Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber — Genre’d Podcast Episode 12

genredpodcast
Dec 4, 2025
4 min read

This week on Genre’d, we’re stepping into Stephanie Garber’s Alchemy of Secrets—a glitter-drenched urban fantasy quest set in modern-day LA, where time bends, myths whisper, and one grad student has 24 hours to outrun her own prophesied death.

But first, we have some things to say. Katy and Elyse kick things off with a Girl Dinner rating crisis, a passionate defense of Dungeon Crawler Carl, and a full debrief on the emotionally chaotic Dancing With the Stars finale.

💥 Spoiler warning: First ~30 minutes are spoiler-free; full spoilers after that (including magic mechanics, time loops, and late-book twists).

What we cover in this episode:

Genre & Vibes:

Urban fantasy meets magical scavenger hunt meets old-Hollywood glamour. Think: Caraval energy, Veronica Mars vibes, cursed scripts, hotel-bar devils, and LA as a character.

Characters to Watch:

Holland St. James — Hollywood royalty + folklore grad student with a tragic past, a too-perfect name, and a tendency to trust everyone except the people she should.
January St. James — Holland’s twin and the most influential off-page character in history; allegedly “busy,” definitely hiding something.
The Watchman — A mythic figure who predicts your exact moment of death. Great icebreaker for a third date!
Gabe — Mysterious protector, possibly a good guy, possibly not; definitely withholding.
Adam Bishop — Academic interloper, possible devil-adjacent entity, and full-time wildcard.
The Professor — Keeper of urban legends and absolute scene stealer.
The Alchemical Heart — Not a character… except it sort of is. And it's the key to everything.

What it’s giving:

Aesthetic: old Hollywood glamour, secret hotel bars, and golden-age LA magic
The “follow the clues” energy of Caraval with less romance and more “oh god, don’t trust him”
Folklore class chaos, academic nightmares, and urban legends turned real
Sisters at the center of the myth, even when one never shows up

Would our mother read this?

Absolutely. Zero spice. Mildly spooky. Hollywood-adjacent. And she’d love this as a TV show.

🚨 Spoilers ahead: Our full breakdown 🚨

When did we decide we did/didn’t like it?

Immediately intrigued. The early folklore chapters, the Watchman encounter, and the LA-as-mythology setup pull you in fast. But the YA tone vs. the “adult fantasy” marketing confused us both.

Scene stealers:

The Bank — Gringotts-coded, cowboy-costumed bankers, magical protections, and the professor reveal. Iconic.
The Regal Hotel — Time moves 60x slower; bar service includes magical sidecars. We would absolutely get trapped here.
The Scavenger Hunt — Every clue, every location, every tangle of Hollywood lore—10/10 fun.

🕰️ The time loop twist:

The final act reveals that Holland has been reliving the same doomed 24 hours over and over.

In every timeline? Adam kills her. Cool!

The alchemical heart:

Not an object—a shapeshifting entity that’s been following her the whole time. It can’t be destroyed, only sent into the future… which is exactly what Holland does.

What themes the book is covering:

The seductive myth of Hollywood and the stories we tell about fame
The lies families build to protect (or punish) each other
Cycles—of time, trauma, legacy
Fate vs. agency, and who gets to rewrite the narrative

Plot twists:

Gabe vs. Adam vs. time-loop versions of each
The professor’s dual identity
Mason being trapped as a fully corporeal ghost
The alchemical heart choosing Holland
Holland completing the scavenger hunt only to realize the real quest is… book two

🤷‍♀️ The things we were confused about:

…everything. Where is January? Who is telling Holland the truth? What actually happened to their parents? Why is the devil maybe real, maybe a metaphor, maybe a job title?

We have one million questions.

⭐️ Final ratings:

Both: 4 stars. Fun, fast-paced, atmospheric, and deeply readable—but the YA vibe, underdeveloped character motivations, and unanswered questions keep it from hitting a full 5. But yes, we are absolutely reading the sequel.

Mentions from the episode:

Caraval by Stephanie Garber (Book)
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber (Book)
Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman (Book)
Veronica Mars (TV)
Dancing With the Stars (TV)
The 27 Club cultural references
Hollywood death myths / folklore

Join the conversation

Have theories about the alchemical heart? Did you clock the time-loop twist early, or were you just as shocked as we were? Do you trust Gabe? Adam? The Professor? (Because honestly… we don’t know that we trust any of them.)

Tell us your thoughts in the comments or tag us on social — we want to know how you felt about this glittery, chaotic, urban-legend whirlwind.

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Fast Facts: Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber

Is this YA or adult?

Technically “adult,” but it reads more YA in tone, character maturity, and pacing — something we discuss in detail during the episode.

Is this a standalone?

No — it’s book one in a new series, though early marketing didn’t make that clear (which confused a lot of readers).

Is there romance?

Not really. Think potential romantic threads, but very low heat and extremely low focus.

Does it feel like Caraval?

Yes — in vibe, scavenger-hunt structure, and the “two mysterious men, don’t trust either” dynamic.Whether that’s a positive or negative depends on your Caraval feelings.

Who would enjoy this book?

Readers who love:

urban fantasy
magical scavenger hunts
old-Hollywood atmosphere
urban legends and folklore
low-romance fantasy
time loops and twisty reveals
mystery-forward plots rather than character-driven ones

What about the magic system?

Abilities are inherited, transferred, or earned; bargaining with the “devil” may not mean what you think; hotels and banks operate as magical hubs; and the alchemical heart breaks all the rules.

Biggest surprise?

The time-loop reveal and the true nature of the alchemical heart.

What’s next on Genre’d?

We’re switching gears for a festive detour: Holiday Ever After by Hannah Grace — a cozy, sparkly, Hallmark-adjacent romance with small-town vibes, big feelings, and holiday charm.