Shield of Sparrows
fantasy romance
Series · urban fantasy
Alchemy of Secrets
The Alchemy of Secrets series by Stephanie Garber has 1 book and is best read in publication order, starting with Alchemy of Secrets (2025).
- Books
- 1 book
- First published
- 2025
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: Alchemy of Secrets (2025) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Alchemy of Secrets
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Alchemy of Secrets
About the Alchemy of Secrets series
Holland St. James has always believed magic is real, even though nobody around her does -- until a night class called Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths leads her to a man known only as the Watch Man, who tells her she has less than a day left to live unless she can find a mythical object called the Alchemical Heart. What follows is a race through a version of Los Angeles steeped in old Hollywood glamour and hidden magic, where the line between folklore and reality keeps collapsing, and every clue Holland uncovers about the Alchemical Heart pulls her deeper into a secret history she didn't know she was part of.
Alchemy of Secrets is Stephanie Garber's first novel written for adult readers, after the YA-shelved Caraval trilogy and Once Upon a Broken Heart series. It keeps her signature ingredients -- a puzzle-box plot, a slow-burn romance, and a magic system built on riddles and misdirection -- but trades fairy-tale fantasy for a dark-academia, old-Hollywood urban setting. It debuted as an instant New York Times bestseller and is planned as a duology.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Alchemy of Secrets series?
One so far: Alchemy of Secrets (2025), the first half of a planned duology. A second book has been confirmed but has no announced title or release date yet.
Is Alchemy of Secrets connected to Caraval or Once Upon a Broken Heart?
No. It's Stephanie Garber's first novel for adult readers, set in a contemporary, real-world-adjacent Los Angeles rather than either of her YA fantasy worlds, with an entirely separate cast and mythology.
Is Alchemy of Secrets a young adult book?
No -- it's marketed and shelved as adult fiction, Garber's first, blending urban fantasy, dark academia, mystery and romantic suspense.
When is Alchemy of Secrets book 2 coming out?
It's been confirmed as forthcoming but has no announced title or release date as of this curation.
If you like the Alchemy of Secrets series
Reading order last verified .