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*

I just couldn’t get into this one and ended up DNFing at 27%

The writing style didn’t work for me at all and the characters felt like caricatures with no depth.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC of this book!

This book was so fun! I loved the moulin rouge vibe, mixed with fae. Our two main characters Sybil and Esme have feelings for each other that neither want to admit, and I really liked their relationship development over time. I highly connected with both characters but especially Esme as she just wants to be home with her pets, read books, and drink tea. I will say knowing that this is an advanced copy I didn’t take anything off my rating but the e-book needs to be reformatted as there’s illustrations in the beginning of the chapters that cause sentence breaks that end up on different pages so it can be a bit confusing. Also I am in love with this cover art!! It is absolutely stunning and I’m a sucker for anything green!

This book was beautiful. I loved the characters and how relatable they were. The Absinthe Underground is the perfect cozy fantasy with a sapphic love story and Moulin Rouge influences. This story kept me smiling and laughing and wishing I could be with the characters. The romance was darling, and the heists were daring. I need more of the world and characters. Esme and Sybil are the sweetest combo. Esme is a book girl with a fascination for clocks and interesting facts that I couldn’t get enough of, and Sybil kept me hooked with her adventurous spirit and mysterious past.

An atmospheric slow burn sapphic fairie heist romp of a read! There's just enough drama and tension to keep the ball rolling but not go overboard. This felt more like an adventure than a fantasy, which is not a knock at all. The setting and art descriptions are beautiful.

I'm going to DNF at 15%. I think this book has a lot of potential and the world is interesting (and that cover is stunning!). I just wasn't into the characters or the plot. Not a big friends to lovers person. Also had trouble reading due to the formatting of the ARC, so I could see myself picking this back up when it's released as an audiobook.

OH MY GOSH I NEED ANOTHER BOOK NOW

I definitely get the Holly Black vibes that the blurb suggests and this was probably the best book to read after finishing The Folk of Air series.

Why is it so difficult to find sapphic fae novels? I will never know but this book IS THAT BOOK!


Abandoning high-society for the thrill of freedom, Sybil finds solace in her unconventional friendship with Esme Rimbaud. The two, tied together by their shared dreams and secret desires, embark on a daring adventure, stealing rare posters to survive the challenging life of Severon. When their not so legal activities catch the attention of Maeve, a Green Faerie trapped in their world, the duo is thrust into a world of magic and mystery.

As Sybil and Esme are yet again late on rent they really have no choice but to take on Maeve's daring heist they soon find themselves entangled in a world of the unknown, and don't get me started on how confusing Maeve's tragic story of being locked in the human world is.

Jamie Pacton has done a service to the genre by crafting a narrative that not only explores the complexities of love and identity but also invites readers into a fantastical realm where every stolen moment, every secret crush, and every daring heist reverberates with a spellbinding magic that lingers long after the final page is turned.

This was an amazing fantasy read that I will probably be talking about everyday for the rest of the year actually probably the rest of my time, I'm eagerly awaiting the release and can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the book as soon as I can! It's on my must-buy list.

This was a really cozy and beautifully written story and I liked it. I mean... SHAPPICS, A HEIST AND A FAE WORLD? that's exactly my thing! The adventure got me really excited, the main characters were two sapphic besties pining for each other and the ending was so cute.

However, I feel like it was too short and fast, so there were a lot of things that weren't fully explore, or at least not as much as I would've liked them to be. The characters were exciting and rich, with a lot of history and emotions. I wish we've seen more of them!

Overall, I would recommend this book because it's an easy and cute read and you know... SHAPPICS, A HEIST AND A FAE WORLD!!!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, I really appreciate it!

However, this was unfortunately a DNF for me. I had such high expectations for this book and the world definitely needs for LGBTQ+ fantasy. I was really looking forward to this one,

But from the very beginning, I felt nothing for the characters. I couldn’t bring myself to care about their motivations or their story.

I thought the world building was pretty and atmospheric, but I needed much more than that.

This book is whimsy and intrigue wrapped with a magical green bow on top. It gives the French town vibes of Beauty and the Beast, the glittering chandeliers and money hungry feel of The Great Gatsby, and the magical, thievery of Shaun David Hutchinson's Before We Disappear, and is perfect for anyone who loves Holly Black or Brendon Muir.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. It took me back to every good book series in my childhood; Fablehaven, The Spiderwick Chronicals, The Tapestry, except this one was queer! I've always had a soft spot for faeries and magic, and gritty heroines who aren't afraid to fight to get the life they want.

Although I am impartial to Esme and her want to stay inside and tinker with clocks and cuddle her cats, I think there's something to be said about the fact that Sybil fights so hard to earn her keep with Esme, and to earn money to live on. It almost makes you think critically about her reasons behind doing what she does. Does she thieve because she likes the adventure? Or does she thieve because she's acting out, wanting her father to see she's more than just tight corsets and strictly guided activities? Does she turn further to thievery and accept Maeve's offer because she misses her life of royalty and money? Or is she truly content with living poorly with Esme?

