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swampwitchreads's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
quinnster's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The cover and the title sold this book for me, but unfortunately, the book itself didn't quite deliver. There was enough mystery to keep me reading, but the middle was extremely slow. We focused so completely on Tillie's addiction for much of the book that I found myself quite bored with her. I wished we could have seen more of the nightlife and Ian.
ameserole's review against another edition
3.0
I'm pretty sure I had high expectations for Opium and Absinthe before diving into it. Once I did, it started off okay - a bit slow - but I still had hope that it would pick up and be amazing. Just like the cover looks. Unfortunately, the cover is amazing but the book sort of fell flat for me.
Some parts were pretty enjoyable and others felt a bit repetitive. Plus Tillie was way to easy to give drugs to. I get that she was addicted due to an awful injury but she just took whatever from whoever without questions. It also didn't help that certain people around her were quite manipulative as well.
Then the whole mystery of who was the murderer wasn't a complete shock either. If you know where to look for the clues, it's pretty easy to spot who did it and why. I also didn't like any of the characters throughout this. Main or side. There was just always something about them that would annoy or frustrate me. Easy to manipulate or just a pain self-absorbed cheating asshole. You name it - it probably annoyed me.
In the end, it was an okay book. Interesting in some parts but okay in others.
Some parts were pretty enjoyable and others felt a bit repetitive. Plus Tillie was way to easy to give drugs to. I get that she was addicted due to an awful injury but she just took whatever from whoever without questions. It also didn't help that certain people around her were quite manipulative as well.
Then the whole mystery of who was the murderer wasn't a complete shock either. If you know where to look for the clues, it's pretty easy to spot who did it and why. I also didn't like any of the characters throughout this. Main or side. There was just always something about them that would annoy or frustrate me. Easy to manipulate or just a pain self-absorbed cheating asshole. You name it - it probably annoyed me.
In the end, it was an okay book. Interesting in some parts but okay in others.
julieclawson's review against another edition
3.0
The story was fun enough to read to the end, but it read like a teen fanfiction, overusing tropes and stereotypes.
dinipandareads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Special thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for this very late, very overdue but honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up!
TL;DR: This was an intriguing historical medical thriller that had a bit of a slow start but that I quickly found that I didn't want to put down. Tillie was a well-developed character whom I pitied and sympathised with, who frustrated me to no end due to her poor decision-making but whom I ultimately admired by the end. I'm terrible at solving mysteries before the great review and although I'd guessed around the motive, I did not guess at all whodunit so that was a fun surprise! Overall, an enjoyable read.
I'm quite sure that I added this to my NetGalley shelf several years ago because of the cover and when I read the synopsis I probably knew that I had to read this. I'd never heard of Lydia Kang before but I enjoyed her writing. It's nothing astounding and the pace was a bit slow initially but it kept my attention and had me eagerly reading on. I was intrigued by how the mystery sort of revolved around Dracula, as it was released around the same time Tillie's sister was murdered. This intertwining of the story does taper off a bit towards the middle but I liked how the author kept the link going through the epigraphs. It made me want to finally pick up my copy of Dracula! This wasn't your fast-paced, action-packed thriller but it was a slow-build up of a mystery. I don't read much in this genre, and certainly not historical medical mysteries, so although I guessed correctly in the vicinity of motive, I didn't guess correctly when it came to whodunit and honestly, it kinda really took me by surprise although it made absolute sense! 😂 I was properly distracted by the many red herrings and all the drama that unfolds in the societal group that surrounds Tillie but I didn't mind at all. This will not be for everyone though but if you can have patience, I do think that the pay-off is worth it!
I think where the author excelled was with her characters, particularly that of Tillie. I greatly appreciated her character arc and she undergoes some heavy events and experiences major changes to her person throughout the story. When we meet her she's this almost unbelievably naive, bumblingly awkward young woman who came across as much younger than she was. I liked her unquenchable thirst for knowledge and her burning curiosity though and loved the questions she would ask about everything which was considered socially unacceptable to high society in New York in the late 1890s. As the story progresses, you get to witness her fast addiction to opium and laudanum and it is incredibly frustrating to see her make one awful decision after another that keeps her addle-brained yet also somehow functioning through her pain. But she does take the steps to better herself, albeit by force at first, though she does find her strength and grows a backbone and I love how she stood up for herself by the end! I was happy for her and the way her situation ended :)
There were plenty of other characters that were introduced along the way and most of them were truly awful people. I don't want to waste too much time on these secondary characters, especially since talking about them will spoil the "surprise" of meeting them yourself if you want to read the book but it's safe to say I wasn't a fan of many of them. I did like Ian though and the newsies! I wish that we saw more of them, especially Ian, as the story progressed. I also liked Ada, who was fairly meek at first but who also bloomed a bit more towards the end.
