A young alchemist uses unconventional practices to climb the social ladder. Seventeen-year-old Fan Zilan, who is Hàn Chinese and Scotian, dreams of becoming a royal alchemist like those who discovered the immortality elixir made of gold. Orphaned in a small village in Guangzhou, Zilan works at Auntie So and Uncle Fan's struggling store, where they make and sell míngqì-clay vessels for burials. She illegally performs life alchemy to resurrect the dead and bring in extra money. Zilan and her cousins finally get the chance for better lives by heading up north to the capital to take the all-important civil service exams. Competition is fierce, and, as someone poor and half-foreign, the odds are against her, but Zilan must succeed in order to provide for her family. She's garnered a reputation in Chang'an for her resurrections, and Crown Prince Li Hong seeks out her services. Tangled up in royal secrets, dangerous politics, and monstrous alchemical experiments, fierce Zilan struggles and fights for her place.

Set in an alternate Tang dynasty China, this dark historical fantasy presents an enchanting, immersive world in which the manipulation of elements knows no bounds. Centered around life and death, this fast-paced story is gory and gruesome but lightened by moments of levity. Baker touches on racism, sexism, classism, identity, and family and friendship ties. Contemporary Mandarin and Cantonese words are woven into this dark duology opener. Grisly, dark, and utterly entrancing.