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!

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and kept my interest.
This book made me feel all the emotions.
Not my usual genre

"Opium and Absinthe" by Lydia Kang is an absolute treat for historical mystery lovers like me. Set in the glamorous yet mysterious world of 19th-century New York, it's a captivating mix of family secrets, murder, and the allure of opium and absinthe. Kang's writing is atmospheric, and her characters are wonderfully complex. If you crave a well-researched and suspenseful historical mystery that keeps you guessing, this book is a must-read. It had me turning pages late into the night and left me thoroughly satisfied with its twists and turns.

"Opium and Absinthe" by Lydia Kang is a captivating historical novel that immerses readers in the dark and mysterious atmosphere of late 19th-century New York City. The author skillfully weaves together elements of intrigue, occult mystery, and unexpected twists, creating a spellbinding narrative that keeps the pages turning. Set against the backdrop of Bram Stoker's Dracula, the story follows Tillie Pembroke as she grapples with the shocking death of her sister and delves into a world where reality blurs with the supernatural. Kang's portrayal of Tillie's addiction to both truth and laudanum adds layers of complexity to her character, making her journey all the more compelling. The exploration of Tillie's struggle to discern reality from hysteria in a world filled with vampiric slayings and opium-induced haze is both gripping and thought-provoking. With its evocative setting, well-crafted characters, and a blend of historical and supernatural elements, "Opium and Absinthe" earns its four stars as an enthralling and engrossing read that fans of historical mysteries and occult tales will thoroughly enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this eARC to review.

The book sounded interesting but when I started the book, I found that this book was not for me. There was also drug abuse and sexual assault from what I remember which I do not really like to read in books.

I´d say that this is a mixed bag - on the first hand a solid world-building and a very interesting set-up, on the other hand a very, very prolonged sleuthing for a possible (vampire?) killer/s combined with long passages describing the mis/use of various drugs as medicines. The authoress certainly has good writing skills, but I would love to see a sharper, more focused look on the plot development.

The synopsis was really excellent and I had been looking forward to this based on that but it really wasn't for me. I tried a few times but I think I wasn't the reader for this book.

Opium and Absinthe is a very peculiar book: the author purposely introduces its protagonist, Mathilda (Tillie) Pembroke under an extremely unfavorable lens to the point that, in my particular case, I began to despise her from the first chapter: a young woman from the high New York society whose sole purpose in life is to satisfy her curiosity (how important could the smell of elephants be to her?) and so easy to manipulate that she would take drugs from anyone...
However, the other leads, Ian and the kids, Pops, Piper and Sweetie are really the ones who pushed me to finish reading this book.
I guess I'm not used to this type of female protagonist, but the story is interesting and the reading becomes more agile as the plot progresses. In summary, Ms. Kang has written a novel with an unusual protagonist, a very interesting plot especially for readers of vampire and mystery novels, set in New York in the late 1800s and although some readers like me may don't be tempted to finish reading the adventures of someone like Tillie, in the end it's worth giving this book a try.

I liked the premise of this book a lot. The character growth was great and the setting brought in a mix of Golden Age and all the vampire lore I could want. The death of Lucy being mirrored by the character Lucy in Dracula was great. Maybe a bit too much on the nose for others but I thought it was perfect for the book. Ian was a nice palm against James, who was a bit heavy handed at times, Tillie was a perfect yet flawed heroine and I would love to read more of her stories. Especially after the book where it explores her life with Ian with her wants and needs away from her family.

I wasn't surprised by the gaslighting of the book but I do wish there had been a bit of a warning about it. It made me put the book down a lot, which is why it took so long for this review to happen. The mother and grandmother were a bit heavy handed as well. I'm not sure if I liked the idea of NYC as a character, especially on the turn of a century, but it sometimes worked. Other times, it did not.

I apologize for the lateness of this review. I did enjoy it as a solid 3 star read.

This novel sounded intriguing. However, it was not executed well. I did not like the narrator. I also found the vampire plot to be unnecessary and did little to enhance the plot.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice twist on the trotted out trope of an unreliable author by setting it in the 1890s. Though Tillie at times could be frustrating, I really liked her character, her grit and determination. I also really enjoyed the whodunit aspect. Whilst there had been clues it wasn't and obvious ending!.

Book 74 for 2022! 5/5 stars for this YA historical fiction! Why did it take me so long to read this one?! Especially when I should've known I'd love it! Great for fans of Kerri Maniscalco! Love the cover, it fits the story perfectly! Narration was great! Highly recommend!

