Book Review: Alchemy of Secrets – Stephanie Garber

By: Phoenix G., Grade 8

WOW. It felt like I was being slapped with something new as soon as I thought I understood what was happening– and that’s just a part of the magic that Stephanie Garber always delivers. I was in fact staring at my shelf of hardcovers and thinking how much I didn’t want to be disappointed by my literal favorite author ever, and alas, my heart can be set to ease. 

In the Alchemy of Secrets, the protagonist, Holland St. James takes a class on folklore that isn’t seen in the general course catalog, and can only be discovered by word. Driven by the need to prove the stories she hears to be true, she pays a visit to the Watchman; the Watchman, according to the professor’s stories, will tell you the time of which you will die. With her date for the night, they go together and just as the Watchman says, he dies the same night following his failure to pursue his task for more time. Not soon after, Holland receives her own time of death– one minute before midnight on Halloween. Unless she is able to find the Alchemical Heart, an object so powerful, it could cut all magic off. 

January, Holland’s sister abroad in Spain, sends Gabe Cabral to essentially keep her alive. However, Adam Bishop was allegedly also sent to keep her alive. One of them is lying. Both want the Alchemical Heart for unknown reasons. She can’t navigate the new world on her own, especially on a ticking clock, and she must choose the right person to help her. 

Holland traverses through the new worlds of magic as she learns the darker side of the world she was closest to. Her dad soon proves to be a vital part of the search, and in the process, Holland is able to learn a lot about the family she didn’t get nearly enough time with. 

Much like Garber’s other books, Alchemy of Secrets is beautifully written. It flows so smoothly, and it feels as if there will never be a dull moment in the book. To be honest, there are parts of this storyline that I felt like I needed to rip my head off from embarrassment, and others that just unconsciously pulled the sides of my mouth all the way up. As a new release, the world of Alchemy of Secrets is completely separate from the classic Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart series, which made many readers hesitant to step out of that rock-solid sanctuary, but I’d confidently say that it’s the best kind of difference. Her writing style is still very much the same– it still has that adventurous flow and makes you want to literally keep taping papers to the end for more, while simultaneously making you want to tear them all out. 

Part of the reason I picked this book up at the time I did was the contemporary element in this story. Set in late 2025, I feel as if it’s much easier to immerse yourself in the story if you can relate to it. That being said, I am definitely a contemporary reader, and I rarely touch on other genres, but I am so happy that I did, and this book really opened the door for other fantasy/folklore centered books. 

Read. It. If you enjoy Alchemy of Secrets, I would totally recommend Stephanie Garber’s other books–they’re what got me into reading in the first place, as well as Belladonna by Adalyn Grace & Powerless by Lauren Roberts.