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A review by janae
The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
There's so much to say about this book! I'll start with the numbers and get into the whys of them.
Although my overall rating is a 3.75, that has to do with personal prefences related to character and craft. For pure enjoyment this was definitely a four! The first half wasn't my taste but I loved the second half.
from 1-10 I would give the book overall a 6, the writing a 7, characters a 5, world-building an 8, and plot another 8.
Overall this book is joyful, lighthearted, a fun magical romp, and filled with historical and fantastical ambiance. You will enjoy this is you love lighthearted fantasy, fun YA stories, and two friends in love with each other but in need of an adventure to push them closer. If you're interested in queer history or historical artists movements the first half should definitely spark your interest, along with the authors notes at the end.
I would say this book is not for folks looking for something character driven, a slow burn, or high/epic fantasy.
Book covers are magical. They pull you in and spark your interest, but sometimes it's not for the story you're actually getting. I interpreted the cover as something with a more magical main character and darker themes. But that isn't a fault of the book or the gorgeous cover, simply another way that expectations can affect the reading process. So I would caution anyone who has similar expectations that it's actually more lighthearted and the fantastical stuff doesn't start until the halfway mark.
For me personally in the first half I didn't learn as much about the characters as I wanted and didn't have a deep feel for who they were by the time I closed the book. At the same time, I enjoyed their story and I was rooting for them to make it. I would definitely be interested in a sequel going into the story of Chloe and Hyacinth, Lucien, and the ins and outs of the fae world.
Lastly, regarding diversity, of course our two main characters were queer. However it seemed like every character from "our world" was a white person. Two people were explicitly stated as white people, but no one was ever explicitly stated to be another race. I believe 'deep' was used for someone's skin tone, but there was no more information about them (culturally, etc) that gave us a clue to their background. One of the main characters, Esme, could conceivably be argued to be a person of color - this is definitely my head-canon - but at no point in the book is that explicitly laid out to make it clear to the reader. There was no other representation that I was aware of. For that reason I would hesitate to call this a diverse book.
Overall it was very enjoyable with only a few missteps along the way. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a fun, lighthearted magical adventure.
Although my overall rating is a 3.75, that has to do with personal prefences related to character and craft. For pure enjoyment this was definitely a four! The first half wasn't my taste but I loved the second half.
from 1-10 I would give the book overall a 6, the writing a 7, characters a 5, world-building an 8, and plot another 8.
Overall this book is joyful, lighthearted, a fun magical romp, and filled with historical and fantastical ambiance. You will enjoy this is you love lighthearted fantasy, fun YA stories, and two friends in love with each other but in need of an adventure to push them closer. If you're interested in queer history or historical artists movements the first half should definitely spark your interest, along with the authors notes at the end.
I would say this book is not for folks looking for something character driven, a slow burn, or high/epic fantasy.
Book covers are magical. They pull you in and spark your interest, but sometimes it's not for the story you're actually getting. I interpreted the cover as something with a more magical main character and darker themes. But that isn't a fault of the book or the gorgeous cover, simply another way that expectations can affect the reading process. So I would caution anyone who has similar expectations that it's actually more lighthearted and the fantastical stuff doesn't start until the halfway mark.
For me personally in the first half I didn't learn as much about the characters as I wanted and didn't have a deep feel for who they were by the time I closed the book. At the same time, I enjoyed their story and I was rooting for them to make it. I would definitely be interested in a sequel going into the story of Chloe and Hyacinth, Lucien, and the ins and outs of the fae world.
Lastly, regarding diversity, of course our two main characters were queer. However it seemed like every character from "our world" was a white person. Two people were explicitly stated as white people, but no one was ever explicitly stated to be another race. I believe 'deep' was used for someone's skin tone, but there was no more information about them (culturally, etc) that gave us a clue to their background. One of the main characters, Esme, could conceivably be argued to be a person of color - this is definitely my head-canon - but at no point in the book is that explicitly laid out to make it clear to the reader. There was no other representation that I was aware of. For that reason I would hesitate to call this a diverse book.
Overall it was very enjoyable with only a few missteps along the way. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a fun, lighthearted magical adventure.