SenLinYu

Alchemised

Heartbreaking, wrong in so many ways, tragic, honest, one of the best books I’ve read in a while. 

Hannah L 

Having read the fic, I could orient myself better. I do appreciate the word building efforts, but I think starting the story earlier and going gradually would have helped

Annabella

3.5
Having read the fic, I could orient myself better. I do appreciate the word building efforts, but I think starting the story earlier and going gradually would have helped

look. i made it to chapter 7. i did try to read it when it was a fic and i remember not understanding why this one took off. it's a common thing in fic communities, seeing something take off and even the author feels a little incredulous about it, but the conversation about harm in a post-transphobe jkr world, commodification of fandom, etc isn't one i'm interested in having right now.

it's that this is just. Fine. i read pretty much nothing but dramione fic for a solid third of my life (CG/H&V girlies, where u at). of all kinds. some even of this particular shade of "dark" - or darker. this fic came about after i had moved on to other fandoms, but i do know this: when you remove all of the trappings of a built-in world, the flimsy—rather, non-existent—worldbuilding collapses in on itself. 

i appreciate the attempts at distance. there is something to be said about the strange religious-like undertones they have given the in-universe Order, but i think someone on tiktok said it best that this book would be best suited as a second or third book in a series. we cannot assume that we know what kind of war was being fought without that universe buy-in. there's exposition, sure, but do i think the shift was executed well? uh. 

i would be interested in whatever senlinyu cooks up that is completely original and not attached to fandom in any way. other former fic authors i love, like olivie blake (also a former dhr writer under same pen name, atlas series is potter-esque but not fic), have written compelling books to various degrees of success. freya marske! naomi novik!

however, alchemised is unmistakably a harry potter fic and makes no attempt to mask it. when you peel back the potter-settings and conventions, a lot of what i assume made this fic remarkable to people is lost. 

cee 

DNF. 

look. i made it to chapter 7. i did try to read it when it was a fic and i remember not understanding why this one took off. it's a common thing in fic communities, seeing something take off and even the author feels a little incredulous about it, but the conversation about harm in a post-transphobe jkr world, commodification of fandom, etc isn't one i'm interested in having right now.

it's that this is just. Fine. i read pretty much nothing but dramione fic for a solid third of my life (CG/H&V girlies, where u at). of all kinds. some even of this particular shade of "dark" - or darker. this fic came about after i had moved on to other fandoms, but i do know this: when you remove all of the trappings of a built-in world, the flimsy—rather, non-existent—worldbuilding collapses in on itself. 

i appreciate the attempts at distance. there is something to be said about the strange religious-like undertones they have given the in-universe Order, but i think someone on tiktok said it best that this book would be best suited as a second or third book in a series. we cannot assume that we know what kind of war was being fought without that universe buy-in. there's exposition, sure, but do i think the shift was executed well? uh. 

i would be interested in whatever senlinyu cooks up that is completely original and not attached to fandom in any way. other former fic authors i love, like olivie blake (also a former dhr writer under same pen name, atlas series is potter-esque but not fic), have written compelling books to various degrees of success. freya marske! naomi novik!

however, alchemised is unmistakably a harry potter fic and makes no attempt to mask it. when you peel back the potter-settings and conventions, a lot of what i assume made this fic remarkable to people is lost. 