I did enjoy the read but had several issues overall.
I liked the pace of the plot and felt the story was always moving forward. There was just enough world building to flesh out the story but not so much that it bogged everything down. Also our MC’s were often confused about the Fae world so we were right there beside them at some points. The ability to travel through realism with keys is fun. It also definitely fits the cozy vibes and feels relatively low stakes, even when are characters get in some sticky situations.
The initial premise of the story seems odds. Hanging up posters that are valuable when clearly there are many thieves trying to steal them - economically I just don’t get it from any stand point. But it gets us to the titular club - which is very cool.
I didn’t feel the chemistry between Sybil and Esme. They supposedly both had crushes on each other but Sybil was constantly putting Esme in situations that made her uncomfortable. I don’t like people who don’t respect by boundaries so I really couldn’t see the foundation of the relationship. I did really like Esme though and found her reluctant adventurer approach very fun. Sybil was just annoying and utterly unwilling to be considerate - she couldn’t hold down a job due to lack of interest so much that they were almost starving?
Some questions were left unanswered at the end - more about Sybil’s half Fae nature/her mother, Lucien abandoning Sybil (I don’t forgive him even if kind of seemed like Sybil didn’t even remember.) Not sure if the intention of a sequel or just no interest in answering them.
Would recommend when you are in the mood for something easy and lighthearted. And definitely more at the younger age of the YA group. I would argue it could even be middle reader and reads at the level of Percy Jackson, with maybe the exception of a couple scenes.

With its absolutely stunning cover, The Absinthe Underground is a cozy, easy to read fantasy set in an atmospheric world full of aesthetic and magic. It sounded like everything I’ve ever wanted from a book, though unfortunately, it fell flat for me.

Told in dual POV, we get glimpses into both Sybil and Esme’s thoughts. Both characters were intriguing in their own way, Sybil: a rich girl turned thief with an intriguing connection to Fae, and Esme, with her ability to tinker and fascination with clocks. However, not only did I feel both character arcs were lacking, their voices were so similar that had the chapters not been alternating it might have been difficult to keep track of who was who.

My biggest issue is that it felt like there was no feeling in this story. The chemistry between the two main characters was lacking, and I found it hard to believe these two were actually best friends, let alone secretly in love with each other. I found the writing style is simple and direct, which while lends itself to the fast pacing of this book, I feel hindered other aspects. I would’ve liked to see more into the unique thought processes of Sybil and Esme. I also would have loved to see more of the two of them actually being friends and communicating.

There are two instances where they find themselves at lavish parties, dressed in sparkling dresses and surrounded by ethereal decorations, however, one scene we only hear about in the aftermath, and the other they just don’t really partake in any of the festivities. I would’ve loved a dance scene and some breathing room dedicated just to the romance side of things.

It’s clear the strong suit of this novel is in its lush and atmospheric descriptions of setting. The Absinthe Underground was a place born of complete magic that I felt I could see so clearly. While the world of Fae felt a little underdeveloped it was no less captivating and magical. I really enjoyed the magic system!

The plot reveals during the climax were exciting and I thought the story tied up nicely by the end.
Overall, The Absinthe Underground is full of wonder, stunning visuals and is the perfect fast paced read to curl up and get comfy with.

I really really wanted to like this.

I enjoyed the idea of the plot, and the characters but I found myself skipping a lot of things when I was reading because I wasn’t finding a connection with it.

The characters were cute, I love Esmes love for wanting to learn how things works, the cats and her books. I just felt like I was missing more things about her, I made it 70% and I unfortunately couldn’t finish it. And it makes me so sad.

I do plan on giving it another try later on, and I’m hoping it’s just because I’m in a reading slump that I’m not able to connect properly.

Thank you so much NetGalley and the author for giving me the arc.

I loved every second of this world and these characters.

Esme and Sybil find themselves pulled into the world of the fae after a chance encounter with a fae herself, Maeve. After displaying her plight, the girls adventure into the fairy world to steal the crown jewels of Queen Mab, so that she can go home, and so they have the funds to live comfortably. ALong the way, Sybil learns secrets about herself and her family, the girls take on traps and the fae world, and have to come to terms with their feelings for each other.

I adored these girls. Esme is a nerd and a sweetheart, and I really liked her. Sybil was adventurous and bold, and the two complimented each other spectacularly well. It was also great watching these girls sort out their feelings for each other, coming to terms with the fact they love each other and sorting out their real feelings.

All of this is set across a fantastical backdrop of a fae world with a cast of interesting characters, ending in a final climax that, while I did expect the reveal, was still so exciting to read. I fully intent to read this again in the future.

