I’m thrilled to say I have The Dark Alchemist by Rhys A Jones on the blog today. With thanks to SpellBound Books and ZooLoo’s Book Tours for my copy of the book to give you my unbiased review.
The difference between sorcery and science is only a matter of knowledge.
After hearing ghostly footsteps in the creaky old house he shares with his widowed mother, 13-year-old Oscar (Oz) Chambers sets out to investigate the strange historical artefacts his dad was so obsessed with.
Oz juggles his unhappy school life with his mother’s paralysing grief, but when accusations reveal a murky secret surrounding his dad’s death, Oz, supported by his loyal friends, becomes ever more determined to learn why so many people are keen to get the Chambers out of the house.
Caught between a desperate need to clear his father’s name and not upset his fragile mother, Oz quickly learns that there are those who will stop at nothing to get what they want. He must trust in himself and all that he believes in to survive the dark forces intent on his destruction, convinced that the answer lies somewhere within the house.
A truth that could change him, and the world he lives in, for ever.
I am a big fan of young adult fantasy tales. When I saw the cover for The Dark Alchemist, that was enough to make me want to read it. The blurb just finished it off.
This is a book that’s perfect for this time of year. We meet thirteen year old Oz, who lives in a creaky old house, with his grief stricken mum. Following his dad’s death he has been unsuccessfully balancing his unhappy school life with dealing with his mums grief.
One day he hears ghostly footsteps in the house which leads him and his loyal friends on a mission to clear his dad’s name and discover why so many people are trying to get him and his mum out of their house. What he hasn’t bargained for are the dark forces that will do anything to make sure he doesn’t survive!
A young adult fantasy that Rhys A Jones has so skilfully weaved. Any teenager who loves their fantasy stories should enjoy this tale. The characters are so well rounded, Ioved Oz, a boy who’s is dealing with the death if his father, school and his mother’s grief too. He is determined nothing will stop him to find the truth. I was captivated while reading this, I am a big kid at heart and love a good fantasy.
The setting was so vividly described I could see it in my mind, I was transported to Oz’s world so easily and spent a good few hours feeling like I was by his side with his friends. This is a key ingredient to a great fantasy and the author has nailed it. I loved the dark edge to the story, that had me so intrigued with what would happen next. The pages almost turned themselves as I was so involved in this boy’s mission.
Every character was different and played a unique part in the plot, this added depth to the story. The sense of evil is apparent as the story unfolds and the magic is what finishes it of. A dark fantasy tale that I would definitely recommend for older teens and anyone who enjoys reading this genre.
Buy Links – https://geni.us/Y0ZfMQ
Author Bio
Rhys A Jones grew up in a mining village in South Wales with his nose in a book and his head in the clouds. He managed to subdue his imagination long enough to carve out a career in medicine, writing whenever the chance arose.
In 1994, writing as Dylan Jones, he published his first scary book for adults, a thriller, which was subsequently made into a two-part film by the BBC called Thicker than Water.
But his love of children’s stories never left him ever since he read Ronald Welch’s Gauntlet as a young boy. Inspired by fantasy, Rhys has gone on to write The Merryweather mysteries featuring a boy and his more-than-meets-the-eye Granny Merryweather. The Curse of Wihtlea Barrows (previously the Dreables) and The Curse of Borage Doone have now been completed with the third in the series entitled The Curse of Ragman’s Hollow.
For slightly older readers, The Dark Alchemist is the first in the Wonderworking quintet from Spellbound Books about 12-year-old Oz Chambers whose family inherits a ‘haunted’ house. His mother wants to leave, but Oz wants to unlock the house’s mysteries and uncovers a secret that will change his life forever.
Rhys also writes fantasy books for adults as DC Farmer and thrillers as Dylan Young and. More recently, Rhys Dylan.
When not writing he walks the dog on the mountains of darkest West Wales with his understanding (very) wife.
Follow him at:
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 