The Lady Alchemist, the debut novel from Samantha Vitale, is an intriguing and complex Rumpelstiltskin retelling that draws the reader into a world of alchemists and magicians. With this debut, Vitale shows that she has a knack for creating compelling fantasy stories, even if the execution faltered in places.
Sepha has the livelihood of her town, Three Mills, riding on her strange alchemy skills. When her alchemy demonstration for the Magistrate goes awry, Sepha is commanded to turn straw into gold or face execution. As she desperately tries to perform the impossible alchemy from her jail cell, Sepha is approached by a strange magician who makes a deal with her: he will turn the straw to gold, if she agrees to give him her first born child or alchemically create him a new body in one year. Desperate to save her town and herself, Sepha agrees and suddenly finds herself becoming The Lady Alchemist to the Magistrate. But Sepha’s troubles are far from over as she navigates alchemist politics and uncovers shocking truths about the origins of magicians, alchemy, and herself.
The novel is complex in ways that work both for and against it. There is a lot going on in this book and it is sometimes hard to keep hold of the plot. Sepha feels pulled in her actions by the contract with the Magician, her mysterious connection to Ruhen, and eventually other internal things. It felt like there were too many things pulling on Sepha and in turn, the plot, which led to confusion.
While a complex magic system is always appreciated, the alchemy and magic in this one never quite clicked. The bones of the system were there, but it felt like we were being bounced from evil magicians to court alchemists to spirit alchemists and more. Either more fleshing out of how everything worked or a paring down of the magic system was needed for the magic/alchemy side of the story to work.
Sepha is a sympathetic character that many readers will relate to. She doesn’t always make the best choices, but she is always trying. There is an odd blend of confidence and naivete in her, but considering her strong alchemy skills and her sheltered, tragic childhood, it makes sense. Along with Sepha, there are three other main characters that vary in their characterisation. Ruhen is a clear love interest from the start, but he has hidden depths that help his character come along as the story progresses. Henric is the typical haughty boy, but he vacillates far too much from being a jerk (sometimes just for the sake of being a jerk) to seeming introspective and helpful. Destry is the level headed one of the group and having her around brings a much needed sense of logic to the story.
The hardest part of the story to work through was the homunculus side plot. First, there is the fact that the homunculi are treated like slaves and the eventual explanation of their subjection is not satisfactory in the slightest. Second, they are a deus ex machina for the story and in terms of the plot, are just remarked upon randomly and then forgotten for a time. There are actual moments where Sepha’s homunculus does something completely out of the ordinary and Sepha basically goes “Hmm, that was odd. I’ll think about it later.” This happens at least twice before it’s ever actually addressed (which, of course, happens just as they need something to help them defeat the Magician). All told, the story would have been far better without the homunculi.
The Lady Alchemist is a good debut. It has its faults, some bigger than others, but it is easy to see that Vitale can craft intriguing worlds and stories. As her writing continues to grow and improve, I think we can expect some fantastic fantasy stories from Samantha Vitale.
The Lady Alchemist is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of May 26th.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
In a land torn between magic and alchemy, Sepha is an exceptional alchemist, able to bend the rules in ways no one else can. But when a slip of the tongue lands her in prison with a mountain of straw, even she has to admit that she can’t transmute straw into gold.
With the threat of a death sentence hanging over her, she’s forced to make a deal with a conniving magician. Sepha escapes with her life – but at a cost: she has one year to alchemically create a body for the magician, or else her firstborn child will be his.
As Sepha’s deadline approaches, she uncovers a deadly secret. How can she save her country when the body she owes the magician will be used to destroy it?
