Hooked on Books

Zoe is a a 400 year old vegan herbalist and alchemist. Dorian is a living French gargoyle chef. Dorian followed Zoe in a packing crate from France all the way to Portland, Oregon to enlist her help. They now live together in a ramshackle house with a hole in the roof,  which actually makes it easier for Dorian to come & go at night without being spotted. : ) They are so unique & delightful and are quickly becoming two of my favorite fictional characters!

This series has so much variety- ancient alchemy, magic, mystery, cooking, etc.- that I just love it. In the first book though, I thought the numerous vegan recipes were a bit over done, excuse the pun, but in this second book, they were toned down more and they flowed with the story line much more naturally. The first book was good but this one was so much better. It was really fantastic and a lot of fun!

The story opens with Zoe on a date with Max- a local policeman. They are attending a magic show at a local theater. Brixton, Zoe's neighbor, thinks the magician might be an alchemist too and can help Zoe and Dorian unlock the secrets in Dorian's alchemy book that will prevent him from turning to stone. As Dorian and Zoe try to get close to the magician to find out just what secrets he's hiding, they become embroiled with treasure hunters, a murder mystery and a decades old jewelry heist.

Zoe also reconnects with her 150 year old friend Tobias, who comes to visit her for a couple of days. He is also an alchemist and is able to help her a little with Dorian's book and her health, which is failing due to the backward alchemy transformations she performs to help Dorian stay mobile. I really like Tobias, a lot more then I do Max! They have so much more in common. I hope we see a lot more of him in this series. 

I listened to the audio book (1.3 playback speed) and it was great! The narrator's French accent for Dorian was so cute. I can't wait to start the next book! If you're a vegan or enjoy cooking, mysteries or alchemy I think you'll really enjoy this series. The quirky characters alone will steal your heart!