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ninasbookshelf · 5 months

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The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker - Fairyloot Edition

#the scarlet alchemist #kylie lee baker #ya fantasy #Fairyloot #booklr #books and literature #bibliophile #gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous

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damzelsart · 2 months

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"From now on, you will be known as the Scarlet Alchemist."

#digital doodle #digital sketch #artists of tumblr #damzelsart #doodles #digital art #fan art #the scarlet alchemist #book fanart #kylie lee baker #booklr #book tumblr #book characters #character art #character illustration

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cassberrie · 1 year

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Ren Scarborough from Kylie Lee Baker’s The Keeper of Night duology! I love angry lady protagonists, and Ren’s struggle to carve out a space for herself in a world that won’t accept her makes her a favorite of mine. This series is just so fun and packed full of death magic + Japanese mythology + female rage.

Mixed in both silver and gold foil to match the in-book motif of her biracial lineage. Might have placed the sun and moon in the back in accordance to which of Izanagi’s eyes each god was born from… Might even have made the moon a little brighter to represent how the moon is always looking out for Ren no matter where she goes 🥺💙

#fanart #digital art #illustration #ya fantasy #the keeper of night #Kylie Lee baker #asian art

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geekynerfherder · 1 year

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'The Keeper Of Night' by Antonello Venditti.

Cover art for the Italian edition of the novel 'The Keeper Of Night', book 1 of 'The Keeper Of Night' duology written by Kylie Lee Baker.

#Art Of The Day #Art #AOTD #Antonello Venditti #Kylie Lee Baker #The Keeper Of Night #Female #Feminine #Fantastical Art #Imaginative Realism #Books #Book Cover #Book Cover Art #Cover Art #Italian

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bookaddict24-7 · 7 months

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New Young Adult Releases! (October 3rd, 2023)

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Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Standalones/First in a Series:

The Voice Upstairs by Laura E. Weymouth

Kween by Vichet Chum

Up in Flames by Hailey Alcaraz

Beholder by Ryan La Sala

Love in Wonderland by Abiola Bello

And Don't Look Back by Rebecca Barrow

The Homecoming War by Addie Woolridge

The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle

Plan A by Deb Caletti

The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson

When Ghosts Call Us Home by Katya de Becerra

Eight Dates and Nights by Betsy Aldredge

The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert

A Twisted Tale Anthology by Various

The Spells We Cast by Jason June

How to Get Over the End of the World by Hal Schrieve

Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks

Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch & Beth Revis

Before the Devil Knows You're Here by Autumn Krause

All the Things We Never Said by Yasmin Rahman

Salt the Water by Candice Iloh

The Lotus Flower Champion by Pintip Dunn & Love Dunn

The Glass Scientists: Volume 1 by S.H. Cotugno & Sabrina Cotugno

New Sequels:

Silence & Shadows (Blood & Moonline #2) by Erin Beaty

Prince of Thorns & Nightmares (Princes #2) by Linsey Miller

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Happy reading!

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wondereads · 7 months

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Personal Review

The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker

Summary

All her life, Zilan and her two cousins have been preparing for the exams that would grant them government positions. Zilan, who strives to become a royal alchemist, uses her abilities to raise the dead to fund their studies. She hates the rich clients she works for, who fear death so much they eat gold infused with the power of immortality to stop their aging. However, when comparing making gold for the rich to a life of powerlessness, she will put aside her morals for her future.

Plot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The plot of this book is one of the best I've read in YA fantasy. While it starts with an exam and starts becoming more focused on rebellion, a not unheard of story in this genre, the way it is executed is simply amazing. The magic system and world, which really feels like historical China, pull you in, and there were so many good plot twists. While there might be some you're able to predict, there were plenty that completely knocked me off my feet. Then the material is a lot more mature and gory than one would expect from YA; it's visceral, and the consequences feel real.

The magic system of this book was perfect for this kind of story. There are rules and limitations introduced from the beginning that play a huge role in allowing those amazing plot twists to be executed. Also, I just find the inner workings of alchemy incredibly intriguing. The worldbuilding concerning the social situation of China during this alternate period also works really well for the plot. The decision to have the elixir of immortality imbued in gold was a great choice to both emphasize its wasteful, greedy nature and to exacerbate the wealth gap in a way that feels eerily similar to modern times.

Characters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Zilan is an amazing main character. It's quite common for YA books to have these hyper competent characters that are the best in their field. It's fun, but it can feel unrealistic and as if they don't really face many challenges. Zilan is incredibly skilled, and she can do things no one else can, but she has a lot to learn. Her time in the palace definitely shows that, and there are a lot of moments where she is too impulsive or simply doesn't know how to go about something. Her competency feels real with plenty of scenes exemplifying how hard she's worked, but she also learns throughout the book.

