Very rarely do I love a long book so much, that I don’t even check the pages as they pass, and feel so much sadness that it’s getting closer to ending. I couldn’t keep my self away from this book. The magic system was so beautifully complex and detailed, and the world building so well written that you could almost imagine yourself there. At its core it is a book that really interrogates the complexities and horror of war. The sacrifices and difficult decisions that are made in the midst of it, as well as the prevalence of it beyond its end, and the ability for people involved to truly live life normally again. This was heart-wrenching but written so well, especially through the characters. Helena is one of the most raw and beautifully written characters, in her determination to help others and her resilience through adversity. I connected to her so strongly, willing for her to find the ending she deserved. It’s not an easy read by any means, with dark themes, and moments that had me sobbing more than I ever have at a book, especially at the last line (SenLinYu I will be sending you my therapy bill). But I completely recommend this. Thank you to the publishers for an early copy!

Alchemised is the rare book that doesn’t just grip you—it excavates you. It reaches straight past the ribcage, curls its fingers around your heart, and squeezes until you’re certain the author is trying to commit emotional manslaughter. And somehow, you love every second of it. The prose is molten gold poured over broken glass: gorgeous, glittering, and sharp enough to leave marks. Every chapter feels like stepping into an alchemical crucible—part transformation, part annihilation, all awe. The worldbuilding is lush and immersive, with magic that feels ancient and alive, characters who breathe on the page, and emotional stakes that detonate with surgical precision. The character arcs? Devastating in the most delicious way. They aren’t just developed—they’re refined, burned down to their essential elements, reshaped by pressure, pain, and a stubborn, blinding hope. You don’t watch them evolve; you’re pulled into the fire with them, and by the end, you come out changed too. I’ve never wanted happiness for fictional characters more than I wanted it for Helena and Ferron. Their love isn’t the soft, tidy variety. It’s forged in pressure and pain, brutal self-doubt and impossible circumstances. It’s messy, inconvenient, and heartbreakingly human. The book will wreck you. Yes, bring tissues. Not optional—mandatory. You’ll think you’re fine, that you’re emotionally stable and prepared. Then the final line arrives, a single sentence that detonates like a bomb in your chest, and suddenly you’re sitting there wondering when exactly your heart got ripped out and set on fire. It’s rare to find a story that balances brutality with beauty so flawlessly. Rarer still to find one that makes you grateful for the bruises it leaves behind. If you want a book that doesn’t just entertain but transfigures, that demands you feel deeply and rewards you for surrendering—Alchemised is it. A masterpiece. A reckoning. A spell you won’t shake anytime soon.

I highly anticipated Alchemised even before I read the original called Manacled. Once I read the fan fiction I was even more keen to read what SenLinYu called the distant cousin Alchemised. I think this is a book you could return to many times and the world will build even more. I was impressed with how SenLinYu built a very detailed world. At times it felt like an information overload. I don’t think this was down to poor world building just the fact that a world of many years had to be built in a single book for us to connect with the characters after the war is lost. I reflect back on Manacled here as SenLinYu did keep the layout of the original. I think the popularity of Manacled really shaped Alchemised as you’d expect. The conversation around should there have been a prequel is valid. I wonder if they will return to Alchemised and write a prequel series. It was the only loser of Alchemised that I struggled with. New worlds can often be hard to fully grasp and this was the case here. Unlike in Manacled I felt no connection to The Eternal Flame. SenLinYu skilfully pulls the reader in via Helena’s capture and torture. By the time you read about The Eternal Flame, you feel angered by how she is treated. The chosen one trope is seen from a different angle and it really makes you consider things. You can see all the shortcomings from the resistance and the downfall plays out gradually. The introduction of Kaine Ferron shows him to be cold and dangerous. The journey we go through with this character alone is painful and hard to read at times. As we learn more about his family and how he came to be the High Reeve you can no longer see him as simply a villain he is tortured in his own right. Helena is as unknown to us as she is to herself in the beginning. As we learn what was done to her and how her mind fractured, you live every moment of her trauma as she tries to figure out why her memories are lost. The claustrophobia she feels in the halls will haunt you. The flashes of memories that return further hurt you. As their connection is built all forces are pulling them apart. Both of them have sacrificed everything to the cause and they don’t expect to survive it. As the story continues the world starts to fall away and the focus is on the impossible odds. To say this is dark is an understatement. I had to take my time with this book it often felt overwhelming. SenLinYu’s writing style was so emotive and recognisable something I feared would be lost in translation. It was when I closed the book each time that I realised how enveloping the atmosphere and heavy content was. By the time I reached the end it felt so emotional. Few books pull you apart and call for you to read it again like Alchemised did. When people say this is a devastating read they mean it.

I love this book so much

probably my favorite book of all time. I wish I would read this for the first time again!