Scan barcode
miranda_lynn1234's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
5.0
I haven’t read a book this quickly in a while I was gripped the whole time. It’s a very sad story but written extremely well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexism
tanpopo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
2.5
I have many issues with this book, both plot wise and historically/culturally accurate wise.
If you came looking for an authentically Asian-inspired fantasy, this is not the book. Was the inspiration there? Yes, of course, it's speculative fiction based off of a real Chinese historical figure. However, few things about this book actually felt Chinese, from the way the characters behaved to the details about the world, and the lack of care with all these inaccuracies really drew me out of the story's time period and culture.
While reading, it felt like this was a story written by an edgy teenaged girl from LA in her secret journal.
Let's start with the inaccuracies that I noticed. I could have written them down as I ran across them, but I wanted to at least try to enjoy the story, so these are the ones that I remember from memory.
Let's start with some small stuff:
If you came looking for an authentically Asian-inspired fantasy, this is not the book. Was the inspiration there? Yes, of course, it's speculative fiction based off of a real Chinese historical figure. However, few things about this book actually felt Chinese, from the way the characters behaved to the details about the world, and the lack of care with all these inaccuracies really drew me out of the story's time period and culture.
While reading, it felt like this was a story written by an edgy teenaged girl from LA in her secret journal.
Let's start with the inaccuracies that I noticed. I could have written them down as I ran across them, but I wanted to at least try to enjoy the story, so these are the ones that I remember from memory.
Let's start with some small stuff:
- Hanfu, the clothing worn during this time, do not have pockets. People carried their items in purses/pouches, which they then either carried, stored in their sleeves, or inside the front flap of their clothing on the chest.
Throughout the story, characters are mentioned to be putting things in and out of their pockets. As well as a mention of pickpocketing and how Zilan could have just "burnt a hole in his pocket" so that he'd think his money just fell out.
- Hanfu also do not have buttons. It is closed with ties on the front or side.
When Zilan is having her back checked, her dress was unbuttoned instead of untied.
- During this time period, people did not wear coats, but rather cloaks. Slight difference.
- Rooms were not heated by fireplaces. They were heated by coal/charcoal burning censers and braziers.
- The concept of boyfriend/girlfriend, let alone the words meaning anything besides "a friend that is a boy/girl", did not exist at this time and wouldn't for a long while.
- The ancients did not have bread. They had buns (steamed buns, usually with fillings) and flatbreads, but not loaves as we imagine bread today. Breads were also not a staple food item like it was in the west.
Li Hong feeds his ducks "loaves of bread" all the time. Zilan then criticized him for doing so, saying that bread is unhealthy for ducks. While this is true, this is a fact that was only recently discovered/made into common knowledge. People back in the day probably would not have thought about something like that or had even known.
Regardless, Li Hong might have feed the ducks flatbreads every once in awhile, but more likely than not, a servant would be the one taking care of them and feeding them. The prince feeding them bread would have been more like a treat rather than their actual diet.
Regardless, Li Hong might have feed the ducks flatbreads every once in awhile, but more likely than not, a servant would be the one taking care of them and feeding them. The prince feeding them bread would have been more like a treat rather than their actual diet.
- People did not use gold as currency. Ok, sure gold was used, but is was not at all common. Same with silver. Silver and gold were melted down into yuanbao, the gold nuggets you'll commonly see on Chinese New Year decorations as they are a symbol of wealth and prosperity. These weren't minted, but rather commissioned by gold and silversmiths to produce. If/When these are used as currency, an trusted money handler would determine the yuanbao's value.
Actual currency used by the people during the Tang Dynasty, especially commoners, was called kai yuan tong bao, and looked like the classic Chinese coins you might think of with a square hole in the center. These coins were not made of silver or gold, but rather a mixture of copper, lead, tin, and sometimes bronze, brass, or iron.
But Life Gold is such a big deal in this book, so why not use gold as this universe's currency? Well to me it still doesn't make sense. There can not possibly be enough gold in a kingdom the size of Ancient China to make a functional economy. That's why less precious materials are used in a lot of currencies around the world. Rare enough/hard enough to reproduce to give it value, but not so rare as to make it pretty much impossible for regular people to actually obtain said currency.
Being how selfish and tyrannical Wu Zetian is presented in this book, it also doesn't make sense for her to allow gold to just casually be used as currency. She'd want it all for herself.
Which leads to another point of confusion that I didn't understand about this book. It was mentioned multiple times that the value of gold was decreasing in this book, thus causing inflation. If gold is the main component of Life Gold, gold should be highly sought after, not to mention the literal consumption of gold, thus depleting a non-renewable resource. This all should increase its value and worth. So why in this book is its value decreasing? The value of gold should sky rocket because of how important this mineral is.