Zilan's relationship with her cousins, Yufei and Wenshu, so close they're more like siblings, was particularly interesting. One thing I really liked about this book was that although there is a romance subplot, most of the interpersonal conflict came from Zilan and her family. Their relationship is incredibly complex; they're obviously very close, but there are so many odd circumstances surrounding their lives that it can be hard to tell where they stand with each other, which is used for some very compelling conflict.

The aforementioned romance was pretty good in my opinion. I'd like to see it developed more, but I get the feeling that the kind of incomplete vibe I get from Zilan and Hong is on purpose. They're both at very vulnerable points in their lives, and they find comfort in each other, but they both have a lot of issues, and I really want to see how their relationship works in the second book. Finally, one of my favorite characters was the villain, Empress We Zetian. She is unapologetically evil, and she's truly terrifying. She didn't feel one-dimensional, but she was also totally irredeemable and a villain that really felt like a threat. She outsmarts Zilan on multiple occasions, and she really brought the more dark tone of the story into the spotlight.

Writing Style 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The writing of this book was incredibly intense. It seems to prioritize modern readability over exactly matching the historical setting, but it rarely took me out of the story. This book honestly feels closer to NA than YA because of how dark and gory it was. As I mentioned previously, consequences in this book are horrifying and constant, taking a much more extreme turn than most YA books. There were moments where this book felt like it was verging on horror. For example, there is a scene where the empress and prince are eating gold in which they, while unchanged physically, become these voracious monsters, and it sent shivers down my spine.

I would say my one critique of this book would be that there are certain things that feel a little rushed. Trying not to spoil too much, that would be Zilan and Hong's situation, which sort of felt like it came out of nowhere, and when Zilan starts to take a more rebellious stand against the empress. However, it didn't detract from the enjoyability that much.

Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This book was absolutely stunning. The characters were amazing, the plot constantly took me by surprise, and the writing is a great blend of readable modern language and the intense style that usually accompanies fantasy. Zilan is an amazing main character; she’s competent without being perfect, she’s ruthless and driven without being completely heartless. Her cousins, Yufei and Wenshu, are particularly interesting, especially concerning their relationship with Zilan and how complicated it is. The love interest is a good balance to Zilan, though I hope to see their relationship develop more. Empress Zetian is a chilling and horrifying villain who is truly a terrifying opponent. The plot was constantly twisting and turning, keeping me on my toes, and while I found some moments a little too fast paced and would consider this more NA than YA, the overall quality of the story definitely makes me want to keep this at a full 10/10.

About the Author

Kylie Lee Baker: Japanese-Chinese-Irish-American, plays the cello, also wrote The Keeper of Night

About the Reviewer

My name is Wonderose, and I post a reading update every week with the occasional review and themed recommendation. I take suggestions, and you can check out my pinned post for more about me :)

#books #review #the scarlet alchemist #kylie lee baker #fantasy #ya #historical fiction #alchemy #alternate history #chinese history #we zetian #rebellion #tang dynasty #immortality #wealth inequality #fake relationship

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eggcatsreads · 8 months

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The way that none of the reviews I can find mention that this was obviously influenced by Fullmetal Alchemist, with only the authors Instagram itself confirming it is insane to me.

Did no one else watch FMA??? HELLO???

Although I'm about 55% through so far and I'm loving it!

To be clear, the FMA influence enhances this book - its not like a 1-1 copy it's very much a FMA inspired Chinese story on alchemy. There's just a Lot of similarities that I can really easily see because I've watched FMA multiple times, so it's wild to me to not see anyone comparing them.

I haven't finished this yet but I do recommend it.

#books #book recommendations #booklr #advanced reader copy #arc review #the scarlet Alchemist #kylie lee baker #fullmetal alchemist #bookblr

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sweettoothnerd · 1 month

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You cannot create good without also creating evil.

#life #love #literature #novel #fiction #people #truth #the scarlet alchemist #kylie lee baker #Chinese #tang dynasty #good #evil #alchemy #scarlet #create

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bookcoversonly · 3 months

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Title: The Scarlet Alchemist | Author: Kylie Lee Baker | Publisher: Inkyard Press (2023)

#books #The Scarlet Alchemist #Kylie Lee Baker

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someonelookingpraediti · 4 months

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FairyLoot Unboxing

Alchemy of Us November 2023

More and more, FairyLoot just isn't living up to my expectations. When I first subscribed, FairyLoot was my favourite box, but now I prefer the others. Part of it might be that I'm just not that into YA Fantasy anymore. I don't know.

