A fast paced, mystery, sleuth, possibly vampiric, gothic novel. I read through this one pretty quickly and enjoyed the world created complete with intense patriarchal structure and substance abuse. Though at the time the substances were over the counter and pushed heavily by certain males to control. I was having a hard time figuring out who did it, since they all seemed like they were hiding secrets though some secrets ended up not being as nefarious as murder. I enjoyed Tillie's coming into her own rather clumsily through her fog of opiod abuse due to a extremely horrible bone break to her clavicle. This kind of addiction is common even now. The inner workings of the effects of drugs are fascinating as she tried to parse out fact from fiction in her sisters death. We weren't sure who to trust and who was shining her on to get to her money since she was the sole heiress to her family's fortune and to her Grandmama's chagrin she was a complete bluestocking. Her goals to have an occupation and become a journalist were not encouraged, except by one.

I recommend this to those who enjoy a fun mystery through gothic England with intrigue and speculation around vampires. This may not be for you if you are triggered by substance abuse involving opium, heroin, morphine, alcohol... they apparently sold heroin in tablets in the beginning. Those poor hysterical women needed to be controlled. I am so happy I live right now I would def be in a womans asylum for speaking my mind, profanity, etc.

By the way my favorite quarantine drink has been the Monkey Gland cocktail which is orange juice, grenadine and a splash of absinthe #stgeorgespirits #stgeorgespiritsabsinthe And I found my grandmothers cocktail book with another absinthe cocktail. Enjoy!

Favorite Quote - Words to Live by - Thanks Ian - “Don’t give up before you try. Defeat is particularly lethal early on in any journey; don’t let it be your compass.”

This was everything I had hoped Stalking Jack the Ripper would be. I loved this. Our heroine is ballsy and smart. Our hero is kind and sarcastic. King doesn’t shy away from talking about the liberal use of narcotics in Edwardian/Victorian society. The mystery is compelling and the murder isn’t too obvious. I love all things set in New York and it’s even better when they’re set in Old New York. I can’t wait for the next adventure. If you’re looking for a dark cozy mystery look no further.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. I was given the opportunity to read this book in advanced by Netgalley and when I started reading I wasn't sure I would like it, given that it's a little different then what I usually read. But I'm so glad I kept reading because I found the story to be one that was amazing to read. The story takes place at the beginning of the 1900's in NY where women were supposed to get married, have babies, and be complacent. But Tillie is anything but. When her sister is found murdered she takes it upon herself to learn the truth. Her journey takes her to learn all she can about vampires and to the streets of NY where she meets Ian, a newspaper guy who becomes her partner in her investigation. I found that the author did a great job of using enough description that I could picture the dresses, the setting, and the social relationships but without being so wordy that I got bored. I highly recommend this book and am very glad I read it.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to preread this book.

This was a tough book for me to get through. I really wanted to love it. Not only is the cover stunning, but the premise is right up my alley: a Victorian murder mystery about vampires and absinthe. I was thinking Sherlock Holmes meets Dracula. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

I found Opium and Absinthe to be very slow, so much so that I almost didn’t finish it, and I really disliked the main character, Tillie. For me to enjoy a book, I have to care about the main character. If not, it is all over. That was what happened here. I really didn’t care about her, at all, even as her addiction took control.

I also felt this read more like a YA than a Historical Literary Fiction novel. That wasn’t a problem for me, I love YA, it just surprised me. All in all, it wasn’t a terrible book, just meh. For that, I gave it 2.5 stars but rounded it up to 3 stars for the gorgeous cover.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this Victorian historical mystery. Tillie Pembroke, is not your typical Victorian female, she is downright shocking sometimes, with her consumption of drugs. Tillie, spends much of the books in an inebriated state of mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to review this arc.

I knew right from the first few pages that I liked Tillie’s character. She’s a young heiress in NYC high society, but she doesn’t quite fit in — she’s awkward and clumsy, and prefers research and learning to gossip and parties. Within the first few pages, she experiences a traumatic fall from a horse and breaks her collarbone.

While she’s recovering from her injury, Tillie manages to get herself mixed up in all kinds of drama. She quickly becomes addicted to the laudanum the doctor gives her, discovers that her sister was murdered, and starts reading the newest book hitting the shelves — Bram Stoker’s Dracula. When another body turns up, and the police aren’t doing much to solve these crimes, Tillie decides to take matters into her own hands.

Tillie is smart and brave, and there’s definitely something about a historical fiction where a young woman bucks societal expectations that always appeals to me. It was hard not to root for Tillie, even as she spiraled further into addiction. I think it is an especially important (and timely) issue to address, as our society faces the fact that addiction isn’t something that just happens to [insert specific group here]. While the story takes place in 1899, it is hard to find someone today who can’t put a face to addiction. Most of us personally know someone who has struggled with addiction, or have dealt with it ourselves. Many of us have lost a loved one. Even back then, high society ladies like Tillie had addictions. I love that the author didn’t shy away from that.

