Chantress Alchemy
(Chantress Trilogy #2)
by
Amy Butler Greenfield
Pub May 6th 2014
by Margaret K McElderry Books
eARC for Review
Summary
Lucy races against time and magic in this sequel to the “richly and thoughtfully written” (Publishers Weekly) Chantress.
Lucy is the last Chantress, the only remaining girl who can sing magic into the world. Since she defeated the evil Lord Scargrave, England has changed—and not for the better. With crops failing and the people rebelling, Lucy is called urgently back to King Henry’s court. His Inner Council is convinced that making gold through alchemy will save England. But a critical element to the alchemical process has been stolen. Lucy is tasked with finding it with her magic… or else. And until she succeeds, the castle is on lockdown.
Court too has changed. Scargrave's brutal Chantress-hunter has become King Henry's closest advisor. Lucy’s beloved Nat has fallen out of favor and is shunned by his colleagues; their romance means trouble for both of them. Worst of all, something goes wrong with Lucy’s magic. The palace is a labyrinth, and there’s a monster at its heart — a monster who may have the power to defeat Lucy once and for all.
Amy Butler Greenfield returns to the beguiling world of Chantress for a suspenseful tale of courtly intrigue, music, and magic in Chantress Alchemy.
Lindy's Thoughts
The Chantress Trilogy continues to enchant me and weave me under it's magic spell. As much as I enjoyed Chantress, I loved Chantress Alchemy even more! Lucy is a Chantress, who's strong magic has been inherited and passed down through all of the women on her mother's side of the family. Everything around her has a song, and when she performs her magic, she listens very carefully, and sings the song that calls to her. Lucy has been living peacefully with Norrie, away from Greenwich Palace, until she gets an urgent summons from the king. He needs her help locating a magical instrument that is thought to be able to assist in the making of gold through alchemy. The people of England are starving, as the wheat crops are not surviving, and with starvation comes civil unrest and rebellion.
Unfortunately, when Lucy returns to the castle, she discovers that her magic abilities have disappeared. However, she can not let others know about this because, Lord Wrexham, who has become the King's right hand man, is quick to accuse her of not being loyal to the King if she doesn't help. While at court, it becomes difficult to tell who is friend and who is foe, and it becomes obvious that there are those working to overthrow the king. To top it off, Nat, Lucy's love interest, is acting distant with her.
Chantress Alchemy was full of suspense and plot twists. This story kept my attention from beginning to end. I wanted to know what had happened to Lucy's magic, and if she would be able to get it back. She met so many interesting people at court, and I found myself questioning who was really her friend and who was deceiving her.
I missed the closeness that Lucy and Nat had shared in book one. However, we were introduced to a few new characters that I found interesting; one of my favorites being Sybil. She was a fun character, and was very knowledgable about alchemy and Chantress magic. I couldn't stand Lord Wrexham, and really despised his character. It was obvious that he was a master manipulator, and I wanted everyone around him, especially the king, to take notice.
I loved the setting of 17th Century England, mixed with magic and fantasy, which created a unique and intriguing foundation for the story. I have never read a story like this one before. I loved learning more about alchemy, Flamel, and the "Sorcerer's Stone," the invisible college, and much more. I think young adults, as well as adults, who like historical fiction combined with fantasy, will enjoy the Chantress Trilogy. I give Chantress Alchemy, by Amy Butler Greenfield, 4 Magical, Intriguing, and Suspenseful Stars!
My Favorite Quotes
"No one knew better than I that the ocean could sing a thousand songs: music to cradle me, music to drown me, music to call up waves and tides and storms. I was a Chantress, after all." (eARC, Loc. 35)~Lucy
"Time is often the friend of truth." (eARC, Loc. 1177)
~Penebrygg
"A rich prison, this, with gilded ornaments and a warm fire burning, yet the very tapestries on the walls seemed to smother me." (eARC, Loc. 2369)
~Lucy
The Way Ria See's It
I have been waiting for this book for quite some time!! Again Ms. Butler picks the worlds most beautiful cover!! Three Cheers…Now for the part I wish I could avoid, I fear Chantress Alchemy suffered a bit of a sophomore slump for me.
