Madly

August 31, 2015
The gathering of potion ingredients is at the center of this fantasy romance from Alward (author of The Oathbreaker's Shadow, writing as Amy McCulloch). Samantha Kemi is part of a long line of alchemists, but her family's business is failing because of competitive synthetic potions. When Sam's country's princess, Evelyn, aims a love spell incorrectly (she falls in love with herself), a centuries-old tradition of alchemical competition is invoked, and Sam must travel around the world figuring out and collecting the ingredients for the antidote. Unfortunately, Evelyn's major suitor, Zain Aster, is also Sam's business rival, and he seems to be interested in more than just Sam's potions. Sadly, their romance is somewhat unconvincing, and the characters are entirely at the mercy of the plot. For instance, a scene in which Sam administers a truth serum to her grandfather over the breakfast table finishes not with recriminations, even though truth potions are illegal, but with everyone (including the grandfather) applauding Sam's gumption; the narrative supports whatever Sam does, however wrong, to keep events moving. Ages 12âup. Agent: Juliet Mushens, Agency Group.

July 15, 2015
Though her family's come down in the world, one apprentice alchemist must save the princess-and the kingdom. It's the 21st century in the kingdom of Nova, an analog England with both computer engineers and alchemists. Samantha Kemi's family had once been Nova's most renowned alchemists, but now it's all synthetic potions and megapharmacies. Modern alchemy is dominated by the superrich Asters, the Kemis' enemies-though gorgeous Zain Aster is quite friendly. Perhaps he's smitten with Samantha, though the gossip rags believe Zain adores Princess Evelyn. The princess (whose thoughts burst into Sam's first-person narrative as interludes) prepares a forbidden love potion to make sure of him, with results both hilarious and dire. All the best Novaen alchemists race to find the ingredients for Evelyn's cure, while a thinly drawn and cackling villain aims to defeat all the competitors. Sam, superbly talented at potions, finds each ingredient by traveling to a series of dodgy stereotypes: Bharat, where a voiceless woman in a sari serves curry and "exotic-looking fruit"; the mountains of the abominables, where Sam and her companions get their "very own Sherpa"; and dry, poor Zambi, where she bribes a corrupt guard while avoiding crocs and lions. Throughout her quest, Sam's constant awareness of alchemical principles is lovely, adding flavor to balance all the flat characters. Charming and humorous but for the shopworn depictions of exotic foreigners. (Fantasy. 12-14)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2015

Gr 7 Up-Samantha Kemi is destined to a life mixing potions in her family's famous but failing potion shop, until the royal princess swallows poison and Sam must compete in a Wilde Hunt to save her life. The Hunt challenges the best Mixers and Finders in the kingdom to create an antidote for a chance at a huge cash prize. Sam joins the tournament against her granddad's wishes, hoping to save the family business. She travels the globe and faces dangerous creatures to secure the necessary ingredients. Along the way, Emilia Thoth, exiled sister of the king, does her best to thwart the battling teams so she can claim the throne, but Sam soon finds out that her real competition is Zain Aster, heir to the Zoro Aster synthetic potion corporation. Zain reveals he has feelings for Sam, but she struggles to trust him as her family's business hangs in the balance. With so many plot elements to introduce, this work gets off to a clunky start, but Alward (pen name for Amy McCulloch) soon wins readers over with fast-paced adventure, high stakes, and just the right mixture of action, romance, and humor. Princess Evelyn, who has fallen in love with herself through some sloppy potion handling, steals the show with a series of hilariously perverse love scenes. The lighthearted fantasy universe mingles the contemporary and the classic, and teens will gladly suspend disbelief long enough to follow Sam on this journey and the sequels that are sure to come. VERDICT A fun read for fans who like their romance served with a big helping of magic.-Kimberly Ventrella, Southwest Oklahoma City Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2015
Grades 8-10 Samantha Kemi knows that potions are tricky things. Once her family was famed for being the best alchemists around, but with the rise of synthetic potions, true alchemists are all but obsolete. But when Princess Evelyn mixes an illicit love potion, to disastrous results, it's up to Sam to find a cure, save the princess, and restore her family's glory. There's just one problem: as she sets off on a dangerous journey for the potion's ingredients, she keeps stumbling upon Zain Aster, heir to the synthetic alchemy empire and the intended recipient of Princess Evelyn's ill-begotten love potion. Sam knows they should be enemiesif only he wasn't so cute. The budding romance between Zain and Sam isn't as charged as it could have been, though this is only the first book of a planned trilogy. Still, Sam's struggles to prove herself while handling her relationships with friends and family, her practical internal monologue, and a world where ordinary people intermingle with magical ones and alchemy make this a highly enjoyable read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)