This book is so deliciously witchy, with a fantastic world brought to life by an engaging and rich writing style, and a wonderfully sweet, slow burn sapphic romance. Tamsin and Wren too were very compelling characters, each with her unique personality and her own interesting character arc. Throughout the story, we also get to visit a lot of magical places, including the Witchlands and its numerous intriguing landmarks, among which is an academy for witches that had me wishing that I too could live in this world and study magic with other witches. Another thing that I thought was really interesting is that this story takes place in a fictional world where queer love is completely socially accepted and where homophobia is not a known concept. This just made the reading experience even more special for me because as much as I think it’s important for works of fiction to reflect the often harsh realities of the queer community in our society, it’s just as important to have stories that simply celebrate queer love and offer queer readers (like me) stories where queer characters too get to have their cute romances and happy ever afters.

A witch unable to love. A girl who can extend her magic (share it) with others. A devastating plague sweeping their world, threatening to not only destroy life as they know it, but also their very memories. SWEET & BITTER MAGIC is everything I imagined and more. It's an enemies-to-love. It's about sisterhood. It's about love in unexpected places, taking root at unexpected times with unexpected people. Tamsin and Ren are far from perfect; they both have their own desires, their own lives, but the story brings them together, forces them to face the things neither of them wanted to, and what grew out of those struggles was beautiful.

BITTER & SWEET MAGIC isn't heavy. It's not one of those dark stories where the two main characters batter each other with sarcasm and disdain. There's a healthy dislike there, but it's not abusive. It's not destructive. Deep down, there's an understanding. There's respect and appreciation. I think that's important in YA stories.

And though the themes of the book might seem a bit dark (I mean, a plague certainly doesn't sound fun), the story itself never lost a bit of its light-heartedness and touch of humor. It never really goes off the deep end with its despair and clings to hope. It would be perfect for readers who need that spark of happiness amid the darkness and that sense of lightness in all the heavy.

This epic Witchy tale has Romance, amazing world-building and it's a stand-alone fantasy which was perfect for the day I read it. Sometimes you just want the story as is.

I enjoyed reading this book with my daughter. It's a fun witchy tale and kept both of our interests peeked.

What drew me to this novel was the premise of a witch cursed with the inability to love teaming up with a girl literally made of magic, and the gorgeous cover. I liked Tamsin and Wren's characters and enjoyed seeing them change throughout the story, but by the end of the novel I just felt underwhelmed. At the end the only thing I could think of was, "Okay, I guess that's the end" and shrug. I'm not all too sure what exactly made this read lackluster for me, but it might be that some parts dragged and bored me. There was a lot of telling and not enough showing, which is also probably why I felt that Tamsin and Wren's relationship didn't develop naturally. I liked them well enough as individual characters and could empathize with them, and I understood where their character arcs were headed, but I didn't feel much of a connection with them nor feel the chemistry between them.

The world building and magic system was fun and interesting to learn about, especially how everything was all about balance. I was also surprised by the major plot twist in the third act, but felt that the character was a bit unbelievable with how exaggerated they were acting. The last few chapters after the major conflict was resolved also dragged on and I had to push myself to finish because there was no way I was quitting after getting that far into the novel. But even so, I felt that a lot of the resolution could have been condensed into less chapters. There was a lot of introspection going on in both point of views and I just felt that it slowed down everything way too much; I often found myself thinking, "Just get to the point!"

Overall, honestly, I was disappointed with this book and wished the premise was executed better. It had a lot of potential and I expected more than what I ended up getting. The characters are fine, the magic system was fun and interesting, but I wish it was a little more fast paced and that the chemistry between both characters came more naturally.

A banished witch without the ability to love and a girl who can share--but not wield--magic search for the cause behind a dark magic plague destroying the land and robbing people of their memories. A sort-of enemies to lovers fantasy novel about two young women helping each other find themselves and accidentally falling for each other along the way. Thoroughly cute and enjoyable. I saw the "twist" coming from a mile away, but because the story was so focused on Tamsin and Ren and their growing relationship, that didn't feel like too much of a letdown. And magic queer girls falling in love is always going to be a big plus for me.

Adrienne Tooley’s writing is perfect for this type of book. The world she creates is one full of magic reminiscent of the fairytales we grew up hearing. She incorporates little nods to those stories by mentioning trolls under bridges or frogs who claim to be princes. I really appreciated and enjoyed those easter eggs she threw in. This world felt new yet familiar which was cool. Her writing was also an easter egg in itself. Her descriptions and narration felt like a modern fairytale. I’m eager to see what she’ll write next! I can’t believe this was her debut.

