Alchemised

SenLinYu

Sep 2025 · Sold by Del Rey

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

Beautifully written with an immersive story that throws some twists into the classic enemies to lovers plot. Unique world building that stays fairly logical and engaging with not too many overly convenient plot pushers. The characters stay consistent with their personalities and motivations. This is a great read if you are looking for a dark, body horror romance with tropes that aren't too excessive. it's gross in places, but not excessively, and the grossness brings realism to a fantasy setting. The character's motivations and development stay (broadly) true to real human psychology. I could put it down, but I didn't want to! 5 stars for ingenuity, descriptions, believable romance, believable character motivation and progression, and length. Definitely a diversion worth the money

Warning: Explicit descriptions of rape, murder, torture, and every other atrocity you can think of. Be aware before starting. I was invested right away and 1000 pages only took me a few days. The novel is dark, it is disgusting and disturbing, but it was also an amazing read. I couldn't put it down. The "love story" is more about two extremely broken people clinging to each other to survive the unimaginable, than a romance. The main characters relationship is very problematic, but it is believable because of the world and suffering they have survived. The word building, magic system, and lore is top notch. I know it started as a HP and Handmaids tale fan fic, but it's been expertly developed into it's own story and I was honestly impressed how rarely I was reminded of HP. If I wasn't aware of the connection before hand I wouldn't have seen it.

WOW! I went into this book not fully knowing what I was getting myself into! The longest book I've honestly ever read/listened to. It was so good; I had to up my listening hours because I was so immersed.. I was worried this book was to overhyped, and at first, I was so lost and confused I almost DNF, but everyone I'd talked to said to get to Part 2, and it would be worth it. THEY WERE RIGHT!! I won't spoil any details of this story as it was so good! But I will share one of my many favorite quotes from this amazing read. “You’re like a rose in a graveyard,” he said, and his lips twisted into a bitter smile. “I wonder what you could have turned into without the war.” 🪦🥀

About the author

SenLinYu grew up in the Pacific Northwest and studied classical liberal arts and culture. They started writing in the Notes app of their phone during their baby’s nap time. Their collected online works have garnered more than twenty million individual downloads and have been translated into twenty-three languages. They live in Portland, Oregon, with their family. Alchemised is their first novel.