*Actual rating is 3.75 stars*

The Blood Orchid is the second book in The Scarlet Alchemist duology. It continues Zilan’s story from where the first book left off, and focuses heavily on the journey to find the mythical Penglai Island. While I love a book that takes the reader on a journey across its fantasy world, there have to be events along the way that make things interesting. Unfortunately here the journey made the story feel a bit directionless at times.

Furthermore, since most of the book takes place on the road, in comparison to the royal court, there’s much more focus on the characters. Which isn’t a bad thing in itself. Zilan got even more time to shine here, but her brother Wenshu was just annoying for the first half of the book. Not to mention the lovely relationship between Zilan and Hong that seemed almost forgotten, since he hardly got any place in the story. While I understand the author's decision for the story to be that way, it just felt a bit empty.

While I didn’t love this book, I enjoyed it for the most part and it was a satisfying end to the duology.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗢𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗱 • 𝗞𝘆𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿
★★★★.𝟱

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁
- Historical fantasy
- Inspired by the Tang dynasty
- Ability to raise the dead
- Political court intrigue

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
I didn’t expect to cry reading this duology, but cry I did. Blood Orchid was beautiful. This entire duology has demonstrated masterful storytelling and characters that I could really sink my teeth into.

Whilst there weren’t as many twists in this book compared to the first, the world building is just as detailed and engrossing. This series has become a firm favourite of mine and I’m looking forward to see what KLB comes up with next.

𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀
“𝘈𝘮 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘠𝘶𝘧𝘦𝘪, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦? 𝘕𝘰, 𝘡𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘴, 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯-𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳-𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴.”

“𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳, 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦.”

What a brilliant sequel to the scarlet alchemist!

I loved how Durian was such an important part of the storyline, I loved that the FMC wasn’t always confident in her decisions but had help along the way.

The ending was so we written and everything my heart hoped would happen.

Brilliant duology and one I will highly recommend.

I enjoyed this book and ending is nice.

I really appreciated historical notes and explanations. They always help me learn and it makes historical books even more enjoyable.

--------- SPOILERS -----------

I do wish it was less bloody and that less people died. There was no need for so many to really die. And part of me would have liked to read this book without danger of Empress. I think it would have still been a fine and interesting book, with a lot of small dangers, even if she was not back from the dead in ways that feel overblown for what we know of alchemy by them.

--------- END OF SPOILERS -----------

a 5 solid shining stars!!!

this book was a trip from the beginning to the end but I would be lying if I tell you that I did not have a blast finishing it in two days. what a brilliant conclusion to one of my fav reads of 2023. I literally could NOT put it down to the point of thinking about it while I was in the shower. I laughed, I cried real tears, and I also feared for everyone's lives multiple times.

The Blood Orchid follows up the bloodthirsty beast that was The Scarlet Alchemist and not only matches its excellence, it elevates it.

This has not been a duology that holds back. Blood runs through each page and under the nails of our protagonist, Zilan. For her, alchemy has always meant sacrifice and made the boundaries of life and death liminal. She has been driven by revenge and wanting to protect her family at any cost. That pursuit of power comes from a long-held survival instinct that morphs into a thirst for validation in a world that wishes to destroy her. In this duology, her character arc is astounding and I love how it develops over the course of the two books without compromising that calculated, scheming nature we met in the first few pages. There is no shortage of death and destruction here either, as we deal with the ramifications of that incredible final act from the first book. I adored the deeper world-building we explore here and the way we tap more into the history of alchemy and how it has shaped the political power structures of this country. It is a legacy of suffering and pain that runs deep in this world.

Lee Baker does not shy away from tackling the consequences of these actions on the wider population. They are often used as pawns in these mystical, mind-bending games of magic and abilities beyond our comprehension. Zilan is keenly aware of the blood seeping through her pores and the devastation she has wrought from her decisions. Those ideas of choice and sacrifice are tantamount to this book, particularly in the weighing up of an individual against a mass collective. We examine in-depth the corrosive influence of power, continuing the thread from the first book, as alchemy moves in different spheres. The action scenes are exciting and well paced, with cinematic flair.

The Blood Orchid sharpens its claws and prepares to draw blood in this electrifying ending to an intense and intriguing duology.

A great continuation on from the scarlet alchemist, it starts from where we left off. The first couple of chapters I felt were a little slow however from then on, it had me gripped. Each chapter had moments of calm but then would burst into action making you read on avidly.
The exploration of Zilan’s relationships with other characters is progressive and emotional turning her people into a found family.
Whilst most fantasy follows a formula and this is no different, I don’t see it as a bad. The quest made sense in this world and I loved the introduction of the new alchemists. The magic system was explored more and explained well to the reader.
The ending satisfied me, I thought it was going to end one way but I’m glad it didn’t.
As the author states that she was inspired by full metal alchemist, the story is very similar to that but different in enough ways to make it her own story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read this eARC.

