Alchemised

Hardback Published on: 23/09/2025
Price: £25.00
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Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
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Bookseller Reviews

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Alchemised
warning : may cause emotional devastation
‘Kaine Ferron was a dragon, like his family before him. Possessive to the point of self-annihilation. Isolated and deadly, and now he held her in his arms ... READ MORE
Izzy from Newcastle
Alchemised
Stunning, heartbreaking amazing book
This was a book I have been anticipating for a long time and was so happy to finally be able to read it. Its not an easy read by any means but is real an... READ MORE
Eleanor at Redhill
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Alchemised
Beautifully written and completely devastating…
I have long been a fan of SenLinYu and followed the journey of Alchemised since its announcement, so this book was one of my most anticipated of this year ... READ MORE
Olivia at Newcastle
Alchemised
The romance is deliciously juicy and angsty IF you can stomach the terrible pacing
Do NOT underestimate the DARK of this dark romantasy. (Tw: torture, rape, death, abuse, gore) My review of this book is pretty mixed, but overall I enjo... READ MORE
Marina
Alchemised
Speechless
I honestly don't know what to say right now! May need some time to sit and really think about what I just read over the course of a week! Not a very helpfu... READ MORE
Isobel at Worthing
Alchemised
Infinite stars because this is the most incredible, devastating, beautiful book I’ve ever had the privilege of reading. This story will forever live in my soul.
As a longtime fan of SenLinYu’s writing, I was counting down the days to read Alchemised. This is an extremely dark story that depicts the devastating effe... READ MORE
Chloé at Hitchin
Alchemised
Epic Dark Fantasy!
I genuinely didn’t know what to expect going into Alchemised - I had never read any of SenLinYu’s online writing and the little I did know about the plot h... READ MORE
Louise at Waterstones Gateshead
Alchemised
A Masterpiece of Emotion, Magic, and Growth
Alchemised by SenLinYu is one of those rare stories that doesn’t just stay with you — it transforms you. From the very first chapter, I was captivated by t... READ MORE
Sophie from Waterstones Swindon
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Alchemised
Perfect - please read this!
Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book, I may have screamed when I opened the package... This was one of my most anticipa... READ MORE
Charley at Ashford
Alchemised
Incredibly written and heartbreaking
The war is over, the Eternal Flame has fallen, and Necromancers rule. Helena Marino, a healer, is captured and imprisoned. Her memories up to this point ha... READ MORE
 Roberta at Altrincham
Alchemised
Dark, dangerous and emotionally damaging
This review is going to be short one because there is so much to process from this book and I want to keep this as spoiler free as possible. This is a dar... READ MORE
Liliana at Staines
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.Verified Purchase
Alchemised
A harrowing, bleak slice of Dark Fantasy!
(4.5 stars, rounded up.) For clarity, and for anyone who doesn't want to read the rest of this review - this is Adult Dark Fantasy. Capital 'D' Dark. It... READ MORE
Meg at Head Office
Alchemised
Singly beautiful and unflinchingly horrific - the finest debut I've ever read...
What a novel to review. It's hard to try and justify or counter the level of hype that Alchemised has received, but I will do my best. To forewarn you, thi... READ MORE
Amy - Lincoln High Street
Alchemised
Dark and beautiful
I am not a fan of romantasy over all but this, this is something different. Beautiful books but in the same time brutal. Check out the trigger warnings bef... READ MORE
Malwina Dul
Alchemised
Heartbreaking and beautifully written
Alchemised follows the story of Helena, a healer who went missing during the recent war but has turned up with several months of her memories missing. She ... READ MORE
Jess
Alchemised
Dark fantasy at it's best
Once of the best dark fantasy books I've read. The content makes it uncomfortable reading at times but every word feels vital. Utterly brilliant!
Rebecca Clarke
Alchemised
Alchemised - SenLinYu
Alchemised has been one of my most anticipated books of the year! I have been aware of SenLinYu since before the announcement of the traditional publishing... READ MORE
Elley at Llandudno
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Alchemised
Mind-blowing
I have not finished this book, and I doubt I will. Not because it is badly written, or for any other reason than the simple fact it is too dark of a novel ... READ MORE
Chloe at Waterstones Sunderland
Alchemised
Wonderful World building
I don't often read this genre, fantasy or romance. So it took me a while to process and appreciate this book, but as I continued I grew to really understan... READ MORE
Shannon P
Alchemised
Fantasy Book of the Year...