But Life Gold is such a big deal in this book, so why not use gold as this universe's currency? Well to me it still doesn't make sense. There can not possibly be enough gold in a kingdom the size of Ancient China to make a functional economy. That's why less precious materials are used in a lot of currencies around the world. Rare enough/hard enough to reproduce to give it value, but not so rare as to make it pretty much impossible for regular people to actually obtain said currency.
Which leads to another point of confusion that I didn't understand about this book. It was mentioned multiple times that the value of gold was decreasing in this book, thus causing inflation. If gold is the main component of Life Gold, gold should be highly sought after, not to mention the literal consumption of gold, thus depleting a non-renewable resource. This all should increase its value and worth. So why in this book is its value decreasing? The value of gold should sky rocket because of how important this mineral is.
The Hulingjing and her execution. Fox spirits can be either benevolent or malevolent. During the Tang Dynasty, the period this story is supposed to be taking place, fox spirit worship was very popular, and they were more often than not benevolent. There was even a saying that said "Where there is no fox demon, no village can be established".
It might not be completely odd to see a hulijing killed, since it depends on the spirit itself rather than the species as a whole. Though maybe it would be more unusual to see this during this time period, but the method used to kill the woman was weird to see in this setting.
Death by burning felt very European witch hunt. Executions in Ancient China were often beheadings or strangulation. If the author wanted to keep this woman's death brutal, she could have maybe had the woman tied up while dogs were let going to attack her. Hulijing could be killed by normal methods, and hunting dog parties were not uncommon as dogs were their greatest enemies.
- Unless alchemists are able to feel the energy from stones (which I don't think was ever mentioned), I do not know how Zilan would have been able to tell the stones apart by touch. If they were all cut into different shapes, and had very different textures, then maybe she could tell them apart. But most stones aren't going to be like that. Sight is very important when identifying stones. If there was some kind of explanation for how she was able to do this, then it would make more sense to me.
- Not sure if this was intentional by the author or not, but women and commoners were not able to take the civil exams. It was only after Wu Zetian became emperor that she opened up the tests for everyone, not before. It could be that Empress Wu made the change anyways during these 100 years while the Emperor was ill. But again, I do not know if this was a conscious decision or not. It just had me thinking when I first heard it.
- Just a quick annoyance, but is was briefly mentioned that bloodstone was made up with clay, which is just 100% incorrect. I am not sure where she got this information. The stone is green jasper with red hematite inclusions which create the blood-looking spots.
Some more major points:
- The names of the original characters in this book are just terrible. At least for the ones that we are given the characters (hanzi) for or are hinted at. The author's naming conventions and understanding of how names are given clearly shows that she at most has a year 1 level of Chinese language knowledge. I am not fluent in Chinese, but even I could tell that the names sounded off. I asked my friend, who is a native speaker, what she thought of these names, and she confirmed that they were indeed very weird.
So getting into some specifics, at the very beginning of the novel, we are introduced to a background character named Gao Youjin 高有金. His first name literally means to have gold (有=to have 金=gold). Right on the nose since this character was rich. However, You 有 is not used for names and is weird to see it here. His name is basically just a direct sentence describing him. If his parents wanted to name him after money, they would have been more creative in doing so.
Next is Wenshu 文書. Wen 文 is a character commonly used in names meaning literary/writing/culture/language, so we are fine there. Shu 書(书) on the other hand means book. I can see where the author was coming from, trying to give him a scholar-y name, but Shu 書(书) just isn't used for names and looks weird.
Zilan 紫蘭(兰).... I have a lot to say about this one. Zilan is not actually a bad name. There is a famous Chinese artist, Guan Zilan (關紫蘭), with the name. I didn't know about her until I tried looking up (in both English and Chinese) what a zilan flower looked like, and she was one of the top results when you looked up the name in pinyin.
In the book, zilan is said to be a common flower that you see on the side of the road. This immediately made me pause and question if zilan was the name of an actual flower or not in Chinese. The answer that I found was no. It's quite literally just an orchid that is purple.
I honestly question if the author knows what an orchid is. Orchids are not flowers that you can just spot on the side of the road, growing wherever all willy-nilly. They are found in more isolated places, such as high in the mountains or even in trees. The conditions needed for them to grow are very specific from species to species, so you aren't going to just find one on the side of the road or in a field.
On a more cultural level, orchids have a deep meaning and significance in Chinese culture. They are said to symbolize feminine beauty, modesty, and refinement. Many varieties of the flower are highly prized. Confucius even highly praised the flower. Orchids have been used to compared the careers of scholars under a just emperor.
Lan 蘭 (orchid) is also a very popular character used in the names for girls. For all of this said, I do not understand why Zilan hates her name so much.
Now credit where credit is due, I like that the author used traditional Chinese characters in this book instead of simplified ones. Simplified characters were not in use until only the mid-1950s.
