The Alchemy of Forever (Incarnation #1)

The Alchemy of Forever (Incarnation #1)

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3.78 of 5 stars 3.78  ·  rating details  ·  2,161 ratings  ·  407 reviews
In the first novel of the Incarnation series, the immortal Serephina grapples with a wrenching truth: Falling in love might mean succumbing to death.People say “love never dies”…but love might be the death of Seraphina.

Seraphina has been alive since the Middle Ages, when her boyfriend, Cyrus, managed to perfect a method of alchemy that lets them swap bodies with any human...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published April 26th 2012 by Simon & Schuster UK (first published January 3rd 2012)
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(showing 1-30 of 3,000)
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Giselle
Reincarnation has always been an iffy subject for me. I'm not easily interested or impressed with it. I can happily say that the Alchemy of Forever is by far the best reincarnation story I have ever read (though I haven't read that many - but still it was awesome!). In The Alchemy of Forever, when Seraphina dies next to Cyrus, the man who was to take her hand, he gives her a drop of Alchemy potion he's discovered, that allows Seraphina to attach her soul to another body. She can now live forever...more
Dija
The scariest thing about Incarnates is that we look just like everyone else.

Another YA with a brilliant premise that doesn't quite deliver, The Alchemy of Forever is bad when it could have easily been epic.

Sera is an immortal (or Incarnate, like they're called in this one) who has to steal other people's souls to take over their bodies as her's dies after about every 10 years. Cyrus is the one who turned her and her love for him died out a long time ago. Sera's decided that her current body wi...more
Lindsay Cummings
This book is AWESOME.

That's really all I want to say, short and sweet. But because this is a review, and I want the world to read this book, I guess I will go into a bit more detail. :)

The book starts out with a rockin' setting, way back in the 1300's, where we first meet Sera. I love seeing that touch of otherworldly-ness. It's so different from what we know today.

Chapter two fast-forwards several hundred years later, to current day. It's great to see how much Sera has evolved. She's a wonderf...more
Khrystina
Aug 06, 2012 Khrystina rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to Khrystina by: Goodreads
The Alchemy of Forever.

I don't have much to say on the subject. It was one of those books that you absolutely have no opinion on, because you couldn't care less. Yes, this was a good book, yes, I would read the next one, and yes, I have nothing to say.

The plot was good, interesting, but could have been better. The idea behind it was good and the twists and turns kept me reading. I liked how not everything went the way it was supposed to be.

Some characters were completly useless and a waste of...more
ɑƨħŵɑɡ
Honestly, I'm not big on these incarnation books. I just find it hard to understand what's the beauty of another soul taking over a body. However, this one made it a bit bearable for me to read because it had came with a twist.

I enjoyed this one, especially how brief and short it is. It's one of those books that start with a PANG!. It doesn't take long to finish (would take 3 hours max). Yet this shortness is a problem, because it's not deep enough on the supernatural side. Also, there's not muc...more
Calzedonia
May 19, 2013 Calzedonia rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone
Recommended to Calzedonia by: Alchemy

Já tedy rozhodně ano! Chci vyzkoušet všechny ty úžasné věci, co jsou na Zemi. Chci navštívit všechna ta nádherná místa na Zemi. Chci vystudovat všechny ty zajímavé obory na všech těch zajímavých univerzitách. Ale především, chci přečíst všechny ty báječné knížky, které každým dnem přibývají a přibývají, že nakonec po nějakých těch šesti set let budu mít víc plnější to-read list než dnes :-D.

Jenže pro Serafinu (bože to jméno se mi tak líbí!) to není lehké. Každých pár let musí měnit tělo a tím i...more
Tabitha
May 13, 2012 Tabitha rated it 1 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: People who like horrid endings.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
☆Jessie☆  (Ageless Pages Reviews)
Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

Short but sweet, The Alchemy of Forever is deceptively simple and remarkably engaging. The plot may not be entirely the most original, nor the writing the most striking, though it certainly has its moments of sparkle, but this was an unputdownable read. Finished in under three hours, my first experience with the series of the Incarnates was like the perfect sugary snack between actual meals: filling while eating and left no feelings of guilt or sha...more
Haya
To anyone who's given The Alchemy of Forever a mere, disinterested glance: Look again.

Because The Alchemy of Forever is awesome. It's probably the ONLY book about immortals that is good enough.

The Alchemy of Forever talks about six hundred-year old Seraphina who survives on inhabiting other people's bodies (more like Meyer's The Host, but different at the same time); therefore, killing the original souls in the process. In addition, she longs to leave her controlling (probably abusive) boyfrie...more
Sonia
4.5 stars

Avery Williams entices and ensnares in this dazzling debut.

Seraphina, or Sera as she likes to be called, is a heroine that possesses a more subtle kind of bravery. Emerging after centuries of guilt and desperation, it propels Sera to take some pretty drastic measures to get away from her boyfriend, Cyrus, and the ruthless measures he's been taking to stay alive. I liked Sera a lot. She's honest with herself and you can see the weariness her life has brought her. She has a conscience.

