Alchemised - SenLinYu (#Review)

Date of Reading: 28/12/2025

Author: SenLinYu

Publisher: Del Ray

Publication Date: September 23, 2025

Rating: 5/5

About the book:

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.

Review:

        I must be losing my touch. That could be the only explanation for how my reading radar failed to detect such a phenomenal work earlier. Though a little late to the party, I ended last year with a bang, all thanks to this remarkable debut, which rightfully won the Goodreads Choice Award. 

        SenLinYu started this story as a Harry Potter fanfic, Dramione, to be precise, but as its popularity soared, 'Alchemised' evolved into a powerful narrative in its own right, complete with its own unique magical system and intricately imagined world. Hermione and Draco may have become Helena and Kaine here, yet I must confess that, in my mind, they have always remained as HP characters even within this new universe. And before you ask, it is a romantasy, a dark one, but with a very satisfying happy ending.

        A substantial portion of the narration unfolds through flashbacks to the war between Paladia and the Necromancers, which is accompanied by the present timeline, in which Helena, as a captive, deals with the ramifications of defeat. Her memory has been altered and the High Necromancer, Morrough intrigued by the secrets that she could be hiding, sends her to the High Reeve. The High Reeve turns out to be her former rival, Kaine Ferron who subjects her to repeated sessions of  Transference, to crack the barriers sealing her mind.

        What I particularly admire is the way SenLinYu interweaves the themes of immigration and otherness into the narrative framework. Helena, though a genius, is often criticised for her unorthodox methods due to her immigrant status. She is overworked and overlooked, and her affinity for vivimancy is treated as a curse that needs to be restrained. It makes one wonder why she is doing the utmost for the Order of the Eternal Flame, an institution that fails to appreciate her efforts.

        The novel offers one of the finest executions of the enemy-to-lovers trope.  Helena is defiant and unyielding, while Kaine is ruthless in his methods to achieve whatever he wants. Their relationship grows steadily as both find themselves correcting their initial impressions of each other. Helena's loyalty and Kaine's obsession make them a formidable pair. 

        'Alchemised' transported me back to my Harry Potter reading days -- the late nights, the breathless page turning and the constant wait for the next book, wondering what might happen next. It is one of those books that stays with you for a lifetime. I am truly delighted to see a retelling that carved its own identity, becoming an inspiration to all the fanfic writers out there.

Meet 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 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.

The Women - Kristin Hannah (#Review)

Date of Reading: 22/09/2025

Author: Kristin Hannah

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Publication Date: February 6, 2024

Rating: 5/5

About the book:

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

Review:

        My mind is still reeling from the weight of what I have read. Alright, I knew Kristin Hannah is popular. . . but this? None of the reviews prepared me for all these twists and turns, heartbreaking pain and the strong bond of friendship that feels too unreal. It took some time to get into the story, but after that ten percent mark, there was no turning back. I was bedridden with back pain, and this book was all the solace I needed.

        It all begins with a Gone with the Wind style moment. There is the party at the McGrath family celebrating the only son's military initiation; the daughter hiding inside the library looking at the hero's wall devoid of women, and then comes the supposedly playboy character who delivers the punch dialogue that changes the course of the life of a determined young girl: "Women can be heroes". A part of me wished this would develop into another Scarlett - Rhett romance, but sadly, that is not the case here.  So dear readers, be ready to be surprised. Keep the tissues close -- this is going to be a roller coaster.

               A nurse by profession, Frances signs up for Vietnam War and her one tour turns into two. But Vietnam is not like any other wars. Frances comes back to protesters who condemn the sacrifice and service she made, instead of the heroic welcome she expected. War changes men and women in irreversible ways and Kristin Hannah has perfectly captured the journey of this young woman who moves from the death of her old self to embracing a new one.

        I picked up this book after visiting Vietnam, craving something connected to the place I had just left. Well, this doesn't give you a pretty picture, but it definitely is one of the best books I came across this year.

Meet the author:

Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels including the international blockbuster, The Nightingale, which was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People's Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week.

A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.

