The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker

The Scarlet Alchemist

by Kylie Lee Baker

rating: ★★★☆☆ | publishes october 3rd, 2023

I received an eARC from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you kindly to Harper Collins for my review copy.

THE SCARLET ALCHEMIST is a unique historical fantasy set during an alternate Tang dynasty. It follows Zilan as she follows her dreams of becoming a Royal Alchemist, who works for the Empress in creating alchemical gold and gems in order to keep the rich young. But for now, in order to provide for her family, she practices an illegal form of alchemy — raising the dead. When her dreams become a reality, and her reputation for raising the dead finds the ears of the Crown Prince, Zilan finds herself caught in dangerous political machinations, and she must fight for herself and her family to come out unscathed.

I really enjoyed the concept of alchemy and its use as the basis of the magic system — I thought it was done exceptionally well and was elaborately crafted, and thus was one of the highlights of the novel.

“Alchemists need to break themselves into pieces. They want to rebuild the world around them so desperately that they would give their blood, body, or soul. But people in power cannot fathom breaking a world that already bows to them. Alchemists are forged from pain.”

Zilan’s introduction was memorable and she set herself up to be a very intriguing and original protagonist, but I found her characterization lacking in the second half of the novel and her romance with Hong lackluster, which definitely affected my enjoyment of the novel. I also found that generally the second half of the novel, plot-wise, felt very rushed and disorganized, which is the reason this is getting three stars.

But overall, I do think THE SCARLET ALCHEMIST is a solid fantasy novel exploring alchemy, class relations, and Chinese dynastic history.

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Lauren is a British blogger and book reviewer. She is an avid bookworm, writer, and procrastinator extraordinaire. A not-too-recent history grad, Lauren is currently grappling with adulthood, finding solace in the written word. As an avid reader of YA literature, she’s a lover of sci-fi, epic fantasies, found families and sister stories, and cute sapphic books. Some of her favourite books include Code Name Verity by the incredibly talented Elizabeth Wein, the hauntingly atmospheric Other Words For Smoke by Irish author Sarah Maria Griffin, and the magical fantasy Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst.