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kevinscorner 's review for:
The Scarlet Alchemist
by Kylie Lee Baker
Scarlet Alchemist is the first book in a Chinese-inspired historical fantasy duology following a young alchemist. Zilan has learned a forbidden form of alchemy where she can raise the dead but dreams of the riches she can gain by becoming a Royal Alchemist where she will learn to make alchemical gold that the Empress and the wealthy consume to stay young forever. At the capital, she faces challenges even being accepted to be tested while the Crown Prince tries to recruit her resurrection alchemy before he is assassinated. She finds herself in a palace of fierce competition, political schemes, and lurking danger.
I really wanted to like The Scarlet Alchemist, especially since I like to support Asian fantasies. Unfortunately, it just did not work for me as it was riddled with massive plot holes I just could not ignore. Bits and pieces work for me and I really liked the general idea of the book, but the execution just was not working. This book has really high ratings, so maybe it’s a me problem.
How is it that no one noticed that there were no new alchemists for years and that all top candidates in the tests just disappear? How is it that Zilan goes through so much misogyny in her testing when apparently the main proponent is the Empress, the head alchemist is female, and all named royal alchemists in the book are women? How is it that every member of the royal line of succession has died and no one seemed to care? Why is everyone so nonchalant about monsters just murdering people in the palace? How is the prince dodging assassination attempts left and right with no apparent intervention? Why is the prince who has had no contact with the emperor talking like he has just had conversations with him recently? The book also breaks its own rules about its magic system so everyone has plot armor. With this, there are no longer any stakes because apparently resurrection is just so easy to do by the end of the book.
Then Zilan just makes stupid decision after stupid decision. No wonder she struggles so much. I liked her zeal and fortitude, but girl stop being stupid and stubborn. The prince is right there waiting to hand her everything she needs and she just keeps ignoring him, rejecting him, denying him then proceeds to do what he wants anyway but she doesn’t take the advantage given. Then of course everything she plans fails because all her efforts are so blatant and obvious that no one is going to fall for it. And she keeps shouting out her plans, talking in front of guards and maids, and not taking any time to think anything through.
I liked what The Scarlet Alchemist was going for and there is a good story somewhere in there, but it just had too many plot problems for me to look past. I did not hate it and I’m still curious about what happens next, but I don’t know if I’d read a sequel.
I really wanted to like The Scarlet Alchemist, especially since I like to support Asian fantasies. Unfortunately, it just did not work for me as it was riddled with massive plot holes I just could not ignore. Bits and pieces work for me and I really liked the general idea of the book, but the execution just was not working. This book has really high ratings, so maybe it’s a me problem.
How is it that no one noticed that there were no new alchemists for years and that all top candidates in the tests just disappear? How is it that Zilan goes through so much misogyny in her testing when apparently the main proponent is the Empress, the head alchemist is female, and all named royal alchemists in the book are women? How is it that every member of the royal line of succession has died and no one seemed to care? Why is everyone so nonchalant about monsters just murdering people in the palace? How is the prince dodging assassination attempts left and right with no apparent intervention? Why is the prince who has had no contact with the emperor talking like he has just had conversations with him recently? The book also breaks its own rules about its magic system so everyone has plot armor. With this, there are no longer any stakes because apparently resurrection is just so easy to do by the end of the book.
Then Zilan just makes stupid decision after stupid decision. No wonder she struggles so much. I liked her zeal and fortitude, but girl stop being stupid and stubborn. The prince is right there waiting to hand her everything she needs and she just keeps ignoring him, rejecting him, denying him then proceeds to do what he wants anyway but she doesn’t take the advantage given. Then of course everything she plans fails because all her efforts are so blatant and obvious that no one is going to fall for it. And she keeps shouting out her plans, talking in front of guards and maids, and not taking any time to think anything through.
I liked what The Scarlet Alchemist was going for and there is a good story somewhere in there, but it just had too many plot problems for me to look past. I did not hate it and I’m still curious about what happens next, but I don’t know if I’d read a sequel.