Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber (Oct 7, 2025) Thank you, @flatironbooks for the gifted advanced digital copy!
Holland St. James has always believed in magic, and she’s loving the course Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, taught by an enigmatic professor. In each class, they go over both popular and obscure legends that the professor attributes to magic. Unlike many in the class, Holland thinks they are true. Then she recognizes one of the professor’s stories and encounters the Watch Man, who is said to be able to tell you, to the minute, when you will die. And for Holland, the answer is midnight the following day. Her only chance to prevent it is to find a mysterious and elusive object called the Alchemical Heart. Racing against time, Holland is tracking clues through Los Angeles, unsure who she can trust, and running out of time.
Yep, I loved everything about this one. It had cool dark academia vibes, intertwined with LA’s rich Hollywood history and the fantasy of magic hiding in plain sight. The story felt really timeless, with the inclusion of LA’s architecture, the Hollywood studios, and the way Garber describes the magical elements we discover along the way. The thriller-like pacing was also fantastic – racing to find clues across the city before your time is up, knowing the whole time that those around you may have motives and interests not aligned to your own. Knowing there is a second book, this one did a great job of wrapping up enough of the story to feel satisfying while still leaving us plenty to look forward to in the future.
🎧 Audiobook Thoughts: Sutton Foster, who I LOVE but had never heard narrate anything other than Older. Older is the sequel to Younger, the TV show in which she starred (yeah, you need to watch that). She was fantastic in this performance, and she had a lot of characters she needed to develop. (10h 6m)
Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🎧 Audio performance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Book Smart Kate 