Next is Wenshu 文書. Wen 文 is a character commonly used in names meaning literary/writing/culture/language, so we are fine there. Shu 書(书) on the other hand means book. I can see where the author was coming from, trying to give him a scholar-y name, but Shu 書(书) just isn't used for names and looks weird.
Zilan 紫蘭(兰).... I have a lot to say about this one. Zilan is not actually a bad name. There is a famous Chinese artist, Guan Zilan (關紫蘭), with the name. I didn't know about her until I tried looking up (in both English and Chinese) what a zilan flower looked like, and she was one of the top results when you looked up the name in pinyin.
In the book, zilan is said to be a common flower that you see on the side of the road. This immediately made me pause and question if zilan was the name of an actual flower or not in Chinese. The answer that I found was no. It's quite literally just an orchid that is purple.
I honestly question if the author knows what an orchid is. Orchids are not flowers that you can just spot on the side of the road, growing wherever all willy-nilly. They are found in more isolated places, such as high in the mountains or even in trees. The conditions needed for them to grow are very specific from species to species, so you aren't going to just find one on the side of the road or in a field.
On a more cultural level, orchids have a deep meaning and significance in Chinese culture. They are said to symbolize feminine beauty, modesty, and refinement. Many varieties of the flower are highly prized. Confucius even highly praised the flower. Orchids have been used to compared the careers of scholars under a just emperor.
Lan 蘭 (orchid) is also a very popular character used in the names for girls. For all of this said, I do not understand why Zilan hates her name so much.
Now credit where credit is due, I like that the author used traditional Chinese characters in this book instead of simplified ones. Simplified characters were not in use until only the mid-1950s.
- In a modern context, the use of Xiaojie 小姐 would be correct (except in Northern China, where it is a slang word for prostitute). However, in a historical setting, Xiaojie 小姐 is a term used more for noblewomen and those with high standings. The term for "Miss" would be Guniang 姑娘 in a historical setting.
- People never EVER should be referred to by their first names unless they are close friends or family. It is extremely disrespectful to do so otherwise. So many times in this book Zilan is referred to as "Zilan Xiaojie". So she's being disrespected, yet being evaluated at the same time? Zilan should either be referred to by her full name, Fan Zilan, or as Fan-guniang. After becoming
Li Hong's "concubine", people should have started calling her Concubine Fan or Consort Fan. Probably the latter as the rank is higher and she's Li Hong's only "concubine". - Concubines. Oh my GOD I do not know where the author got her mindset for this one. Literally watch any historical Chinese drama involving the harem and you will get a better idea of what a concubine is, does all day, and is treated way more accurately than this book shows it as. And the dramas are, well, dramatic! compared to what it was like in reality.
A concubine was also given eunuchs (not regular guards) to guard them from other men, since they don't have a certain body part down below, so that nobody but the emperor/lord/etc. can impregnate them. Whenever the man did lie with his wife or concubine, it would have been recorded in a document. This way they can make sure that the child is indeed his. There were also some blood tests if there was any doubt, but modern science can disprove their accuracy.
- The men in this book. Every single one of them, besides the ones we are supposed to like, are absolutely terrible. I will be going more detail about that once I get to the actual plot of the book.
Anyways, the men in this book, or just everyone in general, are WAY too hands on. The amount of unnecessary touching is just bizarre. Touching anyone you aren't familiar with can be seen as rude.
At one point, some rando tried to lean in and kiss Yanfei on the cheek IN BOARD DAYLIGHT. Were there creeps back then? Yeah, of course, there are creeps everywhere during any time, but now you have to take the culture into context. Touching a women, even just on the shoulder, would have gotten you some nasty looks. It would be so flirtatious. Now a kiss? That had me gasping at how utterly bizarre and not ok that was. Bizarre because no one would have actually done that somewhere where everyone could see because it was such a big societal no-no. Keeping face, or your reputation, was very important both back then and now. Yanfei acted like it was an everyday occurrence. I honestly want to know what the author thought every day life was like for a woman and what men were like.
At one point, some rando tried to lean in and kiss Yanfei on the cheek IN BOARD DAYLIGHT. Were there creeps back then? Yeah, of course, there are creeps everywhere during any time, but now you have to take the culture into context. Touching a women, even just on the shoulder, would have gotten you some nasty looks. It would be so flirtatious. Now a kiss? That had me gasping at how utterly bizarre and not ok that was. Bizarre because no one would have actually done that somewhere where everyone could see because it was such a big societal no-no. Keeping face, or your reputation, was very important both back then and now. Yanfei acted like it was an everyday occurrence. I honestly want to know what the author thought every day life was like for a woman and what men were like.
