Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - The Scarlet Alchemist

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book!

Literally from the first page I was hooked with the story, characters and historical and fantastical world building. From the first few pages I immediately knew The Scarlet Alchemist could become a new favourite book of mine.

The Scarlet Alchemist follows Zilan, a girl who dreams of becoming a royal alchemist. Joining her cousins on their quest to become royal scholars, Zilan finds herself among the royal court uncovering political plots and schemes. When the Prince appears, knowing of Zilan's ability to resurrect the dead, she discovers things are not as they seem.

I absolutely loved the world-building in this book. Zilan's home town? The royal palace? I could imagine every place and I felt transported into the story. I loved seeing the home life and relations between Zilan and her cousins and their secret resurrection business. The resurrections brought another element to the book including a rock based alchemy system that I really enjoyed reading about.

The characters made this book. Wenshu and Yufei's banter with Zilan made me laugh out loud. Each character has their distinct personality and there was never a dull moment with them. Two other characters I loved was the Prince and the duck, Durian. The entire scene at the pond with the ducks made me cackle out loud.

The only criticism I have is with the side characters, the alchemists. They clearly were a big part of Zilan's life and yet we never learned more about them than their titles (the moon alchemist being an exception here). The ending would've hit harder if we got to know the alchemists a little better.

Speaking of endings though, this book was plot twist after plot twist after plot twist. My mouth hung open wide at some points with the thought: "That did not just happen??" at the forefront. I cannot wait for book two, I desperately need to talk over this ending with someone!

ACTUAL RATING: 4.8 STARS

Content Warnings

sundayfever's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was wild and the ending was a batshit gory blood bath. I appreciated how chaotic it was and how it isn't your typical fantasy story about magic and resurrection. I loved the mixed race representation. The "lessons learned" here are very different than your typical story. The plot twists felt so unbelievable and hard to follow though. Read like gory indulgent violent fantasy, which I guess isn't my thing.

Content Warnings

opalmars's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

🩸 PLOT:

This book grabbed my attention right on the 1st page! The prologue of “The Scarlet Alchemist” was very interesting (something that is not common, in my opinion 🫢) and I was immediately intrigued. Then chapter 1 begins with our MC, Zilan, being VERY casual about having a dead body in her shop and I was like 😧🤔👀. Tell me MORE!!!

The whole book was very fast paced. And the author managed to include a lot of things in a fairly short amount of pages, and I mean that is a good way; the plot never felt rushed, it was simply fast and exciting! I also never felt the urge to skim scenes or skip “to the fun part” because the whole story was genuinely fun, and no scene felt like unnecessary “fluff”. I think this story is just really engaging and well-paced!

I also really enjoyed the magic system. Using different stones as a way to practice alchemy, and the fact that you need to keep everything balanced – which means that for every “good” action, there’s a “bad” reaction – was genuinely super interesting! And I liked that this magic system made the fight scenes feel unique, since people weren’t fighting with weapons or magical beams of power.

Now for some spoilers:

➤ I really liked seeing Zilan overcome the odds in the alchemy tryouts. Everyone being against her and not even letting things be fair was SOOOOOOOO INFURIATING! But it gave Zilan an opportunity to show her badassery, which I appreciate.

➤ I thought that prisoner with the hazel eyes was for sure gonna be her father (it seemed pretty obvious by the way he was introduced), but then he never came up again… 😅 Maybe it’ll be revealed in book 2 that he actually was. Although her dad would probably be dead, since Zilan would be draining his life lol.

➤ When Zilan pulled back her cousins’ shirt to reveal their names tattooed on their backs…. Meaning they had been REVIVED???? Oh bitch that gagged me a little. 😨 And then learning from the Moon Alchemist that bringing people back from the dead means those revived people basically start draining their loved ones’ life?! And then Zilan realizing that the reason her uncle and aunt were sick was because her cousins were draining them?! And then realizing that SHE hadn’t been feeling sick, which probably meant her cousins didn’t even love her?! OOF!!! BUT THEN!!!! Zilan found out that SHE had been revived too (and that’s why her cousins weren’t draining her life – because she didn’t have any of her own, and she’d actually been draining her aunt and uncle too)…..!!!!!!!!!!! BIIIITCHHHHH. 😱

➤ Zilan’s plan to kill the Empress seemed really good! But that hag is SMART! My heart dropped when Zilan’s idea to poison her failed, and turned out the Empress had kidnapped Yufei and Wenshu. 😥

➤ I REALLY liked learning that the alchemists had actually been conspiring against the Empress! I honestly would’ve liked to know more about their plans.

