A mix of fantasy, F/F romance, and historical fiction. A gorgeous cover, a slow burning story in an alternate Paris.
I enjoyed it but I would have preferred a faster pace. Entertaining, intriguing
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

3.75/5 (rounded up)

A big thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a highly anticipated read for me in 2024, so I was delighted to read it in advance.

I had such a good time with this story, the world building kept me interested the whole time, and I felt like the two main characters provided such a lovely balance of personalities. Slow burn sapphic yearning, fae and lots of cats? It was just as good as it sounds.

The only criticism for this title is that the dual POV made me know about the secrets of each character a bit too much, making me irritated at times just wanting the girls to come clean to each other since the notion was brought up so much. I think this would have been an equally enticing story if it was written from a third person's perspective.

In conclusion, despite the fact that I hate absinthe, this book made it seem like the most wonderful thing in all the realms.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc !

I was immediately enticed by the world and the atmosphere of this book, it was one of the strongest point of the entire book.
The first half was my favorite part, seeing their life in their tiny apartment with their cats was super charming and I loved it.
Now Sybil, one the mc, was getting on my nerves. She’s supposed to be that way I think, but she was just so selfish and manipulative at times,,, but it made sense with her story !
Esme, sweet baby angel, she deserves the world. Give her all the clock and cats and books.
The heist part was okay but I feel like it went to quickly and everything was super convenient in the latter half.
It still a cute story, and enjoyable !

4.5 stars!

I quite literally devoured this book in 2 sittings. This was such a fun, fast paced and beautiful story!

Esme is officially my idol, owns 7 cats and all she wants is a cottage in the countryside to read, knit and drink tea. Sybil is an adventurous, mischievous woman who steals posters to make a living. One night they come across a poster of ‘The Absinthe Underground’, the most exclusive club in the city that they won’t ever attend. After almost getting caught stealing, they sell the posters to an antiques man. But in the interaction someone new is introduced, the Lady from the absinthe underground poster!!
She has a mission for the two women to complete, and in return she promises them riches.

This queer, young adult fae/human world fantasy is so lovely and I would recommend to all!!

A sapphic moulin rouge-esque friends to lovers with a heist? Oh yeah, I was all in for this one! It was a decent read and it felt more cozy than action packed, which led me to reading the book a bit slower than I usually do. Overall, the romance was super cute and I enjoyed the characters very much.

Good gravy. I was really looking forward to this book, but the struggle is quite real.

For one thing, who is this book for? The vibes, especially with absinthe and parts of the romance, struck me as adult fantasy or maybe New Adult, but the main characters and the magic read more like middle grade. In order for these two to fail upward on their magical quest, Queen Mab and her cohort have to have the WORST security and intuition. And because none of the main characters can get hurt too badly, they have to be ineffectual... but that meant that by the grand finale, it already felt like a story meant for younger kids, so the vibes were off.

I think I could have let most of this go and leaned into the magic, if it weren't for the "plot twist." Not only is one of the characters EXPLICITLY TOLD THE PLOT TWIST 30-odd pages earlier, but when the plot twist is happening, they're both totally confused. And, okay, if this was a middle grade story, I could roll with some of the plot holes, but these characters are both in their late teens or early twenties, both of them are said to be smart and savvy, and yet both of them completely fail to understand the "plot twist" even though the villain is monologuing about it as it happens in real time.

On one hand, I loved the atmosphere and the characterization of the opening chapters. There were some inconsistencies, etc., but since I received this book as an ARC copy, it's possible that those issues have since been caught and addressed, but there are some structural problems that really did me in.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an ARC.

When I started this novel, I instantly loved it. It had everything in it to be perfect, like faeries, the colour green, queer friends to lovers and a job to break into a faerie kingdom and steal some important jewels.
I almost forgot one point, the CATS! Seriously, there were so many.
I loved the vibes but the story could have been much longer, imo it fell a little short. I couldn't really get into the story, I felt more like someone who watches the story unfold from the outside.

Nonetheless, I still loved it, so I give it 4 stars.

Plot: 4/10

Unfortunately, the plot of this book, while it boasts an intriguing premise and beautiful setting, is very rushed and never really takes the time to build tension. Throughout the book, Sybil and Esme must steal three items to then help them steal Mab’s jewels. There’s a lot of potential for each of these heists to be a clever, hair-raising scenes, but each of them lasts maybe five pages each. While Sybil is portrayed as a daredevil poster thief, she definitely doesn’t have the skill set for these high security heists, and Esme absolutely doesn’t. They get through these situations far too easily, and it causes the tension to fall flat.