This book has officially become one of my favourite fantasy books that I've had the pleasure of reading this year. Beautiful, profound and horrific at ti... READ MORE
Beth at Hitchin
Alchemised
So much more than a dark fantasy
I went in to Alchemised unsure of what to expect. It’s a big book, separated into three parts and contains many brutal scenes but each serve a purpose ... READ MORE
Lavinia, Waterstones
Alchemised
“And Ferron… don’t die” - just one of the lines that will haunt me.
*please pay attention to the trigger warnings of this book before you purchase and read it.* There are truly not enough words in my vocabulary to descri... READ MORE
Shivani at Leicester Highcross
Alchemised
Heart wrenching and detailed
Overall I would definitely recommend this book if you want something heart wrenching and with lots of detail towards the world and character, but be prepar... READ MORE
Avery
Alchemised
Good but wow is it slow!
You'll see reviews describing this as the best thing since sliced bread and while I see where they're coming from in a fantasy market oversaturated with sh... READ MORE
Alina
Alchemised
Fantastic
I really loved this novel. There does need to be a content warning about just how dark this book is - but it is very, very good and I was absolutely sw... READ MORE
Helen at Scarborough
Alchemised
I'll never be the same. Helena and Kaine have my heart ❤️
Where do I start? The first thing I will say is that this book has changed me and if I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. Helena and Kaine, you hav... READ MORE
Kirsty Tonge at Waterstones Trafford Centre
Alchemised
Gripping, heartbreaking and impactful!
Having just put down this book and reflecting upon it, all I can think of is Woah! This book absolutely captivated my attention during the duration of read... READ MORE
Anna-Maria
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Alchemised
Completely surpassed my expectations!
Very rarely do I love a long book so much, that I don’t even check the pages as they pass, and feel so much sadness that it’s getting closer to ending. I c... READ MORE
Beth - Rushden Lakes
Alchemised
The most devastating and excellent read.
This book delivered 1000 pages of excellence. No filler, just a harrowing and gripping tale. This book shines on its own, separate from Manacled. While it... READ MORE
Chloe at Waterstones Durham
Alchemised
I feel the need to curl up in a ball and stare at the wall for 24 hours.
Alchemised was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025—and it did not disappoint! If I could give this book infinite stars, I absolutely would. It’s... READ MORE
Kamile
Alchemised
Great, now I'm crying.
Firstly, thank you so much to Penguin for sending me an early copy of this, it was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I am completely new to the... READ MORE
Emily White
Alchemised
An incredible dark fantasy novel
I didn't know what to expect going into Alchemised but I was absolutely gripped from the first chapter. It's got great world building and it's beautifully... READ MORE
Jess at Swindon
Alchemised
A painfully but beautifully realistic story about war and how no one ever really wins.
♾️⭐️ This book ripped my heart out stomped on it and had me sobbing but I wouldn’t change it for the world. A new Roman Empire book I’ll think about it ... READ MORE
Charissa Knight
Alchemised
A Dark Fantasy That Devoured Me Whole
This book completely consumed me. I fell into it so fast it felt like the world around me just dropped away. The atmosphere is unbelievably rich—dark, clau... READ MORE
Keeley Stephenson
Alchemised
Devastatingly beautiful
Firstly I want to thank Rih at Penguin for kindly sending me one of the very coveted proofs of this book, I will treasure it forever! I went into Alchemis... READ MORE
Amy at Telford
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.

Synopsis

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.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780241714331
  • Number of pages: 1040
  • Dimensions: 244 x 166 x 66 mm
  • Weight: 1298g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Alchemised
Triggering
Not worth it, don’t spend the time and money, very inappropriate, absolutely barbaric
Bethany Thomas
Alchemised
Appallingly bad.
The only book i have ever DNF’d. I managed 59% and couldn’t take it anymore. There is no plot and there are no characters. Just a few named entities that o... READ MORE
Combat_Karen
Alchemised
Unpopular opinion time
unpopular opinion time... The world building in alchemised is incredible the magic system amazing but if ever there was ever a book that was overly mark... READ MORE
Jrstano
Alchemised
Devastating, heartbreaking, beautiful.
