Archie Greene and the Alchemists' Curse by D. D. Everest

Archie Green is back and things aren't getting easier for him.  He's lost his parents, his grandmother is away and he's staying with his cousins.  He's also going to magic school.  It was okay until odd things started happening...

Harper Collins and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published November 1st.

The first odd thing that happens is that a golden light comes out of the magic flame and marks Archie's hand.  That's the sign of an alchemist and it hasn't been seen for three hundred years.  If that's not enough to mystify everyone (including his teachers) when his cousins and a friend get them, too, they have the magic number of five.  The same number as the alchemists of the past.  The bad news was that the group from the past let the magic get out of control and most of them died.  It takes a bit before they decide they died from a curse.  And that curse is still alive.

I feel for Archie.  Not only does he have to eat his aunt's food (she thinks adding fish to dishes enhances the flavors), now he's dealing with a curse and trying to keep his friends and himself alive.

There are odd creatures, strange books, and Archie has powers he didn't know were there.  He'll need all he knows and all he can find out before this story is done.  A fortune teller informs him he's facing a forked future.  He can go one way or the other, he has to decide.  He could become a dark wizard if he's not careful.  He doesn't want to do that but he's not sure how to prevent it happening.

It's really a good thing that Archie has some luck on his side.  He needs that to keep alive.  This is the second book in this series and it was also excellent.  I wonder what new things we will learn about Archie in the next book and what his next adventure will be.  I'll be reading it.