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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
So… this was written by a young person who either has remarkable sexual experiences or has relied mostly on porn for her information. I found the characters and situations to be a bit off, which made them unrelatable. For the first half of the book, I actually thought it was a teen book (it had that kind of writing and dialogue).
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
Originally posted on Just Geeking by.
Content warnings:
There is an abusive relationship (physical, manipulative, financial and emotional) between a character and an employer/mentor. The abuser uses their true name to control their actions and forces them to do things that are completely against their nature. The same character is a bigot, making racist comments and misgendering another employee and forcing them to wear a dress for a mission.
Other characters have difficult, and traumatic relationships with their family, some of which may be considered negligent and emotionally abusive.
As a disabled reader and someone who has always been interested in healing magics in fantasy, Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai sounded very interesting to me. That side of the storyline and world-building was as intriguing as I expected, however, quite a bit of this book just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Firstly, the synopsis of Bitter Medicine is quite misleading in the way that it describes Luc as having a curse. It made it sound to me that there would be some aspect of healing happening, especially considering the title of the book. What is described as a curse is not actually a curse. Someone knows his true name and is using it to control him; that is very different from a curse. The healing of a curse verses that type of trauma are two completely separate things, and this adds a certain level of trauma to the storyline, which I was not at all prepared for as someone with PTSD (see the content warnings for more details).
Likewise, the saving of Luc’s life happens in a roundabout way. The synopsis suggests that something happens in the book, where in fact it happens off page before the book even begins, and it is nowhere near as dramatic or romantic as the synopsis makes it sounds.
Luc and Elle’s relationship is sweet and endearing, and both are likeable characters. What I disliked was how quickly Elle’s personality changed as soon as the sex scenes started. It felt like she became a completely different person, and in this way it reminded me of moments in some anime and manga where the female character becomes over sexualised. That’s not to say in any way that women should not enjoy themselves in the bedroom or take control, rather that it didn’t feel like a natural personality transition. It felt very disjointed and that made those scenes feel awkward to me.
Overall, Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai was an enjoyable read with some interesting characters and great world-building. It has a nice amount of representation, and there’s a scene towards the end of the book where a character is recovering from something (spoilers!) that was very well written. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t quite work for me personally. The main issue for me was that I went into it expecting one thing and got something else. It is also very slow paced, and it just felt like I was slogging my way through it at parts. The light-hearted nature of Bitter Medicine was just a bit too light-hearted for me considering some of the themes discussed in this book, and it didn’t mesh well for me.
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Content warnings:
Spoiler
This book contains scenes with blood, violence, gore, death and grief. This includes flash back scenes to a character being ordered to kill children and an on page scene where a nesting harpy’s nest of eggs is destroyed during a mission.There is an abusive relationship (physical, manipulative, financial and emotional) between a character and an employer/mentor. The abuser uses their true name to control their actions and forces them to do things that are completely against their nature. The same character is a bigot, making racist comments and misgendering another employee and forcing them to wear a dress for a mission.
Other characters have difficult, and traumatic relationships with their family, some of which may be considered negligent and emotionally abusive.
As a disabled reader and someone who has always been interested in healing magics in fantasy, Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai sounded very interesting to me. That side of the storyline and world-building was as intriguing as I expected, however, quite a bit of this book just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Firstly, the synopsis of Bitter Medicine is quite misleading in the way that it describes Luc as having a curse. It made it sound to me that there would be some aspect of healing happening, especially considering the title of the book. What is described as a curse is not actually a curse. Someone knows his true name and is using it to control him; that is very different from a curse. The healing of a curse verses that type of trauma are two completely separate things, and this adds a certain level of trauma to the storyline, which I was not at all prepared for as someone with PTSD (see the content warnings for more details).
Likewise, the saving of Luc’s life happens in a roundabout way. The synopsis suggests that something happens in the book, where in fact it happens off page before the book even begins, and it is nowhere near as dramatic or romantic as the synopsis makes it sounds.
Luc and Elle’s relationship is sweet and endearing, and both are likeable characters. What I disliked was how quickly Elle’s personality changed as soon as the sex scenes started. It felt like she became a completely different person, and in this way it reminded me of moments in some anime and manga where the female character becomes over sexualised. That’s not to say in any way that women should not enjoy themselves in the bedroom or take control, rather that it didn’t feel like a natural personality transition. It felt very disjointed and that made those scenes feel awkward to me.
Overall, Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai was an enjoyable read with some interesting characters and great world-building. It has a nice amount of representation, and there’s a scene towards the end of the book where a character is recovering from something (spoilers!) that was very well written. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t quite work for me personally. The main issue for me was that I went into it expecting one thing and got something else. It is also very slow paced, and it just felt like I was slogging my way through it at parts. The light-hearted nature of Bitter Medicine was just a bit too light-hearted for me considering some of the themes discussed in this book, and it didn’t mesh well for me.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fast read, a contemporary fantasy romance that balanced the high stakes of its fantasy plot lines with a meaningful, fun romance.
The mix of mythologies was beautiful to see as, within one supernatural business bureau, elven fae True Name rules work differently than those bound to Chinese ancestral powers. This also gives the book a queernormative vibe where the male protagonist is casually bisexual and only the worst of the worst would dare misgender his nonbinary co-worker.
The sibling banter is SPOT ON!
This is a book about two people who see their worth, not in who they are, but in what they can do. They have given themselves over to seeking redemption for so long that they no longer know who they are or what they want--until they meet each other. It is a book about loss, adjusting when your life suddenly becomes something you never thought it would be. And about learning to love yourself as much as you love everyone else in your life.
Rooted in real emotion, containing fun worldbuilding, and nicely steamy, this is one that I highly recommend.
Are there dragons? Surprisingly, no. Love the Sphinx though!
The mix of mythologies was beautiful to see as, within one supernatural business bureau, elven fae True Name rules work differently than those bound to Chinese ancestral powers. This also gives the book a queernormative vibe where the male protagonist is casually bisexual and only the worst of the worst would dare misgender his nonbinary co-worker.
The sibling banter is SPOT ON!
This is a book about two people who see their worth, not in who they are, but in what they can do. They have given themselves over to seeking redemption for so long that they no longer know who they are or what they want--until they meet each other. It is a book about loss, adjusting when your life suddenly becomes something you never thought it would be. And about learning to love yourself as much as you love everyone else in your life.
Rooted in real emotion, containing fun worldbuilding, and nicely steamy, this is one that I highly recommend.
Are there dragons? Surprisingly, no. Love the Sphinx though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief
Minor: Transphobia
Fantasy romance with lots of magical elements and family drama.
I loved that glyphs and calligraphy were her magic and that Luc is not just an elf but a French one who lived through the Napoleonic wars.
It was interesting and engaging.
I loved that glyphs and calligraphy were her magic and that Luc is not just an elf but a French one who lived through the Napoleonic wars.
It was interesting and engaging.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Excellent mix of heartwarming moments and edge of your seat moments. I suggest everyone read the Afterword at the end of the book first, especially if reading it digitally.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very solid romance! The worldbuilding was fun, particularly with how Chinese and French mythologies affect the lives of fae differently. I particularly enjoyed how the ending took the tragedy of losing one's power and brought it around to a reclamation of selfhood and its inherent power.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes