  And there's the infusion of gourmet vegan cooking, and fantasy in the form of Dorian, a living gargoyle.  All of this makes for a fun reading experience, and will keep me looking forward to each installment of this series.

What I Liked:

Setting:
The novel (and indeed, the entire series) is set in Portland, Oregon.  Although I've never been there, I have relatives who live there.  It is a place of hipster Gen X'ers, funky art installations, and a variety of shops and restaurants offering vegan goodies.  All of this with the ever-present rainy weather.  You can just imagine yourself on a rainy day, sipping tea and reading this book in front of a crackling fireplace.

Characters:
Zoe, as an alchemist, has discovered the elixir of life and so is over 300 years old, but she supplements this with healthy exercise, and vegan eating.  

Perenelle Flamel, along with her husband Nicholas Flamel (yes, the same famous alchemist mentioned in Harry Potter) are adjusting to life in the twenty-first century.  Of course, they are enchanted with the modern world.  But Perenelle, has a deep-seated suspicion of Dorian, which makes her quite rude to him.  I was offended on this fictional person's behalf!  But she is filled with love for her husband, and I eventually grew to like this character as she got over her notions that Dorian must be evil.

Dorian is a delightful character.  A gourmet chef who must stay hidden due to his "condition" of being a gargoyle, he manages to find ways to interact with the modern world, and indulge in learning as much as he can about meeting Zoe's vegan requirements.

Story:
The story involves someone blackmailing Perenelle.  She needs to create lots of gold or risk being exposed as an alchemist.  However, the blackmailer clearly doesn't know the first thing about alchemy.  In this world, creating gold is an exhaustive process, and Perenelle can just whip up a bunch of gold. 

Zoe and Perenelle work to find out who the blackmailer is, and they come up with some clever ways to figure out who it is.  One lead is the ink that the person used on the note demanding gold.  It was made by an unusual ink.  Since Zoe and Perenelle can feel the kinds of plants and chemicals that are used in paintings, they use that same skill look for the culprit.

One thing I was mixed about, at first, was how the author tried to keep Zoe's boyfriend, Max, in the story.  He is away in China, and Zoe and he talk on the phone each morning.  I found this annoying, until I understood there was a plot twist behind it.  When everything fell into place, I became really happy.  It will certainly make the next book in the series very interesting!

Vegan Recipes:
Although the recipes were missing from the galley copy I was given, these are a really fun aspect of each of the accidental alchemist books.  I will be buying this book when it comes out, just for the recipes!  The author's Mac-n-Cheeze (using cashew cream, instead of a cheese sauce) is amazing and I have made it several times.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  October 5, 2021

Author:  Gigi Pandian

Publisher:  Gargoyle Girl Productions    

Genre:  Mystery

Page Length:  299 pages

Source:  Publisher

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  If you enjoy your mysteries minus the usual gruesome murders, I think you will enjoy this series.  It is fun, and the characters are a delight.











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Tuesday, January 8, 2019

ARC Review: The Alchemist's Illusion by Gigi Pandian

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40201364-the-alchemist-s-illusion
Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.

Synopsis (From Goodreads):
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 that 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 that proves far more dangerous.
Includes delicious vegan recipes!


Review:
I started reading this series midway, with The Elusive Elixir.  The author, Gigi Pandian, did such a wonderful job of summarizing previous events, that I didn't know this was a series until after I finished the book.  I loved the characters (and the delicious recipes!) immediately.

The Alchemist's Illusion continues to entertain with more Dorian, Zoe, and her skeptical boyfriend, Max.  With its dual storylines, and lots of new characters, this is a worthy addition to this series. 

What I Liked:
Characters:
Zoe, and her circle of friends, are very entertaining.  I loved learning even more about the Gargoyle chef, Dorian, and his quest to become more than a sculpture come to life.  Zoe's policeman boyfriend, Max was appropriately grounded in reality.  It is his spot-on reactions to the magical that anchor the book.  This was both necessary and heartbreaking to read.  Newer characters such as the artist's widow, Perenelle Flamel, and Edward Kelly were complicated and made it hard to know if they were villains or not.  I liked the unpredictability of this.

 Food:
A major reason I enjoy this series is for the delectable descriptions of cooking, and food!  Meals are lovingly detailed so the reader is salivating along with the characters.  Plus, there are several yummy looking recipes to be found at the end of the book.

 Plot:
The story alternates between present-day Portland, Oregon, and nearly four-hundred years earlier in Prague where we learn the origins of the painting that is the centerpiece of this book.  I liked the two different stories and the fact that it was ambiguous as to who the villain was.  Did Nicolas' wife Perenelle conspire with someone to imprison him?  Who is Edward Kelly?  So many little mysteries to solve!

 What I Was Mixed About:
There was one aspect of the plot which I was quite dissatisfied with.  The plot relied heavily on coincidences to move the story along.  At the beginning of the book, Zoe randomly sees a painting in a window that may hold the key to finding her long-lost friend Nicolas.  Considering that this art work was made in Europe hundreds of years ago, how likely is it that it would find its way to present-day Portland, Oregon?  This happens several times throughout the book, which made it hard for me, as a reader, to accept.

Rating: 




Release Date:  January 8th, 2019

 Author:  Gigi Pandian

 Publisher:  Midnight Ink

 Genre:  Mystery Fiction

 Page Length:  336 Pages

 Source:  NetGalley

 Format:  E-Book

 Recommendation:  An entertaining addition to this series, even with some very convenient plot twists.
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Thursday, January 5, 2017

ARC Review: The Elusive Elixir by Gigi Pandian

Please Note:  I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.

Synopsis (From GoodReads):
Dorian Robert-Houdin, the three-and-a-half-foot gargoyle chef who fancies himself a modern-day Poirot, is slowly turning into stone, and it’s up to Zoe Faust to unravel the alchemical secrets that can save him. When they discover that a long-lost stone gargoyle with a connection to Dorian has reappeared in Europe, the stakes are even higher. From Portland to Paris, Zoe searches for the hidden knowledge she needs, but a cold case that harkens back to 1942 throws her off course. With an ailing friend desperately trying to discover his own elixir of life and a new romantic interest offering the first chance at love she’s had in nearly a century, Zoe is torn between a dangerous form of alchemy and her desire for a safer life.

Review:
 When I saw the description for this book (mystery, cooking, gargoyles!) I immediately got excited.  I am really starting to enjoy mysteries, lately, and this book satisfied that craving.  This is the third book in this series.  Even without reading the other two books, I was able to dive right in and enjoy this book.
What I Liked:
Characters:
I really liked the character of the gargoyle, Dorian.  He realizes his life may be short, but he uses it to cook and care for others.  He is searching for his own Elixir of Life, and finding meaning in providing beautiful, healthy meals for several characters in the book.  This is a wonderful reminder that a life well-lived can take many forms.

Other memorable characters are teenager Brixton, Blue Sky (who runs the tea shop and has a shady past), and Max (Zoe's policeman boyfriend).  These characters created a community atmosphere that I found charming.

 Setting:
The book is set in Portland, Oregon and it makes me want to visit this beautiful oasis (I also happen to have relatives who live there now, so yes, I'm partial).  The author describes a city with abundant farmers markets filled with fresh produce, and other places to buy exotic spices and salts to flavor Zoe and Dorian's scrumptious cuisine.

 Vegan Food:
My daughter is a vegetarian, not a vegan.  I have always considered vegan food to be too restrictive (how could I possibly live without eggs and cheese?), but as Zoe describes the food Dorian prepares for her, I can see that she is not depriving herself of anything.  I appreciated that while the character was a vegan, she didn't get preachy about it.  An added bonus was the recipes in the back of this book that looked amazing!!!
What I Was Mixed About:
Zoe:
It was strange to me that I was apathetic towards the main character in the story.  I think it is because, as the story is told in the first person, it is hard to see if Zoe has any faults.  She seemed a little too perfect.  Yes, she made mistakes and assumptions that came back to bite her at the end of the story.  But she didn't seem to have any traits that needed improving.  Usually the main character changes over the story, but I didn't see any transformation in Zoe other than needing to be more careful in the future about trusting others.

Despite this, it is a fun book that has a lot of yummy recipes and a mystery that brings the characters from Paris to Portland, and back.  It satisfied my appetite for mystery, and romance, and left me wanting to read more of this series in the future.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30351988-the-elusive-elixir?ac=1&from_search=true

https://www.amazon.com/Elusive-Elixir-Accidental-Alchemist-Mystery/dp/0738742368/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480183539&sr=8-1&keywords=the+elusive+elixir

https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Elusive-Elixir/9780738742366http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-elusive-elixir-gigi-pandian/1123810861?ean=9780738742366

Rating: 


 
Release Date:  January 8th, 2017

 Genre:  Contemporary Mystery

 Source:  NetGalley

 Format:  ARC E-Book

 Recommendation:  If you enjoy mysteries, this will be a fun series to follow.
 
