A Forbidden Alchemy

A sweeping slow-burn romantasy about fated love, forbidden magic, and a revolution that could destroy everything.

At twelve years old, Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are torn from their impoverished mining towns and taken to the glittering capital of Belavere City—where the elite train to become Artisans, masters of rare elemental magic. Passing Belavere’s brutal test means power, privilege, and escape from the life they were born into. For Nina, the Artisan School is a dream. For Patrick, it is a gilded cage—he longs to return to his Craftsman family, whose immense physical strength keeps Belavere’s mines and economy alive.

When Nina and Patrick uncover a world-shattering secret—that Artisans aren’t born, they’re chosen—their fates diverge, forcing them to carry the truth alone.

Years later, a violent uprising erupts. Nina has become an elite Artisan with a coveted talent for charming earth; Patrick has risen as a leader in the Craftsman rebellion. Captured by Patrick’s rebel faction, Nina is thrust back into the orbit of the boy she once trusted—and the man she never forgot. Sparks fly, old loyalties fracture, and Patrick begs Nina to help him topple the system that betrayed them both.

But when Nina’s first love reappears with a mission of his own—one that requires betraying Patrick—Nina must decide where her heart and allegiance truly lie.

In a world divided by power and privilege, love may be the most dangerous rebellion of all.