Back of Book: 

Zilan dreams of becoming a royal alchemist, of providing for her family by making alchemical gold and gems for the wealthy to eat in order to stay young forever. But for now, she’s trapped in her impoverished village in southern China, practicing an illegal form of alchemy to keep food on the table—resurrecting the dead, for a price.

When Zilan finally has the chance to complete her imperial exams, she ventures to the capital to compete against the best alchemists in the country in tasks she’ll be lucky to survive, let alone pass. On top of that, her reputation for raising the dead has followed her to the capital, and the Crown Prince himself seeks out her help, suspecting a coming assassination attempt.

The more Zilan succeeds in her alchemy, the more she gets caught in the dangerous political games of the royal family. There are monsters lurking within the palace walls, and it’s only a matter of time before they—and secrets of Zilan’s past—catch up with her.

Book Number: One 

Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Romance | Historical 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Wowza!!!! One of my top reads of the year, for sure!

I've been on a lucky streak of reading phenomenal books the last couple of weeks; "The Scarlet Alchemist" was yet again another platinum read! There was hardly anything I disliked about it, but I'll go into a bit more detail about the top five reasons that I loved it.

1.) The Characters

I literally fell in love with every character that graced my presence in this story. The only character I hated was the Empress, and since she's the main antagonist, that's kind of the point.

The protagonist, Zilan is fierce, protective, yet filled with reasonable self-doubts. I think she is very realistic, and it is super interesting to see her experiment with life alchemy.

Her siblings/cousins Yufei and Wenshu are also spectacular characters. Wenshu was such a dork and I really appreciate the fact that he is a germaphobe in the year 775. Yufei is always hungry and super aggressive, though one has to be when there are so many potential suitors who want to marry her. I really appreciate them as side characters, and am excited to see more of them in the rest of the series!

But my favorite character by far is the Crown Prince of China, Li Hong. He is naiive in the best of ways, seductive and charming, and a bit of a goof. Plus, he is obsessed with ducks, which is a bonus in my book. I think he worked phenomenally as the love interest in this story and I am so down to ship him and Zilan to the ends of the Earth!

2.) The Magic

The magic in this book is some of the most interesting I have ever read (and I have read a lot of fantasy). I loved the exploration of using alchemy, the five elements, and a person's qi to manipulate the very world itself. Watching Zilan experiment with her alchemy is super intriguing and I cannot wait to learn more about the limits of this world's magic in the next book.

3.) The Setting

The fact that this book takes place in China in the year 775 is super cool. I love how Kylie Lee Baker did a ton of research to make this alternate history version of China as accurate as she could and she openly admitted to when she changed things to better fit the world she has created. Readers can tell when an author puts their work into a book, and this one most definitely feels well researched and thought out.

4.) The Suspense

"The Scarlet Alchemist" really kept me on my toes. The monsters present in this book are so terrifying and they only get scarier as the story progresses. I think the element that made this book the most suspenseful is the fact that Baker was willing to kill ANYONE at any moment. I guess that is a benefit to making a major plot point of the story be about life alchemy; it always gives one the opportunity to resurrect the characters later. I was literally shocked by how many times monsters jumped out of the closest and mercilessly murdered characters without me being ready for it.

5.) The Ending

I'm not going to give anything away with my description here, don't worry. I did want to say that going into this book I was expecting it to have the worst cliffhanger ending on the planet (mainly because this is the first book series that I have started in years that all the books haven't been out by the time I started it). Luckily, the ending wrapped up most of the major plot points of this book and catapulted the series in a whole new direct. I must say the ending scenes had me physically sweating as I worried for the characters. And then it made me cry, so there is that. Either way, it really toyed with my emotions. Very powerful writing, it is.

Overall, I love everything about "The Scarlet Alchemist." It will be super hard to wait for the next installment, but it has also been a while since I've been this excited for the next book in a series. This book is being slingshotted to the top of my list of books to recommend; it was that good. I would seriously recommend this book to anyone that loves to read dark fantasies. The book is morbid and a bit disgusting at times, but I'm quite squeamish and I made it out fine, so I'm sure you will too. Seriously guys, as soon as you possibly can, get your hands on a copy of this book!!!

