An amazing conclusion to this duology!

I love how much the sequel expanded on the world of alchemy, especially involving Penglai Island and the (new) alchemists involved with its discovery.

The dynamic between Zilan, Wenshu, and Zheng Sili were hilarious. I especially liked Sili’s character development and his unexpected alliance with Zilan and Wenshu. His interaction with Durian were also adorable (he takes him out for a walk and feeds him grapes 🥹) I didn’t expect to like Sili’s character but he did grow on me in this book

I also enjoyed Zilan’s character development- her overall character and personality were more fleshed out in this book; we really got to see her pain and guilt and regret over everything that happened

There was a lot less romance in this book but in place of it, there was a lot of painful longing and angst. Even though Hong was in the spirit plane , he still cared so much about Zilan and she loved him in turn

As for the villain, she was terrifying and cunning. It was so difficult to tell who to trust and who not to trust

I’ve really enjoyed reading the conclusion of this duology and Zilan’s adventure! I look forward to reading more of Kylie’s books

First off, I still think Kylie Lee Baker has a really beautiful, descriptive writing style. The approach she has taken to alchemy and how to describe it and practice it is really interesting and well-done. She also does a really great job of writing grotesque and horrific imagery in a way that is still readable for a very squeamish reader like myself. Her beautiful writing style and the intention for when and why she adds those moments makes them feel more meaningful.

But I found myself struggling a bit with this book, because the two things I loved so much about The Scarlet Alchemist–the alchemy trials and Zilan's relationship with the prince–were completely gone from this book. Obviously the alchemy trials are over, but I really wished we could have seen more of Li Hong. We did get small little tastes of him, so there were ways to bring his character and the way he interacted with Zilan into this book even while he's dead, and I really wish we could've seen more of that. And by the time we get to his chapter at the end, I felt like I had really lost touch with his character. It's hard to root for someone to be saved when you're forgetting them more and more.

Building up to the ending scared me a bit, and maybe that's on purpose. I was really worrying how everything could possibly come together, and felt us tipping towards a couple of really awful or unsatisfying possible endings, but she pulled it together in the end. I do wish we could've had more time with the results of everything Zilan did, rather than just one epilogue-style chapter that very briefly brushed over the details.

Thanks again to Netgalley and HarperCollins for giving me a copy of this book to review!

If money can make desperate people do desperate things, then the quest for immortality can make people do the unthinkable.

I read The Scarlet Alchemist for the first time the day before reading The Blood Orchid so I could keep the story as fresh as possible between one book and the next. I will not be recapping any of the plot of TSA or The Blood Orchid in this review to avoid spoilers.

While The Blood Orchid isn’t in any way a bad read, I didn’t like it as much as I did TSA and it didn’t quite hit the same way as that first book did. I did think we were going to get a little less political intrigue in exchange for a little more romantasy, and I was right on that score, but I didn’t expect the strong themes of family and grief that were so entwined within TSA to become even stronger and moving in TBO. As a duology, the family theme is actually the strongest plot and story component and I actually love that because it gives this whole story a spine that doesn’t rest on romance.

There is quite a bit more alchemy in this book than there is in the first book in the sense that you get more of a picture of alchemy as a whole and the different things you can do with it, from the beautiful to the absolutely unthinkable. You see what people are willing to do for this power and in the name of this power, and you see what this power has cost China as a whole to exist.

Our girl, Zilan? She’s an even bigger hot mess than she was in the first book and you have to love her for it. Phenomenal alchemical powers…and she has no clue what to do with them. Zilan has all the plans but no clue how to achieve them; all of the ideas but no idea how to execute them. There’s an almost manic-like energy to Zilan, this desperation borne from the idea that she’s to blame for everything and therefore only she can and should fix it. This hyper-responsibility, probably stemming from making her living as a resurrection alchemist in order to keep food on the table for her family before she became a Royal Alchemist, causes a certain myopia; in other words, Zilan can’t see the forest for the trees.