Jamie Pacton’s THE ABSINTHE UNDERGROUND is a radiant sapphic romantic-fantasy that envelops readers into the enchanting city of Severon. Based on late 1800s Paris, the Gatsby-esque city is teeming with nightlife and adventure, especially in the form of valuable art posters appearing at night. Filled with darling characters, dazzling settings, a life-changing heist, just the right amount of magic, and more cats than any one person can count.

The story is an easy read for young adults, with a relatively gentle plot for a heist-based story, and a comforting connection between the girls—I found it delightful! The author’s descriptions both of the setting (both Severon and Fae) and the interwoven magic systems hooked me. I loved watching Sybil and Esme’s close relationship and hidden feelings transform, a true cozy delight.

For sure a recommended read for cozy-romantasy fans, especially young queer readers who don’t always see themselves represented in this genre. This one is for y’all, and you’re gonna love it.

Thank you to Ashley Hearn at Peachtree Teen for providing an advanced review copy!

*Thank you Netgalley for the ARC, all thoughts are my own*

I think this book has the bones to be a good fantasy but the author didn’t invest enough into her own story and it felt lacking in many ways.

Esme was adorable, all she wants to do it stay at home with cats, a cup of tea at her side while she reads or works on her many clocks. She had a rough childhood and just wants the simple pleasures of life and to feel safe and secure. I found her to be very relatable. My issue was with Sybil. She grew up in a manor with all of life’s luxuries but she ran away from home and she wants adventure. Typically this wouldn’t be a problem, but I found her complete lack of respect for Esme’s boundaries really frustrating. Esme does not want to go on adventures, especially not ones that are illegal (stealing posters) and she tells Sybil no many times. In fact Sybil has said she was going to stop stealing but because she can’t hold a job, she doesn’t have money for her half of the rent. It doesn’t seem there’s a lot of respect for Esme. They both had some good character growth in the end but it was hard for me to like Sybil even at the end.

The world could have been expanded on a lot. Apparently there use to be magic and something called starlight lace which was mentioned a few times. There also use to be many doors into the Fae world but now there are only a few and certain people have keys. I just think the lore overall could have been fleshed out. I was also very curious about the other kingdoms in Fae, which seems to be a lot more interesting than the one we ended up at. There was also a theory that Sybil’s grandfather had made the Crown Jewels and I wish the author would have actually explored that rather than just have it as a passing theory at the end chapter.

The actual plot and heist had its fun moments but it also felt incredibly unrealistic that these two girls could have gone into Fae and stolen the queens jewels as easily as they did with honestly very little help from side characters. Sybil has some experience stealing as she practiced when she was younger stealing things from peers but it just seems like a big leap.

Overall I didn’t dislike this book but it very much followed a formula of how to write a book and didn’t seems like there was anything extra added to make it really shine.

I fell for the gorgeous cover, also the summary sounded super intriguing and the description compared it to books I adored, so I went in fully expecting to love this book, but unfortunately got disappointed.

While I really liked the general idea of story, world and setting, the execution feels very lackluster to me. I had a hard time getting through the book, despite it only being around 300 pages long. The writing style is very bland and unengaging, I had trouble to not fall asleep while reading.
The story was predictable with plenty of plot convenience, the characters felt flat and the romance was boring with no real chemistry.

Aside from the narrative issues this version of the book is also full of grammar mistakes and words randomly missing in sentences, which was very irritating while reading. I can only hope that these shortcomings at least will be edited out before the final release.

Thank you to Netgalley and Holiday House for providing me with an ARC for review purposes.

3.5 stars

I wasn't entirely what kind of book Absinthe Underground would be but I'm a sucker for art nouveau and that cover is pretty spectacular.

What we get is a quasi-fairy story mixed with the history of Paris during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Instead of Paris we have Severon where the beautiful people party, go to cabaret shows and drink absinthe and if you're anybody you go to the Absinthe Underground, a new club run by a bewitching woman called Maeve, who styles herself as the embodiment of absinthe - the Green Fairy.

Our two protagonists are Sybil, a rich girl whose Fae (faerie) mother has died and whose father wants to marry her off. Sybil has other ideas and runs away to Severon to try to find her big brother, Lucien, who lives in the city.

Then there's Esme, an orphan with a love of home, her cats and clocks. While Sybil is wild and daring Esme is calm and careful. Both girls will do anything to keep the other safe and happy - both aware that love is there but not wanting to declare it in case the other does not reciprocate their feelings.

Sybil's main form of income is stealing the fashionable art advertising posters that pop up in Severon, which she sells to collectors. It is after stealing one for The Absinthe Underground that the girls meet Maeve and their lives change overnight.

This is a sweet novel about the coming of age of two girls and also a love story as the feelings Sybil and Esme have for each other grow throughout the book. We wander into the Fae world through the use of magic but the author manages to stay on the right side of magical fantasy.

