Brimstone by Callie Hart

Brimstone by Callie Hart

The second book in Callie Hart's Fae and Alchemy series was published in mid November of 2025 to much anticipation. The first novel in the series, Quicksilver, was all over TikTok when it first came out and one of the main characters, Kingfisher, is a fan favorite at the moment. Brimstone deals with bullying, death and animal death, gore, torture, general violence, blood, kidnapping, grief, stalking, murder, fire injury, war, and injury detail. This is a review for Brimstone and may contain spoilers for Quicksilver. If you are looking for a refresh of the events of Quicksilver before moving on to the sequel, check out our Fae & Alchemy series page where you can find a full summary and spoiler free study guides.

In her wildest dreams, Saeris Fane could never have imagined her life at this moment. Ripped without permission from her world and brought to the land of the Fae (although to be fair, she was going to die otherwise), embroiled in a centuries long war between Yvelia and Sanasroth, mated to a powerful, broody, and smoking hot Fae legend named Kingfisher, and now Queen of the Blood Court. She never wanted the power that she now holds and she feels it weighing on her. She is now responsible for a whole court of vampires with rules and customs she does not know or understand, and she is still worried about her brother who is stuck without her in Zilvaren. He probably thinks she's dead. In addition, new problems seem to be popping up all over the place. Problems that even Kingfisher doesn't have answers for.

I gave Quicksilver a high rating when I reviewed it originally. It was not what I would consider a "good" book, but I thought the premise was interesting and I was interested in where the story would go. Plus, I was there for the vibes. I was very excited for the second book to come out and had high hopes for Brimstone. I was very disappointed. I still like most of the characters. In fact, Fisher seems less controlling and more likeable for the most part and Carrion becomes a bit less of a parody and gains some depth. It seems like Hart spent very little time developing the Blood Court in this book, though a decent amount of time is spent there. The book is twice the length that it needs to be and is full of redundant paragraphs that add nothing to the setting or the plot, while still managing to be confusing about the powers that Saeris now has and is trying to understand and gain control of. Most disappointing for me was the ending. I am generally not a fan of deus ex machina endings and I did not like the way Quicksilver ended but was willing to look past it since it's unlikely to be repeated. Somehow, Brimstone doubles down on endings that came out of nowhere and felt like a bit of a cop out.

I'm giving Brimstone by Callie Hart 3.5 stars out of 5 with a spice rating of 2. I was disappointed but can still enjoy the story if I don't expect too much. I will be reading the third (and final) installment of the series, which is currently scheduled for late 2026, but will be keeping my expectations in check. Don't forget to check out our series page here.

For more from Callie Hart, check out her website at https://calliehart.com/

Pairs well with roasted carrots and reading contracts before you sign them.

My favorite quotes:

"'Is a dead person talking to you right now?' Carrion asked. 'Yes,' I told him. 'Oh, good,' he said in a high-pitched voice. 'I thought that was just me.'"

"'It feels like being surrounded by people and being the only one who can't find the air in the room. It's drowning on dry land. It's the hollow ache of something that you know, from that moment on, will always be missing.'"

Review of Quicksilver by Callie Hart - Fae & Alchemy book 1