Li Hong offers Zilan a ring. An innocent gesture. Expect for the fact that it was low-key a marriage proposal. As soon as he brought is out, I thought to myself "there is no way that the author would be so careless as to have this be a romantic, marriage-like gesture, right?". Yep, it was. This is such a western/modern practice. It could have been a pure coincidence that she chose to use a ring for this scene, but it definitely stood out to me.
- Not Chinese related, but this one had me doing a double take to make sure that I really did just read what I read.
At the beginning, it was said that Zilan and Wenshu were able to translate her father's journals. The text was written in Gaelic, and how did they figure out how to translate it? By knowing a little bit of the Slavic languages used on the silk road because Gaelic has its roots in Slavic....
Excuse me, WHAT???? That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Their nearest common ancestor is Proto-Indo-European itself and that's their only relation. There is no way that they would have been able to read Gaelic by knowing, even fluently, any Slavic language. Which also isn't to mention that many Slavic languages use the Cyrillic alphabet, not the Latin one, and even then, Gaelic languages used a variant of Latin. Similar, but not exact to what we use. It would be like saying you could figure out how to read Polish because you know a bit of French. It does not make sense.
I'm going to give Wu Zetian her own section.... I know the historical note at the beginning says that changes have been made, since it is speculative fiction, but there are some decisions that I don't understand, or maybe the author unconsciously made these choices without looking at the actual history for guidance.
Excuse me, WHAT???? That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Their nearest common ancestor is Proto-Indo-European itself and that's their only relation. There is no way that they would have been able to read Gaelic by knowing, even fluently, any Slavic language. Which also isn't to mention that many Slavic languages use the Cyrillic alphabet, not the Latin one, and even then, Gaelic languages used a variant of Latin. Similar, but not exact to what we use. It would be like saying you could figure out how to read Polish because you know a bit of French. It does not make sense.
I'm going to give Wu Zetian her own section.... I know the historical note at the beginning says that changes have been made, since it is speculative fiction, but there are some decisions that I don't understand, or maybe the author unconsciously made these choices without looking at the actual history for guidance.
- Credit where credit is due though. I liked the mention of
the rumor that she chopped up her rival concubines and placed their bodies into wine jars. That was a rumor that exactly existed. Same with the mention that she killed her own baby and placed the blame on the previous Empress, the Emperor falling ill, killing her sons in order to gain power, and poisoning Li Hong. There were probably some others, but those were the ones that I can remember off of the top of my head at the moment.
Now my first question is, why is she called Wu Zetian in the book? The story to supposed to take place before she became emperor, (Yes emperor, the Chinese words for emperor and empress are not gendered terms like they are in English, but rather a name of a position), so why is she called Wu Zetian?
Wu Zetian is the name that she gives herself after ascending to the throne. Before that, her name was Wu Zhao. She should have been referred to as Empress Wu in this book.
If the Emperor has been ill for 100 years, and Li Hong has only been eating life gold for about a year, does that mean that Wu Zetian had s*x with the emperor while he was bedridden? And multiple times considering that she gave birth to multiple children, and the children from the other concubines as well?
Li Hong's sisters, the children of Consort Xiao, were much older than Li Hong in history, while in this book they are very young. The two sisters were born before Wu Zhao became empress. So were they being given life gold this entire time so that they could stay young? But why? Why would Wu Zetian keep them alive for that long?
I feel like a lot of these problems would have been fixed if this time skip didn't happen. But without the time skip, other parts of this world, like alchemy being a part of people's lives, wouldn't make sense. I feel like there should have been more care and research put into this point before writing the plot and details of this story. With 100 years of time,why hasn't Empress Wu taken the throne yet? Why wait this long?
The story might have been more interesting if the ML wasn't Li Hong at all, but rather his younger brother Li Xian, Empress Wu's 3rd son, also known as Emperor Zhongzong. During his first reign, he pretty much had no power at all and Empress Wu made all of the decisions. Making him basically just a puppet. Eventually she just exiled him and named herself Emperor Wu Zetian.
The story could have started with Li Xian being the one to approach Zilan, and eventually over time she helped him gain his confidence and self-esteem, and then they over through Wu Zetian, placing Li Xian back on the throne. That could have been interesting and fixed some of these plotholes.
In terms of actual history, during Wu Zetian's reign, the standards of living were high, economy stable, and people were very content with her rule. She took many suggestions from the public, and offered relief to the lower class in many ways.
You can debate whether or not she was a good person, but it's hard to deny that she was a good ruler. Her name was often tarnished throughout history because of misogyny. Some claims are probably valid, while others maybe aren't. We will never truly know what the real Wu Zetian was like.
The author could have been going forWu Zetian was the tyrannical person that ancient historians claim her to be, while the Yanfei Wu Zetian is her more generous leader side. But who knows because at this point I have lost faith in the amount of research that the author actually put into this.