The featured book is "The Scarlet Alchemist" by Kylie Lee Baker. I'm not interested in this book - I'm over the magical royalty thing, it's such a common trope, and I've read some really bad ones lately. This edition has a completely redesigned cover, which is much nicer than the original. It's got really impressive stencilled edges, and full artwork endpapers. The foiling on the hardcase is nice, but it's pretty basic, and only on the front.

The first item is hanging storage pockets. This is inspired by the featured book of the month. I already have one of these from a previous box, which I dutifully hung on the back of my bathroom door. And I have never once used it. So I won't use this one either. It's an alright design, and I really like that it matches the rest of the box, but it's probably not a colour I'd choose to decorate in.

The next item is a desk calendar. This is a cool design - it has twelve foiled cards - one for each month - with a wooden stand. Unfortunately, it's based on characters by Sarah J. Maas. I've only read one of her books, and I hated it. So again, I won't use this.

Next is an ID holder with a lanyard. It's inspired by "Vampire Academy", which I haven't read, and probably won't. I already have one of these from a previous box (a lot of repeats this month) which was a nicer design - but I don't have anything to use this for, I'm not in college, and my work doesn't have ID cards or anything.

The last item is the next in the secret book collection. I do really love these, they're hollow books designed for storage. I've got a few of these, and they're really nice. This one is designed to look like an Alchemy textbook.

This month's tarot cards are Juliette and Roma from "These Violent Delights".

#fairyloot #unboxing #the scarlet alchemist #kylie lee baker #the alchemy of us

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oracleofmadness · 7 months

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Okay, I could not put this down. I loved this exploration of an alternate version of the Tang Dynasty China and the whole atmosphere. But, what I loved even more was how relatable and yet ruthless the main character, Zilan, was.

The depictions in this book were so vivid that I felt like I was there. And, of course, the world-building was phenomenal. I honestly don't think I can say even one bad thing about this book. It was absolutely stunning.

Zilan comes from a poor family but has cousins that she considers her brother and sister. Each have their own talents, but zilan alone is so talented with Alchemy that she can raise the dead. During her Alchemy tests, she is only met with derision because of her status, but as it seems, nothing can hold her back.

I highly recommend this one!!

Out October 3, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

#book #bookish #books #bookworm #book review #currently reading #read #bookblogger #reading #fantasy #The Scarlet Alchemist #kylie lee baker

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ninasbookshelf · 5 months

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hi all! i got the november 2023 YA fantasy fairyloot box a few days back and wanted to share with you. the theme of november's box is "alchemy of us" and the book this month is The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker. it's the first book in a series set in ancient China, and this fairyloot edition has the prettiest sprayed edges and gorgeous endpaper art (i'll share photos of these in an upcoming post). i'm super excited about this book! a few years ago i fell down a rabbit hole of fantasy novels set in ancient China, so The Scarlet Alchemist sounds right up my alley. additionally, in the author interview pages, Baker mentions that she takes inspiration from Full Metal Alchemist. i'm curious to see how that plays out.

the november box came with a lot of fun goodies i haven't seen before from fairyloot, including a hanging pocket organizer which i laid flat for the photo above. (i struggle with these photos. i wanted to hang up the organizer and have all the items peeking out but it wasn't going how i imagined it so i did a floor layout instead. i did my best!! lol). there's an id card holder with a detachable lanyard and cell phone loop, so you can choose how/where/if you want to attach it. the id card holder is inspired by the Vampire Academy book series, which i haven't read, but i'm enjoying the theme of it anyway.

additionally, there's a calendar based on Sarah J. Maas' books (the title on the box reads "The World of Sarah J. Maas Calendar"). i haven’t read Maas' series either so i’ll probably give the calendar to a friend, but it is a really fun calendar set. there’s a wood block with a notch in it, and then a card for each month of the year, with character art in the background. the cards have pretty foil lettering and edges, too. maybe i should finally give in and read acotar?

a few more things, of which we've previously seen iterations: this box came with the next two tarot cards to add to the ongoing tarot deck, and it came with the third installment of the hollow books series! the "advanced alchemy" book in the photo is actually a hollow book with a magnet closure. it can be used to tuck away items on a bookshelf: knickknacks, valuables, bookmarks, etc. there's also an author letter and spoiler card, both with artwork on the opposite side, and a bookmark version of the spoiler card art.