♾️⭐️ “You make me feel like the parts of me that aren’t useful still deserve to exist. Like I’m not just all the things I can do.” Alchemised is un... READ MORE
Petalsandpagesx
Alchemised
One of my Books of the Year
This book was a journey. Not least because it’s almost 1000 pages long. Despite all the hype on social media in the last couple of months, I’d never heard ... READ MORE
Cat Treadwell
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Alchemised
5 Stars! ⭐️
This book is everything! It will forever have a special place in my heart. This story will make you feel every emotion, it is both breathtaking and heartbr... READ MORE
Bee. M
Alchemised
REVIEW OF ALCHEMISED by Sen Lin Yu
When I saw this advertised I asked my husband to buy it as a birthday gift. The outer part of the book is visually stunning, however the content was bitte... READ MORE
Elizabeth Stowell
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.Verified Purchase
Alchemised
I’ve read better
Meh. Don’t understand the hype. Much better books out there. I feel like this may be one of the only stories where the movie will be better than the book d... READ MORE
Kelly Kinyon
Verified Purchase
Alchemised
Good book
Not started reading yet but looking forward to reading this book I’ve got a few books to read first
Dee Horne
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.Verified Purchase
Alchemised
Beautifully written dark fantasy
First off thank you publishers for giving me an advanced copy. I cannot thank you enough. Secondly, I had no idea what to expect but this book blew me a... READ MORE
Dami
Alchemised
This book has my heart
I wasn't sure what to expect as this is the first dark fantasy book I've read but I'm absolutely obsessed with it, the worlds, characters and storyline had... READ MORE
Justine King
Alchemised
EMPTY PACKAGE
I ordered this book on September 24th. The box arrived two days ago but it was EMPTY and one side was completely open, previously held together by a slim p... READ MORE
Lib
Alchemised
Brilliant fantasy novel
Not knowing anything or ever even heard of Manaculed or the author, I went into Alchemised blind. All I knew was something about a Harry Potter reimagining... READ MORE
Emma Ashley
Alchemised
It's a DARK fantasy with romance
"
BartonBishop
Alchemised
Deeply dark and haunting
I highly anticipated Alchemised even before I read the original called Manacled. Once I read the fan fiction I was even more keen to read what SenLinYu cal... READ MORE
Bookish Girl The One
Alchemised
Incredible
The size of this book did scare me initially but I LOVED it. I finished it in about a week a couldn't put it down. I loved the storytelling, the characters... READ MORE
Sharnie
Alchemised
Favorite Edition
I love this edition of Alchemised. I own three editions in all and the Waterstones by far has the best edge design. I also love the size compared to smal... READ MORE
Stephanie Lee
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.Verified Purchase
Alchemised
Wow - not for Potter fans.
Wow… where to even start. The start of the book is horrifically dark. Disturbing. Traumatic. Miserable. Painful. Gut-wrenching to imagine a reality like... READ MORE
Nicola Robinson
Verified Purchase
Alchemised
incredible and heartbreaking
probably my favorite book of all time. I wish I would read this for the first time again!
kristie
Verified Purchase
Alchemised
Dark Fantasy Perfection
I have no notes. Utterly devastating and equally beautiful. Wouldn’t call this a romance - more a tragedy centring on the toll of war. Incredible debut.
Siobhan Kearney
Alchemised
Heart wrenching
This is the best book I’ve be read this year….. No words can describe this piece of art
Sheyda
Alchemised
Excellent
An excellent novel but this is about as far removed from the current dirth of romantasy nonsense flooding the market that you can get. This is a VERY adult... READ MORE
Stuart Briscoe
Alchemised
Powerful, Profound, and Heart-Wrenching
This book was incredible…dark, powerful, and so deeply emotional. What is so important though is how much this book has to say about our world today. It... READ MORE
Stephania Yiannouka
Alchemised
Extremely Good Adult Novel
I picked my copy up instore, it's well written adult book that is really good however I do feel like I've read it before but obviously I know I haven't. I ... READ MORE
Christine Walker
Alchemised
A dark fantasy, telling an unbelievably important story of war, how it changes people and the devastating consequences of being a women
♾️⭐️ Simply the best book I’ve ever read. Heartbreaking, devastating, beautiful, horrific, emotional, harrowing … the list is endless. Senlinyu is a ma... READ MORE
Abi
Alchemised
Strange in a good way
The book was a refreshing change from the standard fantasy type books. People giving this book one star clearly don’t understand the word fictional. Only c... READ MORE
Chris
Alchemised
This story will rip your heart up into tiny pieces and put them back together, it will be whole again but it wont be the same. I read the first iteration o... READ MORE
Bekah Alma
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Alchemised
Definitely not for the faint hearted lol
For something that originally started out as a fanfic, i found this to be a bit of a roller coaster read, it was kind of like a crash you don't want to wat... READ MORE
Anastasia
Alchemised
Dark, slow-burn, and emotionally charged
A dense, dark fantasy with stunning worldbuilding and morally grey characters. Alchemised is slow and sometimes overlong, but its emotional depth and haunt... READ MORE
Laura McToal
Alchemised
Escapism at its finest
Having grown up in a war myself, I was able to relate a lot to this book. The moral of the story is no one comes out a winner in the end and this cannot be... READ MORE
Petra Jahchan
Alchemised
So good I’m now listening to this!
