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dmrosenblatt's review
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, and Child death
Moderate: Emotional abuse
carolined314's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Medical trauma, Grief, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Medical content
relin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying and Death
grets_reads's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
Ooohhhh this one was good!!! Magical realism, romance, a bit of action, and some wonderfully written and diverse multilingual characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Cursing, Medical content, Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit, Abandonment, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder
ramunepocky's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
this review is not spoiler free
I enjoyed Bitter Medicine a lot. It had a very interesting concept, characters and world-building. It broke my heart learning about the pasts of the main characters and seeing what happened to them as the story progressed, and how things spun out of control. I think there was a lull about 2/3 of the way through where the pace slowed right down after the main event of the story had been “resolved”, which was jarring at first, but the last 100 pages were definitely needed and was very important for the character’s developments. There was also a lot of casual rep – including a bi main character, a gay main side character, a nonbinary side character, and a polycule - that was mentioned without making a big deal out of it and I really loved that.
I liked the main character, Elle, a lot. She had sacrificed so much to keep her brother safe and she didn’t allow herself to have anything she wanted in fear that it would endanger him. It’s sad that her allowing herself to get close to Luc and confiding in him is exactly what did end up endangering her brother, and it was so sad when they essentially swapped places after she gave up her magic to save Tony and he became an immortal again as she became mortal herself. It was hard to read about her struggling to come to terms with being magicless, pushing people away and wishing that she had just died, but it was nice to see her find her peace again and let people get close.
I don’t think I had a specific favourite character in this book, but I did like the other main character, Luc, also. His past was absolutely heartbreaking and it was awful seeing the difference between him around Elle, where he was allowed to be himself and softer, and him at work, where he had to shut his emotions off to protect himself. It was awful the way that his coworkers treat him based off what they thought they knew about him, but I’m glad that they resolved it in the end, and that they all apologised to him after learning that he was being forced to do things by the boss. I like to believe that they all became close friends in the end, as Luc definitely deserved some friends and some people in his corner. It was also heartbreaking the extreme lengths he had to go to, and the way he had to risk his life, to be able to actually quit his job and his boss no longer have any power over him. I hope him and Elle are living happily as mortals somewhere.
I really liked the majority of the characters and I felt like even the more minor characters still felt well-rounded and weren’t two dimensional. I feel like the antagonist of the story was definitely Luc’s boss, he was cruel and his actions were absolutely despicable, especially the way he would constantly invoke the right if Luc said no and force him to do things he didn’t want to do regardless. It was heartbreaking to think that Luc had been trapped in that situation for 250 years, without a single person in his corner, and only the sphinx knowing the truth of what he’d done for the children and why he was forced to do whatever he was asked. I absolutely despised his boss and, though I don’t remember anything negative happening to him in the story itself, I truly hope that karma fucks him over in the end.
The world-building was so interesting to me. I really liked learning about the way that Elle used her magic and the ink sigils that she created for the agents. It was also interesting to learn about their (I cant remember the specific word used) but life tethers essentially. Especially when not only one, but three characters had been/got severed from theirs.
The plot was very interesting and had me hooked. I liked the gradual trust that developed between Elle and Luc as they both allowed themselves to have something that they wanted. It was nice to see them slowly open up about things and trust the other – even if Luc had a big giant thing stopping him from being able to confide specific truths. I also liked that even when Tony recognised Luc and tried to expose what he thought Luc had done, Elle still trusted him and found out what had truly happened.
Overall, it was an interesting book and I will definitely read something else by this author again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Medical content, and Transphobia
Minor: Child death
katievallin's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, and Racism
kylieqrada's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
3.5
This was (very) adult Artemis Fowl, and no I will not explain. Fun fantasy romance with humor that hits most of the time. I'm glad I didn't DNF.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death, and Medical content
Minor: Racism, Child death, and Transphobia
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Bullying, Child death, Medical content, Sexual content, Confinement, Death, Grief, Blood, Chronic illness, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
quirkykayleetam's review
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
4.5
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: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, and Gun violence
Minor: Transphobia