Thea is a young lady (16 years old) who aspires to become a great alchemist like her mother. Only her mother has banned her from the lab in what Thea takes as a power grab to have the claim to fame as the alchemist who forms the Philosopher's Stone.

But, she soon learns that her mother has gone quite mad, to the point of violence, from the quest. Thea is then sent to the father who doesn't even know she exists.

Taking with her some of her mother's notes on the process, she soon discovers that the quest is one that will rob you of your life.

While I find the idea of alchemy interesting (and have training in chemistry), I must admit there were times I really did not like the main character. Yes, she is naive. But, her attitude towards others grated me the wrong way. This meant it took me a lot longer to finish the title than planned as I had to trudge through it.

The ending was good. But, getting there was sometimes torturous.