There are books that entertain, books that break you, and then there are books that leave scars, books like Alchemised.
SenLinYu’s dark fantasy debut is a staggering, beautifully brutal epic about war, survival, power, and love in its most unflinching forms.
It is not a romance. It is not a romantasy. It is not a simple rewriting of Manacled. It is a war story with alchemical magic, necromancy, and two unforgettable protagonists who love each other with the kind of intensity that scorches the soul.
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This review contains detailed plot analysis, character arcs, and thematic elements. Proceed with care if you haven’t finished the book!
In Alchemised, author SenLinYu weaves an intricate, emotionally devastating tale that began its life as fan fiction and has since evolved into one of the most compelling dark fantasy novels of the year.
Set in the war-torn world of Paladia, Alchemised follows Helena once a talented healer, now a war criminal, and Kaine, the brutal yet broken Commander who imprisons her after the empire’s collapse.
The novel unfolds in three primary timelines:
- The Present: A post-war world where Helena is held captive by Kaine.
- The Middle Timeline: During the height of the war, when Helena served the Eternal Flame under false beliefs and Kaine still wore the enemy’s uniform.
- The Past: Hazy, poetic memories of Helena’s upbringing, indoctrination, and loss. These are fed to us as her memories return.
Together, these timelines braid into a haunting narrative of systemic oppression, trauma, survival, and morally grey love.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through them. Thanks for supporting my book-loving habits!
What is Alchemised About?
Set in a post-war necromantic dystopia, Alchemised follows Helena Marino, a healer and vivimancer who awakens from stasis to find herself a prisoner of the Undying. The new regime that rules through fear, reanimation, and psychological warfare.
Haunted by memory loss, broken by the war she fought to survive, and manipulated for her unique magical abilities, Helena must piece together not only what happened to her, but who she has become.
Her captor is Kaine Ferron, the High Reeve of the regime and a man equally shaped by love and monstrosity. Their relationship, born in captivity and forged in shared trauma, becomes the emotional spine of the novel as they navigate power, betrayal, and impossible moral choices in a world that no longer allows for clean lines between right and wrong.
Trauma, War, and the Price of Mercy
Alchemised is not an easy read. It is an unflinching portrayal of:
- The psychological consequences of war
- The systemic oppression of women
- Religious abuse and political manipulation
- Survival at the expense of selfhood
- The terrifying power of alchemy, necromancy, and memory itself
SenLinYu explores what it means to live through the end of the world and what comes after. The question isn't just can you survive, but who are you when you do?
One of the most harrowing aspects of this book is how Helena and Kaine survive everything, torture, mind transmutation, coercion, the loss of their friends and bodies, and yet continue to survive. Carrying the weight of what survival costs them.
Characters: Helena & Kaine Are Unforgettable
Helena Marino
Helena is the moral core of the story. A vivimancer, healer, and the last animancer, she’s a woman who has endured everything. Her arc is one of survival, mercy, and sacrifice. She is not flashy. She does not lead armies. But without her, the world doesn’t get saved. And no one thanks her or even acknowledges it.
“She was a non-active member of the Order of the Eternal Flame and she did not fight.”
This line guts you because by the end, you know just how much Helena did, how much she gave, and how her story is erased because the world isn’t built to celebrate women like her.
Kaine Ferron
Kaine is both the villain and the lover, a mass murderer and a desperate protector. He’s not redeemable in the traditional sense and he doesn’t even try to be. But he is understandable, which is arguably more dangerous and more compelling. Kaine does everything for Helena, even when that means becoming a monster.
“If he’s a monster, then I’m his creator.”
Their relationship is the kind of slow-burn, trauma-bonded, morally gray nightmare that leaves readers gasping and questioning everything. Their love is real. It's powerful. But it’s not clean or easy. It’s forged in blood, betrayal, and unbearable loss.
Alchemised Character Index
Organized by family and faction.
The Holdfast Family:
Orion Holdfast - First Principate of Paladia and the founder of modern alchemy.
Apollo Holdfast - Father of Luc, deceased Principate of Paladia who was murdered by Ferron.
Luc Holdfast - Current Principate of Paladia, leader of the Resistance and Helena's best friend.
Ilva Holdfast - Great-aunt of Luc and his deputy, member of the Council of the Eternal Flame and ultimate puppet master.
The Bayard Family:
Lila Bayard - First Paladin of Luc and a brillaint warrior.
Soren Bayard - Second Paladin of Luc and twin brother of Lila.
Sebastian Bayard - First Paladin of Apollo, brother of Titus.
Titus Bayard - Father of Lila and Soren and former general of the Resistance.