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Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Book Review: The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22351151-the-accidental-alchemist?from_search=true

Synopsis (From GoodReads):
When Zoe Faust--herbalist, alchemist, and recent transplant to Portland, Oregon--begins unpacking her bags, she can't help but notice she's picked up a stow away: a living, breathing, three-and-half-foot gargoyle. Dorian Robert-Houdin is no simple automaton, nor is he a homunculus; in fact, he needs Zoe's help to decipher a centuries-old text that explains exactly what he is. Zoe, who's trying to put her alchemical life behind her, isn't so sure she can help. But after a murder victim is discovered on her front porch, Zoe realized she's tangled up in ancient intrigue that can't be ignored.

Review:
I first became aware of author Gigi Pandian when I saw the cover for her book, The Elixir Of Life, on NetGalley.  The description look intriguing, so I asked to be approved to review the book.  I had no idea it was the third book in a series.  But the writing and story were such that it didn't really matter.  I enjoyed the book and hurried to my library  to find the first two books.  The Accidental Alchemist is the first book in the series, and I loved it. 

What I Liked:
Characters:
Zoe:
As a person who was over 300 years old, Zoe had a lot of perspective when she thought on how to live her life.  I loved how she was so deliberate with her health and eating.  It was a recipe for how anyone could be healthy.  I liked that the book showed a vegan lifestyle, but was not preachy about it.

Zoe also had trouble finding a way to connect with people.  She was weary of becoming close to others as she has lost so many loved ones over the years.  I really rooted for her to make friends and have a fulfilling life.
 
Dorian:
Dorian is a gargoyle who has come to life.  He is also a gourmand.  He does find ways to connect with people (blind people can't judge him for being made of stone), and enjoy life through creating beautiful meals for others.  I felt connected to Dorian, as I love to cook for the same reason.  Seeing others look forward to and enjoy my cooking gives me such satisfaction.  Dorian is there to show Zoe how to live. 

The Kid:
Brixton was a latch-key kid that Zoe comes to care about over the course of the story.  It is questionable if he can really be trusted with Zoe and Dorian's secrets, but that's what is fun about this character.  He also changes and matures in the book, something I adored.


Setting:
I have never been to Portland, but this book makes me want to visit there as soon as possible  (actually, I have a relative who just moved there, so I think I really may go there soon)!  I liked that Zoe's neighborhood was like a small town in the midst of a large city.  The minor characters and shops added to the charm of the book.  This is a neighborhood where I would envision going shopping and hanging out at all the cool cafes.

Recipes:
I have not tried the recipes yet, but I have looked them over and they seem easy to make, healthy, and delicious.  If you Google Gigi Pandian, you can find the recipes online.  These added to the fun of the book.  I just wish they would have included more recipes.  Every time Dorian cooked, I was drooling over the descriptions.
 
What I Didn't Like: 
The Mystery:  
It may seem strange that I wouldn't like this, being that the mystery to be solved is supposed to be the main point of this kind of novel.  But, while I found the actual mystery to have little to do with Zoe or Dorian, I felt it was a minor problem with the book. 

There could have been ways to tie them in, but it was not to be.  So why have it happen at all?  Anyone could have solved this crime.  There was actually plenty of possible mysteries that could have involved the main characters:  a person from Zoe's past, more about the book that Dorian needs to cure him, etc.  I think there are future adventures where the main characters really matter to the story.  But in this particular book, character development seemed to be the first priority.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22351151-the-accidental-alchemist?from_search=true

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-accidental-alchemist-gigi-pandian/1119693774?ean=9780738741840

https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Alchemist-Mystery/dp/0738741841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482262727&sr=8-1&keywords=the+accidental+alchemist

http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Accidental-Alchemist-Gigi-Pandian/9780738741840?ref=grid-view
 
 
Rating: 
 



Release Date: January 8th, 2015

Genre:  Mystery

Source:  Public Library

Format:  Paperback Book

Recommendation:  This is a worthy start to this series.  Read it and be inspired to eat and live well!
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