There are some subplots I would’ve loved to have dropped from this duology all together. There are some others I wished had been shored up more. There is one that surprised me completely and I was here for it. In the end, the duology as a whole is strong, but this book is weaker than TSA. I still enjoyed it.

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: AAPI Fiction/Book Series/Dark Fantasy/Fantasy/Romantasy/Fantasy Series/Historical Fantasy/Political Fantasy/YA Book Series/Ya Fantasy/YA Romantasy/YA Fiction

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc! I love Kylie Lee Baker’s writing. I adored the first book and was so excited to receive this arc. While it didn’t quite have that same dark pull that the first book had, this one was still magical and riveting. I missed Hong though - he was such a lovable character in the first book - my favorite of all the characters - and I just wish we saw more of him in this one. He’s such a compelling character, I missed his presence. But Zilan was still just as powerful and likable as well. Overall, a great duology and I can’t wait to read more from Kylie!!

Short and Sweet Review

Zilan thought that being a royal alchemist would be amazing it was her dream after all, but it’s caused her nothing but pain and loss. Now Zilan is traveling with Wenshu (who is in Hong’s body) in search of Penglai Island where legend has it life can be restored. The journey isn’t easy as these two have to uncover secrets and find people that will help them and avoid the people trying to kill them.

The Blood Orchid takes place after all of the events that occurred in the first book (The Scarlet Alchemist). Zilan and Wenshu are looking for Penglai Island in order to bring back Hong and her other friends who died in the palace. During the journey there’s a lot of tribulation and setbacks that our characters face. I think the pacing in this book was a lot slower and at times I got bored. It was also a little weird that Wenshu was in Hong’s body and because of that there isn’t a lot of romance in this book. I was glad that Zilan had Wenshu because he did a good job of keeping her grounded and he was the one using more logic when it came to making decisions whereas Zilan is more impulsive. I will say I didn’t really enjoy Zilan’s character in this book, I thought she would have more character growth but that wasn’t the case. Zilan would do things that would put her and the people traveling with her in more danger or she would just make decisions that could have been avoided, in other words she was selfish. I did enjoy the rivalry between Zilan and the Empress, it’s almost like they’re the same person but one of them is trying to save those around her while the other only cares about themselves. We do get to see other alchemists at work which I enjoyed and it was interesting learning about the history of alchemist and this Penglai Island.

Overall, The Blood Orchid is the finale to this duology and it wasn’t my favorite book. I liked The Scarlet Alchemist better but this book did a good job at wrapping everything up. I wasn’t a fan of Zilan or the pacing in this book but I would still recommend this duology as the first book packs a punch and the second will answer any questions from the first.

This duet is phenomenal, the history, the vividness of each scene, the storylines, and so much more makes me love every ounce of this duet. Honestly, this is a favorite series of the year for me, no questions asked. I love how original the plot line is, I’ve never read anything similar, but I definitely would like to!

Zilan has the strength, wisdom, fear, and so many more qualities that makes her the perfect lead for a YA fantasy duet, young girls can see a women so strong, yet so fearful and desperate that they will learn emotions are complex. I also love the love story in this book, it’s a delicate string connecting Zilan and Hong but it’s not a weak love either. I didn’t see so much of this book coming, especially cause I wasn’t aware this was a duet not a series, but I felt like the whole story wrapped up beautifully. It was well paced out, nothing felt left open, and everyone got an ending that worked well for their characters.

I’m sad this duet is over, but I’m also so excited for future Kylie Lee Baker books as well!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for feedback and my honest review.

The Blood Orchid was an excellent sequel and managed to capture the page-turning intrigue and heart-stopping plot twists of the first book. I was engaged from the first chapter and truly could not put this installment down. The journey the characters went through was beautifully paced and the character's relationship development had me laughing, crying, and cursing alongside Zilan, Wenshu, Yufei, and others. I especially loved the sibling relationships' depiction and the ways Zilan formed friendships in unlikely places; they were sarcastic and biting with heartwarming care and loyalty at the core.

