Beauty and the Alchemist (The Alchemical Tales Book 1)

Complex, found family within community support and deep history. All my favorite elements of a paranormal cozy mystery are inside this book and I can't wait to dive deeper into Red's universe. Red is one of my favorite types of cozy sleuths. She's full of secrets, skepticism and a strong drive for the truth. Of course, this is made all the more perfect with the antics of her loveably grumpy -has had it up to here- furry friend. They make a great team. The whole town makes the book suck you into their world. This book really gives a perfect introduction into the world of Belville. While I've read a few short stories featuring Red, I loved getting to know all of Red's friends. She isn't someone who was ever interested in settling down, and you can feel this throughout her personality. While she has friends in Belville and is making a home for herself, she is still nervous and questioning everyone's motives. I love that she didn't just find a town and instantly become one of the locals. It makes her character more real. Luca and Thorn, whom I would say are the secondary main characters, steal the scenes they are in with their dialogue and personalities. Her drive to get to the bottom of the mystery unravels more than anyone was bargaining for, but it also leaves us glad that she dug deeper. There were many points where she could have labeled the case solved, but choose to keep pushing the hard questions. I am curious how her trusting someone in this book that turned out to be not such a great idea will play out in future books. The paranormal aspects in the story and well thought out and expansive. There is no surface level magic here. It all has layers that I am excited to pull on in future installments. If you love paranormal cozy mysteries with a retelling twist you're going to love this story. There are plenty of nods throughout, to give you the nostalgia feeling without feeling like it's exactly the same. The best kinds of retellings take the source and spin it until it's only inspiration, and Beauty and the Alchemist does it well.