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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
4.5/5 stars. my gosh, i stayed up until 2AM devouring this book in a single sitting, because it sucked me in and just would not let me go. brilliant, chinese-inspired premise that was well-executed with a great cast of characters. kylie lee baker has a beautiful, evocative writing style, and this book was amazing.
we follow fan zilan, a half-chinese, half-white mixed race alchemist who can raise the dead and has made a business out of it.
“if you want your brother back, then i’m your new god.”
“i don’t want your prayers,” i said. “i just want your money.”
zilan's straightforward personality was a delight from start to finish.
she and her two cousins study and train for a set of royal examinations, aiming to eventually arrive at the capital and its promise of a brighter future. there, they encounter a web of politics as well as royalty, with a powerful empress, her team of alchemists, and a sweet crown prince who just really loves his ducks. i can’t say whether li hong was cuter or his ducks, really. there’s also a duck named durian, while adds an entire star on its own. absolutely adorable.
the magic system was intriguing and discussed in just the right amount of detail, with certain stones tying into the chinese elements when used in alchemy. all of the historical references were well done, and i especially appreciated the author’s choice to use mandarin and cantonese despite the setting, and her rationale for this. the twists caught me by surprise and made this an exciting, engrossing read from start to finish.
i wish we could have learned just a bit more about the supporting cast, especially the moon alchemist and her team, but overall i'd highly recommend this. the ending. the ending was amazing and makes me regret having read this so early, because the wait for the next book will be painful.
i received an ARC in exchange for an an honest review.
we follow fan zilan, a half-chinese, half-white mixed race alchemist who can raise the dead and has made a business out of it.
“if you want your brother back, then i’m your new god.”
“i don’t want your prayers,” i said. “i just want your money.”
zilan's straightforward personality was a delight from start to finish.
she and her two cousins study and train for a set of royal examinations, aiming to eventually arrive at the capital and its promise of a brighter future. there, they encounter a web of politics as well as royalty, with a powerful empress, her team of alchemists, and a sweet crown prince who just really loves his ducks. i can’t say whether li hong was cuter or his ducks, really. there’s also a duck named durian, while adds an entire star on its own. absolutely adorable.
the magic system was intriguing and discussed in just the right amount of detail, with certain stones tying into the chinese elements when used in alchemy. all of the historical references were well done, and i especially appreciated the author’s choice to use mandarin and cantonese despite the setting, and her rationale for this. the twists caught me by surprise and made this an exciting, engrossing read from start to finish.
i wish we could have learned just a bit more about the supporting cast, especially the moon alchemist and her team, but overall i'd highly recommend this. the ending. the ending was amazing and makes me regret having read this so early, because the wait for the next book will be painful.
i received an ARC in exchange for an an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Scarlet Alchemist was a gripping story with intriguing plot and a persistent main characters. I absolutely love the plot and storyline. It was action-packed, exquisitely plotted and stunningly complex. The alchemy was exciting and utterly unique. The main character was bull headed, powerful and badass. The setting and writing was beautifully descriptive. But it came off as exceedingly young. I know it is a YA but the characters are supposed to be 17/18 and they are acting closer to 14/15. The love interest was comedically naive at times but other times I found myself truly wondering what the MC saw in him. The other characters were bland and uninteresting. I cannot stand when characters are constantly trying to find solutions to overcome the villain but the villain is constantly one step ahead. Every time Zilan tried to usurp the Empress the Empress was always a thousand steps ahead. It ends up getting tedious and repetitive. I don’t mind the main character failing but a small win here or there would add more excitement to the story rather than the constant disappointing exasperation. I did like how Zilan finally overcame the villain but by that point I was just exhausted. The Scarlet Alchemist was truly an enticing book with many fascinating aspects I just wished the characters acted their age and there was a break from the constant thwarted by the villain.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
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
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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:
No
Having just finished this author's recent and amazing 'Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng' I was worried that this tale would suffer in comparison I was pleased to find it was just as engaging for me. Kylie Lee Baker has joined R.F.Kuang as an author who works I will priorities reading.
The Scarlet Alchemist ticked all the right boxes for me
Set in an alternative Tang Dynasty China
Rich chemical/alchemical lore
Class consciousness where the rich can live forever consuming alchemical gold and the poor can't ( and of course are consumed to make it)
and 100 year old ethereal, cunning Wu Zetian fast becoming a favouite of mine for stories (see Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao)
This is the first in a duology and I can not wait to dive into the next The Blood Orchid.
The Scarlet Alchemist ticked all the right boxes for me
Set in an alternative Tang Dynasty China
Rich chemical/alchemical lore
Class consciousness where the rich can live forever consuming alchemical gold and the poor can't ( and of course are consumed to make it)
and 100 year old ethereal, cunning Wu Zetian fast becoming a favouite of mine for stories (see Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao)
This is the first in a duology and I can not wait to dive into the next The Blood Orchid.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
funny
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
I love when I resurrect my brother's soul and put him into the body of my freshly dead boyfriend.
Seriously, this was my biggest nitpick because I greatly enjoyed the book elsewise. This felt like a cheap way to give the MC a happy ending- bring back her family (the death and loss felt profound, let's undo that!) AND add a sequel book for no reason.
Seriously, this was my biggest nitpick because I greatly enjoyed the book elsewise. This felt like a cheap way to give the MC a happy ending- bring back her family (the death and loss felt profound, let's undo that!) AND add a sequel book for no reason.