➤ Zilan and the alchemists’ plan to kill the Empress at the end by taking her blood and feeding it to her monsters so they’d kill her was SO SMART! But, once again, she outsmarted them and fed the alchemists’ blood to the monsters, getting them all killed, except for Zilan 😰 (shoutout to the Moon Alchemist for not wanting to be revived because she believed resurrections were wrong and didn’t want to see her loved ones dying because of her).

➤ BUT THEN my girl Zilan gagged the Empress by eating pearls, becoming a freaky ass monster herself, and then killing that bitch 💪🏻. When one of the guards ripped Zilan’s soul tag I though that she was gone for sure, but the author brought back the whole idea of Zilan being a Fan, not a Su, meaning her soul tag wouldn’t even be fully connected to her soul, so Zilan carved the name she was actually linked to (Fan Zilan) in her skin and managed to stay alive. I thought that was a really clever twist!

➤ Zilan bringing back her cousin/sister into the Empress’s body was really cool. And when she brought back her cousin/brother in Li Hong’s body... gagged me, ngl. 🫢 (though I wonder… aren’t her aunt and uncle going to keep being drained by the 3 of them? 🤔).

➤ Anyways. That brings me to the 1 thing I didn’t love about this book, and that is the setup to book 2. I don’t think I love it…… Apparently, all that’s gonna happen is that Zilan is going to that mythical island and she’ll bring some people back to life. First of all, Zilan’s plan brings up ethical problems: who can you bring back to life? Surely not EVERYONE who’s ever died, right? And who decides who should be revivded? Because Zilan apparently already decided she’ll bring back Li Hong, his family, all of the alchemists… There’s definitely a moral dilemma there, though the author can for sure make Zilan have some kind of corruption arc, where she doesn’t take into consideration anything other than her selfish desires. 🤔 But, anyways… I kind of feel like Zilan traveling to an island and bringing some people back will not really be…. *enough* for an entire book. Even if the author included a bunch of obstacles and shenanigans in that journey, I think that a book about traveling to an island and bringing some people back is a downgrade, compared to book 1. I sure hope she can manage to pull it off. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

🩸 CHARACTERS:

Zilan is a GREAT main character! First of all, she takes no shit, which I absolutely LOVE! Somebody tries to scam her? She’ll just charge them more, or leave them begging. She’s not given all the necessary materials at the royal alchemist tryouts? She’ll stab the man who kept taunting her and use the metal in his blood to pass the test. They try to lie, once again, to stop her from becoming a royal alchemist? She’ll literally break her tooth to prove she’s right. The rich men are begging for their lives? She keeps walking, not even looking back, bc #EatTheRich. The prince only cares about himself? She’ll literally call him out for being selfish, as she should! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Zilan is also very ambitious (and a bit aggressive) which is great for a MC, because it means the plot is constantly moving forward, since Zilan never backs down!

Something I REALLY appreciated was the fact that Zilan wasn’t a great fighter. She constantly gets her ass beat, which makes sense since she never fought before. I’m glad she isn’t just ~magically~ a great fighter lol. That is not to say she isn’t badass, though! Because she for sure is! It’s just that, to win fights, Zilan had to use her wits, and find ways to use her alchemical powers to get out of sticky situations and overpower her stronger opponents.

I also really liked seeing her struggle with her identity. I thought it was really well integrated into the story. Also, #tall girl rights!! 💪🏻

The LI, Li Hong, was really sweet! He was naïve and kind, and a little bit silly, but in an endearing way. He was a bit selfish at times, but, as I mentioned, Zilan called him out on his shitty attitudes and he corrected himself. I always appreciate LIs who aren’t just *broody rude tall mean very tall moody* men. I’ve always liked kind LIs more, so I really enjoyed Li Hong. I just would’ve liked to see more of his internal struggle, though that would’ve only really been possible with dual POVs.

