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challenging
dark
funny
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Xenophobia
Minor: Cannibalism, Death of parent
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:
Complicated
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.
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
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Abandonment
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I would like a personal apology from Kylie Lee Baker for writing a book that sucked me in so deeply that I didn't go to sleep until 2am last night. Seriously, I'm almost 30. I can't bounce back from that like I used to.
The Scarlet Alchemist is INTENSE. Stakes have never been higher, and the magic never more deadly. Our main character Zilan has her heard set on becoming a royal alchemist so she can earn enough money to support her family back home. Her and her cousins, Yufei and Wenshu, endure rigorous testing to prove themselves worthy of the kingdom's employment. This book is sprawling, exploring class and race issues in a fictionalized Tang dynasty and a delicious magic system that pulls people into and out of power as viciously as it pulls them in and out of life.
This book went hard. My only notes here were a struggle on whether YA could really be this dark, and I almost wonder if this would be more suited for a 'New Adult' classification. I will say the violence didn't feel gratuitous, but dang there were some parts in here with blood and monsters that just crawled right under my skin and will not leave.
I struggle to say anything else about the plot here, as I think this story is best enjoyed with the twists and surprises being an absolute blindside. This is one of the rare books that I fully cared about every single supporting character, and Kylie Lee Baker knows this and chewed up my heart anyway. Everyone is so well-developed and interesting and as a result, Zilan feels more relatable as a main character because she doesn't stand out as the only one who's interesting or has talents or quirks or flaws. Just incredible character work here, and that always gets me hooked.
All in all, this is a fave for sure. If it weren't marketed as YA I think I'd be at the full 5, but part of me really does struggle with the level of gore, but I'll trust the publishers on that one. I also just have personal beef with a series-starter that doesn't feel like it needs a sequel....but I'll reserve my thoughts on that until we are blessed with that sequel (which is an insta-buy for me, let's be real).
Thank you to Bookishfirst/the publishers for an ARC of this one! All opinions are my own.
The Scarlet Alchemist is INTENSE. Stakes have never been higher, and the magic never more deadly. Our main character Zilan has her heard set on becoming a royal alchemist so she can earn enough money to support her family back home. Her and her cousins, Yufei and Wenshu, endure rigorous testing to prove themselves worthy of the kingdom's employment. This book is sprawling, exploring class and race issues in a fictionalized Tang dynasty and a delicious magic system that pulls people into and out of power as viciously as it pulls them in and out of life.
This book went hard. My only notes here were a struggle on whether YA could really be this dark, and I almost wonder if this would be more suited for a 'New Adult' classification. I will say the violence didn't feel gratuitous, but dang there were some parts in here with blood and monsters that just crawled right under my skin and will not leave.
I struggle to say anything else about the plot here, as I think this story is best enjoyed with the twists and surprises being an absolute blindside. This is one of the rare books that I fully cared about every single supporting character, and Kylie Lee Baker knows this and chewed up my heart anyway. Everyone is so well-developed and interesting and as a result, Zilan feels more relatable as a main character because she doesn't stand out as the only one who's interesting or has talents or quirks or flaws. Just incredible character work here, and that always gets me hooked.
All in all, this is a fave for sure. If it weren't marketed as YA I think I'd be at the full 5, but part of me really does struggle with the level of gore, but I'll trust the publishers on that one. I also just have personal beef with a series-starter that doesn't feel like it needs a sequel....but I'll reserve my thoughts on that until we are blessed with that sequel (which is an insta-buy for me, let's be real).
Thank you to Bookishfirst/the publishers for an ARC of this one! All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Racism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
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
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tl;dr
An incredible read, featuring dark magic, an engrossing plot, a strong lead, and a genuinely terrifying villain.
Thoughts
The Chinese novel plot line of "get summoned to the palace to compete for stuff" plot is so SO delicious to me, and I was delighted to see the author's notes even touch on the historical roots of this plot. And while the fact that it's one of my favorite tropes certainly didn't hurt, this book is also just very good. The narrative skips right over asking if we "should" raise the dead and leaps straight into the cost. The consequences are quiet at first, ramping up into a terrifying fallout and a high adrenaline ending that had me screaming. Zilan is firey, powerful, and often out of her depth. Her determination mixed with insecurity is palpable, and oftentimes utterly relatable. And the villain! WOW! It's rare to find one so clever and coldly terrifying. I'm breathless. That ending's going to be stuck in my head for a while, and I am counting down the days until the next book.
Edit: Countdown over! My review of the second book is here.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard press for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
An incredible read, featuring dark magic, an engrossing plot, a strong lead, and a genuinely terrifying villain.
Thoughts
The Chinese novel plot line of "get summoned to the palace to compete for stuff" plot is so SO delicious to me, and I was delighted to see the author's notes even touch on the historical roots of this plot. And while the fact that it's one of my favorite tropes certainly didn't hurt, this book is also just very good. The narrative skips right over asking if we "should" raise the dead and leaps straight into the cost. The consequences are quiet at first, ramping up into a terrifying fallout and a high adrenaline ending that had me screaming. Zilan is firey, powerful, and often out of her depth. Her determination mixed with insecurity is palpable, and oftentimes utterly relatable. And the villain! WOW! It's rare to find one so clever and coldly terrifying. I'm breathless. That ending's going to be stuck in my head for a while, and I am counting down the days until the next book.
Edit: Countdown over! My review of the second book is here.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard press for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Racism, Sexual violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture, Death of parent