Reviews Posted: March 9, 2023
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Storygraph

I don’t quite know how I feel about this book, but as of right now, I feel that it was just fine. There were parts of it that I absolutely loved and other parts that fell short.

I loved the magic system and the world-building in this book. I thought it was done very well and I enjoyed finding out new things as the book went on. The author did a great job of showing the world instead of just info dumping. On top of that, I found the world interesting and it is not something I have seen a lot of and definitely not done in the way the author did it.

I also felt that the plot was interesting and it was the main thing that ket me turning the page. The author did an amazing job of intertwining different storylines together. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out how everything was connected.

Now the thing that made it really hard for me to fully get invested in this book was the two main characters. I just did not care for either of them and I found myself putting the book down despite my interest in other parts of the book. I also felt no chemistry between them so that defiantly did not help.

Bitter Medicine follows Elle, ignored middle child of a Chinese god of medicine destined to be a doctor, but after her younger brother attempts to kill their older one - she fakes his death and takes him into hiding where they live under assuming lives where she squanders her skills as a magical calligrapher. Years go by and Elle refuses to let anything risk their safety until a slow burn friendship with one of her clients Luc grows under her skin to something more.

But Luc has his own secrets - he's the top fixer for the magical world and his next job is bringing in Elle's younger brothers for murder charges. He's got a tyrannical boss that won't let him quit and no life outside of work - until he finds something more with Elle. But with their paths converging on her family - there's little that can stop them from a collision path to uncovering each other's secrets.

This book drops us in the middle of a world already built, with the big fight already in the past - the MC is already on the run, hidden away from the truth. We see the beginning of the story only from flashbacks which made the reveal so much more worth it. So much magic, lore and species exist in the world hidden away from the mundane. Luc is half elf and we see how his burden as a "halfling" hasn't changed over the years - the abuse he faces from work is something he quietly accepts until he finds someone that cares for him. It was incredible to see him find a cause that made him pursue his own happiness.

The culture clash is REAL - but asian family expectations will exist in any universe and Elle is burdened by them. Loving both her brothers and unable to let them destroy each other - her only response is to run and hide them away. Get ready to have your heart strings pulled.

While I loved a LOT of things about this book it also has my LEAST favorite trope - the MC sacrifices all her magic for the sake of a man. Romantic or not, I hate this trope so much and it nearly made me quit reading it. I was hopeful that she would somehow get her powers BACK! but alas no, the rest of the story is just her learning to live as a normal human.

As long as that trope doesn't bother you, I highly recommend this book for the adult cozy fantasy vibes with a blending of cultures, magic, HEA and the idea that family does not matter over all.

rep// Chinese MC

cw// dark magic, violence, life-threatening injuries, abusive families, mind compulsion

Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While reading this book, I could really see that the author had amazing ideas. The worldbuilding was interesting, characters had great chemistry and I loved the authors approach to language. Unfortunatly the execution was lacking: some plot points felt rushed and character development needed just a bit more attention. Nevertheless, I applaud the author on this book!

This was super cute! I adored Elle and Luc’s relationship they were super cute and the story was a fun little cozy fantasy romance. I also completely adored Elle’s relationship with her brother Tony they were super cute and Tony might actually be my favorite character in the entire book. I need a prequel, I need a sequel but most importantly I need a book from Tony’s POV. the Dual Pov was also super fun and complete;y necessary given Luc’s predicament with his boss. I also liked seeing Luc interact with his work team and learning about his history and Elle’s history. I really liked the conflict and family and sibling dynamics. The plot was unique and fun and I'm gonna need to reread it asap because like I said elle and Luc are super precious. Elle was very relatable if a little insecure but she is also incredibly strong loving, and loyal and I adored the adventures she and Luc had.

This book met my expectations just as I had hoped it would. A swoon-worthy urban fantasy romance featuring both advanced technology and ancient magic. Even though there were a few that I didn't really bond with, but this debut novel was excellent and simple to follow.

The part of the book that I find most impressive is how the author skillfully combines multicultural magic systems from different cultures with a contemporary setting. Here, we're talking about Chinese magic systems and combat from the Xianxia period as well as fae lore from Europe and other mythologies. This is new to me personally.

