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A review by jmbq_reads
Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai
5.0
As a descendant of the Chinese god of medicine, Elle was destined to be a powerful healer, but after a conflict with her two brothers left her and her brother Tony assumed dead, she has hidden her power while creating average-level protection glyphs as a magical calligrapher. She saves her best and most powerful work for one special and secretive client: Luc, a half-elven security agent for the mysterious Bureau. Their mutual pining fails to progress to anything overt because both carry painful secrets that make them feel unworthy. But when Luc is assigned to track down Elle's brother Yiwu, their worlds and secrets begin to weave together in ways that prove irresistible.
I was initially captivated by the idea of "magical calligraphy" and didn't really pay too much attention to the rest of the book's summary, so I started reading with no clear idea as to what I might find. This fantasy romance set in the modern world with immortal creatures and a wide variety of magical skills hooked me from the first mesmerizing lines and never let me go. Elle and Luc might be immortal, but their struggles and yearnings are wholly relatable and humanizing. Other characters are intriguing from the first as well: Elle's co-worker Lira and brother Tony hold their own on the page, and Luc's friction with his team members highlights the various personalities among them.
The story flowed smoothly, gradually ratcheting up the tension with multiple conflicts (Elle and Luc's budding relationship, Luc's mission, etc.) all the way to a powerful ending that really worked for me.
I'll also point out that the author's note at the end explained her purpose in using phrases in multiple languages (without translation) throughout the book as a deliberate way of making space for other cultures in a reading world heavily slanted towards the dominance of English. Well done.
Thank you, Tachyon Publications and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.
I was initially captivated by the idea of "magical calligraphy" and didn't really pay too much attention to the rest of the book's summary, so I started reading with no clear idea as to what I might find. This fantasy romance set in the modern world with immortal creatures and a wide variety of magical skills hooked me from the first mesmerizing lines and never let me go. Elle and Luc might be immortal, but their struggles and yearnings are wholly relatable and humanizing. Other characters are intriguing from the first as well: Elle's co-worker Lira and brother Tony hold their own on the page, and Luc's friction with his team members highlights the various personalities among them.
The story flowed smoothly, gradually ratcheting up the tension with multiple conflicts (Elle and Luc's budding relationship, Luc's mission, etc.) all the way to a powerful ending that really worked for me.
I'll also point out that the author's note at the end explained her purpose in using phrases in multiple languages (without translation) throughout the book as a deliberate way of making space for other cultures in a reading world heavily slanted towards the dominance of English. Well done.
Thank you, Tachyon Publications and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.