Book Review of The Scarlet Alchemist

Note: The book was supplied through a third-party with no expectation of a positive review. There are affiliate links in the review below that will result in monetary compensation if clicked on and purchases are made.

A young girl in a imagined China yearns to become an alchemist for the royal family. That would give her enough family to support her family who took her in as a small child. Illegally using the alchemy that comes natural to her, she makes a name for herself in the right circles. Though uneducated, she travels to the capital and makes a run to become successful for herself and all those she loves. The journey to the capital and to becoming a Royal Alchemist is not what she expects, and secrets abound everywhere, even within herself.

This story surprised me. I got caught up in it much quicker than I had expected and couldn’t put it down. I think it boiled down to two aspects: the characters and the mystery of alchemy.

When I think of alchemy, I think of creating gold. In this book, alchemy goes farther than just mere gold. It can be anything and everything. Broken bowl? Use alchemy and make as good as new. Dead cousin? Resurrect them if you have enough gold stashed away to pay for it. This new form of “magic” interested me and had me wanting to know more of what could be done.

Then the characters had be invested in them. The cousins who want to move to the capital had very special relationships. At times, they appear to be mean, yet the love can be seen. Characters aren’t always what they appear as they are complicated as real people are. I didn’t want to leave them when story ended.

On top of all that, there were too many unanswered questions at the end. Can’t wait for a second book. I need to know things!

A great fantasy read that focuses more on the alchemy and the people/culture than different fantasy creatures that so many other books have. This is a read that you’ll struggle to put down just to get your day job done.

Get your copy here.