Setting:
Alchemised by SenLinYu is set in a fictional city called Paladia, on a fictional world. Paladia is an industrial center of the world, and an economic powerhouse. The Holdfast’s rule the city. They came to power when their ancestor, Orion Holdfast, fought a war against the first Necromancer Cetus. Lucien (Luc) Holdfast, becomes principate at a young age when his father Apollo is killed.
Though the Holdfast’s rule as the principates, the story starts in a time period where they have lost their power. The corrupt guilds and their families seize power over the city and Morrough, the high necromancer, becomes the leader.
Plot:
The plot is long, convoluted, and above all, very well executed. The fact that the Holdfast’s and the Eternal Flame have already lost when the story starts is a unique way to start a story. The story follows Helena Marino, a healer in the resistance.
The story starts with Helena as she wakes from a stasis chamber with little to no recollection of anything. To recover her memories, the high necromancer turns her over to his right hand man, the high reeve.
The story follows Helena as she recovers her memories, and deals with being held captive as the last surviving memory of the Eternal Flame.
The plot is done in three masterful parts. The first part deals with the reality that Helena now faces at present as the last surviving member of the resistance group. The second part is a flashback focusing on the Eternal Flame and their fight to overthrow the high necromancer. The third part focuses on what happens to Helena after she starts to recover her memories.
Characters:
Helena Marino
Helena is the main character and protagonist. She has an interesting character arc and I think the memory loss plays a big part in her character growth. You get to see who she is as a person without knowing who she was, but then you also get to see where she started years prior. You see how she changes and fights in her own way.
She starts as a naive girl who is willing to do anything to help the eternal flame win the war. This includes giving herself to a well placed spy within the opposing regime. She learns and grows and becomes competent in many things. Then you get to see her change and grow even more once she recovers her memories and has to deal with her current situation.
Stuborn, smart, and loyal—overall she is a pretty good character.
Kaine Ferron (The High Reeve)
Ferron’s character arc is one of great interest. He is, in many ways, more interesting than Helena. He is a true villain who kills many people. Though he isn’t the architect of the war, he helps launch it in a desperate bid to save his mother.
Though he hunts the remains members of the Eternal Flame, like many good villains, there is more to him than meets the eye.
Morrough (The High Necromancer)
Morrough plays a huge role in the book even though he isn’t in it for very long. You see him at the beginning. You see his power. You see why everyone fears him. In the middle you see him in the middle flashback a bit more—specifically when the Eternal Flame is extinguished. Other than that, he doesn’t play much of a role. He does inspire much fear though, and that is conveyed very well throughout the story.
Criticisms:
I do have one criticism for this book. The concepts and ideas were pretty cool, but there were parts where I got lost in the complexity. When it came to the magic system, I understood what was going on in a general sense, but I didn’t understand the how behind what was happening in many areas of the book. This could have been because I listened to the audio book version, and at times my attention was divided somewhat. I did have to listen to some small sections twice to really understand how the magic system worked, and even then It was convoluted and slightly confusing.
Final Thoughts:
Overall I really enjoyed the book. I didn’t read Manacled, the original dramione fan fiction, and I’ve heard that this book is a virtual copy of that same story. Despite that, I think the story was well written.
I thought the premise of the story was really interesting. What happens to the characters after their side has already lost. I’m sure there are other stories like it, but this was the first I’ve read like that. I really enjoyed the spin.
I’m a sucker for well written non-linear storytelling, and I thought SenLinYu did an exceptional job with it. I liked that Helena had small flashbacks of memory in part one and then part two you showed the whole story. I thought it was an interesting way to foreshadow key moments of the story.
Part two where we learn about the war was my favorite part. However, the conclusion, part three, was also very good. I liked that there was a significant amount of time spent on the resolution. I think an often forgotten step in the hero’s journey is the return. Alchemised does a good job of wrapping up Helena’s story, and showing her new normal after everything is done. Even the last paragraph hit me pretty hard and left me thinking about how truth isn’t also what’s perceived.
This book also touches on some dark, evil topics. But I think they touched on in a nuanced way. If you’re easily queasy, then you should check out some content warnings before you read this one. Overall, I give this book 4.5 stars.
