-Tropes-
Fake concubine
Grumpy x Sunshine
Forced proximity
Lots of gore(definitely don't read this while eating)
The Scarlet Alchemist is a gory upper YA fantasy set in an alternate Tang Dynasty if alchemists had mastered and brought to life the concept of immortality.
Fan Zilan, our give-no-f's protagonist is an impoverished alchemist barely scraping by. Her family's shop is actually a front for her secret night business: necromancy.
I think the reason why The Scarlet Alchemist is just so incredibly good is because of the author's addictive writing style. She has a very subtle blend of pacing and word choice that adheres perfectly to the overall vibe of this book.
Now let me introduce the real star of this book: Durian.
There is something about books with adorable, badass animal sidekicks that just hits different. Durian is a little baby duck that Zilan unwittingly created but has grown incredibly attached to along with the male love interest who is an animal lover with an entire flock/crowd/group/garden/I don't know of ducks.
The magic system in this book is excitingly complex and has a lot of potential and avenues to explore because of how fluid death is. I also really enjoyed this concept in The Gilded Ones by Namina Forbes. In both these books, death isn't permanent and bringing someone back from the dead is normal and sometimes part of society.
The Scarlet Alchemist is definitely not like any other typical YA fantasy. There's no brotherly love triangle, generic magic system, or I'm not like other girls MC. I really love how niche the author is with this book and how well she's done it. The historical references are accurate and well-researched which I feel like is not all that common with many historical fantasies.
The plot really picks up in the second half of the book, but the first half is just as captivating and is necessary for some backstory and character development.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It's definitely become one of my favorite YA fantasies and I am devastated that we have to wait a year for the sequel.
Fake concubine
Grumpy x Sunshine
Forced proximity
Lots of gore(definitely don't read this while eating)
The Scarlet Alchemist is a gory upper YA fantasy set in an alternate Tang Dynasty if alchemists had mastered and brought to life the concept of immortality.
Fan Zilan, our give-no-f's protagonist is an impoverished alchemist barely scraping by. Her family's shop is actually a front for her secret night business: necromancy.
I think the reason why The Scarlet Alchemist is just so incredibly good is because of the author's addictive writing style. She has a very subtle blend of pacing and word choice that adheres perfectly to the overall vibe of this book.
Now let me introduce the real star of this book: Durian.
There is something about books with adorable, badass animal sidekicks that just hits different. Durian is a little baby duck that Zilan unwittingly created but has grown incredibly attached to along with the male love interest who is an animal lover with an entire flock/crowd/group/garden/I don't know of ducks.
The magic system in this book is excitingly complex and has a lot of potential and avenues to explore because of how fluid death is. I also really enjoyed this concept in The Gilded Ones by Namina Forbes. In both these books, death isn't permanent and bringing someone back from the dead is normal and sometimes part of society.
The Scarlet Alchemist is definitely not like any other typical YA fantasy. There's no brotherly love triangle, generic magic system, or I'm not like other girls MC. I really love how niche the author is with this book and how well she's done it. The historical references are accurate and well-researched which I feel like is not all that common with many historical fantasies.
The plot really picks up in the second half of the book, but the first half is just as captivating and is necessary for some backstory and character development.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It's definitely become one of my favorite YA fantasies and I am devastated that we have to wait a year for the sequel.