A Conspiracy of Alchemists by Liesel Schwarz (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"In a Golden Age where spark reactors power the airways, and creatures of Light and Shadow walk openly among us, a deadly game of Alchemists and Warlocks has begun.

When an unusual cargo drags airship-pilot Elle Chance into the affairs of the mysterious Mr. Marsh, she must confront her destiny and do everything in her power to stop the Alchemists from unleashing a magical apocalypse."

My Thoughts:

This was such an enjoyable read that really captured my attention from the very beginning of the book.  One of my favorite things (so far) about the steampunk genre is all of the books that I've read had strong, independent heroines.  This one didn't disappoint whatsoever!  Elle was not only strong and independent but she was also fearless and caring.  It made for quite the combination and I found her to be a joy to read about!  The book starts off with a bang and the action didn't let up until the very last page.  This is one of those books that you literally can't set down.  I kept telling myself one more chapter and then one more chapter turned into three.  Never a bad thing although I did end up staying up WAY past my bedtime to finish.  And I wasn't disappointed whatsoever with the ending.  This is the first book in a series and although the epilogue paved the way for the next book, this book ended quite nicely!  I was pleasantly surprised because I didn't think that the author would tie up so many loose ends.  I really appreciated that she did!  I also liked the chemistry that arose between Marsh and Elle.  Marsh's motivations were not always apparent to me as the reader but I liked the heat and verbal banter between the two of them.  I wanted everything to work out the way "I wanted it to" but I'll have to leave it at that.  

Overall, I really loved this book and am eager to read the next installment!  I just don't know how I'm going to wait for the second book to come out :/  Patience has never been my thing but what can a girl do??  This book was filled with adventure, twists, and turns on every single page.  I felt like I was transported back to a different time and I was entranced!  The author did an amazing job of really fleshing out the characters and I'm looking forward to revisiting them in the future.  In fact, I enjoyed just about every single thing in this book.  I would highly recommend this one and especially to fans of steampunk!

Bottom Line:  A must-read for anyone that loves adventure and intrigue!

Disclosure:  I was sent a copy of this book from the publisher as part of a TLC Book tour.  The thoughts and opinions are my own!