Honestly, this book was much darker than what I had expected it to be. I was here for the alchemy school/competition ride, and the historically based Chinese backdrop made sense because of the goal that was connected to alchemical works in Asia. Not so much turning lead into gold like its ancient Western counterpart, but that of longevity and immortality. I absolutely loved the way the magic system worked here, and the use of minerals to power up and transmute metals was actually pretty neat. Also, COME ON. The book already had me at the way this played out like a season of Fullmetal Alchemist. And even though the anime held with it a lot of dark themes, I did not expect this book to take a turn in the same direction. This is a good thing!

Cuz man, this book GETS DARK. I don't know why this is a surprise, considering Zilan's alchemical skill is literally bringing people back from the dead. There is a reason she becomes called the Scarlet Alchemist, and booy, this book delivers in all the right ways, alchemically speaking.

I did have some quibbles with Zilan as a character, as sometimes her unhinged behavior goes a bit too far, but i did have to remind myself that she's practically still a child and is already living her worst life. So yeah, some of her decisions make sense in that way, especially because there is a development in her character as the story went on. I really did enjoy Zilan's interactions with her siblings. They were my favorite scenes in this book, and normally that isn't the case because I tend to enjoy romantic subplots more. I wished there was just as much progression with the romance to make the stakes and sacrifices in the end even higher (cuz damn, that ending was WILD), but I feel like that's not really the point in Zilan's story.

In any case, if Durian is harmed in any way going forward, I. Will. RIOT.