I have a few minor complaints. There were definitely some cliches in this book, and I found the story to be fairly predictable. I guessed a few things early on that ended up happening later on in the book. Something to consider when picking up this book is that a lot of this book is spent traveling, so if you aren’t a fan of books where a lot of travel occurs then this may not be the book for you. This story isn’t action-packed. It’s more character and emotionally driven.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading the author’s next book! If you’re a fan of fairytales, magic, witches, and curses, then you should definitely check out this book!

I first of all just want to say a huge thank you too TBR and Beyond Tours for allowing me to be apart of the tour for this wonderful book in which you can find my stop of the tour on my Instagram. I also want to say a huge thank you to the author, Adrienne Tooley, to the publisher Simon and Schuster and to Netgalley for giving me an e-arc of this book so I can review it, so let's begin!

Firstly, the character development of this book is amazing! The way that both Tamsin and Wren grow as characters is really well done and well crafted throughout the novel. I think the author did a beautiful job at conveying the characters emotions which is really important as the story touched upon grief and past mistakes. So, for me the character development gets 5/5

Secondly, the plot development was so good! I loved how interesting the plot was as it explored the impact of magic, both light and dark, as well as their intentions. I really enjoyed seeing these two characters coming together for a believable reason as they have to work together to stop the curse that is spreading and to find out the course. I give the plot development a 5/5.

Thirdly, I am going to talk about the pacing which was really nice as it was consistent and made the story have a lovely flow to it. I also felt that the pacing was consistent from the start which was lovely as there weren't too many places where it felt too slow/fast it was just a lovely read, so I give pacing a 5/5.

Now for the world building in which I have sort of mixed feelings about. To start with I really love how the world is built into the story I think it was really well crafted and at no point did I feel like I was being overwhelmed with too much information. However, there were time where I just needed a bit more information regarding how the magic system worked, especially in relation to dark magic. I feel like the magic system in this story is definitely more soft rather than hard and maybe a bit of my criticism comes from me as reader preferring hard magic systems to soft ones as for me I then have a good understanding of how the magic works. Anyways I would love a sequel where this can be expored because the magic system in this world is so fascinating! I give world building a 4/5.

Lastly, I want to talk about the language used. I really adored Adrienne's writing style. I love the way that it changed in fitting with each character as I think it gave each character their own voice which helped me understand them more as each character. I love the way that Adriennes writes about the setting as I felt like it was really immersive. I just wished she wrote a little bit more whimsical when it came to the magic side but that's just me so i give the language a 4/5.

Overall, I thought that this story is really well crafted, it has a lovely sapphic romance which is built beautifully and you should definitely give it a read especially as this is a debut story, it's just so good! It's a 5 star read from me, which is top score as it recieved 23/25 with a percentage rating of 92%!

Review posted on GoodReads (March 30, 2021)
Review Linked.

4/5 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Simon Teen for sending me an E-ARC of this book for an honest review.

I first fell in love with this book when I saw the beautiful cover, and I fell in love with it again when I finished the book. This story was so much fun to read. I loved Wren and Tamsin's characters so much and their romance was so honest and beautiful. I thought that the world building and magic in this book was so interesting. To me, this is a great new YA fantasy with an epic quest, dark and magical world building, and a beautiful romance!

I recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you for reading!
Caden

I am not one for fantasy usually, so finding a fantasy book that I actually like is few and far in between. That said, I really loved this one. The cover was what initially drew me in because sweet jesus it's absolutely beautiful. Slap on the premise of a girl who can't feel love and another who possibly feels too much having to pair up? I'm in!

Wren and Tamsin were equally well fleshed out, and this is one of the few times I really appreciated the dual perspective. I felt myself leaning more towards Wren as a favorite because I always fall for characters who have her more open attitude. This novel is definitely more character driven, but I also tend to like that more! It basically had all the tropes that draws me toward any book and then executed them flawlessly.

Yet another point for this book not being 500 pages long, as a lot of fantasies tend to do. And what this book also did was give us a complete lack of homophobia in a fantasy setting. It's honestly so refreshing to see that when so many other fantasy books like insist on homophobia existing for zero good reasons.

I absolutely loved this one and can't wait to pick up another book by Adrienne Tooley!

