Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone—whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold—but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness.
While combing through her mother’s notes, Thea learns that there’s a curse on the Stone that causes anyone who tries to make it to lose their sanity. With the threat of the French Revolution looming, Thea is sent to Oxford for her safety, to live with the father who doesn’t know she exists.
But in Oxford, there are alchemists after the Stone who don’t believe Thea’s warning about the curse—instead, they’ll stop at nothing to steal Thea’s knowledge of how to create the Stone. But Thea can only run for so long, and soon she will have to choose: create the Stone and sacrifice her sanity, or let the people she loves die.
I thought it was very interesting how every single character we meet in the book was desperate to create the Stone, which was such a great way of foreshadowing what was to come. I also really enjoyed the book's descriptions of complex familial relationships. As it is a standalone, this would be perfect for readers who don't want to commit to a heavy fantasy series, though I hope we get to see more of Thea in the future.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Until next time,
Laura
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