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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
I'm biased, this is a friend's book, but I'd have rated it highly regardless. Does a good job of communicating the world in medias res — I discovered tonight that I have been incorrectly writing "media" for years — and I quite like the world and would love to read more books in it. Although the conclusion may preclude ones with the same groups and characters. Be warned there are some pretty graphic sex scenes, definitely not one for younger readers.
Have you ever felt like you came across a book at exactly the right time in your life? Like the stars aligned and you were meant to read something given your current frame of mind? Well, this week I read Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai and I fell absolutely in love! Seriously, this author now has my undying loyalty for all future releases at this point.
So, what’s so great about it? Let’s find out!
What I liked about the book:
1. That cover is gorgeous! I love the deep, luscious blue color accented with the cream-colored lettering. I love the juxtaposition of the sweet embrace against the chaos of a busy city background. And I especially love how this couple already has me seeing their HEA with just the cover! Add to all of this the deep backwards v-neckline, the couple of tchotchkes, and the promise of heartache, and you have yourself a winning cover in my opinion!
2. I loved that the author dedicated this book, her debut novel, to herself! The dedication simply reads:
“To me, because I could.”
Yes, girl! Damn right you can, and you SHOULD! Love it!
3. I absolutely adored the writing style. It was lite, it was cheeky, and yet it had tension bubbling beneath the surface I couldn’t wait to dive into.
Mia Tsai did a great job weaving in background information without making it stunt the flow of the writing. She also did a fantastic job of creating the romantic tension that comes from two people totally into each other, probably knowing the other is into them, and yet not acting on it. The whole will-they-won’t-they was so masterfully done from the very first couple of pages that it hooked me until they finally did.
4. I loved the amount of worldbuilding and magic present in this story. It definitely had an old-school mythological feel to it, given all the background, the gifts individuals had, and the talk of Gods. It also gave me the same feels I typically have when reading mythology that is new to me, in that I trusted the author implicitly to get me to the end of the journey knowing she would answer my questions in due time. I can easily say, I do not have this kind of patience for any other genre.
5. These characters were easy to love!
Elle was a humble, peacekeeper type who was just plain adorable! Not to mention, she was the least selfish individual I have read in a while. She sacrificed her life every day just to make sure her family stayed alive, even though they were basically all trying to kill each other. Downgrading her job, downplaying her skills, allowing herself no romantic or even friendly relationships (outside of her best friend which is still strained), and committing herself to a life of drabness, she was perfectly content as long as she was loyal to her family.
Enter Luc…Luc was a trained killer, known for having no personality (aka never letting anyone in), yet he let that baby shine with Elle! He invoked the badass with a heart of gold persona so freaking well! Loved him and loved him for Elle! When he was around, she reminded me of all the feelings you have as a young person falling in love: the giddiness, the stupid jokes, the blushing…awwwwwwww I definitely got the heart flutters reading this one!
Furthermore, I loved watching their characters unfold for the reader as they did for the other MC. It was fun getting to discover more about Elle and Luc as they discovered things about each other.
Ok, let’s talk about Tony. What a ham! Dude was totally in love with himself in the most humorous way possible, and even gifted Elle a “housewarming” gift of a picture of himself! As much as he loved himself, the reader could see just how much he loved his little sister and was loyal to her like no other. Check out this snip from his conversation with Luc:
6. The amount of representation in this story was insane! Tony was gay, Luc was bi-sexual, Pei’s (a co-worker of Luc’s) preferred pronouns were they/them and I eagle-eyed their sections to make sure there were no slips into she/her. We also were gifted with an interracial relationship between Elle who was Chinese and Luc who was White, Elle’s best friend was a lesbian and Black, and there were several call outs to racist bosses/clients/etc. showing that this representation was no accident; this was clearly planned to show representation for so many groups. I absolutely loved the thought that went into this; It didn’t feel like the author was just trying to check the diversity factor box.
7. I loved how there were so many people in this book that there is definitely room for more stories. Spinoff potential is a huge plus in my book, and this one definitely had it!
