Interesting to see a historical fiction that deals with addiction! I feel like you don’t often see that and it was done really well.

Set in 1899 New York, this historical mystery is well researched and well written. The descriptions and dialogue bring the period to life.

The main character, Tillie Pembroke, is an interesting and intelligent heroine whose observations of the world can keep a reader entranced. Since she is a very likable character, it becomes painful for a reader to see her growing addiction to opioids. However, it also makes it easy to understand, then and now, how an intelligent person can rationalize becoming dependent on a drug that is prescribed by a physician.

This is definitely a mystery and can even fit into the thriller category. The suspects abound and the characterizations are well done and depict the expectations and mores of the time.

This is a solid historical mystery with a satisfying ending. There is nothing to offend sensitive readers and the book is recommended for anyone who enjoys historical mysteries.

I'm a sucker for vampires and books about them so I was hoping this would be a good book. While it wasn't a vampire book, I was not disappointed at all. As I read, I began to really care about the characters. The murders gave it that little edge that really made it a great book. Great writing, smooth and keeps your attention throughout the book. This was a fun, quick read and I'm looking forward to reading more books from Ms. Kang.

This book was right up my alley in terms of genre... fascinating... read in one sitting. A must-read on my list!!!

I would definitely recommend the audiobook for this one. I did receive this book as a read now ebook from Netgalley but all thoughts are my own.

It took me forever to pick this up, but it definitely kept me engaged once I started it.

Tillie was an interesting character. Watching her descent into addiction and her striving to gain sobriety was fascinating. Her interactions with other characters were an excellent way to move along the story.

Where the story missed the mark for me was with the romance. First off, I don’t really like when suddenly all these people are romantically interested in the main character. It feels super disingenuous. I know James was meant to be an out of nowhere suspicious kind of match and I can forgive that. I found I didn’t like Ian as much as I probably should have and I feel like it was because he lost his jaunty attitude and became way to serious all the time. I especially despise the way the author handled Tom’s character. What happened, in my opinion, was a character assassination meant to put him out of the way as a love interest so Ian would be the only choice available. What happened was unnecessary and would not have effected the outcome if it didn’t happen. For that, I am very mad.

The end of the story got a little muddled. But overall I liked the book. The mystery was intriguing and I liked all the research that you can tell went into this book. My final rating is 3.75 rounded to a 4.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I admit in my joy at joining NetGalley I may have been overzealous in my requesting numbers. As this book has already been published, I am choosing to work on the current upcoming publish date books in my que. As I complete those I will work on my backlogged request and will provide a review at that time. I again send my sincere thanks and apologies.

Opium and Absinth is fascinating historical fantasy, which got the idea from two historical events that happened in 1899 - Bram Stoker’s Dracula first publishing in America and newsies strike in New York. So using the hysterics that Dracula aroused and the ease that doctors prescribed opium based tonics and Bayer’s new cough tablets that consists heroin, Kang created a captivating story. The protagonist is a young girl from high society, who does not want to do the tradicional things, gets seriously injured on a day, when her sister goes missing. When her sister is found with wounds on her neck, she is already using laudanum, and when she starts looking for a truth, what happened to her sister, she needs more and more support from this secretive and highly addictive tonic. A newsie comes to her help, since he wants to know what happened too, and he also likes this unusual girl. And then there are some more “helpful friends” who keep our heroine floating in an intoxication. Everybody has their secrets and they find it helpful, when Tillie is not too sharp.
This story, whti its historical facts and fascinating fiction, keeps you reading and the ending is not at all what you would expect.
Good read.

I am sorry but I didn't finish this book.
It was too claustrophobic for my tastes. On one hand, I really appreciated Tillie as a character. Her inquisitive mind was refreshing and interesting. I loved this side of her. And the idea of a character who is becoming an addict was interesting, too. And well developed. I think that here the author did an amazing job.
But all the book, all the interactions with Tillie and her mother, grandmother, and maid are too claustrophobic for me. On one hand I would say that the author did a great job here, but it was just too much for me.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The characters in this book are absolutely fantastic. I really loved following their story.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lydia Kang and Lake Union Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't read many novels in this genre, but I've enjoyed Kang's work from the beginning. Her novels are such a different and interesting take on historical fiction. There are a lot of twists and dark turns that this novel takes and it made it so much easier to cruise through. I really enjoyed the main characters and really mistrusted everyone else because everyone has secrets. The addiction issue in this novel was so interesting compared to today, such a good idea to make it that our main character got addicted and then friends and family were doing everything and anything to keep her addicted. Overall, a really interesting and addictive novel.

Opium and Absinthe is the first book I've read by Lydia Kang and I wasn't sure what to expect.
I'm a big fan of vampire and gothic literature as a whole, and in that aspect, this book really delivered.

The writing style was thoroughly enjoyable and I found myself transported to New York City in 1899, envisioning it all so clearly in my minds eye.
There were a few plot points that I wasn't expecting, and it did have me guessing on a couple of occasions. A great mystery.

I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

Thank you @netgalley for the gifted eARC of ’Opium and Absinthe’ by @lydiakang.
—
First BIPOC author read of 2021! 🎉 Where are all my gothic/historical fiction lovers at? (Think Mexican Gothic and Dracula).

𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺, 1899. 𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬. 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢, 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦—𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵?

𝙏𝙒: 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙜 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 (𝙊𝙥𝙞𝙪𝙢, 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙣) 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙩

Key Highlights:
🧪 Sister/Sister dynamic relationship
🩸Amateur sleuthing detective work 🕵🏻‍♀️
🧪19th century New York royalty
🩸Opioid addiction awareness
🧪Strong lead female character
🩸Somewhat slow burn gothic setting
🧪Great blend of mystery & drama

If you love the slow burn historical gothic fiction vibe and setting, then this is for you!

