Alkrem
by Marta Palazzesi, Christopher Turner (translator)

4 out of 5 stars

On his birthday Theo discovers that he was abandoned as a baby by Alkrem wizards trying to save his life from the Archemist government who imprisoned and executed all the Alkrem years before. Theo was adopted by Chimius, who raised him as an Archemist wizard in Paris. The Archemists hate the Alkrem and blame them for the constant war against Negato monsters that roam the countryside. At midnight on his birthday, Theo’s magic animal companion appears on his doorstep, confirming that he is indeed an Alkrem wizard. His animal companion is a ferocious and powerful Fire Fox, a rare animal even among Alkrem. The Archemists get wind of an Alkrem boy in the city, and Chimius is arrested after being wounded by a mysterious wizard named only the Shadow. Now Theo and his Fire Fox travel to the secret city of the Alkrem, hoping to find the only magic item that can cure Chimius’s wounds, the legendary and dangerous Alkrexa, a weapon that also has the power to heal.

I was fascinated with the magic system in this fantasy world, where they have different potions that are activated by being combined with power from their swords. They pour a potion on the ground, and then dip their sword into it, and flames or ice or mist or something magical will emerge to paralyze their enemies or burn the Negato monsters to ash.

I really liked the world-building and all the history of the Alkrem and the Archemists, and how they used to be allies against the Negato, but then the government framed the Alkrem for all these attacks and they’ve been at war ever since. You could really see how the war has taken its toll on both Alkrem and Archemists, as their social hierarchies begin to collapse, and they start to realize that they are all just regular people with families they want to protect.

The plot is really exciting, and it keeps you guessing as Theo learns more about the past and about the Alkrem. He has to follow the clues to find the legendary Alkrexa, and he finds out how deep the lies go into the corrupt government of the Archemists.

However, I just didn’t connect with the characters that much. The supporting characters are fine, and Theo does have some really good character development and depth. I loved the sarcastic remarks from Theo’s cat friend, Fuse. Really funny writing! And there is a lot of pathos as Theo deals with the tragedy of war, so the writing also deals with serious subjects. Maybe something just got lost in translation though, because I just didn’t really care about the characters. I can’t exactly pinpoint why, but I didn’t have an emotional connection there.

The end papers have a map of the secret city of the Alkrem, which I thought was a really cool detail in the design of the book.

This book has been screened for profanity and violence on the Screen It First website. https://screenitfirst.com/book/alkrem-2593047

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.