I was not expecting to dislike The Scarlet Alchemist much as I did. Look at the premise and the cover! I had high hopes for this Asian historical fantasy read.
I was aware that this would contain depictions of death, but I wasn’t properly prepared for the sheer amount of violence. It was graphic, and because of the possibility of resurrection, the violence occurred twice as often.
The excessive violence did a disservice to The Scarlet Alchemist.
Everyone was there, then gone so quickly. It’s hard to get attached to a book if there’s no one to get attached to. Aside from Zilan and Hong, all the characters were simply nameless extras. The best part of books is getting to bond with the characters, but that just wasn’t possible here.
That being said, I am such a fun of the ducks. (If you read this, you'll understand this reference.) Their presence brought light to an otherwise dark novel.
Bottom line: It had potential.
I was aware that this would contain depictions of death, but I wasn’t properly prepared for the sheer amount of violence. It was graphic, and because of the possibility of resurrection, the violence occurred twice as often.
The excessive violence did a disservice to The Scarlet Alchemist.
Everyone was there, then gone so quickly. It’s hard to get attached to a book if there’s no one to get attached to. Aside from Zilan and Hong, all the characters were simply nameless extras. The best part of books is getting to bond with the characters, but that just wasn’t possible here.
That being said, I am such a fun of the ducks. (If you read this, you'll understand this reference.) Their presence brought light to an otherwise dark novel.
Bottom line: It had potential.