The Potion Diaries - Amy Alward

Samantha Kemi's family were once the premier potion makers in Nova, apothecaries to the Royal Family. But when big corporations started using synthetic ingredients, they were left behind. ZA corp has teams of alchemists and can synthesise ingredients, making them far cheaper than the authentic natural ones.

Princess Evelyn accidentally gives herself a love potion meant for someone else and then falls madly in love with herself. This triggers a Wilde Hunt in which all Nova's alchemists must compete to find the cure before it's too late to save the princess. Sam decides to join, against her grandfather's wishes and battles to discover the recipe which is illegal and has been lost for over a century. Add to this the handsome son of her biggest rival, who seems to genuinely care about her and about finding a cure, regardless who manages it. Nevertheless Sam is naturally a bit sceptical of his true intentions.

I really enjoyed the story, the characters and the magical world. I've already started reading the second book, Royal Tour, and I am hoping it will be just as fun as the first.

Sam's creative thinking about mixing her potions reminds me of myself thinking about a new cocktail. Trying to decide which ingredients are needed to get the desired results and which go together well. I have used some of the love potion ingredients to create my cocktail, the Nova Love Potion.

Unfortunately I don't know where to find Abominables but I have managed to find some of the ingredients such as this lovely shimmery Unicorn Tears gin. I won't give the significance of all the ingredients* but hopefully as you read the book it will all become clear!

First of all brew up some jasmine tea, you don't need much so make sure it is strong. Leave to cool.
Shake up 1 shot of Unicorn Tears gin, 1/2 shot each of cranberry juice and lemon juice and a dash of rose syrup with ice, then pour into a rocks glass full of ice. Top up with a shot of jasmine tea and stir in a little blue shimmer to turn the cocktail purple. At the last minute add a drop of Chambord (I won't say what this relates to as it is a bit of a spoiler!). Garnish with a few rose petals.

*If you do want to know, leave a comment below or message me on twitter...

To Kill a Kingdom - Alexandra Christo

When Elian saves Lira from drowning after her mother turns her human and steals her siren's song, he has no idea this is the same girl who almost killed him. Still he doesn't know if he can trust her though they may need to work together to find what they are both looking for.

Lira and Elian are both great characters with as many similarities as they have differences. Both are reluctant royal heirs to their kingdom's throne and both feel like they cannot live up to their parents' expectations. But while Elian has made it his life's mission to rid his world of the threat of the Sirens, Lira spends her life killing princes and stealing their hearts, earning the title Prince's Bane.

To say this is just a Little Mermaid retelling is to sell it short. Though it has a surface similarity in that a mermaid (or siren in this case) loses her song, it is far more than that. There are many more levels to this story and plenty more adventures going on.

I absolutely loved the magical world of Lira and Elian. I found it delightful realising that the Siren language Psariin is actually Greek and many of the place names have hidden meanings. It is full of intriguing Kingdoms with Greek connections. Elian's home land, Midas, where everything is golden. Pagos is the land of ice and snow, while the sirens live in the Diavolos sea.

I have named my cocktail the Prince's Bane. It brings together the Greek theme with ouzo for the liquorice aroma Elian has and the green/blue colour of the sea.

Shake up 1 shot of ouzo, 3/4 shot lemon juice, 1/2 shot each of blue curacao and apple Sourz and a dash of sugar syrup with lots of ice. Strain into a glass and stir in a little blue shimmer to make it even prettier. Garnish with a star anise floating on the top like a little boat on the sea.