When I realised where the novel was headed I thought I'd not enjoy it because I often struggle with fantasy novels but it's simply a sweet love story with a good dollop of adventure thrown in. I really enjoyed it. It's well written and easy to read and I'd recommend it to a YA audience or anyone who enjoys a fantasy/faerie novel.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Holiday House for the advance review copy.

UPCOMING RELEASE REVIEW 🥰💚
Publication Date: 6th February

3/5⭐️

So I’m going to start on a positive note. THIS COVER IS STUNNING!!! And I like the idea of this book and its plot and everything about it.

I just didn’t love the execution.

The chemistry between the main couple felt off to me, their actions and thoughts didn’t quite add up and there was very little sexual tension. And trust was also weird, at one moment they had full trust in each other and the next there was none.

The storyline also felt kind of predictable. I mean, at first the introduction felt very slow and strange, and I had no idea where the story was going, and I almost gave up on it. And then, after the too long intro part was over, it was predictable from there on forth. Idk. It just felt… A bit lazy? Or maybe I would have liked it if I were in more of a predictable book mood, but I don’t know.

The arc file was quite messy and scattered too, though, which likely also took from my reading experience, because while I like figuring out where things fit in a puzzle, I don’t like to do that with paragraphs while reading, because then I can’t really get *in* the story…

The List™️:
💚 sapphic
💚 friends to lovers
💚 hidden fae world
💚 YA fantasy
💚 inspired by history and art
💚 heist
💔 predictable

Please don’t let me not liking the book scare you from reading it. I also didn’t like some popular books, like “Six of Crows,” and some I realise later I read at the wrong time and would now love, like “The Song of Achilles.”

Xoxo
Triinu

I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. . . Or should I say absinthe (which I have had and 🤢)?

This book follows Sybil and her roommate/crush Esme as they find themselves involved with a heist set in a fairy land. I honestly really liked the idea that art nouveau style posters were in high demand to the point of being stolen for money. The belle époque like setting in a Parisian inspired city, Severon, I thought could’ve been fleshed out a bit better, but still gave the right vibe for the period. 🗝️

I thought Esme was a great POV and love interest as she’s pragmatic and level headed. . . But her loyalty to her cats and Sybil seems to be a bit much as it gets her into very sticky situations. I didn’t particularly like Sybil as both a character and POV much for some reason. While she is cunning and genuinely cares for Esme, I found her to be rash when it comes to her decision making and rather clueless when it comes to actually working for a living. Given she came from a rich background and was probably heavily spoiled, but still, her lack of knowledge and continued lack of understanding after a year living by her own “income” was honestly appalling for a girl who is described as quick-witted. 😕

The story overall just felt very juvenile to me. With the writing style, I just couldn’t see these girls being a part of a heist in the world of Fae. That and the fact that the sequence of events just happened way too quickly. I also found it rather hard to imagine a gullible fairy in any circumstance so that also made it really hard for me to get into the fairy aspect of the book. 🧚

Some other things that stood out to me that could’ve been a good plot twist. The first is the cat that snuck into fairy and then turned out to be an ordinary cat despite a whole scene where a fairy mistook it for a fae lord. The second would be Sybil’s mother in general. Why have her be such a big part of the plot and then leave the ending with such an open ending and nonchalant comment of “she might be this” instead? 🫤

In the end, the idea was there, but the execution of it just fell flat for me. Big thank you goes to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for accepting my request in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: February 6!

Overall: 3/5 ⭐️

I really wanted to like this book. I saw the "sapphic, Great Gatsby, underground, Moulin Rouge" vibes and it sounded like a book that I would enjoy! I felt like the plot was very slow moving and the characters were not super relatable.

Queer historical YA fantasy in which two best friends become entrenched in the machinations of the faerie court. Beautiful, lush descriptions of a vivid fantasy world. Perfect for fans of Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries, The Cruel Prince, Six of Crows, and The Starless Sea.

Thanks to Colored Pages Book Tours and Peachtree Teen for the ARC.

This is a fantasy book with some sapphic romance in it. I loved the cover, it perfectly encapsulates the story and helped me visualize what was happening. The suspense was done well, I couldn't put down the book, I needed to know what happened next. I also loved how the main characters were full of personality and quirks. The cats were cute too. The ending was great and brought everything together perfectly.

It is very rare for me to be so irritated by a character that it ruins the entire book, but that’s what happened with me and Sybil. She’s reckless, heedless, inconsiderate, actively makes stupid choices, and knowingly asks Esme to do things she knows Esme is uncomfortable with. The book would have been much more bearable if I hadn’t entirely despised one of the main protagonists.
The elements of the story were promising: friends-to-lovers sapphic romance, secret Fae realms, magical heists. However, none of those elements were executed very well. From the start the action was bogged down by unnecessary exposition and pacing issues. Unfortunately a lot of wasted potential in this title.

