I was hoping for some cool alchemy and magic in the Infinity Alchemist. Instead, Kacen Callender delivers more of a romp into the angst of young people, difficulties with parents, gender-switching, romantic entanglements, and a lust for Power.

Ashen Woods is a poor young man working as a Groundkeeper’s assistant at the Lancaster College of Alchemic Science. Secretly, Ash has been teaching himself alchemy with varying results. When Ash is confronted by one of Lancaster College’s faculty members, Ramsay Thorne, he becomes part of a search for the legendary Book of Source. An alchemist possessing the Book of Source would commend infinite Power.

Of course, Ramsay Thorne isn’t the only alchemist searching for the Book of Source. Ash’s father, Gresham Hair, is willing to murder anyone standing in his way of finding Book of Source. While Ramsay and Ash pursue their own leads on the location of Book of Source, complications ensue. Ramsay changes gender every day. Sometimes male, sometimes female. While Ramsay knows more about alchemy than Ash does, Ash has untapped Power.

I found the romantic shenanigans tiresome and the search drawn out. Skip this one. GRADE: C