Monday, December 5, 2016

Review: The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

The ChemistThe Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: November 8, 2016
Purchase: Amazon
She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn't even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.

Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They've killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.

When her former handler offers her a way out, she realises it's her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.

Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.
My Thoughts:
Okay let me first say, I liked this...a lot.  Am I surprised, yes and no.  I truly loved the Twilight series and it will always have a special place in my heart.   Stephenie Meyer will hold a place as well because she brought me like so many others to the world of YA and for that I am forever thankful.  I wasn't sure what to expect with The Chemist though.  I mean she's gone rogue before like with The Host, but this one sounded completely out there and with little to no publicity I wasn't sure what I was in for.  I should have had more faith in Meyer.

So the elephant in the room for me is where was all the publicity???  I try and stay up to date on most bookish things and believe me when I tell you there wasn't hardly any hype surrounding this book. It was just kinda thrown out there one day and I am completely baffled as to why.  Normally we readers know at least a year beforehand that a book is out there being written, but I had NO IDEA about this one.  I have to wonder if I am losing my bookish knowledge or did the publisher truly keep this one on the downlow and if they did keep it quiet why?  Did they not have faith??  I guess I will never know, but I hope in the future Meyer receives the publicity she deserves.

On to the book!  Alex was everything Bella was not so have no fear my friends.  Alex is overly prepared, beyond intelligent, and borderline obsessive.  I loved everything about her.  She was a great character that could incapacitate her opponent with one drop of her crafted poison.  So cool!!  She truly earned her name as the chemist!

Meyer always  knows how to write secondary characters and The Chemist had a wonderful cast. I honestly enjoyed reading each and every one of them.  Kevin, Daniel, and Val were amazing and to be honest I wish this was a duology.  I am not ready to let these people go just yet.

And of course there is a romance, but unlike with Meyers other books, this one makes sense!  It does have its flaws, but it made sense and I loved it.  Daniel was so great with Alex and he gave her what she needed which was time and space.  He understood she wasn't used to personal intimacy and he let her navigate their relationship without expectations.  I love him!  Plus he said all the right things was totally described as being a chef/teacher/nerd with soft curls I mean come on!  Meyer knew what she was doing when she created Daniel. 

The dogs!!  I have to admit I am not a fan of animals in books because I am always afraid one will die and I even had to text my blog roommate to get spoilers!  I won't say what she told me or if any die, but I do have to give a special mention to Einstein, Kahn, and Lola.  I am a true dog person at heart and these three were amazing.  Love love love how Meyer thread them through the story.

If you love Meyer I know you will love this.  It is a survival story wrapped up in a thriller and it was so fun.  I have realized I will read anything this woman writes and I hope we don't have to wait as long for that one because 8 years is WAY too long!

Oh I would have given this 5 stars, but the epilogue wasn't what I wanted and yes I am pouting.  It was a bit weird, but it fit I suppose I just wanted more.  That's my one peeve!

4.5 snowflakes




15 comments:

  1. I really hated the Twilight Series, The Host had the same problems for me. I'm glad to hear she seems to have learnt from her mistakes. I swore I would never read another Meyer book, but this one may have swayed me :)

    Great post.

    Jordann @thebookbloglife.com

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    1. Haha! I really hope you like it if you pick it up!

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  2. I was surprised at the lack of fanfare for this too but maybe it is because it is so different from what she usually writes and they didn't want to disappoint fans expecting something more like Twilight?

    I just got this from the library and look forward to giving it a try. Nice review!

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    1. You might be right. I hope it's well received and that next time they shout it from the roof tops lol! Hope you enjoy it!

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  3. I just purchased this last week, and I can't wait to dive in. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Meyer is one of my favorite authors, and I'm glad to have something new from her.

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  4. I'm SO glad I took the time to read this. I also loved the Twilight series for many reasons but get why others hate it. It just makes me feel good when I reread it. I also JUST heard about it maybe a week or two ago and that was it. Other than this I haven't heard of it. What's up with that? I worried the same things as you with being out of touch. I still haven't read Host because so many people boo'd it. Thanks for this!

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    1. Her books tend to be a lovem' or hatem', but most agree she changed YA and in my opinion she's awesome lol. I'm glad I wasn't the only one baffled at the release of this!! I haven't seen many reviews either and that's just crazy!! The Host is one that takes a long time to get into so don't give up if you start it!!

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  5. This one is definitely different, but one that's worth a read =) I hope you enjoy it!

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  6. I really enjoyed it too!! While I'll always want to read Midnight Sun..... I am always excited to read new material from Meyer. She changed the way I read, and will always be a favorite of mine. I'm curious, did you round down to 4 stars or up to 5?

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    1. Yay! OMG I would love to read Midnight Sun! Maybe one day she will drop that one quietly too =) I rounded down from 5 to 4.5. I wanted more from the epilogue and this one was a bit on the wordy side which took me out of the story at times =) What was your rating??

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    2. I'm at a 4.5 as well, but on Goodreads I have to choose 4 or 5. Such a dilemma!!

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    3. Haha!! I know the feeling well my friend!!

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  7. I really liked The Host better than the Twilight series. I wish I'd known about The Chemist before buying Christmas gifts - would love to share it with my mother in law and sister in law!
    Dianna

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    1. See Little Brown totally snuck it on the shelves!! Maybe for birthdays???

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