“I’ve never read anything quite like Alchemy of Secrets – it’s full of adventure and magic and quirky twists will keep you guessing until the very last line.”
– Jodi Picoult
Alchemy of Secrets By Stephanie Garber will be published in hardback by GOLLANCZ on the 7th October 2025.
In a world that can be a bit much there is nothing I love more than escaping into a book, and, damn, does Stephenie Garber let you escape. Alchemy of Secrets is much anticipated and I was honoured to receive a copy. This book feels like the perfect autumn read. Partly set in a university class about urban legends and myths, you feel like you are immersed in a magical world. It is full of adventure as you are taken on a tension-filled treasure hunt through Los Angeles.
Set in old Hollywood, it is full of the glamour you would expect. I found it an enchanting read with a whole lot of twists. With first-class world building, characters that you will love and be frustrated by, and an original story that sweeps you away, Alchemy of Secrets is a stunner.
I love the way Stephanie Garber writes. Her books are highly addictive and fast paced. I was completely gripped through this book. It ends in a bit of a cliffhanger and is full of glorious lore. I can’t wait for book two.
It starts with a class in an old movie theatre.
Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, taught by a woman called the Professor.
Most students believe the Professor’s stories are just fiction. There isn’t a man in Hollywood who you can call to find out the time you’ll die. There’s not a haunted hotel bar in Los Angeles that the devil likes to frequent. There’s no such thing as magic.
But . . . most students don’t have the same tragic past as Holland St. James.
Now a graduate student, Holland is hoping to use her thesis to rewrite her past by proving that some of the most infamous deaths in old Hollywood were actually murders committed by the devil. She has no idea that this quest will lead her into a deadly world of century-old secrets and unimaginable lies and onto the path of two very dangerous men, both of whom are willing to do whatever it takes to find a magic that will either forever alter Holland’s life or completely destroy it.
Alchemy of Secrets is the first adult novel from global fantasy phenomenon Stephanie Garber, the multimillion-copy bestselling author of the Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart series.
About the author:
Stephanie Garber is the No. 1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of the Caraval series and the Once Upon a Broken Heart series. Her books have been published in thirty languages.