:( Not enough for me to stop reading it or dislike it in anyway…Its just…well I wanted more ya know?! I fell in absolute LOVE with Chantresses and their powers and the lore. Lucy’s battle in the last leaves her without “proven” magic and she has to turn to “wild” magic which she has been told will betray you when you least expect it. I wanted her to grow, to learn, and even to restore what was lost to her…sigh. I also wanted more magic I suppose, though the mystery element was phenomenal I had a slight suspicion but Ms Butler plays everything out perfectly and the scoundrel is brought to justice. I was kept guessing throughout the entire novel!! I’m now going to die some more till I can get my hands on the 3rd…Oh yes its coming! Again NO Cliffhanger but the ending was heartbreaking with a bit of hope and I’m dying and praying that Nat and Lucy both reach and excel all expectations.
C-alm, Lucy has been away working on regaining what has been lost.
H-elp, with Norrie looking after her Lucy has had much needed support.
A-bandon, Lucy has not heard from her beloved Nat, this confuses her deeply.
N-ews, loyal riders come to retrieve Lucy her magic is sorely needed the fate of the kingdom resides with this.
T-hief, Lucy has been tasked with finding the traitor or else.
R-eassert, Lucy knows something is terribly wrong, she must use her wits and decide who she can trust.
E-vade, an evil cruel man will try to bring Lucy down, his hatred runs deep and everyone refuses to see it.
S-cience, the small council has turned to an easy solution while everyone discounts Nat, he will pursue the truest path.
S-ever, the King cares for Lucy but he agrees she is to be married to her worst nightmare. The decision is not in her own hands as much as who the King marries is in his.
A-dmonish, Nat does not trust anyone he will beseech Lucy to do the same. The secrets continue to grow.
L-ies, Wrexham’s hold on the king continues to grow as does his poison against Lucy.
C-risis, attempted murder runs ramped now an innocent stands to hang, everything seems to have spiraled out of control.
H-ope, a lost secret comes to light, this is just what Lucy has been looking for perhaps her magic can be saved through this small act.
E-lixir, the true plan reveals itself Lucy must face a great danger with determination as her only weapon she will see to victory.
M-istakes, Nat knows the truth of the situation he will do what it takes to not make them again, even if he has to destroy his own heart to see it through.
Y-earning, Lucy has what she desires but a piece of her has broken away she doesn’t understand why with all her freedom and all her power she still feels so alone.
Sigh..The ending didn’t have a cliffhanger but it did have some heart break. I’m a fan of Ms Butlers writing and world building she has done a magnificent job of pulling us into this magical time yet again. We are introduced to new characters, ones to despise, and ones to love, and some to not be… quite sure of till the end. I want MORE!! I want to find out what happened to Lucy’s mother and father. I want Lucy to embrace all of her awesomeness and never let anyone eff with her ever again! NAT! sigh I want so much for him even though he lets me down a bit in this installment I want him to burst through his shell in the next. YA to the core the romance element is again not the main focus, which is totally cool! Chantress Alchemy had intrigue mystery deception and betrayal! It was Yummy I love this series even though I would've liked to have seen some things differently I CANNOT recommend this enough!! It truly is magical!!
My Rating
4.0 Ocean Mist, Famine, Boudicca, Crucible, S’s Stone, Poison, Perfume Water, Choking, Sabotage, Betrothal, Prison, Pearl Ring, Elixir, Water Fall, Potatoes, Dance, Gabriel, Kings Envoy, Silent Promise Filled Stars!! If you love Magic then You will LOVE THIS SERIES! Its absolutely ENCHANTING!!!! Eeeeep I cant’ wait to see how it all ends in Chantress Trilogy #3!! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!
About The Author
Amy Butler Greenfield was on her way to a history Ph.D. when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Among other honors, her books have won a PEN/Albrand Award, the Veolia Prix du Livre Environnement, and a Beacon of Freedom Award.
Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State and went to Williams College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a Marshall Scholar at Oxford, she studied Renaissance Europe, imperial Spain, and colonial Latin America. She now lives with her family on the edge of the Cotswolds in England, where she writes, reads, and bakes double-dark-chocolate cake.
She loves music, romantic adventure, history, quirky science, and suspense, which explains how she came to write her first YA novel, Chantress. Her next book, Chantress Alchemy, will be published in May 2014.