"'It's a pretty awful world, anyway,' Yufei said, shrugging. 'Don't alchemists want to raze it all down and start again? Now's your chance. End the world, Zilan, I dare you.'"

The ending of the story was equally satisfying. It ended on a soft note of open-ended hope that both answered my questions about the plot and left room for the rest of the character's lives in a way that makes their future seem tangible.

Thank you again to Netgalley and HarperCollins for this advanced copy!

This book felt like the perfect ending to the duology. Kylie still managed to give tension and draw out strong emotions all while still mixing in her amazing sense of humor into the script. I loved the way this book played out. It definitely held a darker/grimmer aura as the new villain/antagonist was not who I was expecting it to be, and the way they planned things out left the characters feeling like they were in an impossible situation. But once again, Zilan has proven to be a witty and intelligent character, driven by her determination to win at all costs and that is why I love her oh so dearly. Kylie also did an amazing job of making the hated characters very likable, and one of those said characters became my second favorite in the entire duology despite their previous actions.

If you loved the first book, you'll definitely love the second book. Everything from the first book was pulled into the second book and reiterated in a way that solidified the magic system that was created. The logic following this magic system made so much sense, and I loved how it all fell perfectly together, like a little bow being perfectly tied once everything was settled.

The ending was a bit mellow/lackluster, which led to me dropping half a star (my total rating is 4.5), but at the same time, it was a topic in the book itself, how the ending played out, so I chose to go with it. I agree very much that this is how the series ended.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
The Blood Orchid is the second and final book in The Scarlet Alchemist duology by Kylie Lee Baker. The first book follows Zilan who dreams of becoming a royal alchemist. But when she is within the walls of the palace she finds herself surrounded by political intrigue and a court that is much more vicious then they let on to the public.
I really loved the first book in this series and found myself absolutely flying through it when I read it and this book was no different. I absolutely loved this book and was even better than the first book. The strength of this book and series really relies on the characters. I love Zilan as a main character because she is someone who is strong but can own up to her own mistakes and tries to undo them.
After the ending of the last book, I was nervous where we would start off in this book but it pretty much picks up right from where we left off. From the start, this book is full of action and it is non-stop from there. Each chapter ends in a way that makes you want to continue reading and I found myself flying through this book. I really loved the writing in this and always found myself thinking and wondering what was going to happen.
I though the writing was just as amazing in this as it was in the first book. It's clear that Kylie Lee Baker did a lot of research into this time period. Even though this book is about alchemy and has fantasy elements in it, she really made the time period shine as well and I really enjoyed seeing how she incorporated all those elements together.
I thought Kylie also did an amazing job wrapping up this duology in two books. Nothing felt like it fell flat or we were left without answers. I thought she did such a fantastic job wrapping up this duology with this book.
I would highly recommend this series if you are wanting a politically intriguing, action packed historical fantasy YA novel. This was just amazing and I cannot recommend it enough.

What a duology. Wow. Once again, Kylie Lee Baker has rendered me speechless.

I wasn’t sure what this sequel and finale would have in store for me. How would Baker tie up all the loose ends satisfactorily? It’s a tough ask. At first, I wasn’t sure what I thought about the story and the pacing in The Blood Orchid. The majority of this book was spent traveling. Personally, the beginning felt a tad slow, but once I passed the halfway mark, the pacing sped up, and I was once again clutching my Kindle, unable to put it down.  