8. So many fantastic lines and scenes!
– Oh Gods, that hits close to home
– I mean, same girl. Same.
– This whole scene is just beautiful, but 1. him with long hair? That’s incredibly hot! I definitely like guys that can rock the long hair look. 2. This compliment had me reacting the same but with a blush as well!
– WHY IS THAT SO HOT?!?!?!
– YESSSSSSSSSSSS!
What could have been better:
1. Ok, one of the only things I didn’t like about this book was how loooooong most of the chapters were. When I see a chapter is going to take me over 15 minutes to read, I die a little on the inside and reconsider my life choices that lead me to a book. I don’t have an attention-span problem, but I DO have a commitment phobia. I can sit and read 3 to 5 minutes chapters like candy for hours on end, but as soon as I see a 20-minute chapter I’m like “Wait, what? That’s, like, 1/3 of an hour, or 1/5 of a typical film length. But I have shit to do!” when I very well know that shit will not be done regardless.
With that said, I did finish the book in one day, but only because it was so good. If this book had lacked in ANY areas I typically rate a book on, it would have been hard to keep reading with chapter lengths involving that type of commitment.
2. The only other thing I think could have been better revolved around the villains.
I wish more time was spent on William, Elle’s younger brother. I feel for how villainous he was, we really didn’t get a lot of present-day insight into him. On one hand, I totally understood his motives and why he was doing what he was doing; on the other hand, I obviously didn’t want him to win given what that would mean. But his “ending” did leave some mixed feelings for me. What will the future hold? What was Lily’s backstory? Will there be a second book to clear this up???
Overall, I think there was a missed opportunity for developing a robust character in William, probably because the story was stretched between two villains.
Speaking of which, unless there is a second book in the works for these characters, I feel we missed out on how that ending impacted Oberon, Luc’s boss. Throughout the entire thing I had a really bad feeling that Luc was related to or somehow affiliated with Oberon in a way that he wasn’t aware of, but we never find out where Oberon ends up after Luc’s last stunt. Again, I’m really, really hoping there will be another book that follows these characters, but with perhaps a different set of main characters, in which this can be resolved.
Final Thoughts:
I’m going to be honest: this one caught me by surprise. I expected to like this book, but I couldn’t help but love it. Check it out as soon as you can!
Final Rating: 4.5 stars
Huge thank you to Edelweiss, Tachyon Publications, and Mia Tsai for the free copy of this book. My above review is honest and voluntary.
So, what’s so great about it? Let’s find out!
What I liked about the book:
1. That cover is gorgeous! I love the deep, luscious blue color accented with the cream-colored lettering. I love the juxtaposition of the sweet embrace against the chaos of a busy city background. And I especially love how this couple already has me seeing their HEA with just the cover! Add to all of this the deep backwards v-neckline, the couple of tchotchkes, and the promise of heartache, and you have yourself a winning cover in my opinion!
2. I loved that the author dedicated this book, her debut novel, to herself! The dedication simply reads:
“To me, because I could.”
Yes, girl! Damn right you can, and you SHOULD! Love it!
3. I absolutely adored the writing style. It was lite, it was cheeky, and yet it had tension bubbling beneath the surface I couldn’t wait to dive into.
Mia Tsai did a great job weaving in background information without making it stunt the flow of the writing. She also did a fantastic job of creating the romantic tension that comes from two people totally into each other, probably knowing the other is into them, and yet not acting on it. The whole will-they-won’t-they was so masterfully done from the very first couple of pages that it hooked me until they finally did.
4. I loved the amount of worldbuilding and magic present in this story. It definitely had an old-school mythological feel to it, given all the background, the gifts individuals had, and the talk of Gods. It also gave me the same feels I typically have when reading mythology that is new to me, in that I trusted the author implicitly to get me to the end of the journey knowing she would answer my questions in due time. I can easily say, I do not have this kind of patience for any other genre.
