A Forbidden Alchemy

by Stacey McEwan · 2026

When twelve‑year‑old Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are plucked from their bleak mining towns and thrust into the glittering, magic‑driven world of Belavere City, each dreams of a different future. Nina longs to become an Artisan, a rare elemental mage who shapes the city’s destiny, while Patrick hopes only to reunite with his family of Craftsmen who labor in the mines. Together they uncover a shattering truth: Artisans aren’t born, they’re chosen. The secret tears them apart, sending Nina down a path to elite status as a coveted earth‑charmer and Patrick back to the underground, where a Craftsman revolt erupts. Years later, the war between the privileged Artisans and the oppressed Craftsmen explodes. Captured by Patrick’s rebel faction, Nina is forced to confront the past and the simmering spark between them. As they plot a daring mission that could topple Belavere’s hierarchy, love, loss, and betrayal collide in a slow‑burn romance set against a vivid, class‑riven fantasy landscape.