This book really surprised me! The Alchemists of Loom ended up being a wonderful steam punk set story, filled with mystery and twists, and had a beautiful message: You can be anything you want to be, you do not have to be the expectations that other people have for you.
The world felt like something right out of Borderlands. The characters were heartfelt and compassionate. The message was really important and meaningful.
But this world is very unique, and the new lingo could be a little confusing. The rundown is basically this:
There are two worlds, separated by the clouds:
•Loom: The main setting of this book, that is home to Fenthri and Chimeras and their five guilds.
•Nova: The Dragon homeland that is inhabited by three Dragon Houses.
There are three races:
•Fenthri: Grey, black, white, the weakest of the three races, and have tattoos on their face depicting what guild they belong to.
•Dragon: A vast array of colors, very primal, can regrow most things from their bodies, have magical abilities, enslaved Loom and sees Fenthri as servants.
•Chimera: Fenthri with Dragon blood and/or organs. They are made by Alchemists, and are very strong, but not as strong as Dragons.
(None of the characters in this world are Human, but they are for sure Humanoids)
The three Dragon Houses:
•Rok: Strongest house, and the Dragon King’s House.
•Tam: Second strongest house, and very aligned with House Rok.
•Xin: Weakest house.
The five Guilds of Loom:
•Alchemists: Developed Chimeras, and the only guild to not be under the Dragon King’s thumb.
•Rivets: Specializes in refining processes in steel mines and applications for gold.
•Revolvers: Explores all the uses for guns and explosions!
•Harvesters: Supplies all the bare materials to all the other guilds.
•Ravens: Moves people and goods all around Loom.
The five guilds are all linked together as a system to help one another, but that’s been very hard ever since that Dragons of Nova traveled down from the clouds, into Loom, and made the Fenthri population do their bidding.
The people from these guilds have a face tattoo for easy recognition. People of Loom are not able to choose or pick which house they are in. They are basically pre-placed, and forced to take two tests. If they are unable to pass these tests, they could be sentenced to death.
Not having a mark is also illegal, and Ari, our main protagonist, does not have a mark. The world knows her as the most notorious criminal of Loom, the White Wraith, and her story starts out with her completing a heist. Her past is a big mystery, but as the book goes on we are able to learn more and more.