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booktalkwithrae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I absolutely love this book. I have read the debut series from this author, and I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to meet her when she released this book and this book is her best work yet!
This book follows Zilan who wants to escape her poor life to become a Royal Alchemist. After studying and working hard and having a disadvantage to all the other alchemist, she sets her sights on completing the alchemy exam and fulfilling her dream.
However, dreams are not always what they seem to be and Zilan finds out very quickly that there are monsters all around her. A story of forbidden love, family secrets, personal growth, and discovering truths the story is entertaining from beginning to end.
I was really surprised on how much blood and gore was in this book considering it is marketed as a young adult so please have that mindset going into it. I personally loved it and it felt so raw and real and goes to show that life, even in books, have losses and devastation that you can’t come back from. Unless you have the power of an alchemist… then maybe the laws of life can be bent a little!
I definitely felt like this book needed just a little more romance to really build up that feeling of love between The two love interest in this book. But I like how the romance did not take away from the plot fantasy and political intrigue of the story. Yes this book has a sprinkle of historical fiction. But this author takes a lot of liberties in creating her own world from some historical facts which means that a lot of what happens in the book is not actually historically accurate which I felt just made it more fun and enjoyable.
Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book follows Zilan who wants to escape her poor life to become a Royal Alchemist. After studying and working hard and having a disadvantage to all the other alchemist, she sets her sights on completing the alchemy exam and fulfilling her dream.
However, dreams are not always what they seem to be and Zilan finds out very quickly that there are monsters all around her. A story of forbidden love, family secrets, personal growth, and discovering truths the story is entertaining from beginning to end.
I was really surprised on how much blood and gore was in this book considering it is marketed as a young adult so please have that mindset going into it. I personally loved it and it felt so raw and real and goes to show that life, even in books, have losses and devastation that you can’t come back from. Unless you have the power of an alchemist… then maybe the laws of life can be bent a little!
I definitely felt like this book needed just a little more romance to really build up that feeling of love between The two love interest in this book. But I like how the romance did not take away from the plot fantasy and political intrigue of the story. Yes this book has a sprinkle of historical fiction. But this author takes a lot of liberties in creating her own world from some historical facts which means that a lot of what happens in the book is not actually historically accurate which I felt just made it more fun and enjoyable.
Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
kurojiri's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The writing style kept me engaged with both the characters and the plot. It was quite enjoyable (though be aware or animal death, and human experimentations/death).
If you like historical political drama with a hint of romance then maybe check this out.
If you like historical political drama with a hint of romance then maybe check this out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Racism, and Classism
frantically's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
While this book is incredibly engaging and well-written, I struggled to connect with the MC. Baker tries very hard to make her a morally grey character, in the vein of "The Poppy War" but I found it hard to root for her. I loved the way the author incorporated actual Chinese history and how she adapted. Unsure if I'll continue with the sequel, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Chronic illness and Sexual content
eas2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Racism and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Abandonment
miranda_lynn1234's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
I haven’t read a book this quickly in a while I was gripped the whole time. It’s a very sad story but written extremely well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
luckylulureads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Xenophobia
Minor: Cannibalism and Death of parent
carola84's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
allapaz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I would like a personal apology from Kylie Lee Baker for writing a book that sucked me in so deeply that I didn't go to sleep until 2am last night. Seriously, I'm almost 30. I can't bounce back from that like I used to.
The Scarlet Alchemist is INTENSE. Stakes have never been higher, and the magic never more deadly. Our main character Zilan has her heard set on becoming a royal alchemist so she can earn enough money to support her family back home. Her and her cousins, Yufei and Wenshu, endure rigorous testing to prove themselves worthy of the kingdom's employment. This book is sprawling, exploring class and race issues in a fictionalized Tang dynasty and a delicious magic system that pulls people into and out of power as viciously as it pulls them in and out of life.
This book went hard. My only notes here were a struggle on whether YA could really be this dark, and I almost wonder if this would be more suited for a 'New Adult' classification. I will say the violence didn't feel gratuitous, but dang there were some parts in here with blood and monsters that just crawled right under my skin and will not leave.
