#TheBloodOrchid is just as amazing as its predecessor #TheScarletAlchemist.
We find Scarlet as she is now known, on the hunt for Penglai as place said to be where Alchemy began and where immortality is within reach. She must find this place to return her brother to his own body and her sister to hers and hopefully bring her beloved back to her. There is so much that must be done and the search for the map to reach Penglai is a dangerous and treachorous one. Believing all the alchemist's are gone or have disappeared into hding she is shocked to find some of the original alchemists are very much alive and stronger than she ever could have imagined. Having her talent doesn't help her though because now alchemists are hunted for their knowledge of how to make life gold for the wealthy. All she wants to do is fix all the wrongs that she has caused, to fix the world and tether her loved ones souls where they belong. She is in for the fight of her life as The Empress isn't nearly as gone as Scarlet thought she was. Traveling the river plane is especially frightening when a woman such as she is after you.

#TheBloodOrchid by #KylieLeeBaker is an amazing book that truly teaches you about sacrifice and what lengths we will go too for our loved ones.
I would like to thank #Netgalley for the chance to read #TheBloodOrchid in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Not as good as the Scarlett alchemist (which was one of my faves from last year, so maybe my expectations are too high). I had a few pacing issues, but this is definitely an adventure book with something constantly happening. I think it wrapped up the story very nicely and I was satisfied to have read it.

Thank you Harper Collins for an arc!

After reading the first book in the duology I was very curious how the sequel would go because that ending was insane! Although this took me a bit to get into I thought that it was a decent conclusion.
I thought that the pacing was a bit slower. It took awhile for me to really get into the book. I wasn't a fan of her traveling companions and wish there was more from the prince. I missed seeing him around and maybe that's why I just didn't enjoy this one as much.

Perfect end to this duology, and just what I wanted when I finished The Scarlet Alchemist last year. If you loved the violence, the stakes, the fighting, and the similarities to Fullmetal Alchemist from the first book, you won’t be disappointed with how the sequel bookends the story. As I was reading, I was never sure how this book would end, or who would actually come out victorious in the end - and whether our main character Zilan would even survive to see it. This book starts off strong and had me hooked back into this story from the first page, and I couldn’t wait to find out how this story would end. (And if you know FMA very well, you might have been able to predict the ending - but that doesn’t make it predictable or simply a copy-and-paste from FMA).

Continuing with the lore and worldbuilding of the first book, we travel with Zilan and her brother as they work to find the mythical Penglai Island to restore the lives of her siblings, her love, as well as everyone who lost their lives believing in her. Heavily inspired by Fullmetal Alchemist, this story is still fresh and exciting and keeps you guessing until the end what the true ending will be. This is absolutely a duology I will be recommending everyone to read.

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and HarperCollins for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good!! A sequel is often tricky and you don’t know what you’re going to get. I had no idea where this story was going and in some ways it was so different from the first book. Overall, really really good

I absolutely love this world, and this book was just as fast paced as the first. I am probably in the minority who love less romance and more adventure in a novel, but I am glad this book was not heavy on the romance, even though I do love the characters. This was a great 2nd book in this series, and it absolutely exceeded my expectations. I loved the tournament arc, and I loved this book with the collect them all arc.

3.75 rounded up to 4
I loved the Scarlet Alchemist, this one took me a little longer to get into. Once I hit about 50% though I breezed through the remaining half.
I really really loved the conclusion of the Empress' story, but the way the two story lines ended separately felt kind of disconnected. The Alchemy/Penglai Island conclusion felt like it was an extended epilogue more than an actual conclusion of the entire story.

I loved it! Action packed, filled with witty banter, grisly tragedy balanced by the beauty of life. I loved the addition of the redemption arc and the found family vibes that come along with it, along with the return of durian the duck, eho you cant help but love. It was the perfect conclusion to the duology.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

I'm afraid I'll never read another duology as good as this one. The Scarlet Alchemist is one of my favorite books of all time, and its incredible to see that The Blood Orchid lived up to the writing of the first book. The world building was expanded by a lot, but it was never too much or overbearing. I loved the addition of Zheng Sili in the adventure to find Pengali Island, he had a ton of character development from the first book, but with the same banter and attitude. This was fast paced, but not in a way where you lose track of the story. This is officially the best duology I've ever read. (I mean, who doesn't like Durian?!) I think that the author's writing style improved a little with this book as well. Some of the scenes felt like I was watching a movie with how well written the descriptions of Zilan's experiences were.

Thank you for giving Hong and Zilan a happy ending.

Zero complaints, pure perfection.

The Blood Orchid picks up right where it left from the first book and was awesome!!! This was a really fun and tense duology to read!

Zilan, not okay with what’s transpired and not being able to let go of the people she’s lost. She 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!