The Scarlet Alchemist was among my favourite books from last year, and Kylie Lee Baker has truly lived up to expectations with the highly anticipated sequel, the Blood Orchid. This book is fast-paced, adventurous and infused with humour, effectively lightening some of the darker, almost horror-themed elements of the narrative. I appreciate that minor characters from the first book return in this sequel, now taking on more significant roles. As the story drew to a close, I found myself shedding real tears of sorrow and heartache for Zilan, who is ready to give up everything for those she loves. A major highlight of this duology for me is the Empress, who, despite her death in the first book, continues to be a formidable villain. Kylie Lee Baker is definitely an auto-buy author for me going forward.

An enjoyable fantasy concept that generally was executed well. There were certain pacing lulls for me throughout this book, but overall I did enjoy it, with Durian the duck as the star of the story

I didn’t know what to expect after the ending of the first book, but The Blood Orchid gave the duology a very satisfying ending. I enjoyed reading this book and I loved how it dives more into alchemy and the world that the author has created. Also, the way Kylie Lee Baker developed the relationship between the three siblings is marvelous from book one, they felt so real and you can see the impact of them in each other's life. I definitely look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced e-copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Lately I've become a fan of dilogies, as they tend to have tighter storytelling and not the problem of a 'bridge' middle book like trilogies.
And this book just proved me right.

I adored book 1 so much with its alt!history approach and the whole aspect of alchemy and royalty. The Blood Orchid now deals with the aftermath of the mess that has culminated in the Scarlet Alchemist finale. Zilan is on a journey to a magical island, to save her loved ones and fight evil. Though what the evil is exactly will slowly unfold - good and evil have to exist in balance after all.

The middle part of the story has a slight problem of weird pacing, and the quest of going place to place and getting items gets a bit boring over time. But then there's old friends, malicious foes and weird allies that make things interesting.

The best part though is the ending that brings everything to a strong conclusion - and the message that magic might not be the most important thing in life.

4,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @hodderbooks for the eARC!

#TheBloodOrchid #Netgalley #Bookstagram

Overall, I did enjoy this sequel as much as the first book from this duology. It was well-written and the magic system is quite original and developed. The characters were not too annoying (except one that I did not like very much) and the relationship dynamics are well thought-out — especially the platonic ones and I liked that a lot. There was still a big part of the duology that was focused on a romance — especially in the first book but in the sequel as well — and I was not convinced by it. It was a bit too heavy sometimes. Also, the pace was a bit too slow at times for me, and I think the story would have been even more interesting with more points of view. The pace would have probably benefited from some added points of view. But I would still recommend this duology if you’re looking for a chinese inspired young adult duology with an appealing writing and a compelling magic system — and a romance that is not really a subplot.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I recently read the first part of this duology, The Scarlet Alchemist, and I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed it. So, upon receiving this ARC of The Blood Orchid, I was expecting to feel the same way. It's not that I didn't like this one, I just didn't love it as much as the first. A continuation of Zilan's journey, only this time, you follow her on her quest to find the mythical place of Penglai Island. I found the pacing a little slow in places. It takes a good chunk of the story to actually find the island. It is a satisfying end to this duology.

If you absolutely loved the first book, then you will love this too.

Thank you Hodder and Stoughton for my ARC.
My opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Since Zilan entered the world of royal alchemists, she has learned that alchemy comes at a price. She has lost loved ones in her search for broader justice against the evil Empress and all she wants now is to find some way to bring them back. Resurrection is her specialty, after all. In search of the myth of Penglai Island, where it’s rumored life can be fully restored, Zilan starts a new adventure. But when old threats come back to haunt her and the path to Penglai Island means facing down unpredictable, sometimes dangerous, alchemists, she wonders just how high of a price she may be willing to pay.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me at 23%. I’m not entirely sure what it was but I didn’t feel the slightest bit interested in this story despite being very excited to see where it was headed when I was accepted for the ARC. I felt bored by the story and if you get essentially a quarter of the way into a book and your feelings towards it haven’t changed? You know it just isn’t going to work. I feel terrible because I did enjoy the first book. I’m not sure what’s happened! When I gave up, I did skip to the end and whilst it was nice, it didn’t stir much emotion at all for me. This is such a big shame as I had high hopes.

Overall, The Blood Orchid is a disappointing sequel for me.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

I was lucky enough to get early access to the first book and again for the sequel.

I loved the first one and the second did not disappoint. Very happy Durian made another appearance and all the characters had their own development since the first one which I loved.

I adore the magic system and the fantastic plot. I couldn’t stop reading because I kept wanting to turn to a new page.

There is less romance in this book but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment.


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the E-ARC of this book

What a stunning conclusion to this incredible duology! The Blood Orchid was everything that I could have ever wanted in a sequel. And honestly?? I loved book 1, but I am absolutely obsessed with book 2. The story starts off with a bang, taking you straight back into Zilan’s adventures as she tries to find the mythical Penglai Island, the source of alchemy and a place where life can be restored to what it was. But this journey comes with its own challenges and dangers. With enemies at every corner and a kingdom in disarray, Zilan has a lot facing her. And she deals with it, by being determined and pushing through, no matter the setback. Her character arc and development over the course of two books was absolutely incredible; and the ending she gets is perfect.

