Gwend Bond was in my authors' list of to be read since a long time. I catched few details of some of her books on Goodreads, so when I saw that Netgalley was offering this title, I didn't say no. 
 And it was a wise choice, since I enjoyed Strange Alchemy quite a lot. 
 Firs of all, I need to write that the novel isn't a masterpiece, yet it was a refershing read regarding YA's panorama. I love the genre, so I tend to like everything inside it - bad and good things - but still, this book lack of: 
 - instalove 
 - useless romance angst 
 - abusrd hyper poetic physical descriptions 
 - other YA rubbish 
 - smells ( why everyone natural smell of citrus or jasmine, even in the middle of a bloody battle?) 
 Basically: that's great! 
 Also, this is a paronarmal with ghosts. No vampires, werewolfs, fallen angels... ghosts! It's something that shouldn't be so diffucult to read in book that her etiquetted as paranormals. 
 Miranda and Grant are great protagonist. 
 First of all, Miranda is strong but no a Mary Sue and don't need to act like a "bad girl" to be so. She endure many things - all along with her labradore Sidekick (Love the name) - from and for her family, listening to the whispers of Roanoke's people. 
 I have to say that at the start the fact that people looked at Blackwoods just because of their bad luck and not certain curse, well it was strange but it soon reminded me that people grab everything they can just to talk ill, so it was quite normal in the end. 
 Grant was precious. He's gentle, genuine, he speaks the truth. He doesn't act like a bad boy and he seriously concern about the safety of other people. He knows how to say: I'm sorry. It's something that I don't take for granted in real life, neither in the books I read. 
 I needed a guy like Grant in a novel. 
 The way how him and Miranda interact is also great. First: they're nerdy. It's just lovely, even if I'm not part of the fandom they love. Anyway, Grant and Mirand are sincere to each other. They don't keep secrets, they take care and try their best to watch eachother back. 
 Bad points of the novel are parts of the plot, few historical details and the bad guys. 
 To be totally fair, I liked all the bad points, even if they're what they are. But still, I'm that kind o reader that need information. 
 The curse, the alchemy, the process behind it, the ghosts and the magic, they way certain minor characters are handled... details, please. 
 I need to know how the alchemy works, how the bad guy managed to reach that level of power, of everything works, why tha ancestors did that they did and why the curse works in tha way, how goes on generation after generation. 
 Anyway, Strange Alchemy is a novel that I would suggest to everyone that wants to read and adventure book, with magic, mystery, curse, spirits, nice protagonists, depraved villain, and perfect for a relaxed summer read