and that's everything for this box! thanks so much for reading. as a heads up, i put my fairyloot subscription on pause for a month, so i will not have a post about december's box for you all. i'm taking a month to determine whether i want to continue my subscription or not. as much as i love receiving these boxes, i've been in a very specific reading mood over the past few months and am not at all caught up on the fairyloot books i've received, so it might not make sense to continue ordering them. gotta make sure i'm spending my money wisely etc. i'll post an update in january on whether i decide to continue my subscription.

hope you're doing well. ✨

#booklr #fairyloot spoilers #bibliophile #books and literature #kylie lee baker #the scarlet alchemist #fma #ya fantasy #books #november 2023

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infactforgetthepark · 11 months

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[Free Audiobooks] The Keeper of the Night by Kylie Lee Baker & Out of the Blue by Jason June [YA Myth-Inspired Historical Fantasy & YA LGBTQ+ Contemporary Paranormal Romance]

The annual SYNC Summer of Listening program encouraging literacy among teens by giving away a themed weekly pair of audiobooks—1 modern or non-fiction, 1 classic or drama—returns for another year, courtesy of sponsor AudioFile Magazine and participating publishers.

This 4th week's theme is “Magical Creatures”, exploring the mixing of cultures and weight of heritage in a fantastic setting, available from Thursday May 18th through Wednesday May 24th:

The Keeper of the Night by Kylie Lee Baker, read by Rebecca Yao from Dreamscape. This is the 1st in eponymous duology of mythology-inspired YA historical fantasy set in the 1890s, starring a girl of mixed British and Japanese heritage who is also half Reaper and half shinigami, who is driven from her soul collecting duties in London away to Japan, where she must enter the underworld and prove herself worthy to serve the Goddess of Death.

Out of the Blue by Jason June, read by André Santana & Neo Cihi from Harper Audio. This is a standalone LGBTQ+ YA contemporary paranormal/fantasy romance, co-starring a non-binary merperson who must undergo the customary journey to experience life as a human in disguise for a month to decide whether or not they can commit to mer adulthood, and the human lifeguard who strikes up a fake dating deal with them to try to win back his ex-boyfriend, as you do.

The freebies are available via Overdrive's Sora service (listenable via browser on their website, or via their mobile app for iOS & Android devices).

To claim them, you'll need to register on the SYNC website with a valid email address to use in a Sora account, using the setup code and directions in the instructions in SYNC's FAQ (no need to re-register if you've participated in previous years' giveaways), clicking “Borrow” to add them to your Sora library as a permanent loan. NB: if you need to free up space on your device later, follow the instructions in the FAQ to only “delete files” and DO NOT “Return” the title, which would remove your future access.

Offered worldwide through Wednesday May 24th until just before midnight Eastern Time, available via the Sora website and app. You can also browse AudioFile Magazine's planned season list to see what will be offered in the weeks ahead and if there's anything you'd especially like to get.

#free audiobook #kylie lee baker #jason june #lgbtq #fantasy #young adult #historical fantasy #contemporary romance #paranormal romance #fantasy romance #the keeper of the night #lgbt #romance

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pink-pages · 6 days

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The Keeper of Night

Spoiler Alert

RRRAAAAAHHHH!!! I am so fucking angry with this book!!! Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an over exaggeration. It’s just that I just finished it, like, 5 minutes ago, and I hate the ending. It’s not that it’s a bad ending, it’s just that it’s not a happy ending. For anyone (Although, honestly, if it were a happy ending for Ren and Hiro, I still would have hated it). Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great book and I recommend it. It’s just one of those books where the ending is so soul-crushingly bleak that you want to tear your own hair out. So yeah, that’s why I deducted one star from my rating.

I deducted star #2 from my rating because I did not like the world of the Reapers. It’s not necessarily that Kylie Lee Baker’s world building was bad. She’s actually fantastic at descriptions. It’s just that the system the Reapers of England have for collecting souls seems so mundane. I also would have liked to see a little more of Ren’s life in London before she left for Japan. Obviously, I understand that there can’t be a whole lot of talking about her London life because the bulk of the action doesn’t happen until she reaches Japan, but seeing her interact with her father and stepmother would be helpful at building up her background.

Other than those two points (which are both matters of opinion), I really liked The Keeper of Night. Some of my favorite aspects of the book were Ren and Neven’s sibling interactions. I liked their bickering. I did not like their larger arguments as the book went on, but the light bickering about “goddamnit Neven, we’re trying to run away. Are you really bringing a cat?!” and other small stuff like that was fun. I also really enjoyed Hiro’s jokes.