5. These characters were easy to love!
Elle was a humble, peacekeeper type who was just plain adorable! Not to mention, she was the least selfish individual I have read in a while. She sacrificed her life every day just to make sure her family stayed alive, even though they were basically all trying to kill each other. Downgrading her job, downplaying her skills, allowing herself no romantic or even friendly relationships (outside of her best friend which is still strained), and committing herself to a life of drabness, she was perfectly content as long as she was loyal to her family.
Enter Luc…Luc was a trained killer, known for having no personality (aka never letting anyone in), yet he let that baby shine with Elle! He invoked the badass with a heart of gold persona so freaking well! Loved him and loved him for Elle! When he was around, she reminded me of all the feelings you have as a young person falling in love: the giddiness, the stupid jokes, the blushing…awwwwwwww I definitely got the heart flutters reading this one!
Furthermore, I loved watching their characters unfold for the reader as they did for the other MC. It was fun getting to discover more about Elle and Luc as they discovered things about each other.
Ok, let’s talk about Tony. What a ham! Dude was totally in love with himself in the most humorous way possible, and even gifted Elle a “housewarming” gift of a picture of himself! As much as he loved himself, the reader could see just how much he loved his little sister and was loyal to her like no other. Check out this snip from his conversation with Luc:
"If you’re serious about her, you need to show it. No half-assing. She deserves the best, and if you aren’t willing to do that, you can kindly fuck off. She’ll get over you eventually."
6. The amount of representation in this story was insane! Tony was gay, Luc was bi-sexual, Pei’s (a co-worker of Luc’s) preferred pronouns were they/them and I eagle-eyed their sections to make sure there were no slips into she/her. We also were gifted with an interracial relationship between Elle who was Chinese and Luc who was White, Elle’s best friend was a lesbian and Black, and there were several call outs to racist bosses/clients/etc. showing that this representation was no accident; this was clearly planned to show representation for so many groups. I absolutely loved the thought that went into this; It didn’t feel like the author was just trying to check the diversity factor box.
7. I loved how there were so many people in this book that there is definitely room for more stories. Spinoff potential is a huge plus in my book, and this one definitely had it!
8. So many fantastic lines and scenes!
Just because it’s the truth doesn’t mean she has to be reasonable.
– Oh Gods, that hits close to home
He’s going to seduce her with caretaking. Of all the paths he could take, like accidentally getting too close and oops! kissing her, or doing that stretch that shows stomach between shirt and waistband, he’s chosen mother henning. This is how Elle knows she’s gotten old.
– I mean, same girl. Same.
Luc: Is an hour enough time to prepare?
Elle: Yeah, I just need to get dressed and put my hair up.
Luc: I think you look nicer with it down.
Elle: Um. Thank you. I’d return the compliment, but your hair isn’t long enough to put up.
Luc: Would you believe that it was, once upon a time?
Elle: No way!
Luc: Long hair isn’t practical for what I do. But yes, when I was much younger, I had hair to my shoulders.
Elle: *giggles* I bet you were so pretty.
Luc: Perhaps, but you’ll always have me beat in that department.
Elle: *mouth drops open*
– This whole scene is just beautiful, but 1. him with long hair? That’s incredibly hot! I definitely like guys that can rock the long hair look. 2. This compliment had me reacting the same but with a blush as well!
There’s no question he wants answered more than how she likes her pleasure, no directive more pressing than how good he can make her feel…”Tell me how to touch you,” he whispers into her ear.
– WHY IS THAT SO HOT?!?!?!
“Lovely,” Luc murmurs between her gasps, holding her hips, grinding her down until the base of him stretches her to the brink.
Elle doesn’t want to be lovely. She wants to be fucking destroyed. She wants to be destroyed with him and by him…
– YESSSSSSSSSSSS!
What could have been better:
1. Ok, one of the only things I didn’t like about this book was how loooooong most of the chapters were. When I see a chapter is going to take me over 15 minutes to read, I die a little on the inside and reconsider my life choices that lead me to a book. I don’t have an attention-span problem, but I DO have a commitment phobia. I can sit and read 3 to 5 minutes chapters like candy for hours on end, but as soon as I see a 20-minute chapter I’m like “Wait, what? That’s, like, 1/3 of an hour, or 1/5 of a typical film length. But I have shit to do!” when I very well know that shit will not be done regardless.