I really loved how they built a fascinating, rich world with enchantment systems and all the cultural allusions. However, before starting the book, I suggest reading the author's note because it offers insight that adds a new level of understanding to the cultures and languages in use.

It did take me some time to understand what was happening. There is a lot of talking and not much else occurring as the story is suddenly thrust into our laps. Although the beginning is a little abrupt and disjointed due to the fast pace, everything ultimately comes together and begins to make sense.

The number of worldbuilding and magic in this story was fantastic. It unmistakably had a mythological vibe from the past. With Tsai's writing's ease, I was drawn into the universe and found that it was more comfortable there than in my own. It has a warm, tranquil atmosphere that is perfect for reading during afternoon tea.

It was simple to adore these characters too! Elle, our main character, is a very approachable peacekeeper type who is just plain cute! She was also the least egotistical person I have read recently. Even though they were essentially all attempting to kill each other, she gave her life every day to make sure that her family survived.

Luc was a skilled murderer and was infamous for lacking personality, yet he let that little guy flourish with Elle! He embodied the badass with a beautiful heart so incredibly well! Although I do occasionally find their back and forth to be a little awkward to read, Lucien and Elle are the perfect cure. I love their relationship and the way it develops.

The supporting cast, which included Tony, Lira, and the Wrecking Crew, offered such endearing comic relief that it perfectly counterbalanced the story's more somber moments. My favorite part of the tale was also undoubtedly seeing these characters become closer to one another throughout the book.

Overall, there is something here for everyone, and I would describe it as lighter slice of life dream :)

I'd like to thank Tachyon Publications and NetGalley for providing this ARC! All opinion are my own.

The Good: Diverse magic, urban fantasy, and romance!
The Bad: Page-turning and pulpy, be prepared for late nights
The Literary: (Untraslated) Chinese and French throughout

Elle has been laying low for 26 years as a B-grade magical calligrapher at a fairy temp agengy, hiding from her family and, in particular, from her murderous little brother. As a descendent of the Chinese god of medicine, she’s destined for more, and allows herself to put a little extra of her power into the glyphs commissioned by her handsome French half-elf client Luc.

Bitter Medicine is a xianxia-inspired contemporary fantasy romance, and there’s so much to love about it. The worldbuilding is diverse, with distinct eastern and western cultures, and, my favorite, a sprinkle of multiple languages. Tsai chose not to translate the few phrases back into English, which I love. It inspires the reader to see through the characters’ eyes and adds to the worldbuilding.

The magic is front and center, but the fantasy elements, the elves and gods and sphinxes, feel as though they are a natural part of the world, which adds to their credibility. The fantasy elements are set in several urban cities, so from one moment to the next the characters are discussing their lives a hundred years ago while also commenting on the rising cost of living in San Francisco.

The chemistry between Elle and Luc rises and falls with larger narrative, and I love their romance. They’re both well rounded protagonists, with Elle’s most annoying feature being that she’s extremely talented but so self-sacrificing she can’t see her own worth. The two sex scenes are quite steamy and emotional, in a good way.

The plot deftly avoids archetypes and cliches, and I’m surprised how often the plot sets elements up, resolves them, and then moves on. Dramatic misunderstandings and secrets are revealed by the characters actually talking things through. The first large obstacle, Elle’s brother, is resolved earlier than expected and new, better challenges arise.

Highly recommended for fans of urban fantasy and fantasy romance!

Included as a top pick in bimonthly March New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

{3,5}

It is a little difficult to talk about Bitter Medicine, because although I liked some aspects very much, some things were not work. To begin with, I really liked Elle, she was a very sweet protagonist and the relationship with her brother was very cool to follow, I also liked many things related to Chinese mythology, unfortunately it was not something I had much knowledge of and I thought it was too confusing to understand certain rules at some points. Luc was also an interesting character, even though he was the complete opposite of Elle, his views always had more violence, it was a nice contrast. The romance developed too quickly for me, but I like books where the romance happens more slowly, so it might have been a personal issue. Overall, it's a good debut book and I see a lot of potential in Mia, I'll be keeping up with her! Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Fantasy romance doesn’t always work for me, but the plot of Bitter Medicine sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try.

And I did enjoy reading it, but several things didn’t work as well for me as I’d hoped.