The worlds of Severon and Fae are very aesthetically pleasing, and there’s nothing really major excluded in terms of worldbuilding. However, there are some questions I just generally wish were answered, like some things concerning Sybil’s family and what the actual power of the jewels is; if there is anything.

Characters: 8/10

The characters are definitely the saving grace of this story. Esme and Sybil have greatly distinctive personalities and pretty decent development. Esme in particular learns to stand up for herself, and their relationship, even just platonically, grows a lot. Despite the lack of plot tension, there is good romantic tension, and the romance is very cute. It was probably the most enjoyable part of the book for me.

There is also a good side romance and some good side characters, but I will say that there are some side characters that really aren’t well developed. Their personalities are flat, and their motivations seem to be curated just for the main characters to have aid in their quest.

Writing Style: 6/10

I’d say the writing for this book is pretty average for a YA novel. The descriptions of Severon really hit that 1920s, art noveau aesthetic, and, like I mentioned, there are quite a few scenes with some good romantic tension. Unfortunately, there is a general issue with telling instead of showing, especially concerning the main characters’ thought process. There are many times when the characters explicitly explain why they think something or their reasoning for doing something instead of trusting the reader to draw their own conclusions.

Also, as I discussed in the plot section, the pacing is way too fast in this book. I don’t often say this about a book, but it needs an extra 100 pages or so. The story would benefit so much from being taken more slowly, getting more spread out, especially the individual heists.

Overall: 6/10

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed by this book. It has a great premise, the aesthetics really come through, and it’s got a cute sapphic romance. The execution falls short with just the lack of space for the story. Things happen far too quickly when there are many scenes that really need space to breathe. It affects the tension and doesn’t give much room for the side characters to show their personalities. The writing tends to tell instead of show, which may contribute to the rushed nature of this book. This book could have been quite good, but it ends up being somewhat mediocre.

Thanks for the ARC NetGalley!

Personally, this book was just not my cup of tea. I feel like it fell a little flat on all ends, but I do appreciate the LGBT representation!

🌟🌟.5

The Absinthe Underground - Jamie Pacton (release date 6th Feb)

I want to premise this by saying this book is fine - it’s a fun, easy read that I finished in a day but I was expecting so much more from it because I’d seen some really great 5 star reviews on Goodreads.

Unfortunately, I found the book quite two dimensional and so much is said but not a lot actually happens. I didn’t find myself rooting for any of the characters or relationships - I just wasn’t very invested and it’s not something that I’d probably re read personally.

The books saving grace for me personally was that a lot of the descriptions throughout were very whimsical and akin to what you’d see in a Stephanie Garber book - but the plot just wasn’t as sculpted as the world-building was so it just fell a bit flat.

However, it was a fun & quick read and had great LGBTQ+ rep and I’ll probably keep an eye out for other stuff from the author in future - this one just was not for me.

Also if you wanna read this - don’t check the description on Goodreads/Amazon because it basically spells out the whole plot in a way that would be so useful if you were assigned this for GCSE English but didn’t want to actually read it. Not sure who made that choice but I’ve seen so many people add the whole thing on their post 😮‍💨

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

As a romance, The Absinthe Underground has plenty of charm with its two heroines, Esme & Sybil. I'm a big fan of friends-to-lovers and this certainly delivers on the yearning and warm fuzzy feelings. Their contrasting personalities complement each other well, which is necessary when at times their voices start to sound fairly similar.

As a heist story, it falls completely flat. A big draw of heists is the competence and strategy of the thieves. In contrast, our heroines largely depended on sheer luck and conveniences of the plot, given that they were going in blind. It is comical that Sybil, supposedly an experienced thief with her slippery fingers, was ready to leave for the heist without proper planning of bringing the essentials. Her only relevant skill is lockpicking, not disguises or even grifting. Poor Esme, on the other hand, was more of a glorified nursemaid for her accomplice. She's established to be skillful in fixing clocks and tinkering in general, but that kind of skill is never utilized for the heist itself. Not even sabotaging something to their benefit or inventing a device they could use.

The Fae lore felt shallow, especially when the blurb compares this to Holly Black's work which deals heavily with the political intrigue of the Fair Folk. If you're not a stickler for worldbuilding or well-planned heists, and are just here for mutual sapphic pining, this is a quick and fairly enjoyable read.

The Absinthe Underground was a sweet, whimsical, cosy read. Thanks NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. FRTC!

A decadent novel by Jamie Pacton!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an early ARC for my honest review.

