Alchemised, by American author SenLinYu, is the winner of the 2025 GoodReads Choice Award for Readers’ Favourite Debut Novel, based on more than 165,000 votes.
This reviewer was not among those voters, but felt intrigued enough by all the praises out there to take a plunge into this 1030-page brick of a book. And it was a richly rewarding read.
The story is a brilliant and masterful illustration of an elaborate yet terrifying civil war where the protagonist Helena Marino once served as a healer for the Resistance. Now the war has ended, with the country ruled by necromancers, Helena finds herself imprisoned, interrogated and tortured for information about the possible re-emergence of Resistance fighters.
Trouble is, Helena’s memories have been erased by magic, and her captors are trying everything imaginable and utterly despicable to uncover the secrets in her head. Eventually she is handed over to The High Reeve, the thoroughly ruthless and ultra-efficient mass murderer Kaine Ferron, himself an accomplished necromancer.
The story is definitely not for the faint-hearted. Consider the fact that the author has drawn inspiration from the TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), readers can imagine how depictions of the battles are full of ghastly details.
On one side is the Order of the Eternal Flames, whose followers are convinced they are invincible as long as they remain faithful and virtuous. Helena’s struggle to fit in and the sacrifices she makes to ensure the Order’s survival are the most heart-wrenching part of the story.
On the other side are the necromancers, who reanimate those enemies they have slaughtered as their own soldiers. The atrocities they commit are brutal, vicious and entirely gruesome, and the detailed descriptions of the various types of dark magic and their horrific, devastating consequences are absolutely mind-blowing.
However, despite it being darkly macabre, the story explores the great lengths one is willing to go to protect their loved ones. More importantly, it sheds considerable light on the terrible and long-lasting trauma that war can inflict on individuals and communities, both emotionally and psychologically – and not just those involved in front-line fighting but also those unsung heroes who work tirelessly in field hospitals.
Meanwhile, the story tackles such multifaceted problems such as power struggles and corruption in politics, as well as the systemic oppression and exploitation of women. In the latter case, not only are women’s voices silenced, their work undervalued and their contributions ignored, but their agency and legacy are also denied. This adds another layer of dread and misery to the already deeply upsetting tale that is Helena’s life.
Do NOT read this story if you are squeamish. But, if you are into complex three-dimensional characters, thrillingly intense actions, mind-boggling magic systems and unflinchingly extensive investigations of the impact of war, then you have to read Alchemised.
Note: This book review was published under the title “A very dark fantasy novel” by Ranges Trader Star Mail, March 3, 2026, P.22.
Voices under the Sun 陽光下的聲音 