At the end of the book, she listed a works cited, which honestly shocked me. It almost gives me the feeling of when you're in school and the teacher requires you to have at least X-number of sources, so you just look up stuff up to meet the requirement even if you didn't exactly read or use that source. If she did use all these sources for her research, it clearly either wasn't enough, or she didn't take the information in very well. There was also just a lot of information that she missed because if looked like she didn't even research them in the first place.
So many of these things could have been avoided. If you are writing any historical work, you need to ask yourself a TON of questions throughout the process. No matter how small or stupid you think they are. Like, "Did tomatoes exist in Spain? In not, when were they imported?". Either way, you will learn a lot of new things!!
Ok, let's FINALLY talk about the plot and characters of this book...
Pretty much none of the character in this book are lovable except maybe Li Hong. Li Hong is this cinnamon roll-like character, but maybe one made with too much sugar so you don't really want to eat it.
Zilan is the embodiment of anger and self-hatred. She's pretty much annoyed at someone at any given moment of the story, and wallows in her own self-pity. She is also very violent, instinctively thinking that she needs to harm or kill people when they became an inconvenience.
Yanfei's entire personality is "I hate men", and Wenshu is just kinda there? Is he supposed to be the calm one between these two overly angry girls? Props to him for putting up with it his whole life.
Wu Zetian herself is literallyjust pure evil, with no undertones or flavor to her character. One of the charming things about Chinese media is that the villains, especially the females ones, are cunning, charming, always scheming, and have the perfect front but hold a dagger behind their back. But Wu Zetian kinda just has her evil front up the entire time, which makes her a bland character in my opinion.
We don't get to know any of the royal alchemists, besides maybe the Moon Alchemist, but even then we don't get to really know her that much.Were we supposed to care and feel something when they all died? Cause I didn't feel or believe the connection and emotion that Zilan was feeling. It would have been really nice to see what life as a royal alchemist was like, but we got maybe two short scenes surrounding it? The relationship between all these characters were never really developed in the slightest.
There was too much death in this novel. And I don't mean that death is bad, but there was so much of it that when someone died it was like, "Oh, that person died? RIP I guess. Seen it before, let's move on."And why were SO many people resurrected? What's the point of killing off a character if you're just going to bring them back? If it was one character, then cool, no problem, but it happened five times. Zilan once, and her cousins twice. Twice! Maybe even six times if you count Zilan half-dying at the end and pulling herself together.
Which I also thought that the twist of Zilan being undead this entire time was stupid. Why did she have to die in the first place? Why couldn't she just be a normal human with talent? Her parents die/leave for normal reasons? Like maybe her mom got sick, and her dad went to go look for a cure but never came back. With all this death and resurrection, it really desensitizes the meaning and importance behind death in the first place.
Now the men in this book... I briefly talked about it above, but my GOD it was so bad in this book. Every single man in this book, besides Li Hong and Wenshu, are absolutely terrible people. I seriously got the feeling that the author just hates men and believes that they are all perverts, brutes, and misogynistic. Seriously, pretty much all of them either made a sexual comment, sexual touch, or were straight up violent. A bunch of men literallyripped off Zilan's clothing while she was in a cage for no reason!!
And the amount of times men commented on buying Yanfei. Was that seriously necessary? Yeah, arranged marriage was a thing back then, but it wasn't some kind of "Mmm *slurp* yummy woman, come be my wife so I can do delicious things to you kekeke." The parents would have to approve of the pairing, a dowry (which wasn't just money) would have to be paid to prove that the man/man's family was serious about the marraige, and if the family had the money, they would hire a matchmaker to read if the pairing would work or not and to then choose an auspicious date for the wedding. There was a lot more to it then just "*grunt grunt* pretty woman buy." The way it was depicted in this book was just gross.
Also, what the heck was with Zilan and Li Hong's relationship?The entire time Zilan made it very clear that she was just barely tolerating Li Hong. But then out of no where, she freaking kisses him? HUH??? Where on earth did that even come from??? And then they almost have s*x??? When did her feeling for Li Hong change? When did they become romantic? It was almost as if the author was like "Oh wait. That's right. So many books in this genre have a romantic subplot. Welp, guess they love each other now." Why, just, why. I'm fine with romance, but it came out of literally nowhere and I do not understand.
The ending of this book was SO stupid.Everyone dies, and in her state of panic, instead of, you know, reviving the person who LITERALLY JUST DIED, who was supposedly the person whom she LOVED, nah, let's bring back Yanfei into the empress's body. Huh? Excuse me? Why is that your first reaction? Shouldn't she have brought Li Hong back into his own body first? And THEN maybe try to bring Yanfei back into Wu Zetian's body? And it's not that hard to find a body for Wenshu after that if she was so determined! Tons of servants die all the time. Maybe one of the alchemist bodies were still usable. Hell, go out and dig up a commoners grave. It's a big city, there's gotta be a fresh corpse somewhere.