There’s definitely a strong gothic mystery theme throughout the book, and I couldn’t ever guess the twist. Just when I thought I had my finger on whodunit, something else would happen and I realized that my assumption was all wrong. No one was quite who they seemed, but the story developed well, and I was hooked right from the start.

One thing that I especially appreciated was the positive representation of the Jewish character, Ian (and to a lesser degree, his cousin). Ian was represented really well as a Jewish diaspora character. The use of Yiddish was accurate, well-done, and interspersed in the text in natural conversation. I grew up in a home where both of my parents spoke Yiddish fluently, and would randomly drop Yiddish terms and phrases into conversation, just like Ian did.

Tillie was a woman ahead of her times, and I really enjoyed seeing her journey throughout the book. The mystery held my attention and I couldn’t wait to figure out who was behind the murders. Even the supernatural element and the overlapping elements with Dracula were done really well. Overall, this book was a hidden gem, and I highly recommend it. So get out there and give it a read!

Having been a horror fan since I was a kid and having read an annotated version of Dracula when I was a teen, I’ve always been drawn to books about Vlad the Impaler and Elizabeth Bathory. So when I came across Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang, I was intrigued.

While the novel does weave in quotes from Dracula and the victims do have bite marks on their necks and all of their blood is missing, that’s where most of the on the surface similarities end. But the main themes in Dracula (besides good vs. evil) are addiction, dependency, and loss of control which are also the themes in Opium and Absinthe. From reading the synopsis I thought the novel was going to lean more towards the supernatural, but this was actually a pretty heavy read at times and definitely a slow burn.

Kang delves into addiction during the turn of the century and how it was another way to control women who were starting to question their places in society in a much more outspoken way than previous decades. Tillie starts taking opium for her riding injury, but begins taking more to deaden not only the physical pain, but the emotional pain of losing her sister. And then there are other people in her circle who want to keep her addicted for reasons of their own too.

There are times when the book didn’t exactly drag on, but with Tillie so out of it or sleeping because of the drugs, the story wasn’t as fast paced as some mysteries. At first I was going to skim to get to the mystery, but Kang entwines all of the aspects so well that I found myself wanting to read even the slower parts because they really were essential to the story. Besides a great portrayal of addiction, Lang also incorporates historical events and places during the turn of the century. And I did not see the final reveal coming which turned out to be a bit twisted.

Looking over the other titles that Kang has written it appears that a strong female protagonist is what she writes about, and if they are as good as Opium and Absinthe I will be super happy. A couple of the titles that I’m going to read (eventually!) are The Impossible Girl and A Beautiful Poison.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review
Tillie has always been the one that drew the frowns of her mother and grandmother and her sister Lucy was always the one that done the right thing and brought smiles to everyone’s faces. The Lucy was found dead with two puncture marks on her neck and no blood left in her body. Were vampires real and is that what really killed Lucy. The same day Lucy went missing Tillie fell off her horse and broke her collarbone. This started her spiral with addiction not only to drugs but also to find out once and for all what killed her sister.
With the help of Ian Tillie conducts research about vampires as well as looking at other murders in the city that were similar to her sisters. Her grandmother and mother all but lock her in the house that they say is to protect her but Tillie is resourceful and finds a way to meet Ian regularly so that they can continue their research. And the results were a surprise to everyone.
This was a great story not only about murder but also about the way women were restricted with their lives and how hard it was to be independent and live the lives they wanted to.
I found that the story was at times a bit slow going and I became frustrated at the behaviours and attitudes of some of the characters but that did not take away from the enjoyment of reading this book.

"Even if she be not harmed, her heart may fail her in so much and so many horrors; and here after she may suffer-both in waking, from her nerves, and in sleep, from her dreams."
-Van Helsing

"It was a strange thing to be awake within a nightmare".

Tillie Pembroke had an inquisitive mind asking endless questions, although, in the New York of 1899, eighteen year old Tillie was being evaluated by the yardstick of "marital and societal utility". Lucy, her older sister "...would buffer Tillie from their family's disappointment when she made occasional gaffes in public". "It was nearly the turn of the century, a lady could speak for herself sometimes", thought Tillie. Lucy, twenty-one years old, was "the very image of a Gibson Girl", soon to marry well-connected James Cutter. Back-to back shattering events changed everything. A horseback riding accident. Tillie broke her clavicle and was immediately given laudanum..."a soporific cloud settled over her mind"...oppressive pain...morphine followed.

