The Alchemy Thief - Book Review

The Alchemy Thief
by R.A. Denny

A group of Islamists takes an interest in an ancient book of alchemy that is currently on display at a museum. They believe the book holds the key that would lead them to power.

The year 2019. While swimming in the ocean in Massachusetts, Peri found a hairpin-like object with a mysterious symbol on it.

When she gets home after the swim, Peri hears the news on television about a bomb explosion in Morocco. The news says that a small ancient book in the museum is stolen. Peri recognizes the museum and the stand on which the stolen book was displayed. She and her best friend, Jen, visited the place a month before the incident.

Meanwhile, in another part of the world, a ten-year-old boy and his mother enter a museum in Morocco. They pretend to be visitors, interested in the items on display. However, as the museum guard gets distracted by an explosion, the boy steals a book from its display stand. He successfully gets away with it and escapes from the scene. While his mother stays behind and threatens the guard to blow herself. She wears a bomb on her body.

The ten-year-old boy is named Ayoub. He proceeds to deliver the book to a certain person. However, the man to whom he gives it throws him off a boat. Thankfully, he is rescued by a group of pirates.

Unknown to him, Ayoub is transported back in time to the year 1647.

Peri and the Bodkin

Back to Peri. The 18-year-old woman goes to study at Harvard. Once she's settled in her new room, she remembers the hairpin she found in the ocean. Peri is fascinated by the object because of its mysterious engravings. On one side of the object, a moon and a fox are engraved. While the other side features a strange symbol. She realizes that the hairpin is similar to the image found on the cover of the stolen book.

Peri pursues her search for the mysterious object. She posts a photo of it on social media. Soon, Peri's posts draw the attention of some people, including a terrorist group.

Later, during an activity she participated in, Peri is sucked into a ball of light. She's transported back in time to the year 1657. This is the period before King Philip's War in New England. Peri lands in a community of Puritans, new settlers that cohabitate peacefully with the Native American tribes.

Encounter Between the Pirates and Puritans

Even as she desires to go back to the future, Peri also needs to get along with the Puritans who welcome her. She gets to work with John Winthrop, the younger, at his alchemy laboratory.

On the other hand, Ayoub enjoys his life as a pirate. He's able to accumulate a lot of booties. He even dreams of building a caliphate of his own someday.

In a twist of fate, the Puritans and Peri encounter Ayoub and his group of pirates. Learn how the encounter goes. Read The Alchemy Thief and follow the story of the two individuals from the future. Will Peri and Ayoub discover each other's identity?

The Alchemy Thief: The Book and the Author

Written by R.A. Denny, The Alchemy Thief is a well-researched historical fiction. It covers the present and the 17th century periods well. I like Denny's writing style. The author carefully weaves her story so well that she engages the reader right from the start to the end. Likewise, she develops her story with steady momentum that allows readers to savor each scene. Her vivid descriptions bring them right where the actions take place.

What I like most in the book is Denny's effort to incorporate some tribal words. In a sense, she shows respect for and recognizes the minority's importance in the overall history.

However, I like the ending the least. It happens just like a snap of a finger. But, in fairness to the author, I think she intentionally does that to keep the reader wanting to read more of her works. After all, she indicates that The Alchemy Thief is the first of a series.

Another thing that bothers me is the presence of a lot of characters. Many of them don't contribute much to the overall story.

Meanwhile, on the technical side, I found a handful of typographical and grammatical errors in the book. But they're not a big deal. The flaws mostly consist of missing words in a sentence.

Overall, I give The Alchemy Thief a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, and I recommend it to readers 16 years old and above. I don't suggest this book to younger readers, though. There are some scenes not suitable for young minds. I also look forward to reading the succeeding installments of the series.