Alchemised

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD • 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.

BUY THE BOOK

Published Sep 23, 2025

1040 pages

Average rating: 8.32

502 RATINGS

|

Join a book club that is reading Alchemised!

Tropes & Thrones 👑❤️

Escape into magical realms with us! A virtual book club for romantasy & fantasy lovers who crave epic love stories, powerful heroines & swoony magic!

Somerville Romantasy ✨

🧚‍♀️ Fantasy + romance = perfection. Join our book club for swoons, spells, and stories that steal your heart! 💕📚

Booktok

A brand new club based on popular book recommendations from booktok. All recommendations and suggestions are welcome and encouraged!

Booked & Bothered

A low-pressure romance book club for girls who just want to read and chat about the romance books they love!

Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Alchemised* by SenLinYu is a deeply dark, emotionally intense fantasy with masterful world-building and a unique, complex magic system. R...

stonedwitchx3
May 03, 2026
10/10 stars
Omg, in the beginning I wasn’t following the way I should’ve. Once I went over the things that didn’t make sense I was hooked.
I loved the story and writing how everything happened. Truly a book that will stick with me!

Thank you for this gripping story that was so well written and tragic yet beautiful considering the times and war etc!
EchoQ
Apr 20, 2026
1/10 star
Quite literally one of the worst things I have ever read. Sorry.
Jessinova
Apr 17, 2026
10/10 stars
This and Manacled have a special place in my heart. Want a book you’ll think about for a while? This. This is it.
AirForceGoonie
Apr 14, 2026
6/10 stars
This book was a long one. I wanted to love it so bad. I loved the undead magic system, the history of the characters, and the timeline. Now for the BAD, I had a hard time with how many near death movements the main characters survived when they should have died. I hated how weak then strong then weak again the protagonist was, with so many wishy washy choices she made and how the book ended. I continued reading just waiting for the surprise. It was so anticlimactic at the end for the villain. It was so weak I was thinking Morrough must have survived through Lila or maybe with one of the undying breeding program kids. I read to the very last page waiting for the twist and nothing. Super disappointing, with so much potential.
Bashbyreads
Apr 14, 2026
10/10 stars
I don’t even think I can put my love for this book into words. It is a masterpiece. I love that you’re a little confused in the beginning and you don’t understand much of what’s going on… but as you read and everything connects… oh my god. It’s tragically beautiful. I recommend this book to ANYONE. It is amazing.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.