2024 is for the Fae realm with how many Fantasy books are being released centered around Fae folklore. In this setting we are plopped right into 1890's Paris, the city of love. For our two FMC's struggling to pay for rent and not only food for themselves, but their army of cats, they must do the biggest heist of their lives! And it's not mere posters they are stealing this time, but the Fae Queen's crown jewels of the Moonshadow Kingdom.

Sybil also has quite a few secrets she's been keeping from Esme that will test not only their true friendship, but if they could find love together, and what would they sacrifice to keep the other safe?

This is a high stakes, fast paced, not quite cozy fantasy story since the plot moves very quick since the heist deadline is 2 days, but I loved the characters, setting, and plot.

I hope to see more of the other Fae Realms and if we get to see how Esme, Sybil, and their beloved cats if the Author continues with this as a series.

I absolutely adored this book for all the right reasons. It’s a sapphic romantasy full of heists, found and lost family, and of course fae.

First off can we talk about that beautiful cover art, it’s what truly set the tone for this gorgeous historical cozy fantasy. It what initially drew me in, but the beautiful story inside is what kept me wanting more of this world.

Sybil and Esme’s slow burn pining was always there- sometimes in the background, but it really gave way for the magical worlds to shine on their own- and for their sacrifices for one another to show how much they truly loved one another.

I can’t wait to pick up a beautiful finished copy to display on my bookshelf- and would like to thank for publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read the advanced readers copy.

The Absinthe Underground was such a beautifully cozy sapphic love story about adventure and self discovery. If you want moulin Rouge vibes with a dash of fantasy this book is for you! This book is truly YA in the sense of the simplicity of the writing and character development but it was still a captivating and fun read. The plot wasn’t anything groundbreaking but the way the author build this world keeps it feeling fresh. Thank you to the publishers and NetGally for the ARC of The Absinthe Underground in exchange for my honest review.

DNF, I just wasn’t gripped by this story, so I just couldn’t really get into it! I loved the aesthetic of this story, and it’s premise, but I just didnt fall in love with the actual story itself. May come back and finish this at a later date!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC. All thoughts/opinions are my own.

Release Date: February 6, 2024

“‘You could never lose me. I’ll always find my way back to you, Ez.’”


*ੈ✩‧₊˚✨🧚‍♂️🪻🌙*ੈ✩‧₊˚ ➷

The Absinthe Underground is an enchanting LGBTQ+ slow burn that tells the story of Esme and Sybil, two “best friends” living with their many cats in a clock tower. Esme and Sybil don’t have an easy life, though. They live in poverty and rely on the dangerous art of stealing posters in order to get the money they need to cover the bare minimum of supplies. However, everything changes for them when they receive a dangerous but high paying opportunity to venture into Fae to execute a dangerous heist- one that could make them so rich they’d never have to work again, or cost them their futures.

As soon as I started reading this book, I was sucked in. The Absinthe Underground features a world different from anything I’ve ever read, complete with beautiful, metaphoric writing: Even though there are two worlds in this book, the magical Fae and the non magical Severon, I still found myself enchanted by it. Even though description of the city were somewhat scarce, I still felt like I had a good picture in my mind. The city I conjured up in my head was vibrant, artistic, and filled with life. Even though there wasn’t much description, I still got a sense of what the author was trying to convey.

I also felt a similar way about Fae- even though general descriptions of the world itself were scarce, I was still able to build up an interesting picture in my head. I read a lot of Fae novels, and I was nervous that this one’s world wouldn’t be original, but I was pleasantly surprised by the unique beings, customs, and the spin on the classic “Queen Mab”.

I also thought it was really interesting to read about the poster stealing. There’s so many ways to make income for a thief living in poverty in the city, and each book takes a different approach- thieves might steal gold, wallets, or artifacts, but in this book, it’s posters. At first I was quite skeptical- how would one make any money off of a poster? They’re not that hard to steal. But again, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that posters were, in fact, not easy to steal. Poster stealing is a difficult thing to master- one must steal the poster out in the open without getting caught, and manage to bring it back to the collector who pays based off of the poster’s condition and its artist. I thought this concept was unique, and I enjoyed reading about it.

The plot of this book really starts to unfold when the owner of the business depicted on the poster Sybil and Esme have stolen finds them selling it. After inviting them to her club, The Absinthe Underground, she provides an opportunity- steal something from Queen Mab and she’ll make them rich beyond their wildest dreams.

Here is when we really learn just how different Sybil and Esme are- Sybil is an adventurous artist, and Esme is quiet and gentle, preferring to stay away from danger and tinker with clocks. I really enjoyed the two’s contrasting personalities and how it influenced their interactions. The two both have intriguing backstories that the author does a nice job placing seeds of information about- we’re provided with a hint at one of their backstories, and it always leads to new wonders and questions. However, sometimes I felt like the information was dropped too soon or too suddenly- I felt that it could have been saved for a more important scene.