The Teacher - Freida McFadden (#Review)

Date of Reading: 2/3/2025

Author: Freida McFadden

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Publication Date: February 6, 2024

Rating: 3.5/5

About the book:

Lesson #1: trust no one

Eve has a good life. She gets up each day, gets a kiss from her husband Nate, and heads off to teach math at the local high school. All is as it should be. Except…

Last year, Caseham High was rocked by a scandal involving a student-teacher affair, with one student, Addie, at its center. But Eve knows there is far more to these ugly rumors than meets the eye.

Addie can't be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives. At least, that's what everyone says.

But nobody knows the real Addie. Nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her. And Addie will do anything to keep it quiet.

From the New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes a story of twisting secrets and long-awaited revenge.

Review:

        Freida McFadden comes up a lot on my feed lately and that is the primary reason why this review is being written. So why choose 'The Teacher' instead of her most acclaimed work 'The Housemaid'? That's a no-brainer. Being a teacher how could I resist a book with a title like that?

        The story is narrated through the eyes of Addie and Eve, two characters who are in no way similar. Or so it seems at first. Eve is a Maths teacher and known to be quite a disciplinarian at Caseham High. Her husband Nate, on the other hand, is charming and friendly and teaches English at the same school. Addie, a student who takes both their classes, is the figure of controversy in the narrative. Last year her Mathematics teacher was forced to resign because of the alleged secret affair between these two. Now others are wary of her and even her best friend Hudson seems to have deserted her.

        The cover blurb paints Addie as the bad gal but as the novel progresses we slowly start to realise that neither of these two narrators can be trusted. The fact that they are unlikable doesn't really help the case. Eve's supposed to be happy marriage is in shambles. Her husband's love is expressed with routine-like precision -- they have sex once per month on one Saturday. Even the kisses are counted and measured. So Eve gets her desires fulfilled through her affair with a shoe salesman. 

        Addie ruined the life of her former teacher because she was not brave enough to stand up for him. I was expecting to find some redeemable quality in her, but her indecisive and insecure nature just opens a way for everyone to use her, eventually causing irreparable damage to others also. 

        Better I stop my rant here lest I spill the entire story. The novel is totally addictive, no doubt, with lots of twists and turns (even if some are a bit far-fetched). The ending was not entirely to my liking but I don't regret having my first taste of McFadden. I will have to pick one of the popular ones next time.

Meet the author:

#1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practising physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humour novels. She lives with her family and possessed cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody can hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.

A Song to Drown Rivers - Ann Liang (#Review)

Date of Reading: 6/10/2024

Author: Ann Liang

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Publication Date: October 3, 2024

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 2.5/5

About the book:

Her beauty hides a deadly purpose.

Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within.

Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.

Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds.

Review:

        Guess I am going to be the minority here, but I just couldn't bring myself to give this book a higher rating. My disappointment can be attributed in part to the high expectations I held when I requested an eARC from NetGalley. And what did I get? An embellished replica of the Wikipedia page.

        Since the novel is based on the legend of Xishi, one of the four renowned beauties of ancient China, I did some background research to get a better idea. As someone who brought down the kingdom of Wu through her sexpionage operation, her story intrigued me. So could you fault me for expecting a story full of court politics, palace intrigue and unexpected twists? Unfortunately, this novel delivered none. 

         The characters, particularly Xishi and Fanli, are bland and failed to capture my interest. Unsurprisingly their doomed fate didn't create any ripples in my heart. The character that stood out the most and displayed some semblance of growth was the villain, Fuchai. Even Xishi herself comes to realize that not all individuals from Wu are inherently evil. Beyond this, I struggle to find any noteworthy aspects to comment on. The overall reading experience felt like flipping through a history book with some random dialogues thrown in, featuring characters that just didn't resonate with me.

Meet the author:

Ann Liang is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the critically acclaimed YA novels This Time It’s Real, If You Could See the Sun, and I Hope This Doesn't Find You. Her books have sold into over twenty foreign territories. Born in Beijing, she grew up travelling back and forth between China and Australia but somehow ended up with an American accent. She now lives in Melbourne, where she can be found making overambitious to-do lists and having profound conversations with her pet labradoodle about who’s a good dog.

