Queer fandom was “one of the first fault lines, I suppose you could say, of me beginning to question all the things that I had been taught,” says Sen, who came to realize that they were nonbinary through the material, which felt as eye-opening as it did illicit. “I was not supposed to be there,” Sen remembers with a laugh, “and every time my dad found out, he would block the website and I would have to go and find another one.”
― SenLinYu, Interview, Bustle
What booksellers are saying about Alchemised
- Forget what you think you know about this book. Set aside your assumptions. Alchemized is an unflinching look at the sins of war. It is 1000 pages of fighting a losing battle at the cost of your soul. It is about the corruption of power, about how war never has a “heroic” side. There are no good guys, no bad guys. There are people in power, and there are the ones they abuse, on all sides. It is about the invisible hurt of the ones we never think of as heroes. Not the soldiers on the frontlines, but the medics, the ones who watch death come every hour. It is about who writes history and what lies they lace it with. It is about the cost of hoping to be remembered or choosing to be forgotten, and it is a necessary book in the wartimes we live in. Alchemised is one of the greatest books of our era.
― Rachel Randolph, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee | BUY
- I was a skeptic, but this book won me over. The political worldbuilding, mythology, and magical systems were complex and layered, creating a compelling narrative that kept me turning the pages. This is more than just a dystopian love story, it is an exploration of the horrors and trauma that war inflicts on its people. A surprisingly nuanced story with much to discuss, even for the skeptical like me.
― Fisher Nash, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky | BUY
- Wow…Just wow. I feel like I could write a full essay as my review, and it still wouldn’t cover all of the fantastic details of this book. I read Manacled a few years back, and while I enjoyed it I didn’t feel the emotional turmoil as much as other readers. I figured I just read too much dark romance. But this, THIS is a novel that had me (literally) crying over and over again for Helena. Alchemised focuses so much more on the hardships of war and highlights the loneliness and despair that Helena faces. The exploitation and manipulation she receives from those who are supposed to support her is maddening. And she deserved so much more. What I really loved about this, compared to the fanfic, is that this book had so much more depth and plot to fill up the 1000 pages. It took me a while to understand the world-building, but there is so much creativity in this new magic system that I applaud SenLinYu for what she created
― Elizabeth Dowdy, Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, Louisiana | BUY
- A haunting and masterfully composed fantasy wartime opus. It’s hard to find the words to describe this story, but it will surely haunt me for many years to come. Someone mentioned to me that this isn’t a book you simply read, it’s an epic tale you must survive. That is the most apt description of this book I’ve seen so far. It’s horrific, heartbreaking and hopeful, but that doesn’t even begin to describe what you experience while reading it. This book is an experience, but not for the faint of heart or someone with a weak stomach. Prepare yourselves for an exploration in the realities of war and true human depravity while following along with our main characters and what they must do to survive while attempting to maintain some level of morality. This is a story about what black and white vs grey thinking truly means. I loved it, I hated it, I wanted to throw up and I wanted to cry. This book engrossed me from the very first page and still hasn’t let go even upon finishing it.
― Brianne Wik, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina | BUY
About SenLinYu
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 over twenty million individual downloads and have been translated into twenty-three languages. They live in Portland with their family. Alchemised is their first novel.