I also really enjoyed learning more about alchemy in this book as the story progressed. The world building is just as captivating as it was in book 1. Even if you read book 1 a while ago, it is quite easy to grasp. In terms of the pacing, the action starts from chapter 1 and doesn’t slow down one bit, which I personally enjoyed a ton. I have always been a fan of Kylie Lee Baker’s writing and this book was no different; the writing was incredible, very gripping and very immersive.

The Blood Orchid offers a very satisfying conclusion to what has been a series full of adventure, magic, resurrection. With incredible characters, a world inspired by historical China, and an alchemical magic system reminiscent of Fullmetal Alchemist, this is a truly riveting duology.

After having read The Scarlet Alchemist, I could not wait to read The Blood Orchid. Devoured it in one setting. Loved the duology. Fan Zilan is a complex protagonist but you'll be rooting for her all the way. Beautifully detailed world of an alternate Tang dynasty.

Read this if you enjoy:
✨ #historicalfantasy
✨ Chinese History (Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian)
✨ #strongfemalecharacters
✨ Evil antagonists
✨ Action packed, adventure style plot: collect them all
✨ Minimal Romance
✨ Superb worldbuilding, unique magic system (alchemy)

📚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔:
In a duology, or in any series for that matter, the second book is always the hardest to write. There are so many variables to consider: how to maintain momentum to ensure readers continue to be interested in the story, ensuring consistency in characterization and plot, and providing a fruitful and satisfying resolution, among others.
#thescarletalchemist is one of my favorite reads of the year and, in my opinion, one of the best #historicalfantasy novels I have ever read. The interesting premise and Kylie Lee Baker’s masterful storytelling left a deep impression on me, and I was really excited to read the sequel. So when I received the ARC for The Blood Orchid, I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

And TBO did not disappoint at all. In fact, I think it surpassed all expectations and is, in my opinion, an even stronger piece compared to TSA. Kylie is a master at managing suspense and tension—I was kept at the edge of my seat, dying to find out what was going to happen next. You can expect excellent pacing in this sequel. Notably, while the first book follows a “tournament” plotline, TBO has more of an “adventure” or “collect-them-all” plot. It is action-packed right from the get-go, and you will find yourself struggling to catch your breath as there are no filler scenes or dialogues.

The worldbuilding remains EXCELLENT. I cannot believe how much more we got to learn about the history and the alchemical system and principles of this fantasy world. If the first book felt more like historical fiction, TBO is definitely more magical and fantastical. As with TSA, Kylie’s understanding of Chinese history and mythology shines through clearly in TBO. Importantly, the writing is so easy to follow and digest that I would highly recommend this series to a reader new to this genre. Also, LOVE DURIAN THE DUCK SO MUCH!!

We meet new characters while learning more about old ones. Two characters left a deep impression. First, Zheng Sili, the unlikely and unexpected ally. His character development is superb, and I am sure fans of TSA will be excited to read more about him. Secondly, Empress Wu Zhao is one of the best villains I’ve ever seen. Her ruthlessness scares me, and her rivalry with our FMC (Zilan) was exciting to witness. For those who were hoping for more romance between the Crown Prince and Zilan, there may be some disappointment, but I, for one, was not. For me, the romantic subplot was minimal even in the first book, and Hong himself was never a prominent character. I love it when romantic plotlines remain an undercurrent in fantasies, allowing the main plot to shine; if I wanted to read a romantasy, I would. In fact, I thought the dynamic and tension between the female protagonist and antagonist were more interesting to read about.

Overall, this is a really strong sequel, and it ties up the duology brilliantly. I can foresee some disappointment regarding the conclusion, but I loved it??? I thought it was a great blend of romance, fantasy, and hope. The final line is perhaps one of my favorites: “Maybe the key to eternal life was never gold, or youth, or an island free of pain and suffering, but just the dream of tomorrow that can never be extinguished, a hope that endures even when its leaves are wilted, purple petals unfurling without fail in the morning sun.”

Unfortunately there was barely any romance in this book.

Hong was pretty useless in the first book but he was cute and endearing, in this book he might as well have just stayed dead.

There was just no real consequences as people could be brought back to life so easily. It was all just too easy.

I still liked Zilan and the ending was sweet but the first book was better.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this arc.

Zilan, not okay with what’s happened and not being able to let go of the people she’s lost. Goes on a journey alongside her brother to Penglai island to bring back their souls to the living land. But finding the island and getting there, and the threat of an old enemy looming in the air makes achieving her goal a challenge, if not impossible.

Zilan was as resilient as ever. An unrelenting force, despite her constant struggle with self-doubt. Seeing the arc of her story come to the conclusion it did felt satisfying. The siblings bond was explored more in this installment. Kylie painted a very realistic relationship between the three siblings and the way they impact each other's lives and decisions.
The scarlet alchemist stays true to its name in the sequel, by diving into more alchemy, the magic and the history behind it. If anything the blood orchid is bloodier, messier, action filled and more chaotic than its predecessor. A journey filled with ups and downs, with excepted and unexpected danger at every turn.