I don't understand. It just makes me even more confused on what Zilan's feelings towards Li Hong even are.
I'm tired, I'm done writing this rant review. This book was a train wreck. Unfortunately I have the habit of continuing to read these kinds of things instead of DNFing just to see what kind of glorious explosion is going to happen in the end. I will be reading the sequel when it comes out.
Wu Zetian is the name that she gives herself after ascending to the throne. Before that, her name was Wu Zhao. She should have been referred to as Empress Wu in this book.
If the Emperor has been ill for 100 years, and Li Hong has only been eating life gold for about a year, does that mean that Wu Zetian had s*x with the emperor while he was bedridden? And multiple times considering that she gave birth to multiple children, and the children from the other concubines as well?
Li Hong's sisters, the children of Consort Xiao, were much older than Li Hong in history, while in this book they are very young. The two sisters were born before Wu Zhao became empress. So were they being given life gold this entire time so that they could stay young? But why? Why would Wu Zetian keep them alive for that long?
I feel like a lot of these problems would have been fixed if this time skip didn't happen. But without the time skip, other parts of this world, like alchemy being a part of people's lives, wouldn't make sense. I feel like there should have been more care and research put into this point before writing the plot and details of this story. With 100 years of time,
The story might have been more interesting if the ML wasn't Li Hong at all, but rather his younger brother Li Xian, Empress Wu's 3rd son, also known as Emperor Zhongzong. During his first reign, he pretty much had no power at all and Empress Wu made all of the decisions. Making him basically just a puppet. Eventually she just exiled him and named herself Emperor Wu Zetian.
The story could have started with Li Xian being the one to approach Zilan, and eventually over time she helped him gain his confidence and self-esteem, and then they over through Wu Zetian, placing Li Xian back on the throne. That could have been interesting and fixed some of these plotholes.
In terms of actual history, during Wu Zetian's reign, the standards of living were high, economy stable, and people were very content with her rule. She took many suggestions from the public, and offered relief to the lower class in many ways.
You can debate whether or not she was a good person, but it's hard to deny that she was a good ruler. Her name was often tarnished throughout history because of misogyny. Some claims are probably valid, while others maybe aren't. We will never truly know what the real Wu Zetian was like.
The author could have been going for
At the end of the book, she listed a works cited, which honestly shocked me. It almost gives me the feeling of when you're in school and the teacher requires you to have at least X-number of sources, so you just look up stuff up to meet the requirement even if you didn't exactly read or use that source. If she did use all these sources for her research, it clearly either wasn't enough, or she didn't take the information in very well. There was also just a lot of information that she missed because if looked like she didn't even research them in the first place.
So many of these things could have been avoided. If you are writing any historical work, you need to ask yourself a TON of questions throughout the process. No matter how small or stupid you think they are. Like, "Did tomatoes exist in Spain? In not, when were they imported?". Either way, you will learn a lot of new things!!
Ok, let's FINALLY talk about the plot and characters of this book...
Pretty much none of the character in this book are lovable except maybe Li Hong. Li Hong is this cinnamon roll-like character, but maybe one made with too much sugar so you don't really want to eat it.
Zilan is the embodiment of anger and self-hatred. She's pretty much annoyed at someone at any given moment of the story, and wallows in her own self-pity. She is also very violent, instinctively thinking that she needs to harm or kill people when they became an inconvenience.
Yanfei's entire personality is "I hate men", and Wenshu is just kinda there? Is he supposed to be the calm one between these two overly angry girls? Props to him for putting up with it his whole life.
Wu Zetian herself is literally
We don't get to know any of the royal alchemists, besides maybe the Moon Alchemist, but even then we don't get to really know her that much.
There was too much death in this novel. And I don't mean that death is bad, but there was so much of it that when someone died it was like, "Oh, that person died? RIP I guess. Seen it before, let's move on."
Which I also thought that the twist of Zilan being undead this entire time was stupid. Why did she have to die in the first place? Why couldn't she just be a normal human with talent? Her parents die/leave for normal reasons? Like maybe her mom got sick, and her dad went to go look for a cure but never came back. With all this death and resurrection, it really desensitizes the meaning and importance behind death in the first place.
Now the men in this book... I briefly talked about it above, but my GOD it was so bad in this book. Every single man in this book, besides Li Hong and Wenshu, are absolutely terrible people. I seriously got the feeling that the author just hates men and believes that they are all perverts, brutes, and misogynistic. Seriously, pretty much all of them either made a sexual comment, sexual touch, or were straight up violent. A bunch of men literally
And the amount of times men commented on buying Yanfei. Was that seriously necessary? Yeah, arranged marriage was a thing back then, but it wasn't some kind of "Mmm *slurp* yummy woman, come be my wife so I can do delicious things to you kekeke." The parents would have to approve of the pairing, a dowry (which wasn't just money) would have to be paid to prove that the man/man's family was serious about the marraige, and if the family had the money, they would hire a matchmaker to read if the pairing would work or not and to then choose an auspicious date for the wedding. There was a lot more to it then just "*grunt grunt* pretty woman buy." The way it was depicted in this book was just gross.
