The Alchemy Thief

I enjoy a good time travel read, and this one had a bit of a different take on it. Here, time travel involves alchemy.

Ayoub is a Moroccan boy, growing up Muslim, learning what can only be called terrorist ways. When he is helping his mother steal a book from a museum, things go wrong. His mother loses her life, and Ayoub is on the run with this book. Inside it he finds an artifact of some kind. The artifact whisks him to the days of the Barbary pirates through a ball of light.

Experience Fuller (or Peri, as she understandably prefers to be called in this modern world) is a freshman in college. She's looking forward to enjoying the college experience, and she's flattered and maybe a bit overwhelmed when Liam, an older student, takes a romantic interest in her. She discovers an artifact in the shallow waters off Martha's Vineyard. During a storm, the artifact attracts ball lightning, and much like Ayoub, Peri is transported back in time. She finds herself in the era of the Puritans.

Ayoub is rescued by a pirate crew. He resolves to become captain of his own ship, and then use the artifact to travel forward in time and bring modern weapons back. His goal is then to establish the Caliphate before America becomes a nation powerful enough to fight against them.

Peri is rescued from the water by a group that includes Daniel, a Wampanoag who has converted to Christianity and is training to become a minister. She ends up meeting her ancestors and, by the by, Connecticut Governor John Winthrop, Jr. Winthrop is an alchemist, and Peri is able to learn about alchemy from him in hopes of figuring out how she can get back home. She has realized that there's a connection between her artifact and a book she'd seen on her travels, and between the book and terrorist activity.

Ms. Denny clearly did her research on this book. The historical detail is almost an education in itself! I'm not a huge student of history, and I never really think about what else was going on in the world when studying one aspect of history. This book helped me do just that. The Barbary pirates were the terrorists of their day, so it seems fitting that our time travelers should end up in similar situations when they were transported back – Ayoub with like-minded fellows, Peri with the Americans that will be.

Peri was a little dithery at first, and I really wanted to scream at her when she was so infatuated with Liam. He just seemed off to me (and indeed, he is). But I thought about what I was like at that age, and realized I was probably very similar to Peri when I headed off to college. Ayoub is slightly terrifying in his single-mindedness and his determination to bring 21st-century havoc to the 17th century.

The book doesn't have a cut and dried ending. It's rather a cliffhanger. I loathe cliffhangers, because it means I have to wait to get my hands on the next book, and I hate waiting. So I'm anxiously looking forward to seeing how the story continues. Will Ayoub succeed? Will Peri stop him? Will Peri find a way to stay with Daniel, or to bring him with her back to modern times? How will that even work? I have so many questions!

I recommend this if you like well-researched and detailed historical fiction, time travel, and a little bit of romance. It's a lot of fun, and I look forward to reading more.

Disclaimer: Thanks to the author for an advance copy of the book. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books that I don't really like.

The Alchemy Thief is a well-researched and thoroughly planned story of time traveling amid tumultuous times. It's an example of the classic “accidental hero”, as Peri is thrust into a world that she doesn't understand.

While I found the premise and storyline to be engaging and exciting, I regret to say that I did feel bogged down by the writing. There are many info-dumps in strange places and scenes often felt rushed and jumpy. I think one of the biggest turnoffs for me was how the story was heavily “told” and not shown. For example, we didn't get to experience Peri's interactions in ways that allowed us, as the reader, to understand her feelings and choices. Her dates with Liam were summed up with “he made her feel special” or some similar phrase, without even sharing conversations that reflected those feelings. So, to me, Peri often appeared naïve and gullible; and I'm fairly certain she's supposed to be smart. 

What I'm pinpointing as the cause of this is that it feels like the author wanted to present only facts or key points relevant to the story, and omitted as much of the “fluff” as possible. So, The Alchemy Thief strikes me as a very bare-bones and to-the-point story, without time spent on emotional or otherwise “fluffy” content. It's presented to you straight like it happened and there's not a word wasted on things that aren't relevant to the plotline. And as I mentioned earlier, the plot itself is very good and well-researched.

As for my personal opinion, however, I prefer writing styles that include the fluff and I would've enjoyed the book a lot more if I had experienced the emotion and character development that I found lacking. If you're a fan of to-the-point stories and typically prefer to skip things like relationship building conversations or prose-heavy descriptions, and you just want an exciting story, this book might be more your style! 

I received this book from the author. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.

Content Disclosures: Some heavier topics from action-heavy scenes (t3rrorism, b0mbs, etc). There was no cursing, however, and some minor, undetailed kissing scenes.