How many times can I say something is unlike anything I've read before without sounding like I've never read a book before? At least once more, I hope. This is an alternate history/fantasy book with a magic system that blew my mind; it was one of the best I've ever read. It sounds simple, revolving around using different types of metals and stones as conduits for alchemy. But as the book goes on, it shows all the different variations that can be thought of even using that same basic principle. No spoilers, but the creativity is boundless and yet made perfect sense.

This story revolves around, Zilan, a 17-year-old, mixed-race girl from a family of struggling merchants in the south of China in 775. In this world, the rich have found a way to live forever---which, as you can imagine, has really f*cked the economy. Zilan's family's business is barely able to sustain the 5 of them, and that's with her performing illegal (but expensive) resurrections using forbidden life alchemy to supplement profits. She counts down the days until she can venture to the capital to take the imperial exams to become a royal alchemist. Sure, her job will be to facilitate the system that allows the wealthy to live forever, but immortality is worth a lot of money, which her family is desperate for.

Family is everything to Zilan, and her two cousins (the dynamic between the 3 of them is hysterical) travel with her to the capital. Once they arrive, she realizes that the exams to become an alchemist are more like trials. Regardless of passing or failing, she'll be lucky to make it through them alive, especially with the rampant discrimination she's up against.

Zilan tries to keep her head down between exam obligations. However, being sought out by the prince makes that pretty difficult, and she's soon drawn into a sticky political web. Her reputation precedes her, and he wants to hire her for an illegal resurrection---his own. He's fairly certain there's an assassination attempt coming, and Zilan is his only hope.

Don't let the YA classification fool you, this story leans dark, and it does not skimp on the gore. As someone who enjoys both horror and fantasy, this was a pleasant surprise. I am woefully uneducated about this period in history, but that didn't impede my enjoyment of this story. I found the notes at the beginning and end of the book fascinating---I love that the author shared what elements were inspired by history and how they were or weren't altered to fit Zilan's story.

Thank you to BookishFirst, the publishers, and the author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.