Also, what the heck was with Zilan and Li Hong's relationship?
The ending of this book was SO stupid.
I don't understand. It just makes me even more confused on what Zilan's feelings towards Li Hong even are.
I'm tired, I'm done writing this rant review. This book was a train wreck. Unfortunately I have the habit of continuing to read these kinds of things instead of DNFing just to see what kind of glorious explosion is going to happen in the end. I will be reading the sequel when it comes out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Child death, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexism, Incest, and Misogyny
jaqylantern's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism
katyakat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Diving into "The Scarlet Alchemist" felt like stepping into a world where every page crackled with intrigue and possibility. From the get-go, I was hooked on Zilan's journey – from practicing illegal alchemy to navigating the treacherous waters of the royal court is nothing short of spellbinding.I was drawn into a world filled with political intrigue, magical secrets, and unexpected romance.
Baker masterfully weaves together themes of identity and self-discovery as Zilan grapples with her aspirations to become a royal alchemist. Her quest for acceptance and recognition mirrors our own search for purpose and meaning in a complex world. Baker's characters are as real as they come, grappling with love, loyalty, and the complexities of human connection.
The dynamics of power and politics play out against the backdrop of a society steeped in tradition and hierarchy. As Zilan navigates these murky waters, she must confront moral dilemmas and ethical choices that challenge her sense of right and wrong. Yet amidst the political machinations and alchemical intrigue, there beats a heart of romance.
"The Scarlet Alchemist" isn't just a fantasy novel – it's a journey of the soul. It challenges us to question our own values and beliefs, urging us to find strength in the bonds we forge and the choices we make.
So if you're in the mood for a tale that will transport you to another world and leave you pondering life's deeper truths, look no further than "The Scarlet Alchemist." It's a literary adventure you won't want to miss. 📖💫
Baker masterfully weaves together themes of identity and self-discovery as Zilan grapples with her aspirations to become a royal alchemist. Her quest for acceptance and recognition mirrors our own search for purpose and meaning in a complex world. Baker's characters are as real as they come, grappling with love, loyalty, and the complexities of human connection.
The dynamics of power and politics play out against the backdrop of a society steeped in tradition and hierarchy. As Zilan navigates these murky waters, she must confront moral dilemmas and ethical choices that challenge her sense of right and wrong. Yet amidst the political machinations and alchemical intrigue, there beats a heart of romance.
"The Scarlet Alchemist" isn't just a fantasy novel – it's a journey of the soul. It challenges us to question our own values and beliefs, urging us to find strength in the bonds we forge and the choices we make.
So if you're in the mood for a tale that will transport you to another world and leave you pondering life's deeper truths, look no further than "The Scarlet Alchemist." It's a literary adventure you won't want to miss. 📖💫
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Physical abuse, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Violence
betweentheshelves's review
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.0
Inspired by ancient China, this book re-imagines what might have happened if Chinese alchemists had figured out the secret to immortality. It's definitely a twisty fantasy, and Zilan, our protagonist isn't necessarily the most likable main character, but she is fierce and defiant and knows what she wants. Baker incorporates a lot of plot twists in relation to her character, and I enjoyed that overall, it kept me constantly guessing as to what was going to happen next.
Of course, the ending is left a bit open, leaving room for a second book. I believe it's going to be a duology, but I've been wrong in that aspect before. However, the events in this book are pretty much wrapped up for the most part, just leaving some loose ends that will likely be addressed in the second book.
The way Baker used ancient Chinese alchemy as her inspiration and ran with it made the magic system feel unique. I was invested and intrigued for this entire book, and I'm excited to pick up the second book when it eventually comes out!
Of course, the ending is left a bit open, leaving room for a second book. I believe it's going to be a duology, but I've been wrong in that aspect before. However, the events in this book are pretty much wrapped up for the most part, just leaving some loose ends that will likely be addressed in the second book.
The way Baker used ancient Chinese alchemy as her inspiration and ran with it made the magic system feel unique. I was invested and intrigued for this entire book, and I'm excited to pick up the second book when it eventually comes out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death of parent, Sexism, Classism, Racism, and Self harm
Minor: Child death, Vomit, Cursing, and Kidnapping
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? No
3.5
The world building in The Scarlet Alchemist is immaculate. The magic system, Death road, the harsh contrast between the poor and the rich - everything had such detail that the world and everything in it felt real. The necromantic alchemy was so interesting and played such a pivotal role through the story that I must note that the descriptions of the dead are equally, if not more, vivid and specific which gave the scenes life (ha!), but also a goriness and level of body horror I hadn't expected, but thoroughly enjoyed.