Rhea Bayard- Wife of Titus mother of Lila and Soren.
Members of The Resistance:
Falcon Matias - Member of the Council of the Eternal Flame, spiritual leader
General Althorne - Member of the Council of the Eternal Flame
Jan Crowther - Member of the Council of the Eternal Flame
Helena Marino - Healer and secretly a vivimancer.
Elain Boyle - Healer being trained under Helena
Matron Pace -Head Nurse at the Headquarters Hospital
The Necromancers:
Morrogh- also called High Necromancer and their leader
Fabian Greenfinch - Governor of "New-Paladia"
Kaine Ferron- also called High Reeve, former student at the Alchemical Institute, Master of the Iron Guild
Atreus Ferron - Father of Kaine
Enid Ferron - Mother of Kaine
Aurelia Ingram - Wife of Kaine
Basilius Blackthorne - Deathless
Artemon Bennet - Head of the New-Paladian Research Institute
Mandl- Supervisor at the outpost
Others:
Stroud - doctor and Head of the Repopulation Program
Shiseo - Alchemist from the Eastern Empire who works alongside Helena
Lancaster - Former student at the Alchemical Institute and member of the Nickel Guild.
Enid Ferron - Daughter, legacy, and hope for the future.
Apollo "Pol" Holdfast - Heir, friend, and bridge between worlds Pol is the last of the Holdfast line. He is both a symbol of hope and a reminder of all that has been lost.
Magic Systems & World Building
SenLinYu’s magic system is brilliantly unique and dense in the best way. Here's a breakdown of the key elements:
Alchemy & Resonance
- Resonance is the energy emitted by people, metals, and even emotions.
- Alchemy is the manipulation of matter and memory through resonance.
- Magic users include vivimancers (life), necromancers (death), animancers (mind), and more.
- Transmutation allows for permanent changes but at a heavy cost.
Necromancy & Horror
The necromantic regime uses the dead for labor, punishment, and spectacle. Corpses rot in the streets. Loved ones are reanimated. There is no dignity left in death. The horror is visceral, often grotesque, and it works as both a literal and symbolic representation of the decay at the heart of Paladia.
Systemic Control
Magic is regulated by religion and state. Vivimancers are considered corrupted. Women are sterilized, controlled, and silenced or used in breeding programs. The Order of the Eternal Flame uses faith to manipulate, and those who disobey suffer consequences like Helena.
The Lore, the Religion, and the Cost of Belief
One of the most powerful undercurrents in Alchemised is how religion is used to justify atrocity. The Order of the Eternal Flame claims to serve Sol, the god of light but in practice, it suppresses science, punishes women, and demands purity in exchange for survival.
Helena’s own sterilization at sixteen, her repeated dehumanization, and the final erasure of her contribution to the Resistance are damning examples of how the system controls not just their bodies, but their narratives.
The Romance
Destructive, Tender, and Real
“The war was an abyss that took everything and was never satisfied.”
Helena and Kaine’s relationship is dark, obsessive, raw, and so human. It's not about falling in love it's about choosing love again and again in a world designed to crush it.
Their bond is forged in betrayal, deep trust, sacrifice, and mutual destruction. This is not a Romantasy, this is an epic love story for the ages.
It is devastating in the best way.
Philosophical Questions & Final Takeaways
This is the kind of story that makes you ask:
- Can you excuse evil if it was done for love?
- Who gets to tell the story when the war ends?
- What do we owe to the survivors especially when they're women?
- At what point does sacrifice become self-erasure?
My Favorite Quotes
“She couldn't fix herself anymore, and no one else seemed inclined to even notice she was breaking.”
“If you die, I will kill every single one of them.”
“Love isn’t always as pretty or pure as people like to think… If he’s a monster, then I’m his creator.”
“The war was an abyss that took everything and was never satisfied.”
Final Thoughts: A Must-Read Masterpiece
Alchemised is not an easy read. It will gut you. It will challenge you. It will make you weep with rage and awe. But it is also one of the most profound, brutal, and beautiful books I’ve ever read.
🖤 Read this if you love:
- Intense character-driven fantasy
- Complex, original magic systems
- War epics with moral ambiguity
- Devastatingly beautiful prose
- Slow-burn, morally gray, soulmate-level romance
- The emotional carnage of The Poppy War, A Little Life, or The Atlas Six
SenLinYu has crafted a literary epic that explores trauma, survival, legacy, and the impossible choices we make in the name of love. If you’re looking for a tidy happily ever after, this isn’t the story for you. But if you want a book that will haunt you, change you, and make you think read this. You won’t be the same afterward!
