Well, what a way to start 2020 with a disappointment. The first book in this duology was an entertaining read, although a very cliché one and without any surprises and I was set on finishing it. But this final novel was just...I don't know, poorly done? It started out ok, with our protagonists trying to figure out how to break the curse, Taylor having the much-needed training she required, Sasha trying to be useful (and failing, because really, all he's good for is dying), and finally, FINALLY, our bad guy revealing himself and his motivations (which were weak and doesn't tie up with what we're shown in book one regarding the Winters' Curse) - there was a lot more action here, but, especially towards the end, they were all 'warning shots' and ways to stall our MCs and create more pages to a very unnecessarily long book.

Taylor has a good development here, but without much training (I mean, two weeks, and very recently she couldn't even lift a stone) she's suddenly able to do this very powerful stuff. Sasha, as I said, is good for dying, period. He doesn't add much for the story or the plans to defeat Mortimer except being his impulsive, angry-self, and his driving abilities. Taylor and Sasha's romance is so poorly done and built that it is cringy. Their lines and moments are just...ugh, no. Louisa, along with a very good addition in the form of Alaister, though a very interesting character, gets very few moments to shine - but the ones she gets are the best out of the book, including the couple scenes (WAY more chemistry and emotion in a single scene than Taylor and Sasha in two books).

I also have to point all the very cliché and kind of childish dialogues, especially towards the end. Which, by the way, is awful. It's poorly done, it's messy, it's simplistic and lacks courage. There's no life-changing or surprising plot twist and the one the authors try to spring on us is literally that - it's tossed on the reader without ANY development and we're left to wonder when, where, why it happened at all. There's a lot left unexplained and will remain this way since there are no plans for a third novel. I was really upset, because at times this seemed promising, even if for entertainment value alone, but now not even for that. I really wanted to start my reading year with a high note, but alas.

I'm so glad I got this book when it came out. The Alchemist Chronicles are fun, interesting, and don't rest on the laurels of a played out genre. Daugherty and Rozenfeld are brave in their choices and you can see the way that their co-writing pushes them. I love it!

The Secret City is the second book of the Alchemist Chronicles written by authors C.J. Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld. The series is a young adult fantasy series based around alchemy and curses. In the first book we met Taylor Montclair and Sacha Winters who lived in different countries but had met online when their teachers set them up for tutoring sessions. Taylor was an overachiever student who took the assignment for the extra credit and Sacha was slacking off in school but it’s found that is because he had found out he was cursed and set to die on his eighteenth birthday.

Taylor had vowed to help Sacha break his curse before his upcoming birthday when they found out that it was Taylor’s ancestor that had placed the curse and both of them were the thirteenth child in their respective bloodlines and that the curse should end this generation after Sacha’s death. Taylor also finds that she herself is an alchemist and now with this story picking up right where the first book left off Taylor is beginning to study her abilities at Oxford’s St Wilfred’s College where the two had fled.

The Secret City was actually a great continuation of a story that I found quite interesting. The story grew quite nicely in this second edition adding in other characters into the mix to help Taylor and Sacha and keeping up quite a bit of action all throughout. There was a budding romance between the main characters but thankfully it was just left to grow over the course of the books and not the usual insta-love found in this genre.

The one thing I did find with this second installment was that having been over a year since reading the first book I felt it lacked reminding the reader what had progressed in the first book. I could remember liking the story and characters but the way it jumped right in I ended up going back and giving the first book a quick reread. But that’s really a small complaint leaving me rating this book at 4.5 stars and looking forward to reading if the story continues.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Worum es geht:
Wenn ein Fluch dein Schicksal ist, vertrau‘ auf die Liebe! Taylor und Sacha haben im St. Wilfred College Zuflucht gefunden. Hier sucht man fieberhaft nach einer Möglichkeit, die furchterregenden Todbringer zu vernichten. Nur noch wenige Tage bleiben bis zu Sachas 18. Geburtstag, dem Tag, an dem er sterben wird, falls die zwei es nicht schaffen, den uralten Fluch zu bezwingen. Ein Wettlauf gegen die Zeit, der von Sacha und Taylor verlangt, sich dem zu stellen, was sie am meisten fürchten, um nicht zu verlieren, was sie am meisten lieben.
[Quelle: Verlag]

Was ich über ... denke:

... die Geschichte und die Welt...:
Die Geschichte konnte mich wieder von Anfang an fesseln. Wäre ich nicht in einer Leseflaute gewesen, hätte ich das Buch sicher innerhalb von einem Tag durchgesuchtet.
Wie schon im ersten Band fand ich die Magie/Alchemie wieder total faszinierend und habe mich grade darüber gefreut, dass man noch viel Neues darüber lernt.