While this book held such a nice concept and potential, unfortunately, it fell a little short for me. The characters I found to be a bit shallow, and I had a hard time connecting with and relating to them. They’re likable, sure, but they weren’t very fleshed out. I also felt the same about the plot. It was decent, I just don’t think it was executed quite right. It held my attention and kept me intrigued, but some elements felt disorganized and unrealistic. I also found the book at times to be a bit predictable- however, I was not able to predict the plot twist.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I definitely sensed it coming, and I got half of the concept. When the twist was revealed, I was glad to be surprised, because I definitely hadn’t predicted that happening!

Unfortunately, the characters and the plot weren’t the only things that fell a little flat for me. The romance did, too. I understand that it’s a slow burn, but I feel like there was hardly any build up. We start the book with them pining for each other, but it doesn’t really go deeper than that. They both originally had feelings for each other, and they didn’t really build as the story went on. It basically went from “I want you, but we’re just friends” to “I have you, now we’re lovers”.

I did enjoy this book, but sadly, it just felt really loose to me. The plot, the magic system, the world building… I guess that’s a personal preference, but loose stories aren’t for me. However, this was such a cozy read, and if you’re looking for something chill and fun, I would really recommend this book.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚✨🧚‍♂️🪻🌙*ੈ✩‧₊˚

This book is quite short, and I can’t pretend that I didn’t instantly snatch up this opportunity to review it. The cover is just so aesthetical? And when I found out it was a fae / steampunk mashup with a whole lotta representation, I couldn’t resist - like really couldn’t - I finished it in a few hours.

For the record, the cover represents this book incredibly well. Besides being an amazing sapphic romance, it has a lot to offer. Reading it felt very similar to playing a D&D campaign with friends when it’s nice outside. It was very fun, and dare I say cute??? And adorably yearning. I would say it is a very easy ride to enjoy, the kind to curl up to when you need some dopamine and maybe caffeine as it begins to get colder. Sybil and Esme are great main character’s who take the time to be interesting and headstrong. But I found that I became very attached to Esme and her constant wishing for her cats, books, and a cup of warm tea. Which funnily enough, was how I spent my time cuddled with my cat as I read - but I like my tea cold..

I’d also add you’d greatly enjoy the heist going on in this book, it’s cunning and never takes away from the main overarching theme of a cozy adventure.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

While the concept of this book sounded intriguing, I was ultimately disappointed. The pacing dragged on for a while, until a very fast climax. Most of the book was spent preparing for the heist, then they were in faerieland for a short time before a hasty conclusion. I would've really liked to see more of their time in the faerie world, and some of the whimsy and magic that the cover and description promised. Though the concepts of the characters had potential, ultimately they were not fleshed out, neither did their relationship have much chemistry. Normally I love slowburns but this one didn't have me hooked. However, I do think the author has potential as it was a cool concept, it just wasn't executed well.

Thank you to Peachtree and NetGalley for the ARC!

The Absinthe Underground had the perfect mix of things to attract me: it’s set in the Belle Époque, it features art nouveau for the cover and inside the story, and tells the story of a sapphic young couple in what promises to be an intense and fantastical setting.

Unfortunately, all these things that could have made for an absolutely amazing novel are held back by a narration that has several flaws, the main one of them being that it tells a lot and shows very little.

Sybil and Esme are two characters that the author tries very hard to differentiate. Sybil is meant to be an adventurous and carefree artist, while Esme is more careful, shier, calmer. The contraposition of their characteristics should have made for interesting dialogues and romance, but they had very little chemistry beyond the author telling us over and over how much they were into each other and lusted after one another in their respective trains of thought. They were also terribly naïve in several occasions for people who are barely scraping by and supplementing their income with thievery. Where are those street smarts?!

The worldbuilding and plot felt quite bare-bones for how many promising things there were in the premise. The author set the story in an interesting city with so much to draw from, but it was barely exploited and the predictable plot did not make up for it in twists and mystery. The narration felt clunky at times and the dialogues needed some more polishing. Furthermore, despite the author’s clear attempt at differentiating the main characters, their narrative voices felt so similar it is actually very hard to tell whose chapter it is.

I also could not get past the fact that it makes absinthe look desirable and ‘aesthetic’ when the age of the characters and the simplistic style make it seem clearly aimed at an underage audience.

I really regret needing to write this review because I was ready to absolutely love the book, but it was a letdown. I genuinely think it could have been SO much better if the author had spent some more months polishing it, because there were some really cool ideas in there.