the scarlet alchemist – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 384 pages
Author: Kylie Lee Baker
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Release Date: October 22nd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Since Zilan entered the world of royal alchemists, she has learned that alchemy comes at a price. She has lost loved ones in her search for broader justice against the evil Empress and all she wants now is to find some way to bring them back. Resurrection is her specialty, after all.

In search of the myth of Penglai Island, where it’s rumored life can be fully restored, Zilan starts a new adventure. But when old threats come back to haunt her and the path to Penglai Island means facing down unpredictable, sometimes dangerous, alchemists, she wonders just how high of a price she may be willing to pay.

NEW FAV.

I think this is officially my new favorite KLB book. I really enjoyed this. I also loved the audiobook. The narrator did a fantastic job of injecting the right tone and it made the story really thrive. I thought the banter was even more amplified and made me laugh out loud amidst the dark and gritty nature of the plot.

I loved the complexity of the historical and fantasy elements coming together. It’s interesting and unique and I liked the continuation of Zilan’s journey. There’s tangled sibling dynamics and a small romance that has its own interesting charm. I will definitely be continuing to pick up new books from KLB.

Overall audience notes:

YA Fantasy
Language: low – moderate
Romance: flirting
Violence: moderate – high

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 432 pages
Author: Kylie Lee Baker
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

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.

Thank you to Inkyard Press for the eARC.

GOOD START.

I really love how unique Kylie Lee Baker’s stories are. I love the historical aspects (and the notes about them at the end!), the diverse cast and how it’s a lot more main character focused over a romance (though I admit to wanting the romance to be a bit more woven in here).

The alchemical aspects were cool and I appreciated that I could follow along with the magic system. It’s complex, yet manageable and all of the morally gray decisions are thrown in to make this a dark tale.

There were some good twists, lots of monsters (gruesome book folks!), and complicated family dynamics to keep the pages turning. The historical and fantasy combination is one of my absolute favorite genre blend and the storytelling is fantastic. Looking forward to book two!!

Overall audience notes:

YA Dark Fantasy
Language: very little
Romance: make-out
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: blood/gore depiction, murder, loss of life, loss of family, kidnapping and torture, creature attacks, weapons violence, medical experimentation