Back of Book: 

Since Zilan entered the world of royal alchemists, she has learned that alchemy comes at a price. She has lost loved ones in her search for broader justice against the evil Empress and all she wants now is to find some way to bring them back. Resurrection is her specialty, after all.

In search of the myth of Penglai Island, where it’s rumored life can be fully restored, Zilan starts a new adventure. But when old threats come back to haunt her and the path to Penglai Island means facing down unpredictable, sometimes dangerous, alchemists, she wonders just how high of a price she may be willing to pay.

Book Number: Two 

Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Romance | Historical 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The stunning conclusion to the dark fantasy duology that completely stole my heart with its characters, its worldbuilding, and its alternative take on China's ancient history. 

Zilan has sacrificed so much in the name of alchemy. After a taxing battle with the Empress that cost her the lives of her friends, family, and love of her life, Zilan will do anything to bring them back. After all, death has never been one to stop Zilan from getting what she wants. In search of the mythical Penglai Island that is fabled to be the birthplace of alchemy, Zilan must face some of the most notorious alchemists forgotten by man in order to get there. With some unexpected allies by her side, Zilan must face dangerous enemies, wrestle with ghosts of the past, and strive to discover just how much she is willing to sacrifice for those that she loves. 

This book was a BRUTAL read. It ripped my heart out so many times, but when it comes to the world of "The Scarlet Alchemist," I am more than willing to put my heart on the line again and again. Just like book one, this sequel is filled with hilarious moments, unexpected twists and turns, moments that had my heart pounding, others that had me on the verge of tears, and unimaginable struggles that had my heart going out to Zilan and her friends. 

There were so many things that I didn't see coming in this book. I wanted to hope for the best rather than expect the worst, but in Zilan's dark universe, I should have known better. The enemies that Zilan faces in this one are more vicious than ever before, and she faces even more heartache and pain than I thought possible. Baker truly threw her to the wolves in this book, but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

The importance of Durian the magic alchemy duck made me so happy. (S)he literally saves their butts so many times, and the way that Zilan's travel companions also fell in love with her was truly priceless. I never thought I'd be rooting so hard for a duck, but I truly love Durian and everything that she represents to Zilan and Hong. 

Speaking of Li Hong, I was glad to see that Baker kept him quite involved in the story, despite the fact that he was dead the entire time. Hong is definitely one of my favorite parts of this series, so I would have been devastated if he would have disappeared completely. Zilan goes through so much to help him out, and I'm glad that Hong gets the chance to return the favor throughout this book. 

I love that Baker played with perspective so much with this one. The fact that the epilogue was told from Hong's point of view was a definite win in my book. The last paragraph was especially *chef's kiss.* But more interesting than even that, was the way that Baker played with Zilan as a character. Life alchemy has many complicated pieces, and there was a specific instant involving a battle for Zilan's body that was so trippy. I'm gonna leave it there due to spoilers, but man, I had a serious case of goosebumps. 

The meaning of the title, "The Blood Orchid" was so deep and insightful. It was definitely not what I was expecting it to be, but I like what Baker did with it more than all the things I had dreamed up that it could mean. 

I could fan girl over every part of this book for so long, but it's really hard to talk about any aspect of this book without encroaching on spoilers due to the surprise nature of many of the elements in this book. But just trust me on this: this book is one hundred percent worth reading and is a fantastic follow up to "The Scarlet Alchemist." 

Overall, "The Blood Orchid" exceeded my expectations in every way. I am totally enthralled by the world that Baker has created and I am so sad that Zilan, Hong, and the rest of the gang's adventures are officially over. I already can't wait to reread this series, because this duology is definitely a new favorite of mine. From the complexities of alchemy, the wonderful characters, the harsh reality of the circumstances, to the descriptive writing style, I love every piece of this series. I desperately need to binge read the rest of Baker's catalog and hunt down all her future releases because this series was just that good. I can't recommend this series enough to lovers of dark fantasies, alternative histories, and romantasy books that are willing to push the boundaries of typical fantasy.