Early Review – The Scarlet Alchemist (The Scarlet Alchemist Duology, Book 1) by Kylie Lee Baker (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Length: 417 pages
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Release Date: October 3, 2023
ASIN: B0BP83CZ72
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Scarlet Alchemist Duology
Source: Borrowed on Audiobook from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars
“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.”
Series Info/Source: This is the 1st book in The Scarlet Alchemist Duology. I received a copy of this on ebook to review.
Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced fantasy read. There is a lot of intriguing alchemy/magic and a main protagonist who is incredibly determined to leave her lot as a poor alchemist behind to become a lauded royal alchemist.
The story follows Zilan who lives in poverty with her two cousins, uncle and aunt. They just barely scrap by selling ceramic figurines for use in burial. Fortunately, Zilan and her cousins have a secret way of raising money…Zilan knows how to use alchemy to raise the dead. All three of them are desperate to journey to the capital, take their exams, and make a better life for themselves. Only none of them know how dangerous the capital city has become under the rule of the current Empress.
I loved Zilan’s determination to work through the huge challenges thrown at her. The relationship she has with her cousins and the relationship she develops with the Crown Prince were all very well done.
I also adored the alchemy in here and the magic. The whole idea of balance is something very innate to alchemy and the way that was explored in regards to the resurrections throughout the story was fascinating.
The story moved fast and was full of magic and danger. I loved the creepy pearl-leaking monsters and the crazy stone combinations the alchemists used to do amazing magic. There are some excellent plot twists in here that actually had me gasping in surprise.
This is a pretty dark and vicious story but I don’t think it ever wanders outside of the young adult genre. There is a lot about death in here since the ultimate power of the alchemists is to resurrect people…with a cost. The story ties up at a good place without a huge cliffhanger but does prepare us some for the next book in the series.
I also very much enjoyed some of the commentary in the afterward on how alchemy was seen in China during this time period. There is so much more to it than just turning things into gold. It was fascinating to read about the actual history behind alchemy.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this a lot. I loved the characters, the intriguing magic, and the fast-paced, unpredictable plot. This was impossible for me to put down and I stayed up way too late finishing it. I am excited to read the second book in the duology to see where things go. If you are a fan of action-packed dark fantasy or just alchemy in general, I would recommend this. It’s just all around very well written and very entertaining. I plan to check out other books written by Baker as well.