The Brightest Star - Gail Tsukiyama (#Review & #Blogtour)

Date of Reading: 13/-8/2024

Author: Gail Tsukiyama

Publisher: HarperVia

Publication Date: August 1, 2024

Rating: 5/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours)

About the book:

Beloved bestselling author Gail Tsukiyama returns with a rich historical novel based on the life of the luminous, groundbreaking actress Anna May Wong—the first and only Asian American woman to gain movie stardom in the early days of Hollywood. 

At the dawn of a new century, America is falling in love with silent movies, including young Wong Liu

Tsong. The daughter of poor Chinese immigrants, Wong Liu goes to the local nickelodeons to escape the schoolmates who bully her for her Chinese heritage. By sixteen, Wong Liu had already chosen a stage name, Anna May, and left high school to pursue her Hollywood dreams, defying her disapproving father and her traditional Chinese upbringing—a choice that would have emotional and physical consequences. 

Anna May gets her big break—and her first taste of Hollywood fame—starring opposite Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Bagdad. Yet her beauty and talent aren’t enough to overcome the racism that relegates her to supporting roles as a helpless, exotic butterfly or a vicious, murderous dragon lady, while Caucasian actresses in “yellowface” are given starring roles portraying Asian women. Though she suffers professionally and personally, Anna May fights to become a star, financially support her family, and keep her illicit love affairs hidden—even as she finds freedom and glittering success abroad, and receives glowing reviews across the globe.

Review:

       Anna May Wong is not a familiar figure for a non-American like me. Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the blurb to know more about the first Chinese American actress in Hollywood. What Tsukiyama covers here is not just biographical fiction, but the history of Hollywood through the eyes of a woman who refused to be constrained by the limitations of this industry.

        Born as the daughter of a laundry man, Liu Tsong developed a passion for movies at a young age. Her Chinese heritage, which caused a lot of bullying at school, haunted her film career too through the regulations of the Hayes Code and anti-miscegenation laws that criminalised interracial marriages even being depicted on a film screen. The story alternates between 1960 and the successive stages of her career which she has noted down and reflects on a long train journey. 

         As with all the life stories, we learn a lot from Anna's. Life was never a bed of roses for her and most of the time she was forced to play the villain irrespective of her wishes and talent. Still, she continued her fight to be acknowledged. When Hollywood refused to give her any leading roles, she found fame and recognition in Europe just like many Afro-American actors who suffered a similar fate in Hollywood. Anna lived long enough to see her name included in Hollywood's Walk of Fame, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to inspire countless individuals.

Meet the author:

Gail Tsukiyama was born in San Francisco, California, to a Chinese mother from Hong Kong and a Japanese father from Hawaii. She attended San Francisco State University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Master of Arts Degree in English. She is the bestselling author of several novels, including Women of the Silk and The Samurai’s Garden, as well as the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award. She divides her time between El Cerrito and Napa Valley, California.

The Devotion of Suspect X - Keigo Higashino (#Review & #Summary)

Date of Reading: 6/5/2024

Author: Keigo Higashino

Translators: Alexander O. Smith & Elye J. Alexander

Publisher: Abacus

Publication Date: August 29, 2005

Rating: 4/5

About the book:

Yasuko lives a quiet life, working in a Tokyo bento shop, a good mother to her only child. But when her ex-husband appears at her door without warning one day, her comfortable world is shattered.

When Detective Kusanagi of the Tokyo Police tries to piece together the events of that day, he finds himself confronted by the most puzzling, mysterious circumstances he has ever investigated. Nothing quite makes sense, and it will take a genius to understand the genius behind this particular crime...

Review:

        This book has been on my TBR for quite some time, so I can't recall who originally recommended it to me. Whoever that may be, I am grateful for the suggestion. Just after reading a few pages, the story had me enraptured and the tension only continued to build as I delved further. 

      This is not your typical detective story; in all honesty, it may be more accurately described as a crime thriller.  If you are familiar with 'Drishyam', one of the most popular Malayalam thriller movies, you can almost anticipate where the story is headed. Since the book was written way before the film, we could see where the movie drew its inspiration from. 

