A fresh retelling of Rumplestiltskin that enchants through fast-paced and unexpected twists and turns. Definitely exceeded my expectations!

Oh my goodness, this book. I didn't expect how amazing it would be. The world is so well built, with all of the background information given to the reader in perfect bursts without being heavy info dumps. I enjoyed the unexpected twists and natural but surprising turns that this book takes. Some of the twists I found predictable, but many of them were shocking. On more than one occasion while reading this novel, I found myself staring dumbfounded at the wall, unable to keep reading until I had processed what had happened. I highly recommend this book. It's clever plot structure and stunning new world will keep you turning pages and - like me - waiting anxiously for news of the next installment. I hope we get more stories from Samantha Vitale's world. ( )

The Lady Alchemist draws inspiration from the Rumplestiltskin fairy-tale, but it quickly goes beyond its established borders to encompass a complex adventure of moral conflict, intrigue, and the fraught politics underlying the battle between alchemy and magic.

Sepha is a young alchemist who has the fate of her stagnating industrial hometown resting on her shoulders. She brashly agrees to an impossible feat, and then makes an even brasher agreement whose repercussions stretch well beyond her understanding.

It was nice to see a character who is talented and relatable while also being genuinely flawed beyond the usual insecurity or two. Some readers might not like some of these qualities. Sometimes, she can be comfortable in her ignorance, and slow to realize or acknowledge things that are staring her in the face, but for me, they were understandable in light of the character's history and gave her a lot of opportunity to grow throughout the story, adding complexity.

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More to come... ( )

Sepha is a talented alchemist who lives in a small town with her strict and abusive father. One fateful day sets off a chain of events that changes her life forever. Along with meeting supportive friends, they also protect a secret that even Sepha is not aware of herself. For me, the book started off a bit slow, but there was tons of back story that helped as the plot went along. Sepha's character is well written and I enjoyed seeing her development along the way. The magic system is unique and probably one of my most favorite things about reading this book, aside from the Sepha and Ruhen dynamic. The writer was really great at drawing up the relationship of Sepha and Ruhen. The fact that we knew Sepha's thoughts about why she was keeping the relationship at arm's length is what made it devastating, but in the greatest way. ( )

I haven't come across many retellings based on Rumplestiltskin and I was not dissapointed with this twist. This novel takes that tale and adds a hefty helping of alchemy and magic. It was so well done.

Sepha is a strong and flawed character. Coming from an abusive home, she's struggled through reading issues and the loss of her mother to be one of the top self taught alchemists in her town. She can do what most alchemists cannot. When the magistrate comes to town to see Sepha's alchemy, everything that can possibly go wrong does. In her haste to rectify the issue she overstates her skills and says she can turn anything into anything just give her one more chance. And so the story unfolds where she is tasked to change straw into gold and the unwanted aid of an evil magician (trapped in the body of a homunculus) seals the contract for her first born.

But that's just the short synopsis. In this world magicians are evil. Alchemy and magic should never mix and the magistrate happens to have a twin sister doing sinister experiments with soul alchemy. There's a growing love story between Sepha and Ruhen and learning how to trust her new comrades as she strives to break the contract.

I REALLY hope there is another book coming. The ending wrapped up the first half perfectly but it definitely had an epilogue with a cliffhanger. I'm so ready for more.

Reader warning: abuse and criminals tortured in the name of science

Thank you to Month9Books and LibraryThing for the opportunity to read and review this ebook for an honest and unbiased opinion. ( )