Alchemised
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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.
This stunning hardcover edition features a deluxe jacket with gold foil on the front and a full-color illustration on the reverse, gorgeous designed endpapers, a gold foil case stamp, and, from acclaimed artist Avendell, a black-and-white interior illustration.
A SHE READS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
“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.
This stunning hardcover edition features a deluxe jacket with gold foil on the front and a full-color illustration on the reverse, gorgeous designed endpapers, a gold foil case stamp, and, from acclaimed artist Avendell, a black-and-white interior illustration.
A SHE READS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
“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.
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Community Reviews
I didn’t just read this book—I went through an emotional centrifuge and thanked it afterward.
Alchemised is, without exaggeration, one of the most unforgettable reading experiences I’ve had in 2025. What makes it extraordinary isn’t just the lush prose or the aching romance—it’s the audacity of its structure. SenLinYu hands us the middle of the story first and dares us to sit in the discomfort. We’re allowed—encouraged, even—to hate the MMC. To question him. To grieve what’s already been lost. And then the narrative rewinds, slowly and deliberately, giving us the beginning: the context, the love, the humanity. By the time we reach the end, we aren’t just forgiving—we understand. That emotional alchemy? Rare. Devastating. Brilliant.
Kane is one of the most tragic MMCs I’ve ever read—not because he’s perfect, but because he isn’t. His arc is messy, morally gray, painful, and deeply human. Watching readers grapple with him is half the magic of this book. You’re not spoon-fed redemption; you earn it alongside the FMC. Their love story isn’t sweet—it’s earned through sacrifice, grief, and the slow realization that love can exist even after ruin. And the ending? Quietly powerful. Not flashy. Not easy. But deeply satisfying in a way that lingers long after the final page.
That this story began as fanfiction and evolved into something so confidently literary only adds to its legend. Alchemised trusts its readers. It asks for patience, emotional stamina, and a willingness to sit with discomfort—and then it rewards you tenfold. This isn’t just a romance or a fantasy. It’s a meditation on memory, consequence, love, and what we choose to forgive.
In short: if you like your books emotionally devastating, structurally bold, and incapable of being forgotten—congratulations. You’ve found the one.
Alchemised is, without exaggeration, one of the most unforgettable reading experiences I’ve had in 2025. What makes it extraordinary isn’t just the lush prose or the aching romance—it’s the audacity of its structure. SenLinYu hands us the middle of the story first and dares us to sit in the discomfort. We’re allowed—encouraged, even—to hate the MMC. To question him. To grieve what’s already been lost. And then the narrative rewinds, slowly and deliberately, giving us the beginning: the context, the love, the humanity. By the time we reach the end, we aren’t just forgiving—we understand. That emotional alchemy? Rare. Devastating. Brilliant.
Kane is one of the most tragic MMCs I’ve ever read—not because he’s perfect, but because he isn’t. His arc is messy, morally gray, painful, and deeply human. Watching readers grapple with him is half the magic of this book. You’re not spoon-fed redemption; you earn it alongside the FMC. Their love story isn’t sweet—it’s earned through sacrifice, grief, and the slow realization that love can exist even after ruin. And the ending? Quietly powerful. Not flashy. Not easy. But deeply satisfying in a way that lingers long after the final page.
That this story began as fanfiction and evolved into something so confidently literary only adds to its legend. Alchemised trusts its readers. It asks for patience, emotional stamina, and a willingness to sit with discomfort—and then it rewards you tenfold. This isn’t just a romance or a fantasy. It’s a meditation on memory, consequence, love, and what we choose to forgive.
In short: if you like your books emotionally devastating, structurally bold, and incapable of being forgotten—congratulations. You’ve found the one.
This was such a beautiful macabre love story with twist and turns along the way. I didn’t read Manacled but I can see now how the story aligns with the original fan fiction. Absolutely loved this story and how it was divided and followed a timeline of events.
One of my favorite book I’ve ever read. Great plot. Beautifully written. There’s so many layers and topics to discuss that it’s great for a book club.
"If he's a monster, then I'm his creator." There is alot to it, a war story, a story of friendship, and a love story. It was disturbing, uncomfortable, and infuriating. The author made the reader work for it, no spoon feeding, just the expectations to keep up and keep reading.
I enjoyed this heart breaking story so many of the themes and points were disturbingly understandable.
I appreciate the end, I am not sure if it was actually satisfying but life isn't fair even in a book.
Beautifully written thoughtful story.
I liked this!
Some of the terms were difficult to understand but it's a technical book
The way it goes from present, to past, to present is cool because it answers a lot of questions from part 1
I didn't find the ending as shocking(?) as other people seemed to?
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