With that said, I did finish the book in one day, but only because it was so good. If this book had lacked in ANY areas I typically rate a book on, it would have been hard to keep reading with chapter lengths involving that type of commitment.
2. The only other thing I think could have been better revolved around the villains.
I wish more time was spent on William, Elle’s younger brother. I feel for how villainous he was, we really didn’t get a lot of present-day insight into him. On one hand, I totally understood his motives and why he was doing what he was doing; on the other hand, I obviously didn’t want him to win given what that would mean. But his “ending” did leave some mixed feelings for me. What will the future hold? What was Lily’s backstory? Will there be a second book to clear this up???
Overall, I think there was a missed opportunity for developing a robust character in William, probably because the story was stretched between two villains.
Speaking of which, unless there is a second book in the works for these characters, I feel we missed out on how that ending impacted Oberon, Luc’s boss. Throughout the entire thing I had a really bad feeling that Luc was related to or somehow affiliated with Oberon in a way that he wasn’t aware of, but we never find out where Oberon ends up after Luc’s last stunt. Again, I’m really, really hoping there will be another book that follows these characters, but with perhaps a different set of main characters, in which this can be resolved.
Final Thoughts:
I’m going to be honest: this one caught me by surprise. I expected to like this book, but I couldn’t help but love it. Check it out as soon as you can!
Final Rating: 4.5 stars
Huge thank you to Edelweiss, Tachyon Publications, and Mia Tsai for the free copy of this book. My above review is honest and voluntary.
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Final Thoughts:
What a joy to read a book whose love story is not drawn out over a series. This was not a slow burn, this book was about building a relationship through trauma. I loved it. There’s a lot of queer positivity between these characters even though they are an MF relationship. Luc has a history with a man, and Elle mentions that lovers of hers could be female. Elle’s best friend and brother are gay. One of best parts of this book was the cultural diversity within it. This story is written by a woman who is Taiwanese and she has a main character, and her family, from that culture. AND she immerses that in a world filled with further insights into other cultures. There’s European fae, Nordic runes, Egyptian deities, and so many small references to the big wide world. My only wish was to have footnotes for all the languages and folklore. It would’ve helped me set my phone down.
Full review at: www.jaycereadsromance.com/blog/bitter-medicine
What a joy to read a book whose love story is not drawn out over a series. This was not a slow burn, this book was about building a relationship through trauma. I loved it. There’s a lot of queer positivity between these characters even though they are an MF relationship. Luc has a history with a man, and Elle mentions that lovers of hers could be female. Elle’s best friend and brother are gay. One of best parts of this book was the cultural diversity within it. This story is written by a woman who is Taiwanese and she has a main character, and her family, from that culture. AND she immerses that in a world filled with further insights into other cultures. There’s European fae, Nordic runes, Egyptian deities, and so many small references to the big wide world. My only wish was to have footnotes for all the languages and folklore. It would’ve helped me set my phone down.
Full review at: www.jaycereadsromance.com/blog/bitter-medicine
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The best part about this book was how sweetly obsessed Luke was but their relationship did escalate pretty suddenly (personal preference: I like a slow burn). Everything else was okay, just not fleshed out enough. I'm gutted because the plot we were pitched was so good and could have been fleshed out much more; I would have loved for it to incorporate more of the magic system, the threat to the FMC and danger she was in, MMC's work and relationship with his boss. I'm aware it's an urban fantasy but I wish it didn't have as many modern/pop culture references, but that's 100% a me issue so maybe I need to stick to historical/alternative world fantasy settings.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
1st- The plot and characters are fantastic.
2nd- However, I felt like we jumped into the story missing the first few chapters. The magic system just didn't have enough explanation, still not sure what the firm really is, and the plot started BEFORE the book. Sometimes jumping into the storyline works. If the main character is confused, yeah, I'm okay with being confused, too. BUT- when we're going through it and everyone is dealing with the fallout, it's really confusing.