What I loved about the book was the quest itself! Zilan’s duck Durian was funny and cute! I really enjoyed how Baker explored the theme of every choice has a positive and negative consequence. Overall the importance of family really shined in this! The story had a lot of twist and turns that will keep you zoned in! The romance side was a little lacking and I wish there was more of it! I also felt like the main characters were very selfish at times! It bummed me out that the plot got a little lost at certain points of the story, the characters would just drift..

Overall, it's definitely an excellent sequel. It wrapped up everything nicely and I was satisfied with the ending! You should definitely read the duology! Recommend it!

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Blood Orchid picks up right where it left off at the end of The Scarlet Alchemist and did not disappoint! I found this to be a satisfying end to the duology.

I really enjoyed how Baker explored the theme of every choice has a positive and negative consequence. This theme I felt was consistent throughout both books. I enjoyed the sweeping adventure that Baker takes the reader on and enjoyed expanding on the world that she established in book 1. I loved how the siblings dynamics were explored because it felt so real and could relate with all their little arguments. I especially loved the empress and her role throughout the story. My draw dropped at every reveal revolving around her character. She was literally always 100 steps ahead, which explains how she was able to keep her position for so long.

While I adored this book, there were a couple things that left me wanting more. I really wanted more of Hong and their romance! I was chasing the high of every one of their interactions. I also felt that the plot got a little lost within their adventure and that they were kind of pandering for a while. But these are minor complaints!

Highly recommend this duology to anyone who enjoys unique magic systems, endearing characters, and Asian inspired fantasy!

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a stunning sequel by Kylie. As we followed Zilan after her decision to choose her siblings over her love interest, it was interesting to see the consequences of losing one's loved one but still having the power to resurrect him and yet still being unable to do so. While this book wasn't romance heavy as Hong played merely a background character this time around, you can still feel Zilan's devotion to him.

Additionally, Zilan mostly travels with her brother and we get to see more of their dynamic, but unfortunately as their other sister is playing Empress, she is featured even less this time around.

I struggled keeping up a bit with the journey to find the mythical island because it's difficult for me to keep track of the real world vs the underworld, but it was spelled out quite plainly in the book so I would chalk it up to being an attention issue on my end. The character dynamics were fun, the journey was a difficult one, and Zilan still mostly managed to fulfill her tasks.

Kylie's writing and exploration of death is always a fun time and I'd be interested in seeing what she has in store next for us.

The Blood Orchid by Kylie Lee Backer

I am so honoured that I got to read this book early. Thank you so so much to NetGally and HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on this book before it hits shelfs on the 1st October! (22nd in the US)

Now on to my thoughts!
4.5 ⭐️
This book absolutely destroyed me! I was in tears by page 50 and I was constantly bursting into more tears just because of the writing, Kylie really knows how to wright a beautiful and heartbreaking story. It was fast paced it kept me engaged and constantly on the edge of my seat (I read most of this book over the course of an 10 hour long plane flight and needless to say: I did not sleep AT ALL)

This book was so well done and such a fabulous and well deserved ending to a Duology. All the different elements of the plot, characters and world development were balanced so well with the hysterical bits that it doesn’t make it to much. After all this is a fantasy.
I had such a fun time diving back into Zilan’s story and all the other aspects and characters of this world have just grown in depth and mysteries!

Despite all the little things that cropped up before book one left us hanging, by the end of book two all the things were expertly dealt with and nicely wrapped up by the last chapter.


So if you’re looking for a series that has:
A Grumpy x Sunshine romance
Forced Proximity
Strong sibling bonds
Banter
Morally Grey characters
Resurrection Alchemy/ Necromancy
Is Chinese history inspired
Politics
Magic
A cute duck 🥰 ( I love Durian!!)
And is fast paced


Then you should 100% go read the Scarlet Alchemist Duology! Like right now… well what are you waiting for? Go!!



P.S.
I also put up a full length review on my blog so if you what to go read that for my more in depth thoughts

I really enjoyed the Scarlet Alchemist when I read it last year, so I was really excited to get an ARC of its sequel, the Blood Orchid. The plot in the Blood Orchid picks up right where the Scarlet Alchemist left off, with Zilan on a quest to find Penglai Island. One of the things I really liked about this one was that, due to the nature of the quest, Baker really expanded the world building a lot. There were a lot of interesting new side characters, and she also explored new locations and facets of alchemy. At the same time, returning characters, such as my favorite, Durian, and, of course, Zilan’s siblings, were still a large part of the story. My memory of the first book was a little hazy because I didn’t re-read it before jumping into this one, but I felt immediately swept back into the world and the writing.

I think people who liked the Scarlet Alchemist will really like the Blood Orchid. It is written with the same creative flair, and it is fast-paced and full of adventure. I think one aspect that will disappoint some readers is that it doesn’t contain as much romance as the first. But that is somewhat inevitable based on the plot line. And I personally don’t think that detracted from the story. Overall, if you liked the Scarlet Alchemist, I don’t think you will be disappointed by the Blood Orchid. And if you like fantasy but haven’t read the Scarlet Alchemist, check it out. I am surprised these books haven’t gotten more buzz. Plus, this isn’t relevant to the story, but I think their book covers are among the prettiest I have seen.

