I found this book to be very interesting. I would like to think that I've read a good amount of books that derived/took inspiration from ancient Chinese mythology and culture. This book in particular deals with the concept of alchemy which is something I find to be interesting overall (Thank you Fullmetal Alchemist).

At the start, we are introduced to our MC Fan Zilan who is a practicing alchemist in Guangzhou, China with her cousins Wenshu and Yufei. All three have been studying in order to take the alchemist examination in the Northern capital of Chang'an so that they could become royal alchemists and live better lives. Drama starts to unfold during the examination and in the capital which leads to them getting involved with the royal family a little closer than they intended.

It was a really good read and not hard to follow at all imo. The drama wasn't too extra or too bland and I think it fit well for the story. The twists and turning points of the story kept it interesting as well. I really enjoyed the book.

Now on to the characters~~

Fan Zilan: She was as decent as an MC could get (not an insult) she was very headstrong about her beliefs and values which I couldn't help but admire. I will say though that when it came to her relationship with Prince Hong I couldn't feel the emotions of romance at least on her end, but maybe I missed something when it came to their interactions. Excluding that I overall liked her as MC.

Fan Wenshu: I've always said that I disliked the tsundere type and that sentiment still stands. I'm not a personal fan of consistent mean attitudes towards siblings but at the same time, I admire how much he cares for Zilan and Yilan. That alone made me like his character overall.

Fan Yilan: Loved her a lot, although her not standing up for Zilan or at least giving her two cents when Wenshu and Zilan would agree lowkey pissed me off.

Li Hong (Prince): Adorable cutie patootie that couldn't do jack shit (read that in a nice way). We love a blushing husband fr but at the same time, the fact he literally could not do anything within the whole story made me angry. He was a damsel in distress from beginning to end.

Empress Wu: The baddest bitch at the party fr. Great villain, but equally as frustrating whenever Zilan would face her since she was always 2 floors above everyone else. Gotta appreciate a ruthless ruler when they were built ruthlessly.

Zheng Sili: FUCK YOU, YOU HATER ASS BITCH, I HOPE YOU PILLOW IS FOREVER HOT, AND YOUR SOCKS NEVER DRY.

That is my review