First though, I did enjoy the world building. My favorite parts were when the main character Elle, a descendant of the Chinese god of medicine, worked on creating glyphs for Luc, a French half-elf who becomes her love interest, in her shop. For some reasons I kept getting the vibes of Artemis Fowl, except for adults. And I loved Artemis Fowl!

I also really liked all the side characters in the story. In fact, I wished the story would have featured one of the side characters as the main character! If there is another book in this world and it features Elle’s brother or her friend, I’d love to read that.

Unfortunately what didn’t work for me as well was the relationship between Elle and Luc, and also the pacing. Elle and Luc went back and forth between being awkward with either other to overly familiar with each other too soon, and it felt disjointed to me. And I felt a little second hand embarrassment during the first sexy time. It was awkwardly written and yet the characters weren’t acting like they felt awkward. And I’ve read my fair share of sexy times! But a lot of this is just personal preference, so I’m sure many readers will enjoy Elle and Luc’s relationship.

I also couldn’t get on board with the pacing. At times Bitter Medicine felt like it wanted to be a cozy fantasy with some romance. Then it seemed like it wanted to be an urban fantasy. Then it seemed like it wanted to be a fantasy romance. I just with it would have leaned heavily on one thing or another and not shift back and forth.

Still, this is a debut novel and the author has a lot of talent. I’d love to read whatever she writes next.

I am blown away that this book is Mia Tsai’s debut novel! And can we please take a moment of silence for this stunning cover?!?!

This contemporary fantasy that she created was such a delight to read, and I enjoyed every moment of it! I loved all of the world building and multicultural magic systems and how they all blended together. The power of jade, glyphs, teleportation, magic, and so much more was just so cool to experience in one book!

Elle is a descendant of the Chinese god of medicine, and Luc is French and half-elven. Elle uses her magic to create glyphs for her clients, which is how she met Luc several months ago. When the story starts, we’re dropped into these relationships, as if we’ve been there from the very beginning. Elle and Tony’s relationship was great, and I love how much they cared for each other in different ways. Also, Tony is hilarious! He kept me laughing in almost every scene he was a part of. Reading Elle and Luc wrestle with their feelings for each other had me smiling the entire time. When they finally admit said feelings, it felt like such the perfect moment in the book. I loved how they both supported and communicated with the other even in times of distress. And don’t get me started on when Luc calls Elle “my heart” … SWOOOOON.

The afterword from the author was such a great explanation on the different languages shared in the book (code-switching), and I hope this allows more readers to feel included and seen in this book.

This was overall such a fun and sweet book. There’s magic, lore, love, sacrifice, betrayal, and forgiveness in this book… What more could you want? I would definitely recommend this book!

Mia Tsai's "Bitter Medicine" is a xianxia-inspired contemporary fantasy that centers on the romance between Elle, a Chinese immortal, and Luc, a French elf, as they try to balance love, family and workplace demands.

Let's start with the romance. Elle and Luc are fully fleshed-out characters. Elle is a descendant of the Chinese god medicine. She's the middle child juggling work, her desire to be with Luc, a murderous sibling on the lam and an elder sibling who likes to forget that he's got a magical birthright. And you have Luc, charming and awkward at the same time somehow, with a dark past and an abusive boss.

But when they get together? Their chemistry is off the charts. Time and time again it's proven to the reader that these two are meant for each other. When they're together, for once, the burden of their responsibilities fades away.

Tsai proves herself to be a master of witty banter and clever prose, immediately drawing me into the novel. to me, this is where Tsai shines the most. She also has a knack for describing actions in detail. With Tsai's writing, it's easy to follow along Elle, creating glyphs and making magic with each stroke of her calligraphy brush:

"There are nine strokes in the character for "fly," and Elle imbues each one with the determination to leave the heart, to sore into the sky." Three strokes to create a beating wing, feathers spread and vibrating, straining against the atmosphere."

But the clarity in prose does stop there. At times, it's hard to get a sense of place. Characters battle it out or enjoy a date, the scene situated in a space that's difficult to envision. It's a minor problem since I don't think it's Tsai's style to be a very descriptive writer but there are times when I think she trusts the reader a little too much. I would have loved to see how she'd describe the setting, which varies greatly given that characters have magical capabilities that allow them to easily travel across the world in minutes.

