The literary world is constantly evolving, and often times it’s through faithful readers that new authors and popular works are discovered. The same can be said for the subset of fiction known as fanfic—a type of fictional writing in which fans of an existingfantasyseries or IP use the characters, setting, and important plot details from a specific universe as the basis to create their own original story. After becoming a prolific writer in the fanfiction community, author SenLinYu is reimagining her most popular story into a traditionally published novel,Alchemized, releasing on August 17, 2025.
For those who don’t already know, SenLinYu is the fan-favorite author ofManacled—a near 900-page fanfiction thatreworks the ending of theHarry Potterseries, picking up after the events ofOrder of the Phoenix. Her writing and storytelling quickly catapulted her into fanfic fame, and the dark romantasy retelling became one of the mostpopular reads on BookTok. After gaining a great amount of traction among fans of the romantasy genre, it’s no surprise thatPenguin Random House’s imprint, Del Rey, has decided to traditionally publish SenLinYu’s work into an original novelwithAlchemized.
The Harry Potter Fanfic Manacled Is Getting Traditionally Published, Now Titled Alchemized
The Story Will Separate Itself From The Harry Potter IP
While SenLinYu has been a notable writer of fanfiction for several years,Alchemizedwill mark the author’s first traditionally published novel. The new story will share many similar themes and ideas found in her previous work,Manacled, but will bring readers to a new world of SenLinYu’s own creation—separating itself from the Harry Potter IP. The traditional publication ofAlchemizedwill also help SenLinYu to reach a vaster audience, inviting those who may not read fanfiction to experience the incredible storytelling found inManacledin an all-new format and through a totally different magical universe.
The traditional publication ofAlchemizedwill also help SenLinYu to reach a vaster audience, inviting those who may not read fanfiction to experience the incredible storytelling found inManacled.
SenLinYu’s fanfiction work has received thousands, if not millions, of high praise among fans—makingAlchemizedone of the mosthighly-anticipated romantasy releases of 2025. Following the life of the once promising alchemist, Helena Marino,Alchemizedwill transport readers into a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy. Picking up in the aftermath of a long war, the book’s heroine finds herself with inexplicable memory loss and as a prisoner at the hands of her enemy—the High Reeve, one of the most powerful necromancers.
SenLinYu’s Alchemized Will Include Fan Favorite Elements From Manacled
The Basic Plot Will Be Very Similar
SenLinYu’sAlchemizedwill be similar to her previous fanfic work,Manacled—but instead of being set in the Harry Potter universe, SenLinYu is creating an entirely new magical world, with new characters, magic systems, and moral dilemmas. However, the basic plot forAlchemizedwill likely be very similar—as SenLinYu mentioned in an interview withTodaythatscenes crucial to the plot will remain, but the broader story will go through a rewrite. This gives SenLinYu the opportunity to breathe life into an original world forManacled’soriginal story to sit within.
“What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.”
—Alchemized, SenLinYu
While the upcoming enemies-to-lovers romantasy will set itself apart from previous IP’s, it will still include fan-favorite elements fromManacled—as seen through the book’s cover blurb. In the brief book synopsis, SenLinYu includes a line fromAlchemized, which was a quote originally found inManacled’s fanfiction writings—with obvious tweaks to reflect the new world it sits within. Apart from this,Alchemizedwill still include the High Reeve, the main protagonist’s memory loss, and pick up in the aftermath of a war where evil prevailed.Alchemizedwill also include artwork by acclaimed artist Avendell—who had previously created fan art forManacled.
Alchemized Will Join The Ranks Of Other Popular Fanfiction Turned Novels
Fanfiction Is A Great Source For New Author Discovery
While news ofAlchemizedbeing traditionally published is a huge development in the world of fanfiction,it’s not the first to be developed into an original novel from an existing fanfic. There are severalpopular book seriesthat got their start in a similar manner, andAlchemizedwill join the ranks of other fanfiction turned novels. One popular example being theFifty Shades of Greyseries, which was originally written as aTwilightfanfiction. These types of novels already have a huge fan base, and it’s safe to say thatAlchemizedwill become a worldwide phenomenon upon release.
Alchemizedis set up to be the best fantasy romance of the year, and only time will tell how its popularity will change the publishing industry over time.
With so much success on the horizon forAlchemized,it’s possible SenLinYu’s breakout into traditional publishing will pave the way for other fanfic authors to be recognized. Fanfiction authors have an incredible ability to connect with readers of an existing IP, and invite new readers to enjoy a reimagined world of their own creation—and publishers would do well to watch for budding storytellers and authors who get their start in this manner.Alchemizedis set up to be the bestfantasyromance of the year, and only time will tell how its popularity will change the publishing industry over time.
