Fragrance comparison

Book of Shadows vs Chapter 5

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 21 Oct 2026 154 ratings analysed

4 wins

Book of Shadows

Alkemia Perfumes

3.5691 votes

Rank #10,113 LeatherSmoky

Full profile Similar & dupes

49%scent match

Some overlap

Chapter 5

Ajmal

4.0263 votes

Rank #13,591 WoodySmoky

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Book of Shadows takes 4 of 7 categories.

Book of Shadows
Choose it for a leather and smoky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear.
Chapter 5
Choose it for a woody and smoky character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear.

Book of Shadows4/7

Chapter 53/7

Ratings & consensus: Chapter 5
Community sentiment: Chapter 5
Longevity: Book of Shadows
Sillage & projection: Book of Shadows
Value for money: Book of Shadows
Versatility: Chapter 5
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Book of Shadows

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Book of ShadowsAlkemia Perfumes

Chapter 5Ajmal

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.56/ 5 · 91 votes

Have 23%Had 7%Want 70%

4.02/ 5 · 63 votes

Have 34%Had 5%Want 61%

Category winnerChapter 5Rating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

29%Love

38%Like

18%Ok

11%Dislike

5%Hate

66 votes

51%Love

33%Like

6%Ok

0%Dislike

10%Hate

49 votes

Category winnerChapter 5Most positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage62

♥ Love / hate69

⏱ Longevity72

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate79

Category winners

LongevityBook of Shadows

SillageBook of Shadows

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value74

¤ Price value67

Category winnerBook of ShadowsBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

leather100%

smoky90%

amber80%

animalic70%

balsamic60%

aromatic50%

woody100%

smoky90%

leather80%

amber70%

aromatic60%

oud50%

Scent match49%Some overlap · both leather, smoky and amber

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Notes

LeatherIncenseInkPaper

No top / heart / base split published

Top

InkDry Wood

Heart

BirchIncenseOudSandalowood

Base

CedarwoodMossVanilla

InformationalShared notesIncense and Ink. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring10

Summer14

Fall100

Winter76

Day100

Night–

Spring41

Summer16

Fall75

Winter100

Day56

Night100

Category winnerChapter 5Most year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men26

Unisex65

Women9

Men51

Unisex38

Women10

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#10,113

PerfumerSharra Lamoureaux

Launched—

Reviews33

Overall rank#13,591

PerfumerCoralie Spicher

Launched—

Reviews6

Category winnerBook of ShadowsHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Book of Shadows by Alkemia Perfumes is a fragrance for women and men. The nose behind this fragrance is Sharra Lamoureaux.

Reviews →

Ajmal Chapter 5 is a woody, smoky unisex scent built around a sharp ink accord and dry woods, then deepened with birch, incense, and oud. It wears dark, slightly leathery, and atmospheric, with a smoother finish from cedar, moss, and a restrained vanilla. If you like unconventional, inky woods and smoky resins, it is …

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Book of Shadows or Chapter 5?

Book of Shadows takes 4 of 7 categories. Book of Shadows is rated 3.56/5 from 91 votes; Chapter 5 is rated 4.02/5 from 63 votes. Choose Book of Shadows for a leather and smoky character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in fall, daytime wear. Choose Chapter 5 for a woody and smoky character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Book of Shadows or Chapter 5?

Book of Shadows lasts longest (Book of Shadows 78/100, Chapter 5 72/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Book of Shadows or Chapter 5?

Book of Shadows projects furthest (Book of Shadows 62/100, Chapter 5 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Book of Shadows and Chapter 5 smell similar?

Some overlap: a 49% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share leather, smoky and amber accords. Common notes include Incense and Ink.

Is Book of Shadows or Chapter 5 better for summer or winter?

For summer, Chapter 5 is the stronger pick. For winter, Chapter 5 is the stronger pick. Book of Shadows suits daytime wear; Chapter 5 suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Book of Shadows and Chapter 5?

Book of Shadows features Leather, Incense, Ink and Paper. Chapter 5 has top notes of Ink and Dry Wood, heart notes of Birch, Incense, Oud and Sandalowood, a base of Cedarwood, Moss and Vanilla.