THE SCARLET ALCHEMIST
Author: Kylie Lee Baker
Date released: October 3rd, 2023*
Category: YA Fantasy
Synopsis: 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.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The UnReel Take:
Story: 7.0
Writing: 7.0
Characters: 8.0
Setting: 8.0
UnReel AR: 7.5
Bottom Line: I have a soft spot for historical fantasy, especially “alternate history” re-imaginings like The Scarlet Alchemist (“TSA”). Alchemy was actually practiced in both Europe and China, though they had different goals. TSA takes place in an alternate China, where the rich can stay young forever by eating something called “life gold”; make sure to check out the Dear Reader and Content Notes, where Baker explains how/where she diverges from real history.
I’m not going to say anything about the plot because it’s so fast-paced that the potential for spoilers is high. This break-neck speed makes TSA hard to put down, though some of the emotional moments might have benefited from having a bit longer to land.
There are some early info dumps, but they were interesting, so whatever. The writing could also be repetitive and there were some awkwardly incorporated flashbacks but, again, these are minor gripes.
The worldbuilding in TSA is incredible; vibrant and descriptive but never veering into florid. The settings themselves are opulent, which makes the darkness hit harder – and when I say dark, I mean DARK. TSA is technically dark fantasy, but it’s definitely horror adjacent. There is some disturbing imagery and most of the book deals with death (I mean, duh, the MC raises the dead for pocket money…).
Where TSA really shines is in the characterization. Not one character felt stock, everyone read like a real, flawed person. Refreshingly for a YA Fantasy heroine, Zilan actually learns from the numerous mistakes she makes, and tries to avoid making the same mistake twice. She’s determined and judgmental and I want to be her friend. Li Hong is one of my new favorite literary cinnamon rolls, and the cousins – Wenshu & Yufei – are so likable. There’s a mentor figure who actually gives solid advice and the MC relies on, and the antagonist is genuinely terrifying.
Ideal Reading Location: A duck pond. If you know, you know.
Drink Pairing: Tea, obviously, BUT it needs to be paired with any gold lame decorated snack.
Maybe your experience will be different!