Alchemised

I took my time to read this book, but it captured my interest so much that I read half the book in two evenings. Love the worldbuilding, the characters, and the whole devastating story of Helena and the High Reeve. Make yourself aware of the Trigger Warnings for this book. It gets very heavy again and again. I wish I could read the story again for the first time. I really recommend reading this story!

"I will die before I lose her," - S.193 "Don't die, Marino. I might miss you." - S.423 "So forgive me of I dislike looking at you. I'm still adjusting to the ways these new ones chafe." - S. 607 Diese dark romantasy hat es absolut in sich. Die beiden Protagonisten haben mich mit ihrem Abgründen, ihren Emotionen und all ihren Tiefen, Höhen und alles was sie so unfassbar greifbar gemacht hat. Ich möchte euch darum bitte die TW wirklich ernst zu nehmen. Es wird hier nicht spicy...die Themen die euch begegnen haben es aber wirklich in sich und nicht jeder ist dafür ready. Es hat mich seelisch zerrissen beide zu begleiten. Was sie sich antun müssen, was ihnen angetan wird, was dieser Krieg mit ihnen macht und welche Entscheidungen sie treffen. Ich war so tief in diesem Buch drin ... Irgendwo dort habe ich mein Herz gelassen, zersplittert aber geklebt. Die Welt die geschaffen wird ist komplex. Das Buch ist nicht ohne Grund so dick. Aber es lohnt Sicht jede Seite. Das Magie System und die ganzen Akteure werden toll gezeichnet. Zu jedem hatte ich ein Bild vor Augen mit einem Charakter und Herz, daher hat es umso mehr weh getan. Der Schreibstil war perfekt für die düstere Geschichte und so weh vieles auch getan hat, so sehr ich auch ein paar Tränen vergossen habe....so sehr liebe ich die beiden Protas in der Dynamik slow burn enemies to lovers und tragic past. Ab Seite eins war ich dabei, wollte verstehen und begreifen und würde umgehauen. Für mich ein Highlight...ich will es nochmal lesen aber auch nicht.

I have read this book when it was still a fanfiction years ago, yet the new and original worldbuilding added to the traditionally published novel made it nearly unrecognizable from its original setting. You can tell that SenLinYu actually took the time to make it a piece of fiction that can stand on its own. Most of the time with fanfics adapted to original works the story becomes hollow and the tropes incredibly obvious, in my opinion. This one, however, stands out to me as an actual labor of love, which manages to make me fall in love with the characters and the world even more this time around.

I absolutely devoured it — even though it took me months to mentally prepare myself for part three… oops. This was one of the most challenging, yet strangely accessible fantasy books I’ve ever read. There is so much to learn and understand — the politics, the alliances, the magic system and yet SenLinYu writes it in a way that makes even the most complex structures feel graspable. The entire system is mind-blowing. I genuinely cannot wrap my head around the fact that a human… an actual human created a world like this. I’m human too, and I could never. Truly never. What I also deeply appreciate is how this book mirrors real-world issues. For example, Helena’s hair. The fact that not even the “good” side could fully accept her because its curly… that hit. I love how subtly but powerfully the story addresses prejudice, bias, and societal norms. The storyline is incredibly well thought out. Every thread matters. And I especially loved how every lingering question is answered in the end through the newspaper. We know what happened to everyone. Nothing feels unfinished. The book closes with clarity — and I appreciated that more than I can say. The ending was frustrating… but in the best, most painful way. I 100% understand Kain’s and Helena’s choices. They ended a war together and chose peace over glory. They chose each other over recognition. And that is what makes it so powerful. I will forever cherish this book and will always recommend it to fantasy readers. Thank you, SenLinYu, for this masterpiece. True heroes don’t need to be remembered — only the peace they left behind.

Loved the Story. To Bad I already finished it. I would definitely read it again!! The characters, the atmosphere, just incredible . I was worried because of the 1000 pages but it was all worth it in the end!!