        It is always a challenge to write a review on a crime thriller without spilling any of the key plot points. Safe to say, the identity of the killer is disclosed to us from the beginning. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game where I didn't really side with the police. I must confess, I did have a peek at the ending to avoid any disappointment. Unfortunately, my worst fears came true. I didn't like that ending and hence four stars. But considering the way the story has progressed, I guess that would have been the only conclusion ethically possible.

        Still, contemporary readers must have shared my sentiments as is evident from the conclusion of the Hindi movie adaptation 'Jaane Jaan'. 'Drishyam' too seems to concur with this idea, even though it follows a totally different storyline.

       I nearly forgot to mention the romantic element. Ishigami is the embodiment of selfless love, if there is one. I don't know whom the author intended as the hero here, but it is hard to win against such a dedicated character. Suffice it to say, this story is going to stay with me for a long long time.

Summary:

      Tetsuya Ishigami is a mathematics teacher with keen observation skills. The story begins with his daily routine which also includes his visit to a small shop selling boxed lunches. Despite harboring feelings for the woman who works there, Yasuko Hanaoka, he lacks the confidence to confess his love. Unbeknownst to Yasuko, Ishigami's admiration for her runs deep.

       Yasuko's seemingly tranquil life is disrupted by the sudden reappearance of her abusive ex-husband Shinji Togashi. He tries to extort money from her and when the situation escalates to domestic violence, Yasuko and her daughter Misato kill him in self-defense. Ishigami, who lives in the nearby apartment hears the commotion and helps both of them to dispose of the body. He gives them specific instructions to follow to cover up the crime.

Source: https://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/users/amit/books/higashino-2011-devotion-of-suspect.html

       Detective Kusanagi is assigned to this case. Though he cannot find any obvious flaws with Yasuko's alibi, his intuition tells him that there is more to the case than meets the eye. He seeks the help of his friend, Dr. Manabu Yukawa, a physicist, to solve this mystery. Yukawa is familiar with Ishinagi since they went to the same college. He has always admired Ishigami's intelligence and wonders how he ended up as a school teacher. As they reunite Yukawa is finally convinced that Ishigami has something to do with the murder. Ishigami's secret love doesn't escape his discerning eye.

      As Yukawa unravels Ishigami's intricate plan to deceive the police, Ishigami realises he has met his match. To protect Yasuko, he takes the blame for killing Togashi and surrenders to the police. Ishigami had attempted to commit suicide once, but it was interrupted when Yasuko came to introduce herself as his new neighbour. Since then he has always felt indebted to her and he feels that his selfless act will ensure a secure life for Yasuko.

       Yukawa, however, refuses to accept this outcome. He realises that Ishigami had killed an innocent homeless man and staged the crime scene to make it look like Togashi. This way Yasuko and Misato can provide a perfect alibi as this second murder occurred one day after Togashi's death. Yukawa reveals the truth to Yasuko. Unable to bear the guilt, she and her daughter confess their crime and decide to share the punishment with Ishigami.

Meet the author:

Keigo Higashino (東野 圭吾) is one of the most popular and biggest-selling fiction authors in Japan—as well-known as James Patterson, Dean Koontz or Tom Clancy in the USA.

Born in Osaka, he started writing novels while still working as an engineer at Nippon Denso Co.　(presently DENSO). He won the Edogawa Rampo Prize, which is awarded annually to the finest mystery work, in 1985 for the novel Hōkago (After School) at age 27. Subsequently, he quit his job and started a career as a writer in Tokyo.

In 1999, he won the Mystery Writers of Japan Inc award for the novel Himitsu (The Secret), which was translated into English by Kerim Yasar and published by Vertical under the title Naoko in 2004. In 2006, he won the 134th Naoki Prize for Yōgisha X no Kenshin. His novels had been nominated five times before winning with this novel.

The Devotion of Suspect X was the second highest-selling book in all of Japan— fiction or nonfiction—the year it was published, with over 800,000 copies sold. It won the prestigious Naoki Prize for Best Novel— the Japanese equivalent of the National Book Award and the Man Booker Prize. Made into a motion picture in Japan, The Devotion of Suspect X spent 4 weeks at the top of the box office and was the third highest‐grossing film of the year.