🌙 This is a fantasy standalone! While I love series so much, sometimes you just need a standalone book to dive into.
🌙 Witches! I want to read more books with witches and interesting magic systems this year. Tamsin having to steal love from others is one thing that just grabbed me immediately.
🌙 A Curse! Do I need to say more? (I will) I just love when bargains are made between characters and you just know there will be problems and tension.
🌙 A romance! There is such a sweet, slow burn romance between Tamsin and Wren. Add in the bargain between the two women and I’m completely hooked.
🌙 Secrets! I am obsessed with novels where characters are one secret away from losing everything.
⠀
🌙 I recommend this one for readers who love slow burn romances, awesome magic systems, and witchy fantasy books! 🌙

This was a lovely debut novel, and I could go on about plenty of things I loved in it–but I’m going to keep this review brief, because this is one that I think you just have to read for yourself, without knowing too much ahead of time. A lot of the story unfurls slowly, teasing out the depths of each character and their past traumas without revealing too much early on. Tamsin, in particular, is a complex character with a painful backstory, who does not outright voice all of her guilt. Much of her history comes out not in the story’s narration, but in times where external forces require her to face the things she did that resulted in her being cursed in the first place. (Also, can I just say, I freaking loved Tamsin? So well-developed, and her inability to feel love was executed in a fascinating way.)

But here is what I can tell you: this book has a beautiful, slow-burn, sapphic, enemies-to-lovers romance. (Or at least rivals to lovers? They’re not out to murder each other, but they can’t stand each other, that’s for sure.) It does not shy away from topics including grief and mental illness (which are often glossed over in fantasy worlds, even with lots of tragedy in them, and I really appreciate the inclusion of that representation). It features the “grumpy one/sunshine one” trope, which frankly, I can never get enough of. It has a magical pandemic that makes our present reality look a little less terrible–at least our plants aren’t all spontaneously catching fire, and we aren’t losing our memories, right? It has complex familial relationships, both with sisters and with parents. And it even features some small fairytale nods–a brief “Frog Prince” scene was particularly enjoyable.

This is a story of friendship, romance, hidden strength, and learning to reconcile and embrace differences. It is about trusting and healing. It didn’t quite wow me enough to reach a five-star level, but it is enjoyable and very much worth the read.

3.5 STARS


Tamsin can no longer love, and Wren is full to bursting with nearly too much of it.

When a plague settles over the land, stealing people’s memories before stealing their lives, it’s up to two very different girls to set things right. Tamsin, a witch, has been cursed to no longer feel love in any form, not even love for warm weather or clear skies. Her world is dull and coarse, a sharp contrast to Wren’s life, which blooms with color and the all-powerful love for her ailing father. Wren is a source, incapable of manipulating magic like a witch, but overflowing with it all the same.

Together, they must venture across their lands to find a way to stop the plague before it claims more lives, and along they way, they must reckon with the enormous consequences of their own hearts.


Truth be told, I hesitated to write this review.

Sweet & Bitter Magic struck an unexpected personal chord with me. Or maybe a personal nerve? Either way, I went in excited beyond words, because it’s a witchy sapphic book! Can I ever get enough of witchiness or sapphic content? The answer is no.

But in this case, there’s such a heavy emphasis on love that every page tugged at my aromantic heart, and not in an amazing way. On the one hand, the book early on stresses that Tamsin has been cursed to never feel love. Not just romantic love, but any love. Familial love, platonic love, even the love of a warm cup of tea on a chilly day eludes her. She lives her life in a state of dull misery because this curse robbed her of the ability to love, or really even to feel joy. For that, I actually applaud the thoroughness, because the summary made me fear the curse would only bar Tamsin from romantic love, a trope I am deeply tired of. I am not cursed for not feeling romantic love, and despise reading books that frame the absence of romantic love as some great and terrible tragedy.

That said, sometimes, I felt like there was an emphasis, in Wren’s POV, on Tamsin’s inability to love her back due to the curse. She never holds it against Tamsin, thankfully, but she focuses on that detail as a big part of Tamsin’s tragedy. Even now, a week and some after finishing Sweet & Bitter Magic, I’m having some trouble articulating what exactly rubs me the wrong way about this, but I know it does, and that it does so for reasons relating to my own aromantic experience.

On the one hand, it feels selfish to cry over this. Not selfish to cry over everything that Tamsin misses thanks to the curse, but selfish to cry over her apparently unreciprocated romantic love. And on the other hand, isn’t it normal and deeply crushing to know that someone does not love you back? Aren’t Wren and Tamsin teens, who no doubt feel emotions with extra punch?

Like I said, it’s hard to pin down what doesn’t work for me here. I know that vagueness may be unhelpful, especially for other aro readers looking for detail, but I truly am struggling to find the words for my discontent that also encompass how delighted I am to read a sapphic, witchy slowburn.


“Love was a powerful and terrible creature.”