Overall, 3.75 ⭐️
Without the confusion 4.5 ⭐️
2nd- However, I felt like we jumped into the story missing the first few chapters. The magic system just didn't have enough explanation, still not sure what the firm really is, and the plot started BEFORE the book. Sometimes jumping into the storyline works. If the main character is confused, yeah, I'm okay with being confused, too. BUT- when we're going through it and everyone is dealing with the fallout, it's really confusing.
Overall, 3.75 ⭐️
Without the confusion 4.5 ⭐️
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The first half to two-thirds of this was pretty good. Like, engaging in terms of plot and premise.
But, this has heavy debut vibes. Because the ending was not ideal. I wanted more from the characters, especially Elle in terms of anger at her sacrifice which, granted, is not the story being told based on the ending. But if I'm being honest, the ending in general was a bit of a letdown since I wanted a proper comeuppance for Oberon and really wasn’t a fan of how much a bleeding heart both Elle and Luc were when it came to giving their immortality up in lieu of freedom. Not my cup of tea, and for a standalone it was disappointing because a poor ending can make or break a story and in this case? It didn’t help matters.
But, this has heavy debut vibes. Because the ending was not ideal. I wanted more from the characters, especially Elle in terms of anger at her sacrifice which, granted, is not the story being told based on the ending. But if I'm being honest, the ending in general was a bit of a letdown since I wanted a proper comeuppance for Oberon and really wasn’t a fan of how much a bleeding heart both Elle and Luc were when it came to giving their immortality up in lieu of freedom. Not my cup of tea, and for a standalone it was disappointing because a poor ending can make or break a story and in this case? It didn’t help matters.
The world building was not fantastic either. Everything felt very pre-established in a fanfictiony sort of way which is not bad, but with how fantastical the world is, especially with the politics and everything, I needed more exposition to deep dive into than I was provided with. And the pacing was disjointed at times; not enough that it was pulling me out of the story, but still noticeable. Alongside that, the stakes were always there but they felt separate to the story at times, because they weren’t always the focus and when they were, the execution of the plot surrounding them never really reached its full potential.
I think my greatest gripe though is that this is touted as a slow burn romance and I am here to say that that statement is inaccurate as fuck. Friends-to-lovers sure, but they are in full blown pining mode at the beginning of the story, and there was nothing slow burn about it.
The premise was so solid that I was disappointed in how the execution didn’t live up to my expectations. A lot of untapped potential here. It was also a lot more cozy fantasy vibes than I was anticipating. Which is not a bad thing, but not what I was expecting or looking for in a read at the time.
A lot of great ideas were thrown into this story but they were never solidified or broken down in a manner that surpassed surface level. This ties into the whole unfulfilled potential angle because I would’ve been so down for more sibling dynamics, especially if it were to include William who gets little to no page time and yet is kind of a big deal when it comes to plot. I wanted proper retribution and consequence for Oberon manipulating Luc for so long. I wanted more Wrecking Crew and Tony and Lira, more dysfunctional Liang family dynamics especially background on the family and the culture involved, more backstory in general for Luc and his adoptive sphinx mother. There was so much of this world I wanted to explore further, the characters, their stories and interactions and relationships, but we just never got around to it.
I would still read from this author though because like I stated earlier, the first half/two-thirds were really engaging.
It reminds me of the Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas but like a lite version of it, which I could see being really appealing to readers who’ve enjoyed that series/author. Think less dark, more cozy.
As a standalone fantasy I think it works and I think there were a lot great aspects in the novel, but it’s by no means a perfect debut release. It was still very enjoyable to consume though.
It reminds me of the Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas but like a lite version of it, which I could see being really appealing to readers who’ve enjoyed that series/author. Think less dark, more cozy.
As a standalone fantasy I think it works and I think there were a lot great aspects in the novel, but it’s by no means a perfect debut release. It was still very enjoyable to consume though.