The world building, and aesthetic of each new setting was incredibly detailed and magical, it was obvious a lot of thought and creativity had gone into making it, but I personally felt like the characters suffered a little because of that.

There were a lot of times where I confused Sybil and Esme and had to keep looking back for their descriptions, despite them having different personalities and back stories. I did however, enjoy the subtle pining between them, I thought the slow development was cute and I really rooted for them.

The quest aspect of the book was a lot of fun to read, and there were a lot of new characters introduced, which I really enjoyed, however the quest, which was the main part of the plot, didn't feel like it had any urgency or danger, despite being told they were risking their lives and were on a deadline.

I think the length of the book definitely could have been extended to really help the plot, as some parts were rushed or skipped over, but regardless, I really enjoyed the story.

This story is cozy and interesting, but it didn’t go into as much detail as I would’ve liked. I wanted more exploration of the characters and a deeper dive into Chloe and Hyacinth. I don’t know if Jamie Pacton is planning on making a second book, but I feel like it might be necessary. In my opinion, it kind of left off on a cliffhanger. We don’t know what happened to Maeve, Chloe, Hyacinth, or pretty much any other interesting side character.
Overall, I liked the pining, slow-burn romance, Oliver the cat, and most of all the vibes.
Thank to Netgalley, the publisher, and Jamie Pacton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

so i was really excited for this one, but i ended up dnf at 54%. it is described as moulin rouge meets holly black and i am not familiar with holly black’s work, but i am very familiar with moulin rouge. it’s one of my favorite movies of all time. and the comparison feels incorrect, as there’s only mentions of the green fairy and absinthe. nothing else feels like the world of moulin rouge to me, which was very disappointing as a lesbian moulin rouge is exactly what drew me to this story in the first place.

i tried to keep reading, but it only became less enjoyable as i went on. i did not care about the characters, i did not feel the chemistry between the leads, and the plot felt rushed. there’s barely any explanation and i had a hard time keeping up with what was going on. also the formatting of the book made it almost impossible to read. there was multiple grammar and punctuation errors and random chunks of text at the end of most chapters that led nowhere.

there needs to be more lesbian fantasy stories and i wish this one had given me more.

thanks to netgalley, holiday house / peachtree / pixel+ink, peachtree teen for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I felt like this had a lot of potential that wasn't quite met. It was such an interesting concept! Heist with fae? Come on! There was a lot of telling and not showing which was a negative, but the story itself kept me coming back. I think this book would have benefited from being a tad longer to give it time to flesh somethings out,

(3) I really wanted to like this book. The cover was gorgeous, and the blurb promised fantasy sapphic friends-to-lovers but I just couldn’t connect to the characters. The plot was predictable and tedious until the halfway mark. I wanted Art Nouveau. I wanted theatre. I wanted fae creatures and monsters. While there were some elements of that, there just wasn’t enough of it.

Two best friends and roommates who are secretly in love with each other have made been making money by stealing posters, find themselves invited into the exclusive underground club and then on job to steal jewels from the fae.... but nothing is as it's seen with the fae. Sybil and Esme are best friends and roommates, they are both in love with each other and have never said anything, afraid of ruining their friendship. They both need to make money to pay rent and Sybil has been stealing posters to sell... something that is extremely forbidden. When both girls get caught stealing a poster for the very exclusive club The Absinthe Underground, they are caught by the model of the poster and the very co-owner of it, Maeve. Maeve reveals that she is the Green Faerie trapped in the human world and wants to hire Esme and Sybil to steal jewels from the Fae world so she can make the drinks for the club. The money from this heist would set them for life... but it would also lead them to finding someone they thought long lost... yet while in the Fae world they are beginning to realize that Maeve's story isn't adding up and that she isn't who she claims to be.... and their jewel heist might cost them more than they could ever realize. Unfortunately for me, this one fell really flat. I had high hopes for a fun sapphic fae adventure along the lines of Holly Black and Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries and this was definitely not that. This book is an extremely slow burn romance and the actual plot pacing felt so slow. The story itself didn't feel like much was happening and I found myself losing interest over and over. I sadly just didn't care all that much for the characters or their romance and friendship, because it genuinely barely even felt like it was there. I so badly wanted a cute sapphic romance between two friends to lovers and I can say with all honestly, there was 1% romance in this book and they didn't even really feel all that much like friends. I wanted so badly to like this but it just missed the mark for me. While this one was a miss for me, if you like extremely slow burn romances and a young adult fae adventure, give this a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than i did.

*Thanks Netgalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink, Peachtree Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*