... die Charaktere...:
Taylor mochte ich schon im ersten Teil wirklich gerne und vor allem ihre Entwicklung von dem schüchternen "Streber" zu einer toughen jungen Frau im ersten Band fand ich interessant.
Diese Entwicklung zieht sich auch im zweiten Band weiter. Sie wird immer selbstbewusster und man merkt, dass sie auch ein ganzes Eck erwachsener wird.
Auch ihre Verbindung zu Sacha wird immer intensiver und sie öffnet sich auch anderen Menschen - hier insbesondere Louisa und Allastair - gegenüber immer mehr.
Egal wie aussichtslos eine Situation auch zu sein scheint, Taylor gibt nie auf und setzt alles daran die Menschen zu retten, die sie liebt.
Auch Sacha entwickelt sich weiter. Die Hoffnung, die Taylor ihm gibt, dass er seinen 18. Geburtstag überleben könnte, verändert ihn.
Statt immer nur Scheiße zu bauen und alles an sich vorbei ziehen zu lassen hat er endlich ein Ziel, für das es sich zu kämpfen lohnt - und genau das macht Sacha, er kämpft dafür, eine neue Chance zu bekommen und zu überleben.
Schon om erste Teil fand ich die Verbindung zwischen Taylor und Sacha äußerst faszinierend. Keine Insta-Lovestory, sondern etwas ganz anderes, was auch über den Fluch hinausgeht.
Die Richtung, in die sich die Verbindung der beiden entwickelt hat mir wirklich gut gefallen.
Auch in diesem Band mochte ich von den Nebencharakteren vor allem Louisa. Ich finde sie einfach total interessant und finde es fast schade, dass man doch recht wenig über sie erfährt. Ich hoffe ja ehrlich gesagt, dass es entweder eine Art Spin-Off mit Louisa als Protagonistin oder zumindest eine Kurzgeschichte über ihr Leben gibt.

... der Schreibstil...:
Lässt sich super gut lesen, da es absolut flüssig und spannend geschrieben ist.

... das Cover...:
Finde ich sogar noch schöner als das vom ersten Band. Was vor allem daran liegt, dass türkis meine absolute Lieblingsfarbe ist und grade dieses Metallictürkis ist einfach toll.
Zudem gefällt es mir, wie gut die beiden Teile zusammenpassen.

Was mir am besten gefallen hat:
Die Story, die Charaktere und vor allem die Magie/Alchemie fand ich total faszinierend.

Was mir nicht gefallen hat:
In der Mitte hat sich die Story ein kleines bisschen gezogen, zumindest kam es mir so vor. Vielleicht kommt diese Wahrnehmung aber auch davon, dass ich noch in einer Leseflaute gesteckt habe, als ich das Buch gelesen habe.

Bewertung: 4,5 von 5 Sternen
Alles in allem hat mir dieser zweite Teil wieder wirklich gut gefallen und das Ende finde ich sehr gelungen.
Ich kann diese Dilogie wirklich nur empfehlen!

Short English review:
I loved the second book in this duology just as much as the first one.
The story was gripping, I loved the characters, especially Taylor, Sasha and Louisa and the chemistry between Taylor and Sacha. They are just a perfect match in my opinion.
I'm kind of sad, that we did not learn as much about Louisas past as I wish, but I kind of hope for a novella or a spin-off series surrounding her.
I also love the aspect of magic/alchemy and would love to learn even more about it as it is quite fascinating for me.

Bookouture and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Secret City. This is my honest opinion of the book.

The Secret City follows immediately after The Secret Fire, which is book one in this series. After the Bringers attacked, Taylor Montclair and Sacha Winters joined hands and crushed them. They now live at St. Wilfred's College for their safekeeping, as there are many at the school that know and have the power that Taylor can wield. The curse of Sasha's family line means that he only has days left to live, if only Taylor can learn enough to be able to stop it. When an attack by Mortimer Pierce, a dark practitioner with past ties to the school, leaves St. Wilfred's in a precarious position, will his demonic connections bring down Taylor, Sacha, and the rest on the side of light? When an important discovery is made, will it ultimately save them all or doom them?

With a fast paced plot and good characters, The Secret City is a fantasy with many thrilling moments. Sacha and Taylor end up on a quest to break the curse, with the help of Louisa, Alastair, and the rest of their allies at St. Wilfred's. The ending begs for another sequel, as I feel there is more of the story to explore. I would recommend reading the series in order, as The Secret City builds on the first book.