As soon as I read the synopsis for this one, I knew it was right up my alley...historical fiction AND vampires? Yes please. I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed at all. Tillie was such a fun character to follow and I felt for her so much in her addiction and her desire to solve her sister's murder. The side characters were all interesting as well. The setting was one of my favorite parts, as the author spent time using medical practices from that era and that's one of my favorite things to see in novels. It immediately became a new favorite for me and I ordered a signed copy so I could have it on my physical shelf. Definitely recommend!

Found the heroine to be immature and not likable, and the story just didn't seem to hold onto its own legs with everything that was thrown in and then the whole 'functioning under all these drugs' just did not seem realistic. Points for who the killer was end their motive, but it was a lot of gritting teeth to get to that conclusion

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for my e-ARC copy, in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I must say, I went into this novel entirely blind, unsure of the premise, genre, or ANYTHING. I fully admit to judging a book by it's cover, and in this case it paid off. I would definitely give it a solid 4.4/5 stars, but I decided to round up because it was just so damn enjoyable. Lydia King, you have knocked this one out of the park! And this is your debut novel?! Consider yourself an auto-buy author in my book (pun intended.)

This gothic style historical fiction follows a young, rich, socialite, Tillie Pembroke. Tillie is used to having it all, and a life perfectly laid out for her, until her perfect goody-two shoes sister is murdered. Tillie refuses to just move on, and become the lady she is "intended" to be, and decides to investigate her sister's suspicious death. This story has a dash of "who-dunnit", sprinkled with the supernatural, and a spark of romance.

Highly recommend, I couldn't put it down and devoured it in a few sittings! This was a book that was playing scenes in my mind in-between readings, and I would definitely read again.

CW: Drug abuse, and physical abuse

This gothic tale of mystery, investigation, and 19th century society is beautifully written. You are immersed in Tilly's world of the high expectations and stifling rules that come with being a young girl from a well-to-do family. Tilly's world turns upside-down when her sister is murdered - puncture wounds and exsanguination point to a vampire of all things. As she recovers from a broken collarbone, Tilly begins to research vampires and investigate her sister's murder. While Tilly initially takes opium and laudanum for her pain, the drugs become a crutch for her to survive her restrictive circumstances. Eventually, others exploit her addiction and try to deter her from investigating her sister's murder and corresponding with journalists. But she will not give up her search for justice for Lucy - even if it costs her life.

This story starts off promising and the ending is very satisfying (and surprising!), but a great deal of the book is slow. Tilly is a fine FMC - I found her most compelling when she was lucid (which is not a lot of the book). She puts herself and others in dangerous positions and honestly is very gullible. I did appreciate her commitment to her writing and finding justice for Lucy, and she was kind-hearted. But she wasn't enough to keep the story moving at a good pace. So while this book is beautifully descriptive and detailed, it took far too long for the story to pick up and head to its resolution.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. *

I really enjoyed The Impossible Girl, so I was excited to read Kang’s latest book. I have been on a huge Gothic kick lately, and this book sounded right up my alley. Sadly, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Ok, it should be obvious from the title that the story has drug use in it. I was expecting that. But I was not expecting the degree that it dominated the entire story. There was simply too much focus on the drug use. It overshadowed (almost to the point of elimination) the murder mystery plot, the Gothic atmosphere, and any personality of the main character.

It was too hard to be invested in Tilly because the reader does not get to know her before she becomes addicted to opium (not a spoiler since that is in the publisher’s description). And her addiction overshadowed her whole personality. She was supposed to be nerdy and quirky and rebellious against society’s restrictions. But her addiction controlled her life from the very first chapter and left no room for any depth of character. Instead, the reader is bombarded with countless descriptions of her highs, withdrawals, and constant search for her next fix. It literally drives the whole story.

Admittedly, this was the second book in a row that I read which featured drug addiction, so I was already getting worn out on the subject. That only magnified my disappointment that the other elements of the story were shoved aside so much in favor of showcasing Tilly’s time chasing the dragon.

I do understand why the story was set up this way. The point is true that addictive drugs were prescribed for every ailment, large or small, with no thought to how damaging and addictive those drugs were. Lots of bad things were advertised as “medicine.” And this was before government regulations about drug prescription and warning labels. Opium, heroin, and other strong drugs truly were prescribed regularly without knowledge of the risks. It was interesting that Keeley’s Gold Cure was included in the story too. Although the story did not elaborate on it, the Gold Cure was supposed to cure alcoholism and other addictions. Unfortunately, it contained problematic ingredients including strychnine, boric acid, and atropine. Yes, seriously.

But while I appreciate the social commentary, it didn’t make for an entertaining read. As I mentioned, the mystery and the Gothic atmosphere were frequently shoved aside in favor of describing Tilly’s addiction. The entire story is seen through that lens, so all of the other elements were obscured. I wish the story had been more balanced to allow the good ideas of the story to shine through. It was an interesting premise, and the time period was well-researched. But the focus on drug use was a bit too much for me.

Could vampires be real? That is what Tillie Pembroke has to ask herself after she found her sister's body drained of blood. Could Bram Stoker's book been more than a work of fiction?

"Opium and Absinthe" reminds me a bit of "The Yellow Wallpaper." The truth is clouded by the poison (medicine?).

It is a bit interesting to contemplate drug use (or over use) in an earlier era. This slow moving mystery will keep your interest throughout!

I'm so obsessed with this type of story right now. It's that just-right blend that's hard to describe and perfect for pandemic reading days where I'm not quite sure what I want but I do know I want to be swept away. Intelligent and atmospheric.

I really enjoyed this book, the writing style, pacing and characters were all just perfect. I haven't read anything by Lydia Kang before but I will definitely be looking for more to read by her.