This stands as an absolute favourite that I would read all 1000 pages again. I had so many conflicting emotions along this journey with Helena and Kaine b... READ MORE
Shama Khan
Alchemised
I'm addicted
I've never bought a new release but after all is heard /read I couldn't resist I'm not disappointed. I've not finished yet but just want to say thank you a... READ MORE
joanne  moles
Alchemised
Brutally Beautiful or Beautifully Brutal
Alchemised is the rare book that doesn’t just grip you—it excavates you. It reaches straight past the ribcage, curls its fingers around your heart, and squ... READ MORE
Vicki James
Alchemised
Phenomenal
My god, this is a devastatingly beautiful piece of work. My heart has been torn to shreds and is all I can think about right now. On par with Feathers so ... READ MORE
Hikapikabook
Alchemised
Couldn’t put it down
Was recommended this by a colleague. Dark fantasy absolutely loved it
Claire  Gardner
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.Verified Purchase
Alchemised
The best Dark Romance of the year
TThis book was INTENSE! This is nowhere near Romantasy, it is a dark romance, epic fantasy. Going into this I knew it was a Dramione fanfic, but if I hadn’... READ MORE
taras.tome
Alchemised
Arguably the best book my wife has read in a long, long time
This is a 3rd party review and I am getting no extra chips with my dinner for writing this. My wife is the reader and she is avaricious - one a week, so... READ MORE
David Lawrence
Alchemised
Heartbreakingly beautiful
Alchemised - 5 stars My first dark romance. This book was first released as Harry Porter fan fiction called Manacled and then was traditionally publishe... READ MORE
Jasmine Jones
Alchemised
Confused for 200 Pages… Then Completely Obsessed
This was one of those books that slowly wraps itself around your brain until you suddenly realise you are thinking about it while making tea, travelling to... READ MORE
Kim Lyons
Alchemised
EMPTY BOX!
I was so excited to receive this book, but the box arrived completely empty! Waiting to hear back from customer service.
Lib
Alchemised
Brilliant Book
The story is heartbreaking and will linger for a long time. The writing is incredible.
Clara Rettinger
Alchemised
Senlinyu is a genius
This is a top tier book. My Roman empire.
Irine Butial
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Alchemised
Beautiful book, poor shipping
I love ‘Alchemised’ and consider it a 5 star read. I own the book already in the standard hardcover copy. I bought the pre-sale of the waterstones excl... READ MORE
Lexi Pereira
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Alchemised
Masterpiece!
The best book I have ever read. SenLinYu is an absolutely brilliant woman!
Egle Talackaite
Verified Purchase
Alchemised
The best book of 2025
This fanfic genre is new to me but I absolutely loved the book. The war story is so beautifully written and very emotional and so perfectly entwined with t... READ MORE
Pop Daiana
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.Verified Purchase
Alchemised
Phenomenal!!
I can't even begin to say how good this book is
Lauren Everitt
Verified Purchase
Alchemised
Fave book of the year!
I would give it 6 stars if I could! Brilliant book.
Emreads
Verified Purchase
Alchemised
Tragic Story written amazingly
Tragic Story written amazingly. Loved this book even as it broke my heart.
Jods
Verified Purchase
Alchemised
Brilliant story but poorly made book
I really enjoyed the story and the world building was amazing. My only issue is with how poorly the book was manufactured. I had pages that weren't clue... READ MORE
Amy Eyres
Alchemised
i had such a love/hate relationship with this book
I feel this book needs reviewed in 3 parts, as the book is broken down into 3 parts Part 1 - 3/5 stars Part 2 - 5/5 stars Part 3 - 2.5/5 stars When... READ MORE
Smyles90
Verified Purchase
Alchemised
Chaos settles into meaning, at least for me
It took me three weeks. Three full weeks of standing in the mental doorway asking myself, Should I get it, or should I not? You know the feeling - a new re... READ MORE
Clemente Metaj
Alchemised
absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking
I love this book so much
kristie
Verified Purchase
Alchemised
Signed edition
Super disappointed that the signed edition is on the plain hardback and not the exclusive editition. Five stars for the novel itself.
Blu
Alchemised
Utterly devastating masterpiece, so worth it
What a masterpiece! Incredible world and beautiful, complex characters that go beyond what you could have imagined. The construction of the book is majesti... READ MORE
Fran L
Alchemised
Alchemised
The best book I have read this year, such beautiful writing and a gut wrenching story. 10/10
Niamh Cox
Verified Purchase