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.