www.kirkusreviews.com review "Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read."
As at 10 October 25, the goodreads.com community had 4.58 stars with 15,796 ratings
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From our internet research we’ve summarised:
If you enjoy dark, emotionally charged fantasy with intricate world-building, alchemy-based magic, and complex, trauma-aware relationships, Alchemised may appeal.
Readers describe it as a dense, character-driven epic set in a world ruled by necromancers, where memory, identity, and power are all alchemised and weaponised. The story follows Helena Marino, a former alchemist awakening with fractured memories after a devastating war, and her uneasy, morally grey connection to Kaine Ferron, the High Reeve who once studied beside her and now holds her captive.
Critics highlight SenLinYu’s precise, evocative prose and intellectual approach to magic and ethics, noting that the novel examines consent, survival, and the rebuilding of self after loss. It’s praised for emotional depth and world realism BUT..
comes with strong content warnings—violence, body horror, and psychological trauma—making it an intense, mature read.
As far as spice. While romance and emotional intimacy are central, explicit scenes are limited and not written for titillation. Instead, they explore power, vulnerability, and emotional connection under extreme circumstances. Readers rate the spice as low to moderate (1.5–2/5) — meaningful rather than steamy.
This stunningly designed edition features a beautiful sprayed edge.In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy - and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.
"What is it you think you're protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There's no one left for you to save."
Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner-of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed. In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia's new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile, undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.
According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder- Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance's final gambit?
To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena's fight-to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self-is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.
SenLinYu
Fantasy, Romance, Adventure fiction
Paperback, 1040 pages
H: 232mm W: 152mm Spine: 59mm
Weight: 1134 grams