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A review by phoenix2
The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker
3.0
The Scarlet Alchemist is a historical fantasy book about a girl who wants to become an royal alchemist in order to prove herself and support her family, but gets more than she bargains for.
The story starts out strongly, with an intriguing 'magic' system, the royal competition, the blood alchemy, and the palace full of horrible secrets. Kylie Lee Baker brings out once again that dark atmosphere, with the horror elements blending nicely into the story. And, just like in her previous duology, her main character is enjoyable and endearing, even though she often moves into a grey moral area.
However, I can't say that the story wasn't predictable. The whole relationship with the prince was unoriginal, even though it was nicely fleshed out. Still, for Zilan to be interested in him that quickly was off, but understandable to some extent. Yet, the romance was not the book's strong suit. Rather, the mystery of the palace was more intriguing and entertaining to read. However, I would have liked for the Queen to be a tiny bit more intense as the evil character.
Nevertheless, the book sets a strong foundation for the second one, where I hope we explore the blood alchemy in more depth.
The story starts out strongly, with an intriguing 'magic' system, the royal competition, the blood alchemy, and the palace full of horrible secrets. Kylie Lee Baker brings out once again that dark atmosphere, with the horror elements blending nicely into the story. And, just like in her previous duology, her main character is enjoyable and endearing, even though she often moves into a grey moral area.
However, I can't say that the story wasn't predictable. The whole relationship with the prince was unoriginal, even though it was nicely fleshed out. Still, for Zilan to be interested in him that quickly was off, but understandable to some extent. Yet, the romance was not the book's strong suit. Rather, the mystery of the palace was more intriguing and entertaining to read. However, I would have liked for the Queen to be a tiny bit more intense as the evil character.
Nevertheless, the book sets a strong foundation for the second one, where I hope we explore the blood alchemy in more depth.