That ending?? Immaculate.
The slow burn? Burning.
The plot twist at the end?? Spun my head.
I fear I will not be sane until I know how this is going to end.

If you like full metal alchemist, you'll absolutely love this book too.
The writing flows beautifully and there isnt a dull moment to be found.

“You chase love like an offering and somehow haven’t found it. Tell me, what do you think you must give to earn it?”

Well damn, I needed a night to compose myself while writing this review, I received an advanced readers copy to read and leave an unbiased reaction.

I could barely put this book down, once I started I just wished for more time to read (stupid life getting in the way). Set in a fantasy world where all the gods are presumed dead, the people are split into houses but ruled over by the Prime (head of one of the house holds). The story follows Revel on her mission to collect a god shard, kill one of the warriors who terrorise the kingdom and free her mother and sister. The characters are relatable, deep and grow with their experiences, there is trials to over come, demons and monsters to battle. All the characters stay with you, both main and side characters. Tina has brought us characters in which we can see something of ourselves and that creates a very immersive world.

Reading this book ruined me, so far it has been the best I’ve picked up this year and I am so grateful that I have had the chance to read an unfinished copy of this book. I cannot wait to read the final copy and get a shelf trophy once released in December. I cannot wait for the rest of the series in the Ruinous Fate Saga.

Loved this!

Really unique, creative magic system and intriguing world building.
Very fast paced and action packed.
It's described as dark but none of the content was off putting for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

I KNEW this was going to be one of my favourite books of all time. Tina is such a devoted lover of the genre and this really shines through in her ability to write excellent drama, pace, and characters you’ll fall in love with. The plot was clever and interesting, whilst the alchemical magic system was fascinating and easy to follow. The monsters are scary and the lore is rich and an endearing nod to Tina’s own ancestry and family. I am so thrilled this was exactly what I wanted as I’ve been desperate to read it for so long.
Our enemies to reluctant allies to…..(hehe) swept me off my feet and I just can’t get enough of tortured souls finding one another. I am pining for the next book already. Fantastic.

Thank you, .HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | Magpie and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book early in exchange of an honest review

In a world ruled by warring noble House and the tyrannical Prime, power lies in god-shards, divine fragments that grant abilities to those getting them. Revel's brother was killed in pursuit of one and when she avenged him, her whole House was destroyed, her mother and sister captured. Captured and forced to undergo trials after trials, one day Revel gets the chance of a lifetime: compete against House heirs in a bloody contest in order to reach and get a god-shard to protect her family. She will have to kill the formidable alchemist, the Warbringer to get her family's freedom.
Except the Warbringer isn't exactly as Revel imagined him and soon, involved in a dangerous race, with allies and enemies around her, Revel will have to do everything in her power to survive and to know who to trust.

I loved reading This wretched Alchemy. Set in a gladiator inspired world, with alchemy and warring House, Revel is the daughter of a destroyed House and she's a competent alchemist. She's stubborn, sarcastic, strong and intriguing. Forced to compete in a brutal race, between betrayals, allies and enemies, monsters, magic and dangerous creatures, Revel is soon torn between her family's freedom and a budding relationship with the mysterious Warbringer, in a race where nothing is certain.
This wretched alchemy is set in a complex and fascinating world, with intricate alliances, enemies to lovers, murder attempts and magic and it's incredible. This book is filled with bickering, moments where the reader is giggling and gasping, laughing and praying for more delicious torment.
A dark, epic love story, mixed with alchemy, monsters and friends and enemies, with Asian folkore and gladiator inspiration. I can't wait to read the next book!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

WHAT AN ENDING! IT BLEW MY MIND. I need to know what happens, need book 2 immediately. Overall, the story was very unique. The magic system was different. One of the best books I've read this year!

Obsessed! Right from page one you are thrown into the ruthlessness and brutality of this world! Revel is imprisoned after tragedy and is literally fighting for her life while protecting her mother and sister. In a world ruled by warring noble houses, divine fragments called “God Shards” are saught after because of the crazy abilities to whoever holds them.

Forced into a bargain to keep her family safe, Revel has to compete for the very house that imprisoned her. Shes pitted against other house heirs in a deadly contest to find a shard and to kill the Warbringer; the strongest alchemist in the realm. Her options ? Win and be free or lose and die. Her past made me so emotional the fact that she remains so strong and resilient despite everything she’s been through, the pain she’s carrying is incredible. You watch her grow throughout the book, she learns that she actually matters, that she has worth and to trust in herself and her own alchemy and strengths to overcome her past.

