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senyas 's review for:
The Scarlet Alchemist
by Kylie Lee Baker
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 all of the historical references were well done, and i especially appreciated the author’s choice to use mandarin and cantonese despite the setting, and her rationale for this.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.