Alchemised

Alchemised by SenLinYu

At a Glance: The Truly Dark Parts of War

Alchemised is one of the best explorations into the absolutely horrific societal impacts war can have on the unfortunate city-state it’s taking place in, this book doesn’t shy away from the dark parts even a little bit. It has an interesting magic system, a compelling plot, and a wildly questionable romance in this absolutely hefty 1000+ page book. On the surface it seems like a very straight forward “good vs evil” story, but we go on a journey that truly shows how no one in war is ever good. The world isn’t black and white, and that people on both sides are capable of both good and evil.

Alchemised takes place across three distinct sections, all focusing on the civil war in Paladia where The Undying—necromancers—and The Order of the Eternal Flame. The story is told in a non-linear style which allowed SenLinYu to really set the scene for how bleak everything in Paladia is as The Undying continue to push for control of the city-state. The alchemy used in the book is split into distinct types of magic, each with its own set of rules and cost, but the most interesting part of it to me was the necromancy and how it ended up working.

💀

Two Books Worth Your Time

Discovery

›

4.75

•

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

1/5

Science Fiction • Mystery

A Court of Thorns and Roses

›

3.50

•

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

2/5

Romantasy • Fae Fantasy

Want Something Different?

Find even more deeper dive reviews

Paladia: A City-State Divided

The Shining City of Paladia is introduced to us at the tail end of a civil war between good vs evil. The Eternal Order of the Flame are devoutly faithful while The Undying are driven away from the faith with the promise of immortality regardless of its cost. SenLinYu paints a great picture of the war ravaged area which felt like a mix of some things feeling very medieval while others felt a little more modern. Basically castles and old cars used to get around, it has a very familiar but different feeling to it. Paladia has all the elements of a war torn dystopia while still having some beauty behind it that makes the motivations of the resistance feel like a real motivation to restore it to the Shining City it once was.

There is also a good amount of politicking in this one, where Paladia before the war was ruled by the Holdfasts since the city-state was founded. The Holdfast rule comes from a holy prophecy where it seems like everyone on the side of the resistance is willing to lay down their life to keep the Principate—the worlds monarch—alive because of it. The society holds power and money above everything which gives strong “capitalism” vibes, but with the magic system playing a part in the societal placement.

Alchemised magic system feels very different, but familiar, and not because of the reason you’re probably thinking—he who shall not be named—it’s about how the magic system ties into the social structure of Paladia. Split into 3 types of magic all with very distinct and different costs to the user adds a good level of gravity to it’s uses.

• Alchemy: The ability to manipulate types of matter and the ability to use fire through a conduit but is difficult to control and can easily cause harm or death.
• Vivimancy: The ability to heal and detect the life force and conditions of another person at the cost of your own life force.
• Necromancy: Reanimating and controlling the dead, which tends to corrupt the wielder over time.

Character Bonds: Complicated is an Understatement

Alchemised does some things really well when it comes to the character development, while in other areas some decisions and justifications just feel forced and overall really made it hard to connect with the characters and care about them. They are very much in my opinion used to explore the thematic undertones of the story more than the connection to the reader, but there are some moments where the two overlap well, especially when it comes to our protagonist.

Helena Marino is our point of view throughout Alchemised, she was one of the most promising alchemist student until the war began and she was thrust into the role of healer for the resistance due to her exceptional Vivimancy skills. She might be one of the most infuriatingly selfless characters I’ve ever read but at the same time one of the most brave. That combination tends to lead her to do incredibly dangerous things and in a book like Alchemised, it doesn’t always work out in the end of the situation. Helena is also an incredible representation of mental health and trauma, throughout the three different parts SenLinYu explores those themes in a respectful but incredibly visceral way, and those are the moments where I actually felt connected to Helena.

Kaine Ferron is the High Reeve—second in command—for The Undying, a former classmate of Helena and the love interest in Alchemised. Ferron is cruel, calculating, vicious, and acts without hesitation to further his goals, earning him his high position within the ranks of The Undying. As the story develops we peel back the layers to an extent on Kaine, but he has one of the must unlikable personalities that even in the moments where he wasn’t behaving like a petulant child, I was unable to shake the feeling. Alchemised attempts to portray Ferron as a morally gray person, who is both a victim and a bad person, but it just doesn’t land for me. He progresses from nihilist to love-driven protector, but this arc was muddied by not only the first part of the book, but also the way he attempts to justify his actions and controlling nature by using Helena as the reason.

Morrough is the High Necromancer, leader of The Undying, and the antagonist. For me, he wasn’t unsettling enough, and while he is the motivator for the absolutely abhorrent things that happen during this war and specifically to Helena, for me he felt like an easy way to try and justify Kaine’s actions towards Helena in part one of the book so the reader could buy the romance plot. There is one moment in part two that stands out in my mind for his character and that is it for over 1000 pages.