One might think that if she truly loved Esme, their status in life wouldn't matter. Maybe she would try harder to keep a job instead of lazing about, so they wouldn't have to worry about money. Or perhaps she really was suited for a life of thievery and adventure. Maybe mundane jobs weren't enough to satisfy the thrill she sought in life.

But if that were the case, maybe she and Esme weren't right for one another. It seemed she was always dragging Esme around, making her do things she didn't want to do. It didn't strike me as something you'd make someone you love do for you. She was always going on about how much Esme must've loved her to be doing this for her, when Esme never wanted to to begin with. She also lies to Esme about her life, for no apparent good reason.

I would've liked to see more explained about how Fae are received in the Mortal world. It seems as though many either don't know of them, that they're mostly myth, or that people turn a blind eye to the Fae that live amongst them.

The Kindle version, or at least the ARC was also a bit confusing in layout, and there were multiple points in which I thought I was missing out on something because words were just thrown in and then cut off randomly at the ends of some chapters with absolutely no lead up to the context of the sentences.

All in all, this was like reading a piece of nostalgia from my childhood, and was a beautiful, whimsical book that I would read time and time again.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately this is a DNF for me. Cool concept, and the writing quality was good - but I don’t feel invested in the characters and the world feels beautiful shallow. The worldbuilding at the start is so sparse I can imagine what it looks like, but I have no understanding of why things are the way they are - why are these posters valuable, and if they’re so valuable why on earth are they just out in the street? The characters claim to love each other but one just barrels through doing whatever she wants and the other is so lovesick she sets all her own desires and motivations aside to follow the other….its a beautifully written and very atmospheric book, but it just isn’t for me.

Solid 3.5 stars! This book had a lot of potential. The setup and setting were intriguing and lush (late 19th century queer/underground Paris = great vibes). Our two main characters are a bit archetypal but still nuanced and sweet enough to root for. Plus, the fae!

However, most of my complaints are around the plot development, story arc, and writing. Everything that happens is entirely convenient. Its just 1 step in the heist to the next without feeling like there are any real stakes or difficulty. With some more work fleshing out the plot elements and some real planning around the heist this could have been really good. Because it really ticks all the right boxes, especially for a sapphic YA fantasy friends to lovers romance.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*SPOILER-FREE REVIEW*

Thank you to Peachtree Teen for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Absinthe Underground follows the story of Esme and Sybil, best friends and roommates ("and they were roommates!") living a modest life in their clock tower apartment and struggling to get by. While Esme enjoys the coziness of their life together and works at a diner to cover her portion of the rent, Sybil craves adventure and earns money by stealing the posters put up by artists around town. When a poster theft goes wrong, the girls are dragged into the fantastical world of The Absinthe Underground, the City of Severon's most popular and mysterious night club. As their journey unfolds, secrets from Sybil's past come to light, creating more questions than answers that the two must work to overcome. Touching on themes of class, identity, and found family, the Absinthe Underground is a friends-to-lovers story filled with heart, atmosphere, and plenty of sapphic pining.

This book wasn't necessarily what I expected, but it wasn't a disappointment, either. I knew going in that this was a YA read, but the way it was written felt geared toward the younger end of that audience that what I am typically used to seeing in fantasy. There was a lot of telling vs. showing, particularly regarding characters' thoughts and personal growth. Further, while the premise for the plot was interesting, there were several obstacles that were quickly resolved or conveniently explained away. As a result, I found that the story lacked the depth needed to elevate it from good to great.

A standout feature of this work for me were the historical elements inspired by 1890s Paris: poster thefts, nightclub counterculture, and the daily lives of queer people at that time. In addition to adding fresh concepts to the fantasy genre, the historical aspect of The Absinthe Underground allowed Pacton to share an often-overlooked narrative of queer love during the late 19th century.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a quick and cozy read for fans of fantasy with a dash of historical fiction.

The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton

★⋆˙⟡/5

A sapphic story with fae and heists that gave ‘Moulin Rouge’ vibes but turned sour the more I read it.

The story is about Sybil and Esme, two ‘friends’ who need to pay for their rent by stealing when they suddenly are caught in something bigger that would change their lives. This would include faes, a big heist, and expressing true feelings.

While this is supposed to be a friends-to-lover trope, I would suggest the trope has never been friends in the first place as they were enchanted by each other from their first meet-up. I would also argue that they are not suitable for each other, as they continuously complain about their differences. Due to this, I had a very hard time feeling a connection to any of the characters.

Furthermore, while the setting was exciting, the story itself felt weak and made the book feel flat in both character development and plot. What is even more concerning is the romanticisation of absinthe, as this is titled to be for teens.

I desperately wanted to love this, as the cover lured me in along with the promise of a magical world and sapphic romance. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!