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!