I r...more
Janus Vielle (The Blair Book Project)
It only takes a good plot and/or an amazing cover to get me to read a book. Alchemy of Forever caught me by its very intriguing plot. Not that I haven’t read anything like it, but I was curious enough to find out how this goes.

Alas, a book with so much potential but fell short.

At first I couldn’t figure out why the book felt off for me. Then I kept thinking, it was okay but there just wasn’t enough clarity for me. I had to do a bit of review reading over what exactly was my problem with the bo...more
Tara
REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED http://hobbitsies.net/wordpress/2012/...

I’ll admit - I was totally not expecting to love The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams as much as I did. I’m not usually a fan of reincarnation stories - it usually involves soul mates and blahness that I’m just not a fan of BUT. BUT. The Alchemy of Forever is totally different.

The beginning of the story was very set-up ish, but I’m glad for it. Otherwise we would have been dropped into the story with no real explanation. Which...more
Kara
Blurb:

Seraphina's first love made her immortal...her second might get her killed.Incarnation is a new series that introduces a fresh mythology perfect for fans of bestselling series like The Immortals by Alyson Noel and Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.
After spending six hundred years on earth, Seraphina Ames has seen it all. Eternal life provides her with the world's riches, but at a very high price: innocent lives. Centuries ago, her boyfriend, Cyrus, discovered a method o...more
Neyra
Full Review at: Darkest Addictions' Book Reviews

My first thoughts of this book were that it seems like an interesting read, and I've got to know more about this world in which there is a way to untether your soul from your body and live forever. I wont say that this book was bad, I'll just say I was bored for the most part. But I was interested enough to keep reading. Curiosity gets the better of me sometimes.

I loved the idea, the concept is definitely great, I just couldn't connect to the chara...more
Kimberly Joy
Great book! I enjoyed reading it.
I tried to savor every word and read it slowly, but I couldn't stop.
Even though there are other novels about Reincarnation, I think I prefer this one.
Glad I grabbed it off the shelf ;)
Jeanne Izzy
This is originally posted on my blog

I can honestly say I loved this book. For the most part. I mean, on first impression, you get hit by the plot of the Host. A girl who gets transferred from body to body, living multiple lifetimes? But while the storyline of this book is similar to the plot of the Host, many of the supporting characters are vastly different. For example, Cyrus, Serephina's abusive, controlling boyfriend. He acts as the leader of their coven of immortals (or "Incarnates") and is...more
Katrina Alcantara
The plot is awesome and there were no dull moments while reading this book. However, no matter how much I enjoyed reading this, there's something missing about this book that I couldn't figure out. Maybe it's because Sera/Kailey focused too much how to get used to with her new life, and to think of ways how to escape from being an immortal. I was expecting more "action". Something more dark, I suppose.

What I loved about this book is it's fast paced, and how the Immortals/Incarnates were describ...more
Aly
Song: Bring me to Life by Evanessence
Seraphina Ames didn't ask to be immortal, she'd rather be dead. That's what she tries to do after six hundred years of living as an Incarnate, a soul who steals bodies. Her current vessel dying, Sera makes a run for it to get away from her controlling boyfriend, Cyrus, who was the one who turned her.
Things don't go as planned and instead of killing herself, Sera ends up as 16 year old Kailey Morgan. Sera can't leave after seeing the Morgan's devastation an...more
Marie-Claire
Um für immer mit ihrer großen Liebe Cyrus zusammen zu sein, nahm Sera vor über 600 Jahren einen Trank, der ihre Seele von ihrem Körper löste und sie unsterblich machte. Aber nach Jahrhunderten in einem ewigen Kreislauf hat Sera genug – sie will fort. Doch Cyrus, einst liebenswert und charmant, kontrolliert inzwischen jeden Schritt, den sie macht. Und er wird alles tun, um zu verhindern, dass sie ihn verlässt.

"Everlight- Das Buch der Unsterblichen" ist der erste Band einer Reihe von Avery William...more
Brittany
Jan 12, 2013 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to Brittany by: My friends
The book was good. I was literally sucked into the world of Seraphina Ames who by the way, has an amazing name.

I had really no qualms about this book the first time I read it but when I did so again, I noticed its fatal flaw. The book was too darn fast.

I couldn't keep up with the story unlike when I read it the first time. I found the story jumping from one plot to the next in front of me and it was very confusing.