I struggle to say anything else about the plot here, as I think this story is best enjoyed with the twists and surprises being an absolute blindside. This is one of the rare books that I fully cared about every single supporting character, and Kylie Lee Baker knows this and chewed up my heart anyway. Everyone is so well-developed and interesting and as a result, Zilan feels more relatable as a main character because she doesn't stand out as the only one who's interesting or has talents or quirks or flaws. Just incredible character work here, and that always gets me hooked.
All in all, this is a fave for sure. If it weren't marketed as YA I think I'd be at the full 5, but part of me really does struggle with the level of gore, but I'll trust the publishers on that one. I also just have personal beef with a series-starter that doesn't feel like it needs a sequel....but I'll reserve my thoughts on that until we are blessed with that sequel (which is an insta-buy for me, let's be real).
Thank you to Bookishfirst/the publishers for an ARC of this one! All opinions are my own.
The Scarlet Alchemist is INTENSE. Stakes have never been higher, and the magic never more deadly. Our main character Zilan has her heard set on becoming a royal alchemist so she can earn enough money to support her family back home. Her and her cousins, Yufei and Wenshu, endure rigorous testing to prove themselves worthy of the kingdom's employment. This book is sprawling, exploring class and race issues in a fictionalized Tang dynasty and a delicious magic system that pulls people into and out of power as viciously as it pulls them in and out of life.
This book went hard. My only notes here were a struggle on whether YA could really be this dark, and I almost wonder if this would be more suited for a 'New Adult' classification. I will say the violence didn't feel gratuitous, but dang there were some parts in here with blood and monsters that just crawled right under my skin and will not leave.
I struggle to say anything else about the plot here, as I think this story is best enjoyed with the twists and surprises being an absolute blindside. This is one of the rare books that I fully cared about every single supporting character, and Kylie Lee Baker knows this and chewed up my heart anyway. Everyone is so well-developed and interesting and as a result, Zilan feels more relatable as a main character because she doesn't stand out as the only one who's interesting or has talents or quirks or flaws. Just incredible character work here, and that always gets me hooked.
All in all, this is a fave for sure. If it weren't marketed as YA I think I'd be at the full 5, but part of me really does struggle with the level of gore, but I'll trust the publishers on that one. I also just have personal beef with a series-starter that doesn't feel like it needs a sequel....but I'll reserve my thoughts on that until we are blessed with that sequel (which is an insta-buy for me, let's be real).
Thank you to Bookishfirst/the publishers for an ARC of this one! All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
lastblossom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
tl;dr
An incredible read, featuring dark magic, an engrossing plot, a strong lead, and a genuinely terrifying villain.
Thoughts
The Chinese novel plot line of "get summoned to the palace to compete for stuff" plot is so SO delicious to me, and I was delighted to see the author's notes even touch on the historical roots of this plot. And while the fact that it's one of my favorite tropes certainly didn't hurt, this book is also just very good. The narrative skips right over asking if we "should" raise the dead and leaps straight into the cost. The consequences are quiet at first, ramping up into a terrifying fallout and a high adrenaline ending that had me screaming. Zilan is firey, powerful, and often out of her depth. Her determination mixed with insecurity is palpable, and oftentimes utterly relatable. And the villain! WOW! It's rare to find one so clever and coldly terrifying. I'm breathless. That ending's going to be stuck in my head for a while, and I am counting down the days until the next book.
Edit: Countdown over! My review of the second book is here.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard press for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
An incredible read, featuring dark magic, an engrossing plot, a strong lead, and a genuinely terrifying villain.
Thoughts
The Chinese novel plot line of "get summoned to the palace to compete for stuff" plot is so SO delicious to me, and I was delighted to see the author's notes even touch on the historical roots of this plot. And while the fact that it's one of my favorite tropes certainly didn't hurt, this book is also just very good. The narrative skips right over asking if we "should" raise the dead and leaps straight into the cost. The consequences are quiet at first, ramping up into a terrifying fallout and a high adrenaline ending that had me screaming. Zilan is firey, powerful, and often out of her depth. Her determination mixed with insecurity is palpable, and oftentimes utterly relatable. And the villain! WOW! It's rare to find one so clever and coldly terrifying. I'm breathless. That ending's going to be stuck in my head for a while, and I am counting down the days until the next book.
Edit: Countdown over! My review of the second book is here.
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard press for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Racism, Sexual violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture and Death of parent