Our supporting cast of alchemists don’t fare much better than Morrough in this one, Luc Holdfast is Helena’s best friend, leader of the resistance, and the last Principate of Paladia. He is able to wield fire at a high level, and for someone who has all these titles, didn’t really stand out. Lila Bayard is the person directly assigned to Luc for his protection, she was probably the most interesting of the supporting cast but overall they all felt like footnotes in this.

She was a non-active member of the Order of the Eternal Flame and did not fight.

Three Part Story: Strong Opening, Prolonged Middle, Swift End

Alchemised is told in three distinct parts using a mix of passive and present voice. It doesn’t follow a linear path, we start out in the present day, then move four years into the past during the middle that was like 60% of the book, then the end for the last 15%. It starts out strong, builds intrigue, doesn’t hand hold as we explore the current situation Helena is in and get introduced to the world and it’s systems, but most importantly we get a visceral depiction of the core theme of this book which is the traumatic effect of war on everything and everyone. There is some high stakes moments that actually had me feeling dread for Helena and really solidified how dark this book was going to get.

We get into part two and go four years back with Helena where we get to understand how things got to the level of horrible they were in the first part of the book. Paladia is still at war and we learn about Helena and her healing efforts. We get to see her develop, understand her motivations, and get our re-introduction into Kaine Ferron after seeing him as the evil High Reeve in part one. This is where the romantic plot of the book also starts to come together as well as learning how Helena ended up where she was in the beginning of the book, as well as the war efforts, and getting to learn that even the “good” side always has some bad motivations and decisions, but they’re doing it in the “name of good”. This middle section—which comprises about 60% of the book—felt longer than warranted, and frankly could have probably been told in half the length, there was some good parts, but also a ton of exposition that just felt like filler.

I found myself almost fatigued as I got to part three but also excited to be back to the part of the book I was enjoying with some extra knowledge of what was going on and some more insight into the situation. It started strong, but ultimately by leaving only 15% of the book to wrap up everything from parts one and two, it felt very rushed and unsatisfying. The ending chapter wasn’t bad, it didn’t leave questions un-answered, and does a great job at calling back on the central themes of the book, showing that even after the dust of war settles, the culture of the world remains almost unchanged by focusing on how history remembers—or in this case forgets—the efforts of the people that are not part of the upper class.

Sometimes she wished she'd died in the hospital with her father, to be remembered and mourned for her possibilities, rather than live day by day growing ever lesser.

Between the Sheets: Not What It Seems

Alchemised is often referred to as a dark romance with an enemies to lovers slow burn trope tag, which I think could have been an accurate description had this story been told in a linear way, and not had the romance plot line end the way it did. There are some spicy scenes in part two, which is solely what this rating is based on (minor spoilers ahead), earning this one a 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3.0) on our spice scale.

MINOR SPOILERS BELOW very specific to a scene and nothing that wouldn’t be in a trigger warning somewhere else.

Ok, that was your warning, if you don’t scroll to the next section I can’t be held responsible for “spoiling” even though it’s not really. In the first part of Alchemised there are a few scenes, while not heavily detailed but enough, where Kaine rapes Helena after he’s ordered to by the High Necromancer in an effort to get her pregnant. Then we go back in time and watch this slow burn romance play out, and during the spice or even the build up, I just couldn’t get over the fact that it happened. Had this romance gone a different way at the end then I probably wouldn’t have been as critical, but without going into detail, once the story catches up, Helena has several scenes where she’s clearly conflicted about Kaine, but also makes justifications for him raping her and that is where this one lost me. I get that it’s a “dark romance” and that there were reasons why it happened, and what the alternative would have been, but it left a bad taste in my mouth and this I’m sure will get me some heat but it just made me feel like Helena finding a way to forgive Kaine for raping her could send the wrong message.

Look, I know dark romance plays with complicated dynamics. But for me, this one tipped from ‘morally gray’ into ‘hard to root for,’ and that’s where the romance subplot lost me.

Bro Reading Comfort: Hit The Drive-Thru

Alchemised is grimdark level gritty and also has some Romantasy level spice with some descriptive scene that I’d personally not be the most comfortable sipping on a beer at the brewery while reading this, earning it a 😳😳😳 (3.5) on our comfort scale.

It’s not the worst book to read if you’re out in public, and the cover art is actually really stunning on all the editions of the book which is really awesome to see, but I just wouldn’t choose it as my public outing read. There are only a few spicy chapters, but this book is dark, and could really make you emotional and how do I explain to the random person sitting down the bar from me why i’m teary eyed.

