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barnesm31 's review for:

The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker
5.0
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.