And then…. In comes Axus Tassian, aka the Warbringer. The exact man she’s sent to kill! But he takes an interest in her straight away, and they literally can’t seem to stay apart, all roads lead back to one another. The subtle touches, the stolen looks, their heated conversations lead to so much simmering tension and chemistry. From the very start the banter between them was top tier, and watching Axus slowly unravel before Revel was EVERYTHING, ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING! The way he stumbles through his emotions, admissions! And when the heat arrives!!!! BOY DOES IT ARRIVE!!🥵🔥🌶️!

“You are already enough” he said firmly, stepping closer. “You were enough the moment you were born into this cursed world”

“We were both women who’d believed the greatest lie of all time: We must be useful to be loved”

Tina, oh my god, at least leave me with a little bit of hope! The blend of Gladiator with Japanese and Asian folklore, myths, and legends was so clever. The fantasy elements had recognisable parts that made the world-building so easy to understand. It was an absolute page-turner from start to finish, but that cliffhanger was just plain rude—it hurt! There is going to need to be some serious healing in book two for my poor emotions. Asking for a friend... when is book two coming out?!

"He looked at me like I was his doom. And maybe I was. Maybe he was mine too."

- This Wretched Alchemy, by @tinamarsbooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️||🌶

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH WTF WAS THAT? I am UNWELL. When I tell you there were SO many quotes I highlighted in this book - and I am NOT a highlighter- I hope it conveys just how FREAKING GOOD it was. Let me tell you, you are not ready for This Wretched Alchemy. It is dark, it is twisted -  it is ELITE romantasy. Get 👏it 👏on 👏your 👏tbr 👏NOW. In fact, I must order the special edition - I need this book in every form it is available in.
The Warbringer  is exactly as deliciously dangerous as he sounds, and our girl Revel is a formidable FMC whose self doubt and imposter syndrome is relatable AF... but the book explores deeper themes than what it is on the surface- and what it is on the surface it does incredibly well: high- stakes adventure through a deadly trial where everything is trying to kill you? Check. Found family of elite proportions? Check. Betrayal? Check. Magical tattoos? Check. TRUE ENEMIES TO LOVERS? CHECK. Magical tattoos? Check. Check. But, yea, beyond that it is a story about forgiveness and self- acceptance; stepping into your power; believing you are worthy of love; and finding your place in a world that can be unbearably cruel.
And that ending. I can't even think about it without swearing internally. This Wretched Alchemy isn't even out until December in the UK and I already need the next book.
Maybe I can transmute it into existence? 🤣😭
Thank you so much to the benevolent book gods at @harpervoyager_uk for the #gifted copy of this outstanding proof. Just look at that character art as well.
This Wretched Alchemy is out December 3rd. Cancel your Christmas plans. Read this instead. ✨️

Well that was intense! I did not want to put ‘This Wretched Alchemy’ down. It was full of tension, it had you on the edge of your seat at all times. This series is going to be a new favourite, I just know it.

I went in completely blind with this book, only knowing that it was an enemies to lovers romantasy… it was so much more than that. Characters were morally grey, giving us more tension than anticipated, at times I wanted to scream into the book.

The story itself was completely jam - packed from the start, everything unravelled after every chapter and you got more of an insight into Revel’s (our FMC) life, and how she got to where she is. She’s completely ruthless, although stubborn at times, but aren’t we all. Her relationship with Axus was completely compelling, I was itching to find out what happened next, the sexual tension was off the charts.

‘This Wretched Alchemy’ has absolutely everything, alchemy, trials, gods, monsters, what more could you want? What a book, I can’t wait to read what happens next in Revel’s story.

A huge thankyou to Harper Voyager at HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of one of my most anticipated reads this year, it was everything and more!

I went into this expecting a dark romantasy with enemies-to-lovers tension…
but I was not prepared for how intense this actually felt???
Like from page one it just throws you into this brutal, high-stakes world where nothing is simple, no one is fully trustworthy, and every decision feels like it’s going to backfire in the worst possible way. And I was immediately invested.
The whole concept?? Addictive.
Deadly trials, warring Houses, god-shards, revenge-driven heroine...say less. I’m already seated.
But what really got me was how layered everything felt. The worldbuilding is rich without feeling like a history lecture, and the alchemy-based magic?? Actually interesting and not something I feel like I’ve read a hundred times before.
And the characters???
Messy. Questionable. Making decisions that had me like girl please.Exactly my type.
Revel especially… she’s driven, complicated, and not always easy to agree with,which honestly made her feel more real. She’s constantly stuck between what she wants and what she has to do, and you can feel that tension in basically every choice she makes.
And then there’s the Warbringer.
I’m not even going to pretend to be normal about this.
The dynamic??? ELITE.
It’s all distrust, tension, reluctant connection, and that constant push and pull where you never fully know where either of them stands and it makes every single interaction feel charged. Like something could snap at any moment .
The stakes are high, the emotions are higher, and the whole time there’s this underlying feeling that everything is one bad decision away from completely falling apart.
And honestly? I ate that up.
Overall this is such a strong start to a series and I can already tell it’s going to get worse (affectionate) from here. If you love dark romantasy with dangerous trials, morally grey characters, and tension that borders on unbearable. You’ll want this on your radar.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of this book.

