Alchemised
The 2025 debut novel phenomenon everyone is talking about and no one can put down
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3 Months Free
Alchemised
Buy Now for £15.24
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Narrated by:
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Saskia Maarleveld
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By:
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SenLinYu
Brought to you by Penguin.
***The record-breaking debut and instant Sunday Times Bestseller***
In a world ruled by necromancers, a woman with missing memories threatens the dark order that keeps her captive - and the man sent to break her. Gothic in tone, epic in scope - this debut is destined to become a modern classic.
Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner – of war and of her own fractured mind. The Resistance is crushed, her allies dead, her abilities suppressed.
The world she knew is gone.
Paladia’s corrupt guild families and their necromancer overlords, aided by vile undead creatures now rule - and hold Helena captive.
Resistance records claim she was a healer of little importance. Yet, Helena’s inexplicable memory loss makes her enemies wonder: Is she truly insignificant, or do her missing memories conceal the Resistance’s final secret?
To uncover the truth, Helena is delivered into the hands of the High Reeve – Paladia’s most feared and merciless necromancer.
Trapped on his crumbling estate, she must fight to protect what remains of herself and unearth the secrets buried in her mind, her prison, and her captor . . . whatever the cost.
‘A work of quite staggering ambition. Detailed world-building, intricate plot, Gothic claustrophobia, wraps the readers in its dark embrace’ Daily Mail
‘A superb dark fantasy novel set in a war torn world of black magic and alchemy’ Sun
© Forest Rain Inc 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
Critic reviews
I’ve finally finished reading Alchemised and honestly I’m not sure how I feel about this book. I got worried towards the end of the book that the ending wasn’t going to be enough or drastic and too sudden but it was satisfying.
I’ve been reading/ listening to this book since it came out so it feels like a really long time. I liked the story but I didn’t feel a deep connection to it. I’d been warned it was sad but it didn’t generate any emotion in me. I don’t do emotional reads so this is something I’m glad of.
The way this book was crafted into three parts wasn’t my favourite. I’m not a fan of flashbacks although this one was anything but fast paced (It’s told out of time sequence rather than flashbacks in the form of three parts). I felt the last few chapters of part two dragged because we already knew time was going to jump back in front of part one.
I liked Elena, the main character. It took me a while to warm up to her as I didn’t connect with her life in the beginning. We were told about her relationships with her best friend but we don’t see much of them together on the page. She’s an immigrant, that’s lost both of her parents and know life hasn’t been easy. She’s dedicated her time to help others at the hospital. All this should make for a warm character but I just didn’t feel that way about her. She’s a strong woman, who does what she thinks right and that’s where I started to like her, rather than her background makeup.
Alchemised is about Elenas relationship with Kane through war time. Yes this is a romance but has distressing scenes. Overall I liked their relationship and found their journey interesting. They are on two sides of a war, only Kane feeds information to Elena to help the resistance. Kane has to do things that some would class as unforgettable. I don’t think anyone can truly understand what you’d do in war unless the situation was presented to you. I liked the dynamic of their relationship (except for one part). They both had depth that made them a match.
Alchemised held my attention right until the end and I was invested in the world. I enjoyed the journey and liked the way it ended.
A journey and a half
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Having read the story it developed out of, I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong. Even knowing the broad strokes of what was to come didn’t soften the blow; if anything, it made the emotional punches hit harder. Alchemised transformed familiar foundations into something wholly new—an original novel that’s complex, thoughtful, and beautifully immersive.
Sen’s world-building is exceptional. The systems of alchemy and the intricate politics, history and geography of Paladia feel fully grounded and alive. I often forgot this was a story I’d, in essence, read before. The new setting and lore are so rich that they completely transformed the narrative, allowing it to stand confidently on its own.
The narration was beautiful, with thoughtful and nuanced interpretations of the characters, and brought the whole story vividly to life.
The characters themselves are damaged, complex, and deeply human. Their struggles tore at me. I felt every flicker of pain, fear, and hope, right up to that final line, which gutted me just as much as it did the first time I encountered it. The journey to get there may have shifted, but the effect was just as powerful and devastating.
Many parts of this story, I loved just as much as the original; others, even more so! There were plenty of moments I don’t remember from before—I can’t be certain whether they’re new additions or if this version was just so good that it’s eclipsed the original in my mind. The whole climax of Part 2, in particular, absolutely broke me in a way I don’t remember being affected before. I felt every second of cold dread as Helena pieced the truth together, her heartbreak as events unfolded, the unbearable desperation as everything unraveled, and ultimately her indomitable determination to just keep fighting.
By the end, I was emotionally wrecked—in the best possible way.
SenLinYu, this masterpiece served me my bleeding, battered heart on a plate, and all I can say is “Thank you!”
I’m already recommending this book to absolutely everyone I know, and I won’t be stopping any time soon.
This book ripped my heart out, and I loved every second of it!
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Absolutely amazing!
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If you’re starting Alchemised, I’d say it’s best to read it in this order (and I’m so glad I did!):
• Prologue
• Part One
• Part Two
• Prologue
• Part One
• Part Three
• Epilogue
A truly all consuming read!
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More then just a love story
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