"Get your WORLD for a penny", a Newsie cried. Headline- Vampire Strikes Manhattan, Kills Lady Near Museum...Woman Found Dead in Shadow of Metropolitan Museum of Art...Vampire-like Punctures Found on Neck....Empty Absinthe Bottle Found with Body...Victim Last Seen Wearing a Lilac Silk Dress....Cause of Death: Exsanguination. No blood found at the scene. Oh no! It was Lucy! Bram Stoker's Dracula had just been published. Lucy's death seemingly imitated Count Dracula's lust for blood. Tillie was determined to get her hands on a copy of Dracula...ASAP!

"I cannot live without my Lucy...Tillie drank her medicine...More. Another dose. I cannot be awake...Numbness would do...and so opioid addiction began. In moments of clarity, Tillie questioned...why would Lucy walk unaccompanied to the museum? Lucy seldom imbibed, why absinthe? Newsie Ian Metzger had a "keen interest" in murders. Both Ian and Tillie had the same burning curiosity over Lucy's death "...a dark, deep hole that begged to be filled with reasons and facts". How would Tillie circumvent the restrictions that kept her locked at home except for sanctioned social events? Was Lucy's death a vampiric killing? Count Dracula had feasted on the blood of a "Lucy". Two Lucys dead, hmm. Two bite marks on the neck, four inches apart...not a drop of blood on or near the victim. If not a Dracula-like murder, what other theories might exist?

"Opium and Absinthe" by Lydia Kang is a gothic mystery with amateur sleuths, Tillie and Ian as investigators. While there are enablers who keep Tillie supplied with opiates, she finds ways, albeit while sometimes in a fog, to dole out just desserts, some literal, others edible, as she tries to unravel the truth. This riveting tome stagnated a bit midway with too much emphasis on opioids. It picked up speed unmasking characters with dubious agendas then barreled to a surprising and satisfying conclusion. A mystery lover's delight.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this. It takes place in New York City in 1899. A lot is changing in the city in that time period. Tillie and Lucy are from a well-to-do family in high society. While Lucy is “perfect” Tillie is a bit awkward. Lucy is slated to marry a most eligible bachelor when she turns up missing. On that same day Lucy goes missing, Tillie falls from her horse and breaks her collarbone.. When she wakes up she learns her sister was murdered by exsanguination and had two puncture marks in her neck as if she’d been bitten by a vampire. Tillie is distraught and determined to find Lucy’s killer. As she investigates she must deal with her growing drug addiction, her family’s lock down and her growing affection for a reporter. I liked the characters, however flawed, and was glad Tillie had a mind of her own and was determined to work to get what she wanted in life. Most of her friends were very shallow and I can see why she was drawn to live a different lifestyle. The plot was interesting and I had a hunch I knew who the killer was but was never sure. I only have two complaints. The description of New York at the time was very thin. The other complaint is that the author, like Tillie must really love studying the dictionary. There were so many unusual words, it was a little weird. A little editing might help with that. Otherwise, I liked the book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love this book and im not usually a fan of Gothic novels but i as instantly intrigued in this book! a new take on the old vampire tales and narcotics usage. Tillie is my favorite and i could not have picked a better main character!
Kudos to Lydia Kang for sparking my interest in gothic novels! Definitely a must read book for everyone!

A great gothic thriller I couldn't put down. Great world building, setting and a fascinating cast of characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Gothic historical murder mystery with Victorian sensationalism to keep you turn page after page. I went into Opium and Absinthe thinking it might be a supernatural historical read and clicked the request button so fast, granted it is not but I am still glad I read it. We have a murdered woman drained of blood, an unreliable narrator, coupled with the Victorian era penchant for all things macabre and you get an engaging and gothic thriller. I highly recommend Opium and Absinthe to anyone who loves a dash of gothic to their mysteries.

Oh, my, what an unusual book. Set in gothic Victorian times in New York City 1899, it focuses on eighteen-year-old Tillie Pembroke whose older sister Lucy has been killed, drained of blood, and left with two puncture wounds on her neck. Tillie immediately is sure her sister has been murdered by a vampire and sets out to prove it. Before her sister’s death she is injured in a riding accident and is given laudanum and opium for the pain. This was common for the times for wealthy women to receive drugs for various ailments and in the process of the book the drug use increases. For some strange reason I kept having the recurring thought that I was glad I came from poor, hardworking people who just worked through their issues by forging ahead sans drugs.

There are so many characters in this book that I didn’t know who to suspect. Several new people come into her life to assist her on her quest for justice which made me immediately suspicious. The story became tedious at times especially around her escalating drug use, but I was impressed with her tenacity and dedication to the truth. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I gave this it 2 ½ stars rounded up to 3.

