The Absinthe Underground is such a wonderful story, it’s a must read! This sapphic love story is filled with pining, adventure, whimsical moments, and of course lots of Absinthe. Esme and Sybil’s story was filled with lush details from the clothing to the places they went. You’ve got to make this your next romantic cozy comfort read!

Such a whimsical and deeply romantic read. Quick and fun to read. Easy to digest and comforting from the beginning to the end.

Sybil and Esme are impoverished women living in a turn of the century version of Paris where posters created by the great arists of the time are stolen and sold for money. Sybil pursues this "career" until the woman from a poster for a top nightclub in town (The Absinthe Underground) catches them and gets them to work for her. Sybil is also half fairy. All of the information and story points are just sprinkled into the story with no real background or depth. Even after finishing the book I still don't know much else about these two women that I've written already. Anyway the two women are tasked with heading to the land of Faerie and stealing the crown jewels of Queen Mabh, in theory to enable the nightclub to create fairy absinthe but a deeper plor unfolds. The book was fine but lacked any sort of hook to make me wonder what was going to happen next or be able to get too invested in the characters stories - my favourite character was Lucien, the brother of Sybil who is only on page for a tiny sliver of the book but at least he had a lot of story going on around him.

The Absinthe Underground is a charming blend of cozy and heist, with a sprinkle of faerie magic. Sybil and Esme, an unlikely duo of opposites, steal the show with their endearing friendship and blossoming romance. The world-building is atmospheric, transporting readers to a captivating era of art deco glamour and hidden faerie realms.

While the plot delivers a satisfying dose of excitement, the heist itself felt a bit too straightforward. The novel's greatest potential lies in exploring Sybil's faerie heritage, which unfortunately remains untapped. Despite these minor quibbles, the book is a delightful escape filled with intriguing characters and a touch of mystery.

The Absinthe Underground captivated me from the moment I saw the cover. Dual perspectives allows the reader to feel the yearning and hear the internal dialogue of both characters, which gives such a powerful insight into their relationship with each other and with themselves. The build up of acknowledging their own feelings and finding the courage to explore them while on a heist in an entirely new world, and the satisfaction of finally giving into those desires and letting go of those inhibitions felt so raw and human.

I want to follow Esme and Sybil. I want to hear of their next adventures and their blossoming relationship. I want to see their reflection on the life-altering events of The Absinthe Underground. I’d follow these girls wherever they go next.

Sadly, I had to DNF this at ~50%. I couldn't really connect to any of the characters and the story just wasn't for me. I really wanted to like this book, since the overall plot sounded really good.

This book was a good book for people who like this kind of book already. I’d recommend it if you like heist books. I’d recommend it if you like Fae creatures, I’d recommend it if you like cats! It was good fun to read, even if it was a bit fast at points and felt like it could’ve been longer. I felt an attachment to all the characters, especially Sybil and Esme of course, and I didn’t want anything bad to happen to them. I loved the plot, even if some of it wasn’t the most complex or unpredictable. Overall, I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t a five star for me.

I can't get over this book. I really enjoyed this so much. I couldn't put it down. It has some of my favorite things, magic, heist and sapphic love. It's been a hot second since I've read a sapphic book that had me turning the pages so much that I had to stop because i had to sleep. I want to read more by this author. It had such a good flow and the characters really pulled me in.

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

Cosy + Magic + LGBT = a good time

I very much enjoyed this book but was unable to completely finish it before running out of time, when I have the time I will finish the end of this novel. There were slight issues with pacing and I didn’t always understand and had to reread some passages.

The Absinthe Underground was a 3 ⭐️ read for me. It follows Sybil and Esme, best friends and roommates. Esme is shy and quiet, much preferring the company of her clocks and her cats. Sybil longs for adventure, and pays her bills by stealing posters and selling them to collectors. One night, while selling a stolen poster, the woman featured in the poster, Maeve, interrupts the deal. Maeve invites the girls to her exclusive nightclub, The Absinthe Underground, hoping to hire the girls as thieves. Maeve reveals she is a green faerie, and promises the girls riches beyond their wildest dreams if they are able to pull off a heist in the world of fae. Things aren’t always what they seem when it comes to working with the fae, and Sybil’s own family history may make this even more dangerous, and more thrilling, than either of them anticipated.

