A killer is on the loose in the late 1800's, and it looks like victims are bled and have puncture wounds in their necks. Could it be the work of a vampire, a creature described in the newly published book "Dracula"?

As a Dracula fan, and general vampire lover, this premise really snagged me. Unfortunately, it was not so much a paranormal mystery as it was a drawn out description of a young lady's struggle with opioid addiction.

The MC Tillie is supposed to be an intelligent headstrong and independent young lady, very much outside of the social norms of the day. She wants to investigate the deaths, while at the same time battling a drug addiction. However, she just ends up just making illogical decisions which place her in danger all the time, which was very frustrating for me.

The other characters seemed to be very one-dimensional/stereotypical of the times and societal norms and were not engaging or interesting.

For me, the majority of the book dwelled on Tillie's opioid use and not on the murder mystery. Although this type of addiction was a common occurance during this time period, I feel that too much time was spent describing this, and it slowed the story way down so it was difficult for me to stay engaged.

A fun historical medical murder mystery that was enjoyable despite not being what I thought it would be. With depictions of addiction alongside the difficulties of a woman who desperately wants to solve her sister's murder against her families wishes, it was a fascinating story.

Tillie is an upper-class woman who recently had a riding accident that broke her collarbone. She was given opium as a way to keep her relaxed as the bones healed. Waking up after the incident, she learns from a newspaper that her sister, Lucy, has been murdered by what appears to be a vampire. Her family don't seem to care, placing harsher restrictions on what Tillie can do. Tillie is desperate to solve her sister's murder as further victims lead to suspicions surrounding a serial killer. Unfortunately, she finds herself moving from opium, to morphine, to heroin in a desperate fight to keep her painful grief balanced with the need to investigate.

The major issue I had with the book was Tillie and how young her voice seemed. I was expecting a slightly more adult feel to it. Don't get me wrong, it does address serious content matter, but the naivety and childishness in how Tillie originally came across stumped me. As the novel progressed I did find myself putting this aside and enjoying the story, but it was a hurdle.

Tillie is described as being inquisitive and clever. She's constantly reading, asking questions and generally getting disapproving stares from people who don't think women need an education. She's exactly the character I usually like.

There's a sentence right at the beginning where she's wondering why, when cats have kittens, the milk doesn't just continuously pour out of them. I find it difficult to believe a woman who seems to know a great deal about science hasn't come across the idea of suction.

Other than that her family were insufferable which did add a lot of tension and I appreciated it. I want to understand more about the Grandma and why she was such a horrible character. There are hints to secrets in her past, but they're never fully developed.

Apart from this, I did enjoy the story and the setting. The historical atmosphere felt realistic and well done. I especially enjoyed when Tillie visited the working-class areas and interacted with people who weren't so posh.

The plot could have developed at a faster pace, but I was happy with where it went and the reveal of the murderer. I was on the right track but didn't get the answer completely right, which is always good from a mystery.

I'm glad to see a story that doesn't demonize addicts, and I thought it handled Tillie's use of drugs very well.

The ending also wrapped everything up nicely, especially considering the dark themes within the novel, I'm happy with how the book turned out.

Overall, I struggled to connect with the characters and story at the beginning. However, by the end, the story had managed to capture my attention. I'd recommend this to people who enjoy a good historical mystery.

I'm not super sure what I think about this book. Its meh leaning towards good.

The mystery aspect of the story wasn't anything special, typical misleading subplots but a lot of the resolutions I guessed.

The most interesting part about this book was the addiction. The main character, Tillie, injures herself in the opening scene of the book and becomes addicted to the opium she was given to mitigate the pain of her broken collar bone and we deal with her struggling with that addiction at a time where doctors didn't really understand addiction.

Opium And Absinthe is a beautifully written.
A page turner that had me wanting more!
I couldn't wait to start this book when I seen that I was approved for the ARC from NatGalley!
Has some historical fiction crime genre in the mix.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher

This was a great piece of Victorian fiction with a paranormal twist mixed in. This book was easy to get lost in for the day. I definitely recommend this unique and beautifully written story.

After injuring herself in an accident, Tillie Pembroke awakes to find her entire life turned upside down. Her sister, Lucy, has been murdered in what appears to be a vampire attack, and Tillie begins to rely on opiates to relieve her physical and emotional pain. She resolves herself to finding her sister’s killer while battling an opiate addiction and attempting to evade the disapproving watch of her family.