The Scarlet Alchemist was one of my top reads last year and I could not have been more excited for this book. The content is just too dang good (coming from a diehard Fullmetal Alchemist fan). While I didn’t love The Blood Orchid as much as the first book, it was still a great read. The story definitely changed up and this plot was focused on a quest and highlighted familial relationships more so than romantic ones. I desperately missed Hong, but seeing Zilan’s relationship with her brother/cousin was incredibly satisfying. I loved all the side characters in this one and, as usual, badass antagonists. I loved the animal companion in this one as well. Not too proud to admit I totally cried at the end.

Overall, a satisfying conclusion but didn’t surpass my love of the first book.

Let's start with last year, when I read The Scarlet Alchemist. I really liked the Scarlet Alchemist, and I think most of that can be traced to the fact that it's a really good YA dark fantasy, and a little of it can be traced to the fact that I had read 3-4 deeply mediocre books in a row right before it, and I really needed a win. It was a win for me! I liked Zilan, our stubborn and flawed protagonist who harbors a deep rage at the cruelty and unfairness of the world she lives in, and who ultimately yearns for love. I liked her relationships with her cousins, with her love interest the prince, with her weird alchemy duck, and even with the villain of the story, the ambitious and complicated Wu Zhao. So I was really looking forward to eventually reading the next and final installment of Zilan's story.

All this to say, I really liked book one in this series, and in some ways, that made it a bit difficult to fully sum up my thoughts on The Blood Orchid. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes. Did it live up to the first one? Maybe...not? Or at least, not entirely.

The Blood Orchid has a lot of the same elements as The Scarlet Alchemist. We're still following Zilan as she tries to fix the blood-soaked world of the first book, even as she becomes more and more worried that everything she does to try and fix things only makes the world worse. We still get to see cool alchemy moments and we see a lot of interesting locations in this book. But ultimately, I think this book is just a bit messier and less focused than the first book was. The themes don't come together quite as well, not all of the twists hit for me (although some of them were really good, don't get me wrong), and not all of the character relationships got as much focus or development as I would have liked.

Seeing as Li Hong is, well, dead for most of this book, we don't get a lot of development of his and Zilan's romance. Probably the most prominent character relationships in this book are Zilan's relationship with her cousin, Wenshu (whom she chose to resurrect instead of Li Hong at the end of the first book, which is complicated for everyone involved), and her reluctant alliance with Zheng Sili, who I frankly barely remembered from book one. I enjoyed him in this book, though. I'm never going to be mad at the inclusion of a lightly-distrusted former antagonist who forms a reluctant alliance with the protagonist and then gets to have snarky banter with them.

I also was a little bit unsatisfied with some aspects of the ending...but I think that may be me nitpicking the execution. Overall I liked it, and I don't want to be overly critical. Could it have been stronger thematically? Perhaps. Did i still find it to be a suitable ending for this book and for the duology? Yeah, I think so.

Even if this book didn't fully live up to how much I liked the first one, I would still strongly recommend it to other readers who liked The Scarlet Alchemist and want to see the conclusion of Zilan's story. I'm also looking forward to reading more from Kylie Lee Baker. I'm very curious about her adult horror debut...even though I'm normally too much of a baby to read horror.

3.5/5 stars rounded up is what we're going with for the rating.

It was fun seeing how the chaos of the ending of The Scarlet Alchemist played out. I can’t really blame Zoltan for being a little morose about her Boyfriend / brother situation. It was definitely an awkward spot and while I can appreciate her brother being a bit salty he needs to get over it because at the end of the day she did pick him over her man. I loved seeing all the different alchemists and the history and the mythology of the world and how much it grew. I was a lot of fun. The island of Penglai was very interesting and a fun little scavenger hunt. The ending was also very exciting and weirdly perfect for the characters. I love it 10/10

What an ending! I am obsessed with this duology. Kylie Lee Baker, you have destroyed me just a little bit :') The historical elements, the gripping adventure, the character dynamics...I am so sad that this story is at its end! Definitely add to your must read list!

4.5/5

A bittersweet end to the duology. Loved seeing Zilan and her party go on a journey to find Penglai Island, making a new friend and being haunted by the Empress. Although the Blood Orchid was a fun read, it was a little bit slower compared to its counterpart, especially in the second half of the book.

Absolutely loved this duology and I am looking forward to read more books from this author.

This series is probably not for everyone, but it is definitely for ME. Kylie Lee Baker said the second book would be even more like Fullmetal Alchemist and she delivered. I could not have asked for a better conclusion for this world and these characters. Just like the first book, I thoroughly enjoyed the high stakes and high action, humor, complex relationships, and just a bit of an unhinged plot that makes it unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Cannot recommend this series enough if you enjoy dark and gory fantasy books that will also make you crack up.