Sometimes, all you really want from a fantasy is something a little quieter. Something that isn’t about life and death and saving the world from destruction and/or invasion. And that’s exactly what Sweet & Bitter Magic provides. A fantasy that centres on love — romantic and familial.

That’s what I loved most about it, really. For all that epic and wide-ranging fantasies are exciting and I enjoy them, the kind of fantasy that’s just quieter, that’s a less expansive story, just hits differently. But there’s also a balance there to keep the plot moving when there’s less happening and it’s done so well here. I read this book in a single sitting and didn’t want to put it down.

Part of that was also due to the characters. Wren and Tamsin are both characters you can’t help but root for. You know how, sometimes, you can pick a favourite POV? I couldn’t ever decide between them. I wouldn’t want to decide between them. They’re the kind of characters you want to read about forever.

And it’s Wren and Tamsin’s love that’s central to the story. Not for one another, but for their families (and yeah, okay, later one another). It’s also their love that saves everything and, I don’t know about you, but 2021 is the perfect year to read about love saving everything. Especially when it just so happens to be sapphic love on top of that.

I HAVE TO WRITE THIS REVIEW IN ALL CAPS. WHY, YOU ASK? WELL, IT'S BECAUSE I WANT TO SCREAM HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS STORY. SAPPHIC IN NATURE. MAGIC. WHO DOESN'T ENJOY A STORY WITH MAGIC? I FOUND THE CHARACTERIZATIONS REALISTIC AND RELATABLE. THE PLOT HELD ME THE ENTIRE TIME. I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE BOOK IN ITS ENTIRETY. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT TO LOVERS OF YA.

In this book, Tasmin has been exiled from the Coven and cursed with the inability to love. Wren has been hiding the fact that she is a source- a person made of magic- for years, until a memory stealing plague wreaks havoc throughout the land. In order to save her father, Wren strikes a deal with Tasmin, offering her love for her father in return for help catching the one who created the plague.

I really enjoyed this book! The world-building was great, and the magic system was well explained. Their journey to the woods was a little too fast-paced for me, but I was under the assumption that it was far away from the town (maybe a map would help?). I especially loved the slow-burn and their relationship! The plot twists were terrific too, didn't see them coming at all. I would definitely purchase this book both for my library and myself!

*Spoiler free*

Witches, and f/f enemies-to-lovers. Yeah, that was enough for me to be completely invested. Then I found out that it was about a witch who is unable to love traveling with girl who is a source of magic to stop a plague that is ravaging the queendom. I also found out it had a cat, so this book was filled to the brim with things that I wanted to know more about. Trigger warnings: grief

This book was good. It feels likes a quiet purple hue, filled with saplings and talking toads. It's a journey of magic, painful and hopeful, and so beautifully written. I don't think I fell completely, head over heels, in love with this one. But, I did fall in love with it, because there are so many things to love.

One of the things that I loved most about this book was Wren. She added such a sweet, caring, selfless feeling to this book. She's like a flower reaching towards the sun, shielding little mice from it's scorching rays. She's sweet and wonderful, with an inner strength she is learning she possesses. She's the kind of girl who stops to usher turtles across the road and doesn't blink an eye when asked to give something up to provide help.

Tamsin is the exact opposite. She's cold and brittle, cursed to live without love. She is the epitome of grumpy from the grumpy/sunshine dynamic. She's swimming through a sea of pain and guilt and grief, with nothing to balance the negative feelings out. But there is still something about her that is so lovable. She's determined and fierce, and she's learning to open up.

Speaking of Tamsin, I thought the love curse was incredibly written. For me, it's so hard to imagine life without love, but I feel like Tooley captured it really well. Love is something that is welded into every facet of life, and when it's gone, life is completely altered. It takes away positive experiences and replaces them with negative ones. It drains the color and the joy from life. All of this is woven into Tamsin's character, and it created a wealth of wonderfully written pain and anguish. I also loved how it changed and morphed throughout the book, as new situations were presented.

The world is both quaint and vast at the same time. Travel does happen, but everything feels so contained. I think it worked for what this book was trying to do! This story wasn't something that needed to encompasses the entire world. It focused on two girls, and the journeys both of them were going through. It needed a world to reflect the vastness of their stories, but no so vast the small details would slip through the cracks. It's made up of small villages, and towering witch's academies. A fantastic combination.

One of the things I'm not too sure of it the plot. I'm not quiet sure where it stems from, but maybe I wanted more. Maybe I wasn't completely invested in the overarching plot of the plague and the world being ripped apart. I think I wanted more from that. It did feel like a book that moved very fast through plot points. There were times where I would be in the middle of scene and realize that something big and dramatic was happening, because it zipped straight to the point. I think this affected how deeply I connected with the emotional journey's of both Tamsin and Wren.

Though, overall, I did enjoy this book. It is incredibly gay and the cat lives in the end. It's got a sweet happiness to it, but it doesn't shy away from the heartbreaking pain. It is sweet and bitter (I know, I know), working in fantastic harmony. It truly is a great book.

Good book if you like witches. The love interest was not what I expected at first and it was a pleasant surprise. Love was more than just physical and it made for a great plot.

Cursed to never love again, this was a magical story with great development.

Salem witches history with a twist, the stories of the past come to the minds when reading this novel. I would say this is a deep good vs evil story with magic as it's meter. Had bad are you? What kind of magic are you into? This book, is great for those who love witch stories and want a suspense filled, twisty and fantastical novel. Even has some Pretty Little Liars vibes.

Lovely story. Enjoyed watching the main characters grow, both as people and witches. The romance was a slow-burn, neither realized it till they were head-over-heels type, and sweetly subtle. Would definitely be interested in a sequel if the author would grace us with such.

I was thrilled when I received an arc from the publisher since this is a highly anticipated book and I see so many people talking about it! Although it wasn't as "amazing" as I'd hope, it was still a good story.

There wasn't as much action in the book as I was expecting after reading the synopsis and a lot of the magic was talked about more than acted out. I found myself waiting for that big "BANG" of a moment but it didn't exactly come. The plot twist was a bit of a surprise and I quite enjoyed it.

The romance in this book was beautiful. A very slow burn where both girls grew closer and bonded over their inner battles and learned to heal with each other. Acceptance was also a major part of their relationship was so beautiful to read. There were plenty of almost kisses and who doesn't love that right? It makes the actual kiss all the more perfect!

If you're a fan of lgbtq characters, slow burn romances and unique magic then this is the book for you!