Darkness Factor: The Trauma of War

Alchemised is a heavy book thematically when it comes to the exploration of trauma, identity, sexism, and societal hierarchy and SenLinYu doesn’t shy away from going into detail to really drive home the emotional toll of all these things earning this one a 💀💀💀💀💀 (5.0) on our darkness scale.

This book features all the darkest parts of society in one of the best dives into the cost of war I’ve read in fantasy. Some of the darkest scenes involve rape, forced impregnation, torture, suicidal thoughts, self harm, and human experiments just to name a few. With that said, I don’t think Alchemised ever felt like it was being gratuitous in the depiction of these themes because they really did paint an incredibly grim picture of what war really is, and I think this was essential to telling this story.

She lived in the aftermath of every battle, breathed in the devastation until she was drowning in it. Nothing and no one would ever convince her that anything noble or purifying could come from this scale of suffering. That any rewards could ever be worth it.

Book Battlefield: A Perfect Fit

Alchemised despite it’s flaws will be an easy one to recommend to any fans of Grimdark and Dark Fantasy because it truly hits all those notes of getting deep into the themes of trauma and war without trying to paint in some happiness when there is none. The tone throughout is pretty bleak, and I think those of you who enjoy this type of style won’t finish this book feeling like it didn’t deliver in these area.

I didn’t know what to expect out of Alchemised when I started—I hadn’t read SenLinYu’s fanfic—so I was fully blind going into this one outside of the few social posts of people being emotionally wrecked when they finished and figured why not. I’m glad I did, and I honestly won’t hesitate to insta-buy whatever SenLinYu puts out next, because the prose in this was really enjoyable and it never tries to brighten up the dark parts of the story, it’s unapologetically raw and real when it comes to exploring trauma.

Should You Bother?

SenLinYu might need to start getting called Lady Grimdark, I’m only half joking here, because I don’t think the character work was there which is where Joe Aberombie shines, but boy did Alchemised hit all the other boxes of a Grimdark fantasy book.

If you love Abercrombie for his unflinching exploration of war’s cost, Alchemised delivers that same unrelenting lens. For readers who enjoy grimdark with romance complications woven through the narrative, this hits that sweet spot. If you want a complete grimdark arc in a single book rather than a series commitment, this is definitely your pick.

For Grimdark Fans: This is a must read, it is such a great exploration of the trauma and cost of war, and never tries to make it feel like there is hope when there shouldn’t be

For Romance Fans: Personally it wasn’t for me, I couldn’t get past the way the romance unfolds due to the non-linear story structure, but for what it’s worth I think had it not been told this way it would have been a good romance subplot.

For SciFantasy Fans: I think this had a good blend of sci-fi feels mixed with fantasy magic that just worked well, didn’t need any heavy explanation, and fans of either genre who are looking for a darker story will have a good time.

For Mental Health Rep Seekers: Helena’s trauma journey is respectfully visceral without being gratuitous, exploring PTSD, identity, and survival in ways that honor the weight of these experiences.

Final BroMantasy Verdict

Alchemised is probably one of the most hyped books of the year, you can’t go on social media without seeing something about it, and it broke records in the publishing space with it’s first print run. SenLinYu manages to deliver one of the best explorations of war related trauma and the effects it has on a society that I have ever read in a Fantasy book before, Alchemised was never afraid to go there when it came to exploring how easy it is for people to use war as an excuse to do some of the most horrible and vile things imaginable while simultaneously never letting the “good” side be exempt from exactly the same thing. With that said, this book suffers hard in the pacing department, the middle part is what pulled it’s score down for me because I felt like the ending was so rushed in favor of a long exposition earning this a 3.75/5.

I haven’t struggled to rate a book in a while, but Alchemised had me conflicted for days, and actually delayed this review a little bit because I truly needed time to digest it. It has so many high points, and usually I am more forgiving with a wonky pace issue, but when it makes the ending feel rushed it’s a bit more of a struggle for me to get past it. The other thing that really conflicted me was the romance story in this, I’ve seen reviews saying it’s essential to the story, but frankly I think that it was the other thing that kept this book from a higher score for me. The Romance in part 2 was actually good, the yearning was there, well written spice, had all the boxes checked. The issue is that it’s a non linear story, so the events in part one lingered into part two and three and I just personally couldn’t get behind the way it wrapped up.

I may not have connected with the characters of Alchemised like I have in other books, as someone who really focuses on character work to help deliver the emotional beats of a story, that would usually completely ruin my experience. That didn’t happen with this, because while I didn’t feel emotionally connected to any particular character, I still had so much empathy for what they were going through because of the war unfolding and the trauma they were suffering. The way SenLinYu was able to avoid painting one side as morally superior while still making it clear who was on the “right” side of the conflict. If you’re looking for a great Grimdark that has some really cool fantasy and sci-fi elements, this is something you should certainly give a shot.