How many words into this review, and we’re still talking about love? But that’s the thing about this book: it is about love. It’s about love so big you’d give anything to keep it alive. Love so strong that you don’t think twice about the sacrifice involved. Both Wren and Tamsin have experienced loves with such great intensity that they’ve been willing to uproot their entire worlds, consequences be damned.

And for all my earlier waffling and half-griping, I adore it.

I’m thrilled that Sweet & Bitter Magic sees two girls falling in love. I’m over the moon that it addresses multiple kinds of love and their different roles and influences in our lives. And most of all, I love that it shows you what happens when love oversteps. Even in love, there must be boundaries. It can turn toxic, no matter how well-intentioned a feeling it may be.

Sometimes, you just need to see two girls grapple with their biggest feelings. And then you need to see them develop feelings for each other, enemies to lovers style. Sweet & Bitter Magic delivers on that without a doubt, turning an adventure to save a queendom into something intensely personal at the very same time.


Sweet & Bitter Magic may not be entirely for me, but maybe it could be for you!

I can’t get past that little doubt in the back of my mind to fully enjoy Sweet & Bitter Magic. Such is the effect of personal experience, I suppose. But maybe it will be a hit for you! It’s tender and full of heart, with a whimsical magic that echoes with a certain darkness. And like I said, it has a distinct touch of enemies to lovers, with some mutual bargaining splashed on top. Somehow, I think that’ll draw quite a few of you in. 😉

And in even better news, Sweet & Bitter Magic is already on shelves! You can buy it or request it from your library today. No waiting anxiously for pub day, no waffling over where to place a preorder. It’s here, it’s queer, and it’s full of love.

I really do hope you love it in turn. Even if I don’t, I know there are many of you who need a story like this. Who will adore it. And I wish you only the greatest joy flipping through its pages!


CW: loss of a loved one, child death, animal death, violence


[This review will go live on Hail & Well Read at 10am EST on 3/18/21.]

Sweet & Bitter Magic was one of my most anticipated books of this year. And it really makes me sad to give it such a low rating, as I hoped it would be a new favourite. Sorcery of Thorns is my absolute favourite YA Fantasy and seeing the comparison on the blurb, I honestly thought this was going to be a new favourite. But sadly, this wasn't for me.

The thing that made sorcery such a magical read was that 1) writing was amazing 2) the imagery and world building was fantastic 3) I liked both characters.
This book has some cool ideas about magic but it's nowhere as well-developed as SoT. But the main reason that I just couldn't enjoy this was one of the MCs. I liked Tamsin but I honestly can't stand Wren. Here's the thing, she's supposed to come off as kind and compassionate, but I find her annoyingly stupid to the point that she doesn't seem to have any self-preservation instinct. Because I didn't care about her character, I didn't care about the story. So everything else kinda fell flat for me.

I loved this sweet, queer magical book. It was amazing! I was a little skeptical because most queer books aren't actually queer but the romance in this was 10/10.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher for a tour. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Sweet and Bitter Magic

Author: Adrienne Tooley

Book Series: Standalone for now

Diversity: sapphic romance

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: fantasy lovers, sapphic romance lovers, romance lovers

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: March 9, 2021

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Pages: 368

Recommended Age: 14+ (romance, slight violence, plague/pandemic themes)

Synopsis: Tamsin is the most powerful witch of her generation. But after committing the worst magical sin, she’s exiled by the ruling Coven and cursed with the inability to love. The only way she can get those feelings back—even for just a little while—is to steal love from others.

Wren is a source—a rare kind of person who is made of magic, despite being unable to use it herself. Sources are required to train with the Coven as soon as they discover their abilities, but Wren—the only caretaker to her ailing father—has spent her life hiding her secret.

When a magical plague ravages the queendom, Wren’s father falls victim. To save him, Wren proposes a bargain: if Tamsin will help her catch the dark witch responsible for creating the plague, then Wren will give Tamsin her love for her father.

Of course, love bargains are a tricky thing, and these two have a long, perilous journey ahead of them—that is, if they don't kill each other first..

Review: I really loved this book! I have always said that there's still not enough sapphic romance in fantasy. And I lived for it! The romance started as enemies to lovers and evolved rapidly from there. The world building was wonderful, the book is mostly devoted to character development, and I was hooked from beginning to end.

My only issue is that, for a fantasy read, this book had a lack to it in the form of action/a solid plot. It was more of a book between these two characters than your typical quest read. It's still good, but it's different to your normal fantasy.

Verdict: It's great but different.

Loved this YA fantasy with it's sweet, slow burn f/f romance!