Did I just read the next big Romantasy book? This had everything that I look for in a book..the slow burn, the yearning..but the ending has been in desperate need of book 2.

This Wretched Alchemy is chaotic, addictive, and the kind of dark romantasy that hooks you fast and doesn’t let go.

In a fractured realm ruled by warring noble Houses and the tyrannical Prime, power comes from god-shards—divine fragments that grant extraordinary abilities. Revel’s brother was killed in the pursuit of one, and now she’s forced into a deadly bargain that puts her life directly on the line.

She’s thrown into the Call, a brutal contest of heirs fighting for the throne, while secretly being tasked with assassinating the realm’s most feared alchemist, the Warbringer. Win and her family is free. Fail and she dies.

Except nothing about this world—or the people in it—is straightforward.

And I was immediately hooked.

This is a dark, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy where betrayal, duty, and desire are constantly colliding. Revel is sharp-edged, morally gray, and constantly forced into impossible choices that blur the line between survival and sacrifice.

The beginning does come at you fast with worldbuilding—houses, gods, alchemy, the Aeos, different regions—but once it clicks, the story completely takes over and doesn’t let up.

And then there’s Axus, the Warbringer.

The tension between him and Revel starts almost instantly, and I was obsessed with how it shifts between hostility and something far more complicated. He’s dangerous, controlled, and way too disarming for someone she’s supposed to kill.

The magic system was one of my favorite parts. The alchemy and transmutation elements felt creative and fresh, and there were definite Fullmetal Alchemist vibes in the way power, consequence, and sacrifice are woven into everything… and yeah, also the emotional damage. 🙂

The writing itself is incredibly strong for a debut—lush, immersive, and confident in tone. It builds a world that feels harsh but alive, and it makes it very easy to get swept up in it.

That said, there were moments where I wanted a bit more depth in certain plot threads, and Revel can feel very locked into her singular goal at times—but she was still compelling and intense to follow.

And that ending?

Tina. I have questions. I have rage. I have emotional damage.

If you like:
🔥 dark romantasy
🗡️ enemies to lovers
⚔️ deadly competitions
🖤 morally gray FMCs
🌙 gods, power, and fate
🔥 slow-burn tension
🧪 Fullmetal Alchemist vibes (and pain)

you will absolutely devour this.

4.5★ — addictive, brutal, and completely unhinged in the best way.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, Harper Collins Fiction for the ARC of This Wretched Alchemy

With her family on the line, Revel is sent to assassinate the Warbringer, the most fearsome alchemist in the realm, while also competing in the Call — a deadly crucible with other alchemical heirs to find a powerful artifact known as a God shard.

Set in a perilous realm divided by houses, primordial magic grants wielders the ability to alchemically transmute objects. Though competitors are split into teams, there can only be one victor, so trusting anyone is a liability. Alongside the risk of her rivals, Revel faces the natural elements of the realm, dangerous creatures, demons, and spirits along the way.

Revel’s character development throughout the book is excellent, and her personality feels really authentic based on her life experiences. Having grown up believing the only way to earn love is to give and never take, Revel learns to make herself small - to value herself based on how she can be of use to others. The connections between Revel’s character growth and the God lore are really intriguing throughout, and I appreciate that she earns her wins. She doesn’t just miraculously conquer, defeat, and become the most masterful alchemist - she has flaws, she has losses, and she fights through it all.

With a morally grey MMC (morally grey everyone honestly), slow burn, forced proximity, and all of the longing, this book delivers on tropes. The world building and magical system is explained as you go, and well developed for the contents of the story, but I definitely still have questions (not to mention that cliffhanger) and look forward to seeing where the story goes in the second book!

I both read & listened to this one, and you can’t go wrong either way!! The audio is so well narrated by Jennifer Ikeda and Soneela Nankani, it brings the book to life perfectly, with excellent character voices, perfect intonation for each, and great pacing. The audio is great for pronunciations, but there’s also an included pronunciation guide in the ebook which is always appreciated lol.