I have to say, I really enjoyed this book despite not being a huge fan of the gothic genre in general. Usually gothic novels are very stiff in my opinion, and are somewhat challenging to read. Opium and Absinthe however was very fast-paced, enjoyable, and kept me turning pages until the end.

Although I was a fan of it, I feel it may not be for everyone. The murder-mystery aspect of it wasn’t the biggest draw, as I had figured out the “why” and was very close on the “who” at about 60% in. I don’t think that really hindered my enjoyment of the story though, because I was so invested in the journey and the way the novel was narrated.

I also thought that the characters were not the most lovable; the only one I really liked was Ian, and maybe the newsies, though they were not a large part of the story. Tillie was incredibly naive, almost unbearably so. I understand that as this took place in the 1890s, Tillie leads a very sheltered life as one of the elites, but it still was a bit unbelievable. I was constantly torn between feeling great pity for her because of the way her family treats her, and anger at some of her decisions. Despite that, I did greatly admire her perseverance, and desire to pursue knowledge despite her family’s views on a woman’s place in society.

In the end, I can’t quite put in to words why I enjoyed this as much as I did. Nothing about it stuck out, but the writing/story flowed in a way that was very pleasant to read. For now I am giving this a 3.5/5 rounded to 3/5, but I may round up after thinking on it a little more.

Content warnings: assault, murder, death of a loved one, mentions of rape, drug abuse
Intended audience: Adult

Opium and Absinthe was a great historical fiction crime novel. How could you not want to read it once you have seen that beautiful cover? The author's ability to to describe the setting was fabulous. It did have a slight YA vibe.

The premise of this book sparked my interest when I saw it in the line-up of Amazon First Reads. I was happy to see it pop up on Netgalley as well. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

This book is about Tillie Pembroke whose sister is found dead with two puncture wounds in her neck. The book takes place in 1899, around the time Dracula by Bram Stoker is published. Needless to say, Tillie who is interested in science and research jumps on the challenge to search for her sister's murderer. She comes across mysterious figures and she has a hard time trying to figure out what's real and what is not.

I leave the fact that Tillie is addicted to opiates out of this premise, because it's something that would have stopped me from reading it. Protagonists who are addicted to any kind of drug while researching a crime is one of my major tropes. I try not to touch books that use this concept, because I think a mystery should be a strong mystery without the need for the main hero to be confused by her own thoughts.

That having been said Lydia Kang executes this concept perfectly. Tillie starts using opium to ease her pain after an incident. This is how the addiction starts, which was something that happened often back in the 19th century. Sure, she didn't always remember what happened the day before; however, we did which I think was a strong way to eliminate my trope from the plot.

This novel has strong and well-developed characters and relationships. I can identify with Tillie to a certain extent, because I loved horror stories when I was younger so my real world also started to get muddled with the fictional world. I like the way she approaches the mystery and how she tackles her research. The way this novel is built up, you get to know the side characters really well, including what motivates them which adds to the mystery.

The writing is a bit of a mix between YA and Adult. I guess it's something you should be open to if you choose to read it.

Other than that, I enjoyed this Sherlock Holmesian novel a lot. I'm eager to read more of Lydia Kang's books now as they seem to be right up my alley.

"From the bestselling author of A Beautiful Poison comes another spellbinding historical novel full of intrigue, occult mystery, and unexpected twists.

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?

A ravenous reader and researcher, Tillie has something of an addiction to truth, and she won't rest until she unravels the mystery of her sister's death. Unfortunately, Tillie's addicted to more than just truth; to ease the pain from a recent injury, she's taking more and more laudanum...and some in her immediate circle are happy to keep her well supplied.

Tillie can't bring herself to believe vampires exist. But with the hysteria surrounding her sister's death, the continued vampiric slayings, and the opium swirling through her body, it's becoming increasingly difficult for a girl who relies on facts and figures to know what's real - or whether she can trust those closest to her."

Vampire mania and opium addiction? I'm in!

Lucy is the perfect daughter. Lucy is the oldest child. Lucy is dead.

Tillie, the younger sister, already feeling less than, finds it coincidental that her sister's death seems straight out of a newly released novel, "Dracula".

Rather than staying cooped up in a world of wealth and privilage, Tillie sets off to solve her sister's murder and find out what really happened. In the process, she discovers a whole world waiting for her, but one that's not always what she dreamed it might be.

As a nurse, I enjoyed reading about the old school treatments for common ailments and the way of life lived in this time period. I enjoyed the adventure from cover to cover! Tillie was a truly remarkable character.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.

