The Imperial Alchemist

I really liked the premise of this book and the interplay of the different nations' histories. However, I struggled a bit to keep up with the present-tense omniscient narration.

For example – sometimes I couldn't tell which character was the central point of focus (and I know sometimes that was on purpose, but other times it was just confusing). And though the story is in present tense, it jumps around (especially at the beginning) so the start of some chapters is actually in past tense as it catches you up to speed . . . which felt unnecessarily complicated to me. But maybe those are things I notice because I spend so much time writing!

There are also some pretty dark backstories for all the main characters, so I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who can't stand child endangerment or violence (I have a friend who is that way!).

All that said, this could be a good beach thriller for folks interested in historical puzzles and conspiracies!