Zilan dreams of becoming a royal alchemist, of providing for her family by making alchemical gold and gems for the wealthy to eat in order to stay young forever. But for now, she’s trapped in her impoverished village in southern China, practicing an illegal form of alchemy to keep food on the table—resurrecting the dead, for a price.
When Zilan finally has the chance to complete her imperial exams, she ventures to the capital to compete against the best alchemists in the country in tasks she’ll be lucky to survive, let alone pass. On top of that, her reputation for raising the dead has followed her to the capital, and the Crown Prince himself seeks out her help, suspecting a coming assassination attempt.
The more Zilan succeeds in her alchemy, the more she gets caught in the dangerous political games of the royal family. There are monsters lurking within the palace walls, and it’s only a matter of time before they—and secrets of Zilan’s past—catch up with her.
Hey guys! I won The Scarlet Alchemist and got the amazing opportunity to read it before its publication date. It releases on October 3rd (only two more days to go!) and I hope that you go check it out because it was seriously one of the best books I've ever read!
The Scarlet Alchemist takes place in an alternate version of China's past in the year 775. It follows a young woman named Zilan, who wants nothing more than to become a royal alchemist to support her aunt and uncle. She gets the chance to travel to the capital and compete against the best of the best. But she never could have guessed what greeted her upon her arrival. The Crown Prince himself starts taking interest in her; he believes that his life is in danger and that Zilan's alchemy is the one thing that can save him.
I love, love, LOVE, the magic of this world. Baker plays with the concept of life alchemy, which involves gold that bestows immortality, using one's chi to accomplish various feats, and even resurrecting those that have perished. I think that alchemy is super interesting, and the way that Baker played with the boundaries between life and death really knocked my socks off.
The characters in this one were a ten out of ten for me. I think Zilan is fierce, protective, and loyal to the end, which makes for a very strong protagonist. I think that her cousins Yufei and Wenshu, are both super creative, with Yufei being the pretty yet dangerous sibling and Wenshu being the dorky, nerdier sibling. I loved this trio, but my favorite character by far was the Crown Prince, Li Hong. He is naive in the goofiest ways, yet charming as heck. Besides, he loves ducks, so bonus points to him!
The final element I want to highlight, is the writing itself. The Scarlet Alchemist is super intense and I was flying through the pages as I read it. I was desperate to see what happened next; it really kept me on my toes! I think one of the most suspenseful things about this book, is the fact that Baker was willing to kill any character at any moment. And I mean anyone. I suppose this is what happens when the world is so heavily tainted with life alchemy; the characters can almost always be brought back within a moments notice. But when things go wrong, boy do they go wrong!
I gobbled up every part of The Scarlet Alchemist. It was my first read by Kylie Lee Baker, but I can already tell you that I will be buying the rest of the trilogy as they come out. It will be agony to wait another whole year for its sequel to release, but I'm so excited that I know it will be worth it! If you love complicated fantasy worlds, intricate familial conspiracies, and romantic suspense novels, then The Scarlet Alchemist is the perfect read for you!
