Alchemised

By SenLinYu

Alchemised - SenLinYu
  • Release Date: 2025-09-23
  • Genre: Fantasy
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 532 Ratings

Description

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.

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.

Reviews

  • Tortuous Read

    1
    By Hawkeye2000
    Not only is the book tortuously slow and dark, yet also full of insidious torture. Is this even necessary?
  • One of the best things I’ve ever read

    5
    By smich26
    This book took me 2 months to read and I’m so glad I took my time with it. I loved the worldbuilding, the writing style, the characters, the political themes, the way the affects of war trauma are weaved into every aspect of these characters… the love story was devastating. The ending had me staring at a wall for an hour after finishing. I love a good emotionally damaging book and this one delivered.
  • Gloriously 😭 heart wrenching 💔

    5
    By Euniceash
    Will definitely be a book I pick up to read man times. My next time will be in chronological order for sure. 💙
  • Beautifully Written

    5
    By mb3421
    The writing is just beautiful! It handled such a complex layered story so well. It really takes you on a journey and leaves you emotionally raw at the end. I felt numb after I was done reading it and it haunts me still. I absolutely love this book and recommend it just know what you’re getting into.
  • Heartbreakingly beautiful

    5
    By Gg such
    I loved this book, every ounce of it. For context I love pain lol. But it was so beautifully written. 1000 pages wasn’t even enough. Helena and Kaine deserved so much better. Both slaves to their own sides of the war. And found solace in eachother. So beautiful.
  • Tough read— loved Manacled

    4
    By nataliepaige16
    I absolutely love Sen and loved Manacled. Reading this book was very difficult though because the world building was confusing and I had to look up a ton of things. I’m still giving it 4 stars cuz Sen deserves all the love. I probably wouldn’t have finished the book if it wasn’t for Manacled to be fair.
  • Torture Por1n

    1
    By 4cains
    Disgusting. Seriously depraved people enjoy reading about the detailed and sustained torture of others. 1 star is not low enough.
  • Captivating book

    5
    By 100%polyester
    It’s been such a thrill reading this book on my vacation . I went in not knowing what to expect, and the unexpected twists kept me completely hooked.
  • Thrilling

    5
    By will4482
    This is nowhere near a genre of book I normally read and I loved it. Could not put it down!
  • Not usually one to review books

    5
    By Thebookreviewergirl
    I’m not usually one to review books, but wow. I finished alchemised in 2 days and I can’t stop thinking about it. Really beautiful story and shockingly well-written. Definitely very violent and the trigger warnings are needed, but amazing.
  • Must read

    5
    By bekaofkw
    Hands down my favorite book I’ve read in over a decade.
  • Beautiful

    5
    By amelycaza
    Go in thinking this book to be a tragedy. You’d be right. Beautiful and devastating read. Have been recommending to everyone since I picked it up.
  • Insanely over written

    2
    By Really bored 63
    You should read author’s notes before starting this book!
  • Wow

    5
    By KMG327
    After years of rereading this story in its first format, SenLinYu has still managed to shatter my heart in Alchemised. Will definitely be rereading this alongside the first version.
  • THANK YOU SEN

    5
    By ghart_
    How lucky are we? In the final chapters especially, it felt like so much of what we wished had been resolved in Manacled was in fact resolved. Bless you, Sen! It’s impossible to put into words what all of this means for Manacled fans who have been there since the beginning. There’s so much to say but I’ll leave it here.
  • Incredible

    5
    By CsheaC
    I haven’t been so absorbed in a book in a LONG time - such great writing, story development, characters…just everything. authors and stories like this are so rare. The first few chapters had me second guessing if I could get into the dark/unsettling vibe but i’m so happy i did because this book is one of the best i’ve read.
  • A heart wrenching journey

    5
    By sydm333
    Alchemised was an absolute whirlwind of emotion, a story I couldn’t put down for even a second. From the very first page, I was completely drawn into a world that felt both raw and beautifully crafted. The author’s writing is nothing short of breathtaking—every word felt intentional, every detail meticulously woven into the narrative. I found myself on the edge of tears multiple times, as the depth of emotion and the weight of the characters’ journeys hit me in ways I wasn’t prepared for. This book is undoubtedly one of the best I’ve ever read. It’s incredibly graphic and, at times, deeply triggering, but the level of detail only serves to amplify the intensity of the experience. Alchemised is a powerful, unflinching experience, and though it’s not an easy read, it’s one that stays with you long after the last page.
  • Great work

    5
    By Leslie Mackey
    Brilliant!
  • Heartbreaking and a beautiful glimpse into the toll of war

    5
    By Kenzy p
    This book is a breath of fresh air in the modern Sci-fi/ romantasy genre. It was dark, unnerving, and hard to predict. This book was beautifully written and the topics discussed forced me as a female reader in 2025, to deal with uncomfortable situations happening in current events. I don’t want to mislead anyone… this book is long and becomes very uncomfortable at points because what happens in it isn’t so far fetched beside the alchemy of it all. And that’s why I think it’s an important read to me I truly enjoyed this read and can say that I was able to laugh, cry, and feel anger along with the characters finding very real humanity in them