If you enjoyed The Scarlet Alchemist, you’ll love The Blood Orchid. Baker crafted a finale worthy of the characters we fell in love with in the first book. It’s bittersweet knowing this story is over, but I'm eager for Baker's next book. I can confidently say I will devour everything Kylie Lee Baker writes from now on.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Blood Orchid continues where the first book left off, and is just as compelling and engrossing. Once again, I was drawn in by the fantastical twist on the Tang Dynasty intrigue and action/adventure, with the fictional characters interacting with prominent characters like Wu Zetian and other members of the Royal Family. I also enjoyed learning a bit more about alchemy as it exists in this version of the Tang Dynasty, and how the characters use it.
Zilan remains a compelling lead, and I really enjoyed learning more about her as she worked to bring down Empress Wu, and fought for her loved ones.
The secondary characters were also fleshed out in interesting ways, especially Zheng Sili, who has an intriguing redemption arc. While this installment felt a bit less balanced than the first, with the romance feeling more sidelined, I mostly enjoyed most of the character work overall.
Plot wise, there are some minor pacing issues, the byproduct of some behind-the-scenes shenanigans, with a trilogy being reduced to a duology (not to mention Inkyard Press, the original imprint the first book was published under, folded, resulting in this book being moved to HarperCollins).
While it is somewhat flawed, I enjoyed this installment overall, and would recommend the duology to readers who enjoy historical fantasy.

I was waiting for The Scarlet Alchemist sequel for months. After that cliffhanger in The Scarlet Alchemist, I literally needed the sequel. I needed to know what’s going to happen. Is Zilan going to restore the kingdom? And how is she going to do it?
Thankfully, I was able to read the sequel, The Blood Orchid, early on. I got to say that this book blew my mind away. I literally could not put it down at all. I was blowing away the pages. I couldn’t stop at all. I needed to know what was going to happen and if Zilan was going to find justice for her fellow royal alchemists and love. 
So much happens in The Blood Orchid that it’s going to be chaotic at times, but it will keep you interested from the moment. Just pay attention to the details because they all connect one another. There is so much more to the myth of Penglai Island than I expected. And I love all of the connections to it.
I do wish we could get a backstory of the royal alchemists, because their brief appearances do intrigue me. I wouldn’t mind reading it.

I really admire Zilan. She can get herself out of every situation by putting that big brain of hers, and some handy alchemy to work. And she really needs it in this book! Because although the empress is dead, she had far reaching plans to keep control of the empire no matter what! Also luckily, Zilan has her brother Wenshu traveling with her, and Durian (that duck has some amazing talents revealed in this book!) on their search to find Penglai Island and bring back the innocents slain by the empress and her minions. And while there is a bit of romance (a bit hard since Hong is waiting by his river, a spirit only) I love that Kylie Lee Baker concentrated again more on familial relationships (mostly Wenshu but Yufei does make an appearance farther in the book). That was just as much fun as a romance because of how strong their love is for each other, in life or death or anything in between.

Watching Zilan and the empress go head to head was fantastic because both are ruthless when something upsets their plans though Zilan definitely has a better moral compass and good reasons to go after the power of Penglai. I also liked the travel and seeing new lands and meeting some very interesting, albeit alchemists that hold their own secrets that must be ferreted out.

So, in summary, this book is fantastic, full of meaningful sacrifice for love, awesome and finishes up the duology perfectly. Just be warned the ending is full of Yes Yes! Noooooo! Yes! Ahhhh! and then Yes yes yes! And I cannot state how much I love Durian the duck!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me a chance to read this absolutely fantastic book!

This was such an incredible journey that kept you hanging on till the ending wanting to know what was going to happen next and how would everything get resolved finally? The descriptions were so well done, it made everything seem so vivid and I had no trouble imaging what was going on, we get the same quality writing from the first book, The Scarlet Alchemist. The romance was a very small part but it was scattered throughout the book so you still felt the connection between Hong and Zilan, it was beautiful in a tragic way since they were separated the whole time. A lot of guilt kept circling with Zilan but it was understandable, it was horrific what all she'd been through from the first book to this one, so many sacrifices that there's no way she wouldn't feel the weight of it on herself. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending and how everything wrapped up, it was very fitting. The final chapter had me worried but it was a happy ending, so those of you who are worried about if it's going to be a tragedy, fear not, we get a really good ending. Durian was adorable and I love how Zilan cared for her because it was also like a piece of Hong that she had.