Ultimately, I'm glad that this came across my radar! While it didn't necessarily blow me away, once the story got going I didn't want to put this down and I'm glad that it ended on a high note for me. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author in the future!
TL;DR: This was an intriguing historical medical thriller that had a bit of a slow start but that I quickly found that I didn't want to put down. Tillie was a well-developed character whom I pitied and sympathised with, who frustrated me to no end due to her poor decision-making but whom I ultimately admired by the end. I'm terrible at solving mysteries before the great review and although I'd guessed around the motive, I did not guess at all whodunit so that was a fun surprise! Overall, an enjoyable read.
I'm quite sure that I added this to my NetGalley shelf several years ago because of the cover and when I read the synopsis I probably knew that I had to read this. I'd never heard of Lydia Kang before but I enjoyed her writing. It's nothing astounding and the pace was a bit slow initially but it kept my attention and had me eagerly reading on. I was intrigued by how the mystery sort of revolved around Dracula, as it was released around the same time Tillie's sister was murdered. This intertwining of the story does taper off a bit towards the middle but I liked how the author kept the link going through the epigraphs. It made me want to finally pick up my copy of Dracula! This wasn't your fast-paced, action-packed thriller but it was a slow-build up of a mystery. I don't read much in this genre, and certainly not historical medical mysteries, so although I guessed correctly in the vicinity of motive, I didn't guess correctly when it came to whodunit and honestly, it kinda really took me by surprise although it made absolute sense! 😂 I was properly distracted by the many red herrings and all the drama that unfolds in the societal group that surrounds Tillie but I didn't mind at all. This will not be for everyone though but if you can have patience, I do think that the pay-off is worth it!
I think where the author excelled was with her characters, particularly that of Tillie. I greatly appreciated her character arc and she undergoes some heavy events and experiences major changes to her person throughout the story. When we meet her she's this almost unbelievably naive, bumblingly awkward young woman who came across as much younger than she was. I liked her unquenchable thirst for knowledge and her burning curiosity though and loved the questions she would ask about everything which was considered socially unacceptable to high society in New York in the late 1890s. As the story progresses, you get to witness her fast addiction to opium and laudanum and it is incredibly frustrating to see her make one awful decision after another that keeps her addle-brained yet also somehow functioning through her pain. But she does take the steps to better herself, albeit by force at first, though she does find her strength and grows a backbone and I love how she stood up for herself by the end! I was happy for her and the way her situation ended :)
There were plenty of other characters that were introduced along the way and most of them were truly awful people. I don't want to waste too much time on these secondary characters, especially since talking about them will spoil the "surprise" of meeting them yourself if you want to read the book but it's safe to say I wasn't a fan of many of them. I did like Ian though and the newsies! I wish that we saw more of them, especially Ian, as the story progressed. I also liked Ada, who was fairly meek at first but who also bloomed a bit more towards the end.
Ultimately, I'm glad that this came across my radar! While it didn't necessarily blow me away, once the story got going I didn't want to put this down and I'm glad that it ended on a high note for me. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Addiction, Drug abuse, Death, Drug use, and Medical trauma
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Sexual content
reliures's review against another edition
4.0
Historical mystery taking place at the turn of the 20th century in New York where Tillie, a young woman from a rich family founds her life inexplicably changed when her sister is murdered by what could be a vampire while she finds herself increasingly addicted to various drugs.
I liked this historical novel. The author did a great job recreating the New York of 1899, the Gilded Age of old fortunes and the nouveaux riches. It also showed women’s conditions in that era where personal dreams of a professional career was discouraged or even forbidden, as domestic life were the only things a woman could do in western society during that time.
One other thing I liked is the inclusion of Dracula as a cultural objet during that period, with quotes being used throughout the story, and the public’s hysteria surrounding the release of the book and vampirism in general.
I liked the main character, her thirst for knowledge and ambition to become something other than what a patriarchal society expected her to be. Her fall into drug addictions was well portrayed in a realistic and detailed way, it’s not surprising since the author is also a medical physician. However I felt her recovery was a bit rushed, as in I wish there were more pages dedicated to that part.
Likewise the plot felt uneven and I felt the last 100 pages were also rushed in terms of the resolution of the mystery and each character’s arc. Some of the dialogue and interactions felt a bit YA too.
The romance between the main character Tillie and the side character Ian was cute but mostly boring and I didn’t care for it. Most of the other characters were pretty nasty in their behaviour and I do wish there was more female friendships especially with Tillie.
I did like the reveal of the murderer, I was surprised by who did it since I had another character in mind.
Overall a good book despite some pacing problems.
udflyer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Fast-paced and enjoyable YA Victorian murder-mystery
chrissireads's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0