I was immediately drawn to the title and the cover of this novel at first glance. Reading the description had me hooked. This is set in the Victorian era, following Tillie into an investigation of her sister's murder at the hands of a "vampire". Tille is always reading and questioning, and her sister was her best friend and the one who kept her "in line", so to speak. After a fall from her horse, a broken collarbone leads Tillie to an opium addiction, which she also uses to ease her grief. This of course makes investigating so much more difficult.

This novel felt pretty slow to me. I did love the mystery, and the plot, despite feeling slow to me, did actually move along nicely. I think what did me in was the language and tone. I know it's meant to be Victorian, and usually this doesn't bother me. But I had to keep stopping to look up definitions, and sometimes I had to go on to Wikipedia to learn about some words because they had no definition. So that really took me out of the story, and so it took me much longer than usual to finish this novel.

All in all, I liked it, and I will be checking out her other work.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Tilly Pembroke has recently lost her beloved sister and from appearances it looks as though a vampire has killed her and drained her blood from her body. Tilly (after suffering injuries from a riding accident) has developed an addiction for opiates mainly Opium and Morphine and under a cloud of addiction she decides to hunt down her sisters killer herself since her family seem to have just accepted her murder and moved on.

This book is fantastic! I love gothic historical fiction and this book didn't let me down! The book opens your eyes to early medicine, early vaccinations, opiates and pain relief and how addictions can become severe very quickly and just as quickly get out of hand, murder, mystery, family history, family skeletons and friendship all in one book.

I look forward to reading more from Lydia Kang.

I loved this book. It was very interesting and kept me sucked in throughout. The story wrapped up nicely, and I loved the mc.

The ARC of this book was kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley.
First of all, can we talk about this gorgeous cover quickly? It's a stunner and it perfectly reflects the theme of the book. This novel had me hooked from the first paragraph, the writing style was wonderfully poetic in scenes and harsh and gritty in others, Kang was able to perfectly balance the mix of these. The mystery kept me enthralled, just when I thought I had figured it out another plot twist was thrown at me and I was left as clueless and interested as before. I especially enjoyed how the secondary characters progressed throughout, their development was realistic and I loved the small scenes we got with them. I've become of a fan of Kang's writing after finishing this and I'll be reading more of her works in the future.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for providing my the book in exchange for a honest review.

Most of this story was an eye opening and trippy as the characters themselves. We watch the main character, Tillie, spiral out of control with grief and drugs, dealing with the loss of her sister and her uncontrollable addiction. Her inner monologue during these drug induced haze are brillant and insane at times. Almost everyone around is a horrible shallow human being that should really look at themselves closely and stop telling her how to live her life. I really enjoyed when the charactered rebelled against her family and went out on her own to solve the mystery and live her own life her own way. My only gripe is :
This story's description of Gothic Victorian era portrayed it as having a high level of grandeur, but Opium and Absinthe missed the mark towards the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am obsessed with vampires so the description of this book grabbed me right away. Opium and Absinthe is a beautifully written Victorian murder mystery. Lydia Kang's descriptive writing brought the time period to life, particularly the New York City setting. I really loved the newsies element as well as the references to Bram Stoker's Dracula scattered throughout the book. I found myself frustrated with Tillie's actions at times because they were so dangerous. However, her character growth from the beginning to the end of the story was substantial and I wound up really liking her. Her newsie friend, Ian, was my favorite and I loved how his way of speaking added so much dimension to his character. This book is a complete escape into Victorian era New York City and I really enjoyed being immersed in that world for a little while. I did not figure things out so it was fun to travel along this mystery with Tillie and Ian, wondering which characters were hiding secrets. There were so many little stories thrown in with the main murder mystery and that added depth to the characters. I would definitely recommend this for your TBR this summer.

Plot Synopsis:
It's 1899 in New York City and Tillie Pembroke's sister Lucy has been found dead with two small puncture wounds in her neck. The papers are saying it was a vampire attack but Tillie vows to figure out who murdered her sister. She has always had an inquisitive and curious mind, much to her family's chagrin, so it's only natural for her to research this idea. As she speaks to various experts about the possibility of a vampire attack as well as other alternatives, she becomes fully immersed in this case.

At the same time, Tillie is growing increasingly dependent on the laudanum she's been given for an arm injury. She has people in her life who are all too willing to help her get more and more of it. Her sister's fiancé, James, is suddenly interested in her. She starts friendships with Ian, the newsie, and her doctor's son Tom and the family's new security guard makes Tillie nervous. More deaths follow the same pattern until Tillie doesn't know who she can trust. Unfortunately, trusting the wrong person could be deadly. Will Tillie solve the case before it's too late?