The perfect sequel! The journey across the different terrains was gut wrenching and a thrill ride at the same time. The characters were relatable and complimented one another.

— “if saving him is madness, then I lost my mind long ago.”

i actually have nothing to say. this was too good. the fever dream prose, vivid characters and relationships, intense plot, i loved everything. i usually hate a certain trope used in this, but this was written so beautifully that i can't even be mad. and i'm going to miss zilan so much—she's already one of my favorite book characters.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

Rating: 3.5 stars

In the wake of the heartache and devastation of Chang’an, our main character, Zilan, goes on a mission to find the mythical island of Penglai, a foundation of alchemical power, in hopes to bring back the souls of her friends and lover. It is full of action, adventure, and self-discovery. Through the quest we get to explore varies different regions of the country and learn the history and the magical system in more depth. The author even weaves in actual historical information, which she discussed at the end of the novel. I really enjoyed the tidbit of information, because I think it brings the story a little bit more to life. I also thought the quest was cleverly crafted in the form of a poetic riddle. With the discovery of each stanza, new secrets are revealed and we learn just how powerful and dark alchemy can be.

In terms of the characters, my feelings are kind of mixed. I really like Zilan and the Empress’s character. Their rivalry was exciting to read. They are both ruthless and cunning. Selfish in their own ways. Leaves a trail of destruction. In a way, the Empress is a foil and a reflection of Zilan which I find fascinating. There is also a foe in “The Scarlet Alchemist” that becomes an ally in this novel. I am not sure how I feel about the redemption arc. The character did some horrendous things to Zilan. I just felt forgiveness came a little too easily. I needed more atonement from that character. As for the siblings, especially the brother, I felt they put more pressure on Zilan, than actually giving her support. The fact that Wenshu didn’t even realize Zilan’s struggle with her self-doubt just shows how unaware he was during the journey. There were also new Alchemist characters that were introduced. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about them, except for what is necessary to drive the story, which is a shame. They are such interesting characters filled with selfishness and greed. I would have loved to know their backstory and how they ended up that way.

Finally, in the first book, I had mentioned in my review how I hope the author would explore the topic of life and death. One thing that frustrated me and took some of the tension out of the story was the constant reminder from Wenshu that everything will be ok, because Zilan can just bring everyone back from the dead. If that is the case, there is no consequences or stakes. However, the ending surprised me. It was a fitting ending, but a little too happily ever after. For such a dark book filled with chaos, bloodshed, and sacrifice, I would have preferred a more realistic ending.

Despite my conflicting thoughts, I still think this was a solid duology. I think the author has some creative ideas and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love Kylie Lee Bakers writing and this is such a strong duet. I did find this one slower paced than her other books and I missed the romance. Still a strong book though!

Absolutely enthralling. Just like the first. This second book sweeps you up into an epic adventure immediately, and doesn't let go.
Also the duck is the best. (and he's safe. That's not a spoiler, the author tells you herself.) ^_^

Thank you so very much to Kylie Lee Baker, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for this free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

After absolutely eating up the first book in this duology, The Scarlet Alchemist, the ending had me itching for more of the story. This is how hooked I am on Baker's wonderfully concocted story. I am so very lucky to have been approved for an advanced readers copy of what has to be my most anticipated release of 2024.

Avoiding spoilers, the overall premise was a promising continuation of The Scarlet Alchemist, with an assortment of familiar yet different characters and what feels to be evolved dynamics between certain characters. What was done in book 2 really served to shake things up, all while building on the phenomenal ideas of the world's pre-existing alchemy rules. The ways that rules are bent but not broken are well thought out, which serves to oftentimes keep the reader on their toes. While some aspects of the story come off as a bit predictable, it was entertaining nonetheless.

So far I have really enjoyed Baker's writing, and I hope to read more of her work in the future!