Enjoyable plot and while we aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover, it's a very pretty cover! There were times though that I couldn't tolerate Tillie. Without revealing any spoilers, there are situations where she definitely puts herself in harm's way. I felt that the story dragged a bit in the middle and I would have liked it to be a bit more faster paced.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

We are introduced to the main character, Tillie, in a way that leaves us well and truly under the impression that turn-of-the-century (1899) high society in New York is not quite for her: she is not a particularly skilled horsewoman, and she finds reading and discovery a far more diverting pastime. Tragedy soon strikes, however, as there is a murder which has chilling links to a recent best-seller: Bram Stoker's vampire novel, Dracula. While trying to solve the mystery of her sister's death, she finds herself facing other battles: opiate addiction, and the pressures of being the sole heiress to a large fortune, not to mention the oppressive weight of her maternal grandmother's disapproval and control.

While Opium and Absinthe might take a little while to get going while it introduces us to Tillie, it soon picks up to become a rather compelling neo-Victorian mystery. Bram Stoker's Dracula is deftly woven in throughout the novel, with Tillie mulling over particular passages as she searches for clues, and with Kang beginning each chapter with a quote from the novel (although I should stress that reading Dracula is not a pre-requisite to enjoying this book). Alongisde Tillie, we have a number of other characters, many of whom may or may not be entirely trustwothy. Kang throws keeps us on our toes with some well-placed red herrings as we seem to get closer to finding out the truth.

My main takeaway was "Thank God we do not live an an era where doctors use dirty needles on their patients!!" I am kidding... kind of. A couple horrifying things happen in this book and medical horrors abound here. It makes for a very interesting read and I learned some history while enjoying a good story.

This book has mystery, murder, opium, villains, humor, Newsies, and a possible vampire. If you think any of these things would make for an interesting story then this one is for you. I had fun diving into this one and was equal parts horrified and fascinated throughout. This book spends a good amount of time exploring addiction that has parallels to current events. We live in a stressful time and this was a distraction that was needed at least for me.

I will say that there are some scenes and allusions to sexual assault that may be a trigger. It caught me by surprise so I wanted to get that out there.

Aside from a few select scenes, I really enjoyed reading this one. It was unique, fun, and also informative all at the same time!

Set in New York City, 1899, Kang has created a spellbinding story of addiction and intrigue. When Tillie’s sister is found drained of blood, her murder is too close in method to Bram Stoker’s recently published Dracula to be denied. Despite her eagerness to uncover the murderer, Tillie is hampered by a marriage proposal, a proud, overbearing family and an opium addiction. Unfashionably inquisitive yet succumbing to the seductive solution for her pain, Tillie struggles to make sense of the secrets she stumbles upon. The truth could be more sinister than even Stoker’s own story.

This is a well crafted and compelling story from Kang. The narrative is dark, delicious and infused with sinister undertones thanks to the insertion of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

dnf :( unfortunately I couldn't get into this one. It was pretty slow and I couldn't really get into the characters. I think you'd maybe like this more if you enjoyed Stalking Jack the Ripper.

Opium and Absinthe provided the perfect combination of romance and historical fiction. I found both the plot and characters incredibly engaging, and truly appreciated the way Kang was able to create such wonderful imagery of this time period!

This was the first book I have read by this author but will not be the last. I really enjoyed the story and had to keep reminding myself of the time period the book is set in and that this explains away the reasoning and rationale of the constant drug abusive the book concerns as at that point in History this was the norm. The storyline is well written and the characters well thought out and considered. I would heartily recommend this book to all who enjoy a good read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. The world building of Ms. Kang was extremely well done. I was pleased with the level of effort put into making this realistic. While I did certainly enjoy Tilly, I always love the scrappy heroine who knows too much, I just had a difficult time getting into this book. For me, there were the beginning to something great here, but it was almost as though the author Was rolling a d20 to see just how much adversity she could throw at the main character. Just how impossible she could make it for her. There is a suspension of disbelief to a point with any book like this but for me I couldn’t get past it all.
The world building as I said was lovely, some of the characters were truly excellent. This just wasn’t the book for me.

Tilly is a young and interesting woman from 19. century era, and when her perfect sister Lucy is found dead, she immediately thinks that the murderers were vampires. She also battles her own demones, addiction to opiates due to her recent accident.

For me it was description and cover love for the first sight. As a fan of Bram Stoker and Ann Rice and all other vampire themed literature I've enjoyed the book even it was a little slow for me and I recommend it.

Thrillingly told, with snippets from the original 'Dracula', Opium and Absinthe is not to be missed.