In this series opener by Kylie Lee Baker, The Scarlet Alchemist takes readers into an alternative Tang Dynasty China.
Zilan dreams of becoming a royal alchemist making gold that keeps people from aging. She hopes to move above her station as a poor Southerner and provide care for her aunt and uncle who have raised her since she was young. She keeps the family fed by resurrecting the dead, an illegal and tricky practice. When she is allowed to travel North to take the Imperial Exams, she is drawn, not only into politics but into a world of dangerous monsters—and some of them are human.
As with her last duology (The Keeper of the Night, The Empress of Time), Baker creates a vivid and in-depth world of magic taking inspiration from historical people and events. Baker explores her heritage with detailed research and great desire. She includes notes about the history and reality behind ideas, places, and people allowing readers to differentiate fantasy and reality.
There are some key similarities between both series which are developing to be key characteristics of Baker’s literature. I love that she includes strong female protagonists who are morally grey. This makes the characters complex and fascinating. The author also includes romance as well as loss and despair keeping the books from becoming sappy. Other big themes include sibling relationships and what it means to be family, belonging and exclusion, as well as culture and heritage.
These themes take a different layout though in this novel, creating a unique story that readers are entranced by. Focusing on alchemy, (the magical version, not the iron-into-gold “science” of the past), Zilan is powerful in her own right harnessing great magical power. She is raised by her aunt and uncle and considers her cousins siblings. The three head to the royal seat testing for jobs that will raise them above their station. These mundane actions are contrasted by the magic Zilan and other alchemists can do and monsters created by selfish and evil hands.
The Scarlet Alchemists proves Kylie Lee Baker is not a one-hit wonder. This historical fiction adds a touch of fantasy that makes it stand out from other books in the genre.
Zilan dreams of becoming a royal alchemist making gold that keeps people from aging. She hopes to move above her station as a poor Southerner and provide care for her aunt and uncle who have raised her since she was young. She keeps the family fed by resurrecting the dead, an illegal and tricky practice. When she is allowed to travel North to take the Imperial Exams, she is drawn, not only into politics but into a world of dangerous monsters—and some of them are human.
As with her last duology (The Keeper of the Night, The Empress of Time), Baker creates a vivid and in-depth world of magic taking inspiration from historical people and events. Baker explores her heritage with detailed research and great desire. She includes notes about the history and reality behind ideas, places, and people allowing readers to differentiate fantasy and reality.
There are some key similarities between both series which are developing to be key characteristics of Baker’s literature. I love that she includes strong female protagonists who are morally grey. This makes the characters complex and fascinating. The author also includes romance as well as loss and despair keeping the books from becoming sappy. Other big themes include sibling relationships and what it means to be family, belonging and exclusion, as well as culture and heritage.
These themes take a different layout though in this novel, creating a unique story that readers are entranced by. Focusing on alchemy, (the magical version, not the iron-into-gold “science” of the past), Zilan is powerful in her own right harnessing great magical power. She is raised by her aunt and uncle and considers her cousins siblings. The three head to the royal seat testing for jobs that will raise them above their station. These mundane actions are contrasted by the magic Zilan and other alchemists can do and monsters created by selfish and evil hands.
The Scarlet Alchemists proves Kylie Lee Baker is not a one-hit wonder. This historical fiction adds a touch of fantasy that makes it stand out from other books in the genre.