This book features

- dual POV
- LBGTQ rep
- Heists
- Urban fantasy
- Cozy vibes

Overall, The Absinthe Underground was a cozy read. The characters were endearing and fun and the romance was really sweet. Parts of the heist also had me on the edge of my seat. I just wish the book had done a little more. The biggest part of the heist felt like it was too simple to me, and then the ending felt rushed. I also really wish that Sybil’s familial ties to the Fae were explored more. The book was good, but I just think it had some unexplored potential.

As a fan of history and art, this book had everything! Romantic and lavish with LGBTQ+ characters with elements of magical realism. So so good!

3/5 stars

A fun little queer fantasy that I enjoyed reading!

I really fell in love with the writing of the book. It was descriptive and brought the characters to life for me. I definitely wanted to keep reading and thought the plot was interesting and progressed really nicely. The romance was cute, and I loved the pining and will they or wont they of it all

My biggest struggle was believability — I couldn’t see why someone would want two poster thieves to steal something from the fae? While I enjoyed the pining and the romance, I found it hard to believe this would work out romantically? Sybil wanted a life of adventure, of adrenaline and thrill, while Esme wants to mess with clocks and stay at home. This concept was never really expanded on or talked about when it was setting up to be a big issue between the two of them. And since it was never brought up, I felt the characters didn’t really grow.

It was a good book, but I think some work on the pacing would have been beneficial.
I found a lack of depth from the character and the pace was fairly slow and at times a bit boring.
This book would have probably been enjoyed more from people that prefer cozy fantasy.

This was a cozy, yet thrilling novel about two girls who, trying to make ends meet in a Belle Epoque-inspired city, find themselves getting caught up in a glittering world of enchantment and trouble. The characters were delightfully crafted, and the setting was intriguing and truly came to life on the page. I loved the unique references to real-world Parisian history while remaining rooted in the fantastical. For me, the protagonists were the true heart of the story and I absolutely adored their dynamic and all the love they showed for each other (and, by the way, they were roommates!!). I’d recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun sapphic read with equal parts sweetness, coziness, glamour, and danger.

The overall concept of this story was magical and everything I would want from a queer fantasy. However, I felt like we needed more from the characters. I wasn't really given enough depth to feel a connection to them, and that missing aspect unfortunately impacted the entire experience.

What a fun and charming read.
From the first chapter the characters had me. They're fun and enigmatic. I feel that the story moved quickly and was interesting enough to keep the readers attention throughout the book.
While it is somewhat predictable at times, it didn't take away from the story.
I had fun, I laughed, and I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions are my own (and I’m so sorry this is extremely late!)

I hate to say this, I really do, but I think the reason why it took me forever to finish this book was simply because it was very lackluster. The cover is divinely gorgeous and I really am a sucker for a good cover, but more often than not, I get let down.

I believe this was marketed as a cross between Moulin Rouge meets Holly Black and I felt that it was none of these things. Holly Black, while I had some issues with The Cruel Prince (thus my only reference), leaned heavily into Faery lore and we don't see Fae (Faerie) until 57% of the book. For 56% of the book, Sybil and Esme are just straight vibing. Sure, they get sent on like two or three quests, but I truthfully cannot remember what they were doing apart from getting a map and getting a bag. Unfortunately, I know nothing about Moulin Rogue, but I feel like it didn't do it justice based on what knowledge I have.

I felt the plot was predictable and was just an extreme letdown. There were a few twists I wasn't expecting, but it was overshadowed by how I found the book just not enjoyable. There didn't seem to be very many elements of romance or fantasy and it just felt more convoluted. I believe that there are good elements to the story, such as the characters and their quirks, but it feels like a stretch. I often forgot who was who as they both didn't have a very distinct voice towards the end.

I understand that the author left some ends loose to come back to this world, but I won't be coming back.

I don't know if it was too YA for me or what, but I couldn't get invested in this story. I did not finish.

A Moulin-Rouge atmosphere meets a beautiful, friends-to-lovers in an enchanting story. I enjoyed that this story felt cosy, the stakes didn’t feel world-ending as our characters went on their adventure. Esme is a wonderful character who I felt I could especially relate too, she feels like a breathe of fresh air amongst all the fantasy protagonists that are front and centre at the moment. I wish there was further exploration into consequences for some of Sybil’s actions, as I enjoyed her spontaneity, but felt as though a lot of her actions were really quickly repaired. I did really enjoy this story & would reccomend it as a bookseller for people who are interested in YA cosy fantasy.