There's also the matter of scene length. I think that Tsai may have enjoyed crafting her hilarious dialogue too much. There were times when I could feel that a scene ran on too long, already making its point but somehow dragging along. I felt like editing for conciseness would have benefited the scenes. I'm sure people who primarily enjoy the romance genre would enjoy more airtime with these two.

Bitter Medicine was a wonderful fantasy love story, with a message that hits close to home for many people, especially for people from cultures that uphold close family ties. Is it selfish to want your own happiness? Must personal happiness be relinquished in favor of duty?

If you want to meditate on these questions about family and diaspora while being immersed in a contemporary fantasy world featuring a swoonworthy love story, Bitter Medicine's for you.

Bitter Medicine starts as a fantasy romance but deepens out into a story of choice.

We meet Elle as she is at work. It is clear that the work does not give her much challenge to her skills and that a lot is going on with her family. When Luc enters the store there is a clear attraction going on between them. As the interactions between them grow so do the fantasy elements surrounding them.

When I first started this story I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into. It started off a bit slow and the fantasy wasn't quite so well defined. But as the story progressed I got sucked into the lives of Elle and Luc. They both have a lot going on. Where Elle is in hiding with her brother from her other brother, Luc is stuck in a service that makes him do things he doesn't want to.

As we get to know Elle and Luc better the fantasy elements of the world start to clear up. Elle is an immortal with a lot of talents towards potions and the like. While Luc is a half elf. And as we see more of the world and the other characters (Lira, Tony, the Wrecking Crew) this story deepens out quite a bit.

In the end it is all about choices. For Elle the choice to live a little instead of hide. Even after the event, she still needs to make that choice. Where as Luc has to make the choice to choose himself. To stand up for himself and get his own life back. It is interesting to see how they move through that. And it was good to see that after the event things weren't so easily moved away from. Elle needed a lot of time to get used to her new normal. And Luc respected that. Respected that their relationship wasn't going to just continue on from before naturally.

All in all this was a great book to read. I certainly wouldn't mind reading more in this world or more about some of the side characters. Tony or The Wrecking Crew please.

I love the asian (chinese) representation and the fantasy... but I don't want to spoil anything!!I would recommend this book to anyone!.

Wow what a book.

The good:

- We are dropped into the world and left to figure out its rules on our own. This is my favorite kind of worldbuilding - no info dumps, just artfully placed hints as to how things function.

- In the same vein, Tsai trusts the reader to put things together. If you miss the first hint or three it's okay, it all gets explained eventually, but having that 'click!' feeling when a detail falls into place? Golden.

- This is fantasy romance, and fairly evenly split between the two genres. If you're a romance reader that's looking to get into fantasy (or vice versa), this is a fine place to start - enough plot for the fantasy people, enough relationship building for the romance folks.

- Ground is covered, both literally and figuratively, in Luc and Elle's relationship. Things change over time as they go from workplace acquaintances/friends to lovers.

- Both characters are caretakers, but Elle does it at the expense of herself. Luc shows her another way, where she can do what she needs for herself while also being there for those she loves. The dynamic reminds me of Murry and Tyler in Too Hot to Touch by Katy James.

- Speaking of dynamics I'm reminded of, Luc reminds me of Jean Claude from the Anita Blake series in that he takes care of Elle, but is also f'ing scary in a fight. Also, people have secrets for Actually Good Reasons, which calls to mind any Emily Sullivan book (but especially The Rebel and the Rake).

- Several non-English languages grace the pages, written in their original scripts which is so rarely seen. All of the utterances are minor, so there's no translation or gloss into English. Tsai explains her reasons for doing this in an author's note at the back and it is brilliant.

- Chinese culture, in particular, plays a big role in the story and I love the way it's woven into both the magic and Elle's world.

- Elle has some wonderful scenes with her brother, while it's also very clear that family is not an obligation (huzzah!).

Neither-here-nor-there:

- I expected violence, but the fights had more blood than I was prepared for, almost reveling in it. It stuck out to me because I haven't read a book like this in a while, but your mileage will likely vary.