Honestly, I didn’t expect to fall this hard, this fast, but This Wretched Alchemy grabbed me from the very first chapter and refused to let go! The world is sharp, dangerous, and utterly immersive, the magic feels alive, and every chapter left me desperate to see what would happen next.

What I loved:
💖 Revel’s journey of self discovery and acceptance, tied so beautifully to the alchemy at the core of the story.
🔥 A slow burn romance that hits hard - all tension, tenderness, and emotional devastation in the best possible way!
🌍 A breathtaking world packed with political messiness, belief systems, and layered histories that feel vivid and alive.
✨ Interwoven lyricism and poetry that gives the story this intense, philosophical pulse beneath everything.
"Love is not soft, nor kind. In its torrent I’m helpless. Impatient, love obliterates like a split-mouthed demon grinning. Cruel, love eviscerates An array that takes as much as it gives."
💫 And of course Orphy, the sassy sentient tattoo who I adored from the moment she appeared.

Revel’s growth is the absolute heart of the book for me. She starts weighed down by trauma and doubt, and watching her slowly step into her own strength feels honest, earned, and deeply satisfying. The way her struggles with identity and belonging mirror her journey through mastering alchemy is so thoughtfully done, and flows so naturally with the story.

“Accept it. Not for what it could be but for what it is.”

The exploration of her mixed heritage is handled with warmth and sincerity. Capturing the ache, the pressure, and the longing for belonging, but also celebrating the resilience and beauty in carving out your own place and embracing your differences.

"You were enough the moment you were born into this cursed world. If they can’t see it, that’s their cage, not your burden.”

The romance absolutely owned me. It’s slow, intense, and built on those tiny moments that feel like they change everything. Every glance, every touch carries real emotional gravity.

“I'd always wondered if some people were fated to unravel the world, while others were fated to stitch it back together. He was both for me.”

The world building is breathtaking. Layered, textured, and full of depth without ever feeling overwhelming. Societies, histories, and magic are woven in so naturally that the world feels alive in every corner, and I just kept wanting more.

By the time I reached the end, I was fully obsessed, emotionally shredded in the best way, and already desperate for the next book. This Wretched Alchemy is atmospheric, powerful, and utterly captivating.

"For the ruiners"

WTF did I just read?!?! How am I supposed to wait patiently for book 2?! Take a bow Tina Mars, that was epic!

Gladiator/trials, betrayals, Gods, magic and banter. This book was everything I didnt know I needed, from start to finish I was invested in this unforgiving world and the messy characters just trying to survive it!

The magic system, world building, plot twists and characters/character development were all written phenomenally!

Revel is such a refreshing fmc, her inner dialogue in certain parts resonated in a major way and it was far too easy to relate to her as a character. The Warbringer I knew was going to be a problem as soon as he appeared on the page! I love him your honour!

Both main characters are so incredibly multifaceted, i loved getting to glimpse all of the many layers of their personalities. Supporting characters were also very well written and I may be just a tiny bit obsessessed with Dex!

Other things I loved:
☆ The dysfunctional little found family.
☆ Orphy.
☆ 'Thump thump.'
☆ The Yoki

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction/Magpie for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

I wasn’t sure what to make of this when I first started but it definitely had me hooked after the first few chapters .

Revel is a fantastic character she is fierce, loyal, messy and compassionate she is thrown into a brutal political competition where nobody can be trusted. The world building is fascinating, with wealthy elites, magic, deadly secrets and plenty of action. And then there's the Warbringer who is dangerously, mysterious and unexpectedly gentle underneath it all,. The chemistry, tension and slow-burn romance between them were absolutely wonderful to read about

A fantastic start to a new series, full of danger, intrigue and pulse-pounding romance already ready for more.

DARK MAGIC, DEADLY TRIALS, MONSTERS AND A ROMANCE THAT HAD ME HOOKED!
I absolutely loved this book! Revel is a fantastic heroine: stubborn, sarcastic, resourceful and determined to do whatever it takes to save her family. I was captivated by the brutal competition, fascinating alchemy, dangerous creatures and constant uncertainty over who could be trusted. The gladiator inspired setting, warring Houses and intricate magic made the world feel wonderfully rich and distinctive. The relationship between Revel and the mysterious Warbringer was another highlight. Their tension, bickering and unexpected connection had me completely invested. Packed with betrayals, action, magic and delicious romantic torment, this was an incredible fantasy debut. I desperately need the next instalment!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.