With that said, I have to admit that I didn’t really care about the romance. I didn’t dislike it at all! And I liked that Li Hong fell first and harder (which should always be the case with str8 couples!!!!!) and I thought their scenes were very sweet! For some reason, though, I just didn’t feel much, you know? I wish there’d been a little more development, or perhaps some more scenes between them, because I honestly just don’t feel very strongly about them, and I couldn’t really understand their *deep* connection at the end of the book. 😕 Also, I have to ask: wasn’t there a bit too much PDA for ancient China? That’s a genuine question. 😅 ALSO! This book did that thing that I HATE and that happens a lot in fantasy books, which is: the characters have their 1st kiss and IMMEDIATELY jump to ~undressing~…… sure, in this case it advanced the plot, BUT STILL!!!! I HATE THAT SHIT. 😭🤚🏻

As for the SC::::: Zilan’s cousins/siblings, Yufei and Wenshu, were really cool! I think they were great supporting characters for Zilan, and they actually had personality, and weren’t just bland and forgettable. And I really liked that they were *actually* integrated into the story, instead of only showing up when the MC needed them!

On the other hand, we have the alchemists, which were unfortunately pretty underdeveloped. 😕 The Moon Alchemist was the only one we actually saw on page (and, although I though she was cool, I never cared too much about her as a person). The other alchemists, though, were barely in the story. There’s like 2 scenes with the Paper and River Alchemists in the whole book. The Comet Alchemist is mentioned 3 times

and they die the 3rd time we ever hear about them… lol. I honestly just didn’t feel ANYTHING about any of these deaths, because I didn’t know these characters AT ALL

. I think Zilan’s friendship with the other alchemists was definitely lacking.

In general, I think some of the emotional beats weren’t the best, since I didn’t care about the romance or the friendships with the alchemists. I still really liked Zilan’s relationship with her cousins/siblings, though!

-------

Overall, I just found this book really gripping and enthralling. And I’m at a point in my life where I get bored very easily, so the fact that this *fantasy* book (not my preferred genre, nowadays) managed to keep my attention from the first page to the very last is definitely saying something! Despite my criticisms, I think this is a very strong book, and I’d definitely recommend it. Excited for book 2

Content Warnings

abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

thank you to @netgalley for the advance digital copy of this book!

I already knew Kylie Lee Baker would have me in my mixed race feels after loving The Keeper of the Night, but I wasn’t expecting the absolute rollercoaster that was The Scarlet Alchemist. Not only are there painful moments of not fitting in and feeling like those you love the most still don’t understand you, there was also frank commentary on poverty being a deliberate choice by the ruling class, complicated first love, and tons of political intrigue.

I think what I love about Baker’s writing is that it is distinctly YA, with young protagonists grappling with what it means to be a person in the world, feeling insecure, making stupid choices, and saying things they don’t mean, but she also doesn’t shy away from deep world-building, complicated moral dilemmas, and some truly disturbing body horror and violence.

I had so much fun reading this book: I gasped, I shouted, I grimaced, I gagged, and I teared up. If you love being dragged through the expanse of human emotions, morally gray mixed-race women, fake dating [concubinage], alternate Chinese historical periods, and amazing / complicated sibling dynamics, then boy. Have I got a recommendation for you.

Content Warnings

maiareadss's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

First, Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for this honest review!

This beautiful masterpiece destroyed me. That stayed up of night to finish it kind of destroyed. The good kind of destroyed that makes you dream about it for a week after. The Scarlet Alchemist excels across the board. It has phenomenal worldbuilding, an intense writing style, complex characters, and a plot that leaves you glued to the pages.

The Scarlet Alchemist is a high fantasy deeply rooted in Chinese history with a backdrop of romance. Our main character, Fan Zilan, is a dirt-poor half-Chinese, half-White merchant set on her path to becoming a royal alchemist. However, consequences have a habit of always catching up to you, especially when you dabble in illegal resurrections. Zilan and her two cousins, who are taking the civil service exam, make it to the capital city, Chang'an, in hopes of a better life. Life as a royal alchemist is not as rewarding as it would seem. As a reader, you will be kept on your toes by the fast-moving plot and unveiled secrets. This book also has a fair amount of terror, suspense, gore, and body horror. Overall, an astonishing 5-star read!

P.S. I have become a champion for Kylie Lee Baker. I will follow her in whatever direction she may go, and I would kill to see this on the big screen.

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