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Emily

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Emily is currently reading

Alchemised

by SenLinYu (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in May 2026

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Emily said: " I wavered between 4-5 stars but I settled on 5 stars because of the way this book made me obsess over this new world in such a short time. I would re-read this book for sure. So much complexity that really warrants a second read.

Where to begin.... w I wavered between 4-5 stars but I settled on 5 stars because of the way this book made me obsess over this new world in such a short time. I would re-read this book for sure. So much complexity that really warrants a second read.

Where to begin.... well to start, this book was a SLOW burn. And I do mean SLOW. Almost DNF'd at 130 pages, but boy am I glad I pressed on! The first 200 pages (part 1) of this book are almost painfully slow. It's violent, gruesome and we are kept mostly in the dark about who people are and the world building mechanics. The only reason I pressed on was because of the extremely high ratings associated with this book.

Story
I know this author's claim to fame is the Hermione/Draco fan fiction, but this is so different and so much more sophisticated. I would say this book is a cross between Romeo/Juliet and maybe Twilight? This book doesn't really "start" until part 2 (which happens to be over 200 pages into it). The two main characters are on opposing sides during a war and neither side is "good." This was such a unique concept to me. There's almost always a "good side" and the "bad guys," but what happens when both sides are the "bad guys?" It was truly unique and gave Romeo/Juliet vibes for sure.

Characters
Love, love, love the main characters. This book is incredibly long (perhaps a little too long), where most of it follows character development centered around the main love interests. This might sound boring, but the complexity and depth of character was really impressive. There were many surrounding characters that were important and had development as well, yet I was largely uninterested in anyone but Helena and Kaine.

World
The world building was complex and took a little too long in my opinion. We don't really start to understand the world mechanics until part 2 (which is 200 pages into the book). I really feel the first part of this book could have been shortened, but perhaps I will feel differently the second time around.

Ending
This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. So many close calls where the main characters should have died and yet, the happy ending really sealed the deal for me. I love books with happy endings. I even flipped ahead to make sure it had a happy ending. It's like getting on a roller coster, but you're not sure if you'll make it out ok by the end. I like knowing I'll make it out ok by the end, so I was so pleased with the happy ending. It was also beautifully ended. This book could have gone on to be a whole series, but I actually like that it was all wrapped up in 1 single good book.

This book is deserving of all the 5 star ratings and I loved most of it (except for the slow beginning). But it eventually had me hooked and this was overall the most beautiful and heartbreaking story that was a joy to read.

Read April 2026 ...more "

progress:

(page 60 of 1030)
— May 12, 2026 08:02PM

May 03, 2026 07:52PM · see review