Reviews

Really good book! The whole time, I thought it was fantasy not realizing parts were rooted in the history of a Chinese dynasty! I enjoyed the characters and was vested in their stories. Looking forward to reading the second one!

ellaross's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

jennadee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

3.75

I liked the author’s writing a lot! I found the magic and alchemy interesting. The story line and where it started heading for the duology just wasn’t for me as much as I’d hoped.

elizabeth12's review against another edition

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5.0

I can't remember the last time I read a book in 3 days. I was hooked from the beginning. The Scarlet Alchemist is gruesome and depressing at times, and honestly, I was a little shocked at how dark the story got. I should have known from the opening scene though when the Zilan literally resurrects a decaying body. Zilan and Li Hong annoyed me at times until I remembered that they are teenagers. They both seemed a little gullible and naïve. That said, I still liked rooting for them even if their decisions made me wince.

The worldbuilding and magic system is so well done. I don't read a lot of books where alchemy is the main magic system so this was really enjoyed. I would have liked to see maybe a little bit more about how the rich people live, but given Zilan's standing, it makes sense that we didn't see a whole lot of it. There were so many twists and turns in the book. Some of which I should have expected, but I still didn't see it coming. I like the direction that the sequel seems to be going in and I'm excited to read it!

mericherry's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ninaskokoro's review against another edition

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while this author had excellent descriptions of corpses and death… that was it. everything else fell flat and it wasn’t compelling. the dialogue felt repetitive and uninteresting and the crown prince was less interesting than a wet noodle.

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