Tamsin and Wren are fully developed characters, and I love how Tamsin's bitter and jaded heart plays of Wren's naive one. The dialogue is sharp, and I love how the romance is a slow burn- they really get to know each other before really falling for each other- though there is an instant pull they feel.

I love this world the author has built. The magic system is fleshed out, and in particular I love how Tamsin's curse is portrayed- her inability to love shown through lack of color and taste, as well as a cold, frozen feeling. There were some big twists that I didn't see coming, and I enjoyed seeing Tamsin, and especially Wren, grow as they faced their pasts and futures.

The pacing was a bit slow in the middle, but overall this was a fantastic fantasy with memorable characters and a sweet queer romance.

Thank you Netgalley for this ebook arc in exchange for an honest review.

First word that comes to mind when trying to describe Sweet & Bitter Magic is: beautiful. Because the writing is beautiful, yes; it’s very poetic, it’s charming, it’s like those fairy tales your parents used to read you when you were kid only so much better. But also because of the kind of story it tells.

See, this is a story about love. Not a romance* – a story about love. Literally the only reason for the whole plot to take place is that both of the main characters love their family. That love is portrayed in two different ways, and not just because for Tamsin it’s love for twin sister and for Wren it’s love for her father. It differs in the way the girls approach love, in how they think about it, how they put value on it. How that love dictates their actions.

*The romance is also beautiful, obviously.

There is nothing simple about those feelings, and Tooley spends a big portion of the novel exploring that. How a love shapes a person, helps them grow, but also how it takes away their choices, how it makes them do things they wouldn’t if it wasn’t for the love. Or not do things they otherwise would… Love is never shown as this Big Magical Spell that will just make your whole life easy in a heartbeat. Which still allows for love to be shown as magic.

The only reason all of this works is that both Tamsin & Wren are outstanding characters, in term of death and development, growth. It’s not a stretch at all to say this is a character driven novel (which explains why I like it so much, probably). And it’s executed perfectly in every single way. If you want “strong female characters”, you should read this book.

And a quick note: another cool thing about Sweet & Bitter Magic – and this is something I always talk about when I find it in a book – is the total lack of homophobia in this made-up world. It’s not hitting you over the head with some preaching or whatever, it’s subtle. It’s in a throwaway line about a baker and her wife that no one comments on, in the way no one objects to same-sex relationships. It makes you feel like it’s a safe space. A beautiful space.

All in all, if you’re a fan of enchanting writing, of character driven fantasy novels, of strong-minded, beautiful, loving female characters, if you want a book to awaken only warm feelings in your heart – read Sweet & Bitter Magic.

Tamsin has been cursed to live a life without love, after committing the worst magical sin possible within the ruling Coven. The only way she can even temporarily feel love is to steal it from others. Wren is a magical source, one destined to generate magic but never be able to use it herself. According to Coven law, Wren should’ve left her family to train as soon as she discovered her abilities, but if she leaves, there would be no one left to take care of her sickly father. The two cross paths after a magical plague ravages the queendom, leaving Wren no choice but to take drastic measures to protect her father. She makes a bargain with Tamsin: if Tamsin helps her capture the witch responsible for the plague, Wren will give Tamsin her love for her father. This deal stands to benefit both of them if they can stand each other for long enough to finish their mission.

My Recommendation-
If you can’t resist the enemies-to-lovers trope (especially in magical contexts) you have to read Sweet and Bitter Magic! This book would be perfect for fans of The Shadows Between Us and Girls of Paper and Fire!

At first, we are seemingly presented with two quite opposite souls, Tamsin cold and bitter, Wren warm and loving, but the more we get to know them, and they get to know each other, the more it seems they have uniting them than dividing. Even their differences give them unity in time, and as they grow closer, the beauty of those differences is a wonderful example of how we shouldn’t give up on people given our first impressions.

Tamsin seems almost like a physical personification of depression and grief, impacted both by the cursed placed by the Coven and by the loss of her twin, only enhanced by what she is slowly learning from her sister’s diary, which is almost haunting her. Wren has promised the love she has for her father as the price for Tamsin’s assistance as the Plague has already caused him to forget her, and she knows that there is nothing she can do, no one she has left, without him. The sacrifice she is making in this promise is something that Tamsin physically cannot understand because of her curse – and maybe, also, because of her grief.

The book in itself is testament to the strength of women, in their magic and in their beings. The very fact we have a queendom without fuss or noise made of it is a wondrous novelty that needs to become more common. It’s evident in all the locations we encounter in the book that even though there are men, women are considered and treated equally.

I really enjoyed the book, and found the relationship between Wren and Tamsin a (painful slowburn) beautiful representation of how love grows in the places it is most needed, and the power that leaning on another person can give.