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4.6 AVERAGE
4.6 AVERAGE
Cons: It was too long. There were paragraphs upon paragraphs of background information that were unnecessary and dragged me out of the flow of the story. The war was boring to read about. Most characters and relationships were underdeveloped - Helena's friends didn't even seem to like her and we never got any time to understand/believe in her friendship with Luc. It felt like every argument happened at least five times. There were scenes and moments referenced that never actually occurred in the story.
Pros: SenLinYu's writing is beautiful. The prose was stunning. The story did not stray away from darkness and horror. We got to focus on the way that both sides are wrong in war. There were lines and scenes that genuinely moved me to tears. The relationship between Helena and Kaine was so deeply and powerfully rendered. The ending gutted me in it's simplicity.
To be honest, though, <i>Manacled</i> was better. I'm not sure I could have finished <i>Alchemised</i> if I hadn't already so deeply loved its predecessor and <i>needed</i> to see what differed and what stayed the same.
That being said, I still am eagerly anticipating what SenLinYu does next.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
