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.
I received an ARC of The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker courtesy of the HarperCollins Canada #FrenzyBooks catalogue preview. Thank you as always for these amazing reading opportunities! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
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About the Book
The Scarlet Alchemist
The Scarlet Alchemist Book One
by Kylie Lee Baker
Published 3 October 2023
Inkyard Press
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Page Count: 432
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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.
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My Review
My Rating: 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I received an ARC of The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker courtesy of the HarperCollins Canada #FrenzyBooks catalogue preview. Thank you as always for these amazing reading opportunities! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
The Scarlet Alchemist is an easy 5 stars for me and I wish I could give it more stars! While I’ve enjoyed my visits to the world of the Keeper of Night series, The Scarlet Alchemist is immersive in that special way that demands you read the entire book all at once.
The Scarlet Alchemist is a historical fantasy set in an alternate version of 8th century China where court alchemists have real power, the consumption of gold prolongs the lives of the wealthy, and anyone with the right talent, no matter how high or low born, can examine to become a court alchemist. Zilan is one such low born hopeful, but she could never predict exactly how life altering a decision the choice to take the exam would become.
This is a book full of magic with real costs and consequences, a blurred line between the worlds of the living and the dead, and an evil tyrant of an empress who would put Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts to shame with a glance. It has reanimation with strict rules and dire consequences that remind me of golems, it has mutant monsters that remind me of Panem’s mutts, and it sprinkles in an appreciation for “real monsters” and how they would appear to those who’ve never seen them before, like a lion in 8th century China.
I’m seeing a lot of early comparison between Zilan in this book and Ren in the Keeper of Night books, and I’m not so sure I agree. True they are both determined, badass ladies teetering on the edge of sanity who will do rash things for the people they love, but I feel like Zilan has an unshakable confidence about her that Ren lacks. Realizations and person growth that have taken Ren two books so far seem to take chapters for Zilan. Zilan has no time to wallow in self pity, nor does she fear the thought of sacrificing herself for the greater good. Ren is a supernatural being turned goddess. Zilan is very mortal, yet she feels more meaningfully powerful.
This book is captivating, creepy, beautiful, compelling, and full of more twists and turns than a corkscrew. It’s also very clearly part of a pre-planned longer narrative, because it both has a satisfying true ending but also beautifully sets up the next book. (Which I want to read right this minute! Publish it faster, please!)
Just read it!
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