(view spoiler)[Why is the incarnation process like that? What happened between K...more
Saskia
Kurzbeschreibung:
Sera war ein junges naives Mädchen als ihre große Liebe Cyrus ihr zu ewigen Leben durch eine Trank verhilft. Sie erhofft sich immerwährendes Glück mit ihrem Liebsten. Doch nicht nur Sera ist im Laufe der Jahrhunderte von ihrem Leben gezeichnet, auch ihr geliebter Cyrus. Er wird zu einem tyrannischen und kontrollfanatischen Mann, der der jungen Frau ihr langes Leben zu einer Qual macht. Sera sieht nur einen Ausweg und beschreitet seit langer Zeit, ihr Leben ohne ihren Partner......more
Sarah
Mit Das Buch der Unsterblichen beginnt die Autorin, Avery Williams, eine Reihe über die Unsterblichen, die sich im besonderen dadurch von anderen Ideen abhebt, dass es kein Biss eines Vampirs ist oder eine Besondere Bindung zu einem übernatürlichen Wesen, sondern schlichte Alchemie. Was 1349, in der Kindheit unserer Protagonistin Seraphina, oftmals als Magie betrachtet wurde ist bewiesenermaßen in der heutigen Zeit die pure Wissenschaft. Doch das junge, behütete Mädchen lässt sich verzaubern und...more
Cat Crawfield
Inhalt:
Nach einem wunderschönen Abend auf einem Maskenball im Jahre1349, den sie zusammen mit einem jungen Mann verbracht hat, kommt es zu einem tragischen Ereignis. Die 14jährige Seraphina und Cyrus, der Sohn des Apothekers, werden von zwei Banditen überfallen und Seraphina dabei tödlich verletzt. In letzter Minute verabreicht Cyrus ihr ein Serum, welches ihre Seele von ihrem Körper trennt und in den Körper der Banditin fahren lässt. Dadurch wurde Seraphina zu einer Unsterblichen, die sich jedo...more
Despair Speaking
The prologue was a disaster for me. Well, it was interesting, but it was rushed, especially in the interesting part - when Cyrus saved Seraphina from death. The author would have done better if she delved in it longer.

The following chapters were better. Seraphina has finally resolved to leave Cyrus and let herself die. She had grown weary of immortality and the leash Cyrus has on her. She wanted to be FREE. Sera's plan to escape was sketchy and pretty stupid really (I can clearly see that the au...more
Jay Michael
The word that appeared on the screen was "alchemy."

I stumbled upon this book accidentally while surfing Barnes & Noble's Marketplace. The cover honestly made me think of Rebecca Black. The girl on the cover looks so close to her image, it nearly made me skip it. Before I clicked next, I managed to stumble upon the blurb of the book. Oddly, it had captivated my interest. I ordered it and could not wait to get it. It came in the mail not to long afterwards and I dove right into its hardcover...more
Chantel Law
I wasn't sure if i was going to like this book at first, i think maybe because it just sounded quite like Ever Moore (by Alyson Noel) which i didn't like that much. But then when i actually started reading it, i was like: :O! This book had me gripped on from the prologue to the end! There was just something about this book that immediately pulled you into it.

Those of you who keep up to date with my reviews will know that i love it when books are really un-predictable because that's what makes...more
Sunay Correa
"Everything-even me, and one day even Charlotte-must come to end."

This is so true, and in its own way, kind of sad. Who says life has to end? Oh, wait...

This book had so much potential; it could've easily been amazing. Unfortunately, there were a lot of loose ends with the storyline. Yes, I am the one who says nothing is perfect, but I really wanted to love this book. I honestly did. I wanted to love it even more than the Hunger Games, even more than any other book I have ever felt passion for....more
Talk Supe Blogspot
This was an easy read at 250 pages and was a good reading palate cleanser. I'm a little wary about this series because although it started real good, it's so easy for AWilliams to go in the other direction and make this predictable.

The premise is intriguing enough but I'm hoping that after living 600 years with the same person, Seraphina has gained some useful wisdom and use it to her advantage. So far her way of thinking fits the body she's currently inhabiting, that of a 16yo kid. And though...more
Van
Seraphina “Sera” has been alive for more than 600 years. Her first love, Cyrus created an elixir that enables the human soul to transfer bodies when one is near death (usual, or if they take another body, one that is healthy, they are killing the current soul when taking over). Cyrus, Sera and a couple of their friends are immortals called “incarnate” switching bodies every time their current bodies get wearied out/ or near death. Sera is tired of living forever and for taking the lives of so ma...more
K
A little forgettable.

Seraphina was thirteen when she was attacked and killed. But just before she died, a would-be friend was able to swap out her body. That was six hundred years ago. There are more immortals now, Cyrus—who’s not much of a friend these days—has hand selected his own little coven over the centuries. They live in bodies for about ten years before it starts to fall apart, then they just prowl for a new one and eject its soul in order to keep going. Seraphina is tired of the consta...more
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The Alchemy of Forever (Incarnation, #1)
The Alchemy of Forever (Paperback)
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Everlight: Das Buch der Unsterblichen (Incarnation, #1)
The Alchemy of Forever (Incarnation, #1)

4949972
Jessea Perry writes under the pen name Avery Williams. She was born the day after Halloween in Los Angeles, and has since lived in five different states due to her father’s job as a radio disc jockey (though she sometimes claims her parents were in the circus). Now she makes her home in Oakland with her husband and two dastardly kittens. She enjoys riding her bicycle around town and working on her...more
More about Avery Williams...
The Impossibility of Tomorrow (Incarnation, #2)

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“That's fine. You decide to live one moment at a time. When it's time to die, really time, you will know." -Seraphina/ Kailey” 17 people liked it
“People are always looking for magic, when the natural world holds true miracles” 15 people liked it
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