I think the part about it that I loved the most was the folklore and myth. I loved learning the stories behind the different types of Yokai. I especially loved the little passages from Hakutaku’s book that Hiro read to Ren and Neven. I wish I could somehow get my hands on Hakutaku’s book (although I’m not sure if it’s even real).

The Keeper of Night also explores the biracial experience. Ren’s desire to be recognized as a Shinigami and her experiences in both England and Japan directly parallel the struggle between her identities as British or Japanese. This also relates to real life, often times biracial people are often not recognized as members of either of their communities. For example, a mixed race black and white person being seen as too black to be white but too white to be black.

Characters

Ren: I did not like Ren. Ren made me angry. I guess it’s partly because I don’t understand what it’s like to be identified as “other” on appearance by the people I identify with. No matter which part of her heritage Ren tries to identify with, she’s always recognized as an outsider. I don’t have that experience so I don’t understand her anger as much as other readers who relate to her can. That being said, her anger doesn’t excuse the way she treats her brother. Neven has stuck by her through everything. The only thing he asks is that she not kill people indiscriminately and be very wary of Hiro and in the end, she chooses Hiro over him. That’s something I will never forgive her for. As an older sibling myself, I would always always put my sisters above any boyfriend or love interest. I’m honestly more angry at her for what happened to Neven than JD Hiro because Ren had a duty to protect Neven and she actively chose not to.

Neven: Such a sweetheart. I love Neven. He’s just so fundamentally good. He didn’t deserve any of what he got at the end. I’m not saying he didn’t have flaws, because he did, but even what I see as his biggest flaw is also a mark of how insanely good he is. I think Neven’s biggest flaw is being too morally correct. I think he was only looking at the murder of Izanami from a “matricide is wrong” perspective and not accounting for all the nuances involved in this particular case. In this case, Izanami is a horrible being and a horrible mother that needs to be killed.

Hiro: JD. This man is JD from Heathers except a Japanese fisherman god. Also I have a little bit more sympathy for Hiro than I did for JD. I mean, he’s got the same charm that JD’s got and that same warped view of love. The difference is A) I fell for Hiro’s charms; and B) Hiro shows a range of emotions that make him seem more human than JD. I loved Hiro the moment we met him, which kind of tipped me off. For some reason, authors just can’t seem to be nice to my favorite characters; either they’re traitors or they die. In this case, both. I can definitely see how Hiro came to be the way he is. Being disowned by his mother and then wandering the Earth. He’s afraid of being alone and unwanted. That’s why he did what he did to Neven (and anyone else he perceived as hurting Ren or coming between him and Ren). He was trying to keep Ren with him. His whole story is honestly a tragedy and I fully blame Izanami for the way he turned out. I was most definitely on his side until he had Neven thrown to the deep darkness.

#book review #bookworm #kylie lee baker #the keeper of night #fiction

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noveltyreads · 28 days

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The Scarlet Alchemist (The Scarlet Alchemist #1) by Kylie Lee Baker Book Review

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book!

Literally from the first page I was hooked with the story, characters and historical and fantastical world building. From the first few pages I immediately knew The Scarlet Alchemist could become a new favourite book of mine.

The Scarlet Alchemist follows Zilan, a girl who dreams of becoming a royal alchemist. Joining her cousins on their quest to become royal scholars, Zilan finds herself among the royal court uncovering political plots and schemes. When the Prince appears, knowing of Zilan's ability to resurrect the dead, she discovers things are not as they seem.

I absolutely loved the world-building in this book. Zilan's home town? The royal palace? I could imagine every place and I felt transported into the story. I loved seeing the home life and relations between Zilan and her cousins and their secret resurrection business. The resurrections brought another element to the book including a rock based alchemy system that I really enjoyed reading about.

The characters made this book. Wenshu and Yufei's banter with Zilan made me laugh out loud. Each character has their distinct personality and there was never a dull moment with them. Two other characters I loved was the Prince and the duck, Durian. The entire scene at the pond with the ducks made me cackle out loud.

The only criticism I have is with the side characters, the alchemists. They clearly were a big part of Zilan's life and yet we never learned more about them than their titles (the moon alchemist being an exception here). The ending would've hit harder if we got to know the alchemists a little better.

Speaking of endings though, this book was plot twist after plot twist after plot twist. My mouth hung open wide at some points with the thought: "That did not just happen??" at the forefront. I cannot wait for book two, I desperately need to talk over this ending with someone!

ACTUAL RATING: 4.8 STARS