The overarching plot also really propelled the story. Though the book started slow, it builds the world well before launching into a plot that is all go-go-go after the 25% mark. Then there's no stopping. Watching Zilan do her exams especially was so interesting - again, digging into the world building and seeing what's possible through the magic system - and everything beyond it kept my interest piqued. While I don't know how I feel about the end of this installment, I'm so curious to see what book 2 has in store for us.
And that brings me to the characters. Until her exams, I honestly felt like I didn't get to know Zilan, let alone her siblings. It was like all the effort went into the world, and the characters got what was left. Yufei and Wenshu kind of just remain the same through the book - Yufei is a stubborn, pretty girl who loves to eat; Wenshu is a nerdy scholar, who protects his siblings. That's all they are for the whole book, even to the very end, and that was kind of sad, especially given the stakes. I couldn't buy into the ending because I didn't feel like I cared and knew them in the same way Zilan clearly did.
In contrast, I feel like Zilan, after she leaves for her exams, starts to find herself away from her cousins. We get to understand her motivations and see her personality start to shine. Even Hong we get to know slightly better than her cousins, though he's also kind of one-note. Their relationship is a bit insta-lovey, but I appreciated Hong's constant concern around consent and ensuring he doesn't abuse his princely power over her, as well as their move from strangers, to friends, to partners in crime, to possibly maybe lovers. Even though the declarations were a bit grand by the end, I understood the admiration they had for each other.
All in all, this book was an adventure. Full of magic and Zilan's gritty determination, The Scarlet Alchemist sets the stakes high and leaves you wanting more. I'm definitely not done with the world that was created here, so that's the biggest draw for me to come back for book 2. I'm so curious as to the heights Zilan will take her alchemy to next!
TW: death, gore, blood, murder, sexism, fire/fire injury, injury detail, racism, sexual harassment, self-harm (for ritual purposes), classism, bullying, animal death (not dog); mentions death of a parent, death of a child, vomit, kidnapping
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
eARC gifted via NetGalley by Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.
The overarching plot also really propelled the story. Though the book started slow, it builds the world well before launching into a plot that is all go-go-go after the 25% mark. Then there's no stopping. Watching Zilan do her exams especially was so interesting - again, digging into the world building and seeing what's possible through the magic system - and everything beyond it kept my interest piqued. While I don't know how I feel about the end of this installment, I'm so curious to see what book 2 has in store for us.
And that brings me to the characters. Until her exams, I honestly felt like I didn't get to know Zilan, let alone her siblings. It was like all the effort went into the world, and the characters got what was left. Yufei and Wenshu kind of just remain the same through the book - Yufei is a stubborn, pretty girl who loves to eat; Wenshu is a nerdy scholar, who protects his siblings. That's all they are for the whole book, even to the very end, and that was kind of sad, especially given the stakes. I couldn't buy into the ending because I didn't feel like I cared and knew them in the same way Zilan clearly did.
In contrast, I feel like Zilan, after she leaves for her exams, starts to find herself away from her cousins. We get to understand her motivations and see her personality start to shine. Even Hong we get to know slightly better than her cousins, though he's also kind of one-note. Their relationship is a bit insta-lovey, but I appreciated Hong's constant concern around consent and ensuring he doesn't abuse his princely power over her, as well as their move from strangers, to friends, to partners in crime, to possibly maybe lovers. Even though the declarations were a bit grand by the end, I understood the admiration they had for each other.
All in all, this book was an adventure. Full of magic and Zilan's gritty determination, The Scarlet Alchemist sets the stakes high and leaves you wanting more. I'm definitely not done with the world that was created here, so that's the biggest draw for me to come back for book 2. I'm so curious as to the heights Zilan will take her alchemy to next!
TW: death, gore, blood, murder, sexism, fire/fire injury, injury detail, racism, sexual harassment, self-harm (for ritual purposes), classism, bullying, animal death (not dog); mentions death of a parent, death of a child, vomit, kidnapping
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
eARC gifted via NetGalley by Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Classism, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Bullying, and Animal death
Minor: Child death, Kidnapping, Vomit, and Death of parent
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
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.
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: Death of parent, Classism, Murder, Sexism, Blood, Animal death, Violence, Child death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Gore
Minor: Abandonment
allapaz's review
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
4.75
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: Blood, Death of parent, Animal death, Violence, Death, Animal cruelty, Racism, Child death, and Gore
Moderate: Sexism, War, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Classism
maiareadss's review against another edition
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.
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: Blood, Murder, Sexism, Death, Abandonment, Torture, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Animal death, Body horror, Classism, and Gore
More...