I haven't mentioned the plot because I don't want to give anything away, just know that it's solid and interesting and that I couldn't put the book down - I kept reading "one more chapter" instead of making dinner or going to bed. Bitter Medicine is a debut that doesn't read like a debut, a fantasy romance I can recommend even if you usually dabble in only one of those genres. Wonderful stuff, and I can't wait to see what Tsai comes out with next.

3.75🌟, rounded up to 4🌟


This novel! The fantasy side of it is [chef's kiss], I truly adore the way the author pretty seamlessly mixes the European and Asian mythical beings together in this book.

The siblings drama also got me. At one point the tension was really hitting and I couldn't stop reading. I will say that I saw room for the author to turn up the drama and angst even more for optimum heartache. The amount present in this book was sufficient enough, but pretty tame imo

The romance is the primary section where my ratings for this book took a dive, though. At first I was invested in Elle and Luc's relationship, but once they decided to take the jump into a romantic relationship together, I lost almost all of my interest in them. Partly because it happened way too early in the book (around 50% in) and partly it's because for some reason their interaction with each other felt very... sanitised? Even during the bedroom scenes, I didn't feel any sexual tension etc from them. Maybe it's a me thing idk but yeah, the romance definitely let me down.

Ending this review on a brighter note, I love reading the author's note at the end! Particularly when she explains the reason why she opted to not translate all the non-English dialogues. I love her reasoning and I support it :)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

elle, a descendant of the chinese god of medicine, is employed as a magical calligrapher (which is way below her qualifications, but necessary so that her murderous younger brother doesn’t find her). but she still likes to challenge herself, specifically through providing her client and crush, luc, with high-powered glyphs.

while the magic system was unique and interesting, some aspects of it confused me. i wish this was explored a bit more in-depth so i could have a deeper understanding of this aspect of the story.

the main focus of this book was romance, though. i thought that the romance was nice, but it didn’t captivate me as much as i was hoping it would.

A wonderful romance set against the backdrop of a well-built fantasy world. I loved the way the author handled the mingling of different languages and cultures, and developed the way different parts of the world have different ways of using magic. I also felt like the magical world and the real world were integrated well in this book, which is not always the case in an urban fantasy. Although the book was mostly about the romance (which was incredible), the worldbuilding was strong enough that I could imagine many stories being told in the background. I would love to read more books set in this world!

This was a hot mess, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it? Tsai clearly had a great story to tell, but the execution was lacking. There was no world building, basically good luck with knowing the existing races and rules. Elle is a direct descendant of a Chinese medicine god in witness protection and Luc is some half elf (half we have no freaking clue) assassin? I think? Nothing was explained.

With that said, when parts were good, they were really good. The beginnings of the romance felt juvenile and frustratingly cat and mouse, similar to many K dramas. But once it takes off it’s so intense that it felt like a different writer took over. I also noticed it with the dialogue. In parts the dialogue is so ridiculous and cheesy, and then in parts its witty and perfect. Almost like Tsai was passing her computer around the room and everyone did a bit of mad lib. The writing style was constantly changing and felt clunky. I swear I enjoyed this, I just wish it had a few holes filled first.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5
For a debut novel, this urban fantasy romance is a sweet and charming adventure in a multicultural magical world. There's an intermingling of different creatures and languages that I found delightful.

Elle is a relatable main character, despite being able to create magic from calligraphy and is long-lived. She's trying to correct past actions, protect her brother, and find peace within her art. I enjoyed the already-established relationship with the love interest, a half-elf called Luc, and how his struggles shone through his mortality with his work. The romance was one that was healthy and mature, such as, not being overbearing and communicating their needs. It does have the tone of will-they, won't-they, which I adore!

However, I did find the beginning portion hard to grasp with the world building. Some moments had me questioning what a certain word or concept meant, and that did take me out of the story a bit. But once I found my footing, it was an enjoyable read. The writing was quick and snappy that engaged me right from the beginning. Definitely was a great debut!

I want to start by saying the worldbuilding in this is so good. I enjoy the tangled web of different mythical creatures and stories from different cultures. I wasn't expecting that going in and I adored it.

But I didn't really care for the characters. I wanted to. This book seemed so perfectly up my street. But I just wound up rolling my eyes a lot. I am sad about that.

So would I recommend this book to others? For sure. It just wasn't for me after all.