TW: addiction, sexual assault

This book is a departure from a lot of the fantasy novels I usually read but I couldn’t resist the gothic undertones it had! It is a bit of a rambling book, but it works in this murder mystery context, especially with an MC who is lost in her own world. I didn’t mind the main character and enjoyed how she was trying to find out the identity of her sister’s killer. There were moments that required suspension of belief, which I didn’t really like, and the allusions to Dracula were a bit unnecessary. However, I enjoyed reading the story so I’m giving this YA novel a solid 3/5 stars.

Read but was not terribly memorable. I am clearing out the books published in 2020 from my "to review" shelf!

Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang is a historical mystery mixed with a bit of paranormal fantasy and a bit of romance. Of course I would be interested in this one as someone who loves all kinds of books this one looked like good genre soup to devour.

The story is set in New York City in 1899 where Tillie Pembroke has just lost her sister. Tillie has always been the curious type so of course she wants to know what happened to her sister and why. The case has gone cold pushing Tillie to take matters into her own hands.

Tille knows that her sister’s body was found with two puncture wounds in her neck and drained of blood. A new novel has just been published, Dracula, which Tillie picks up to read and finds a terrible similarity to her sister’s death. When more bodies are found Tillie knows she is tracking a vampire in the city.

Opium and Absinthe was not my first book by Lydia Kang having read a couple of others by her before. I expected going into this one that I would enjoy it and would find a creative story inside and both of those were true. I would say this one was a little slower pace than I would prefer and I’m not normally a huge fan of drug use stories but the creativity and nature of the time of this historical setting I still enjoyed the book. Overall I’d say this one rated three and a half stars for me and I’d definitely read this author again.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This one was not for me. The book had potential but I felt the other really went off track. Wish this one was more like the synopsis.

I adored this book! Not only was it entertaining but it also included tons of history-related information, especially about medicine.

Tillie Pembroke, the main character, is a loveable character due to inquisitiveness, her thirst for learning, her rebellion, want to be different from what society (and her family) expected from her.

Her older sister Lucy is found dead and exsanguinated by Central Park. Nobody seems shocked, no one is mourning their loss, no one is looking interested finding out who her killer is. Tilly takes it upon herself to discover the truth.

I loved Bram Stoker's Dracula inclusion in the story since the book was released in 1899, same year O&A is happening.

The substance abuse messed me up a little. So much daily drug usage, I wonder if it morphine and opium was really such a thing back then. This part of the story disturbed me, I have to say, but I felt satisfied with the ending

Very interesting read! You can tell the author did a ton of research and effortlessly blended several ideas together to create the story. We have a mix of inspiration from Dracula, to struggling with addiction, facing grief and feeling the pull of standing up for yourself and others and uncovering the truth no matter the cost.

Thank you to the publishers, Netgalley and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Yes, I know this book has been out for over a year ... my TBR is ridiculous. But I am so glad that I went looking for a gothic story to mark the beginning of Spooky month, and stumbled across this one.
The story centres around a rather shy and awkward young woman, Tillie, whose sister is found murdered and who is determined to find the killer. She has suffered a painful injury and, at a time when treating injuries and illness with 'cures' such as morphine and heroin, develops a habit that clouds her brain and makes investigating difficult. It also seems that her sister's fiance is keen on keeping her complacent, and she does not understand his motivations.
While investigating her sister, Lucy's murder, Tillie becomes obsessed with the idea that a vampire might be the killer and compulsively reads 'Dracula'. She meets a young Jewish boy, Ian, who helps her understand the world a little better and, eventually, the scales fall from Tillie's life.
As she starts to take control of her life the killer draws closer and soon Tillie is fighting for more than her independence.
This is a gripping read, beautifully written and researched. I loved the characters, especially the female ones, who were complex and layered.
I am sure this author is well-known, but this is the first of her books I have read. Although, it certainly will not be the last.

⭐⭐⭐.5 (rounded up)
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“Forgetting is an act of survival . We are women, Mathilda. We endure to survive."
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What a surprise 'Opium & Absinthe' by @lydiakang turned out to be. Initially I was uncertain about the dialogue and I struggled to hear the voices as believable people but as I moved further into the story, the dialogue started to feel more natural. By the end I'd forgotten all about it. Seems the Shakespeare effect struck.
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Tillie is what you want in a protagonist. Strong willed, flawed, & self assured once she learns her strengths, Tillie goes about solving the murder of her sister in the best way she can. Ian, Piper, Pops & Sweetie provide a wonderful support cast to all her ideas & schemes.
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I don't know how accurate the history or geography is within this story but I'm not sure it matters. The mental images created by Kang's lyrical descriptions builds a picture of substance that makes reality fell less necessary.
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This is a great read for anyone looking for a semi-gothic, Dracula infused, Halloween read.