Bitter Medicine - Release Day Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
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"Who are you when you aren't with me?"
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QUICK LOOK: Urban Fantasy, Chinese Mythology & Medicine, Elves, Intelligence Agency, Playful Banter, Unique Magic System, Portal Jumping, Romance
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SYNOPSIS: Elle and Luc both work for the same intelligence agency in different departments. Elle often makes special spells of protection or ability spells for Luc to use on his missions in the field. But, as these agents begin to get to know each other, they begin to discover neither are simply who they first seemed to be.
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WHAT I LIKED:
-Well-built Urban Fantasy World
-Intelligence Agency Aspect was really unique
-Gorgeous Character Growth for both leads
-So Playful. Great banter. Lots of humor.
-Luc calling Elle "my heart"
-The author's note about why she used multiple languages in the book was fascinating
-Taiwanese-American Author
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
-Some transitions to new scenes or settings felt a bit unclear
-Some of "how" the magic worked felt a bit unclear
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Thank you @netgalley for my eARC copy. I was given this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved all the yearning in this book! Mia really did a great job with the world and characters. And wow that cover is gorgeous!

This was a truly charming debut. Modern and yet magical world with a lovely amount of world-building. There were compelling characters, fun dynamics, and I found myself laughing along the way!

Oh how I adore this book!!!

The world, the magic system, the diversity, the romance 🥰😍, the family aspect and the characters in this book, phenomenal 🙌🏻

This story follows Elle who is the middle child of the family and works at a temp agency as a magical calligrapher writing glyphs for agents. Luc, a French half-elf, is a regular and asks her for a very specific commission for a job he has to do. She accepts and as they work together, their chemistry is clearly undeniable, and yet, Elle has a big secret that involves protecting her brothers whom she loves dearly, and Luc has a secret that he literally cannot even voice and they wonder whether they could ever truly be together.

My favorite things about this book were the romance and the family aspect.

I love me a good slow burn that frustrates me and this one covered that well 😂 It’s also a romance that one would dream about having. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, and just so tender and sweet. The way Luc and Elle always make sure the other is okay before doing anything or touching the other, how careful Luc is around her, compared to how he is at work known as the Killer. My heart just melted and melted and melted as I read their love story! The best thing is the communication between the two of them. Okay, yah, they have their secrets, but what I loved is how Elle listened in a particular moment in this book and I loved her so so much during that scene and I wanted to hug her and Luc so much! But they got each other, they knew each other so well that they could tell there was something more going on, but respected each other’s privacy and were willing to wait for the other to tell them. They are just perfect 👌🏻

I also love how much Elle loves her family and I loved her interactions with her brother Tony. It just made me warm and fuzzy and made think of my family and siblings 🥰 Now, when I say family, I mean her brothers. And her brother Tony loves her so much too and the way they watch out for each other and take care of each other in this book was beautiful to read, especially during some of Elle’s darker moments.

Elle and Luc were very similar and their situations were different, but they each seemed to not think they worth anything, and it was heartbreaking to read that and how they felt about themselves, but lovely to see them grow and learn that they are worth it and are worth something and that people love them for who they are as a person, not what they can do.

This is truly an amazing book! Such a unique concept and the writing is beautiful and witty and I just loved it okay?! So you should go get it and read, it’s worth it I promise 😉

I received a free digital copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

this book is incredible. it's so rich in everything and the author's note about not providing translations for the different languages used in this book is IMMENSELY respectable and regardless of the reason why, i love putting in effort, however little it may be, to read different languages in novels so <3 it was the first book i've flown through in a month or two and i appreciated that immensely.

getting into the actual plot it's about elle, (who, despite being the middle daughter, has all the symptoms of eldest daughter in an asian household syndrome and whom i couldn't help but love. she is fiercely protective and underestimates herself to a fault and i love her so much) and luc, (a half-elf who hates the work he does but can't help it for reasons i will not say and is just so much more than the stoic mask he puts on) and secrets that unravel between them and that connect them in multiple ways.

this contemporary fantasy was just so good for me and i loved every minute of it. i loved how the focus was on both their characters and how their romance was simply a part of it and truly this was just beautiful. full of family and mistakes and longing and magic and the mundane, bitter medicine was anything but bitter and i couldnt be more glad! the writing is a little plain in the beginning but it's clear that it had to be done that way because describing appearances gets very complicated very fast and there's only truly ONE moment i could tell, because other than that the writing is not full of metaphors and flowery words but instead does exactly what it's meant to do, which is make me feel and it fits the story so well so im not upset!!

overall, this book was incredible and im seated for anything else mia tsai wants to write!!!

ty to tachyon publications and netgalley for the arc!

I picked up Bitter Medicine thinking it was UF with romance in it, but it was romantic fiction with UF elements. It was also a somewhat odd book, consisting of two uneven parts. First storyline came to a point at around 60% mark. It was ok, even if the romance was very slow-burn with rather odd intimate scenes. If the book had ended there, I might have given it a better rating. Unfortunately, it continued.

The latter part was a meandering mess that didn’t need to be that long; a couple of chapters would’ve sufficed. The conclusion was very unsatisfying. It’s a happily ever after, but at a cost that went against the tropes of fantasy genre, and not in a good way. Kudos for originality, but … no.

Fantasy elements were a mishmash of everything, but mostly western. The description promised xianxia inspired fantasy, but it was inspiration in name only. The main character, Elle, was Chinese, but nothing in her behaviour made me believe it. She was very American in her thoughts and deeds, though incredibly stupid for some reason (she could use a computer but not a smartphone?). For his part, Luc didn’t feel very French, and the Catholic elements seemed really odd.

I was especially disappointed with Elle’s family relations. As a western reader, one thing that makes Asian fiction feel authentic to me, is the idea of duty to one’s family and elders that is very alien to western society. Some lip-service was paid to it here, but in actual dealings with each other, the characters were wholly western. Even the premise was about Elle taking away her brother’s immortality—without his consent, I might add—so that he could escape doing his duty to his family.

Maybe modern Chinese are more western in this respect, but these characters were over a century old and from the heartland of China. If the characters hadn’t been Chinese, the premise would’ve worked. Now it only irked me. As a whole, the book left me unsatisfied both as a romance and as a fantasy.

Luc and Elle – terrible prospects –

These two long-lived magical beings must come to terms with their pasts to have the chance of a future together. With the help of a few trusted friends they will overcome all the obstacles that are keeping them apart.

If you are looking for a low angst romance with a unique twist, look no further. Travel the world with Luc and Elle in this happy for now fantasy romance. The open ending makes me hopeful for another story set in this world.

Recommended for: romance readers; fantasy readers

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Elle is a Chinese immortal disguised as just another glyph maker while Luc is an elf with secrets of his own. After one of Elle's glyphs saves him, Luc commissions another from her. As their feelings for each other turn them into more than friends, family loyalty and workplace demands threaten their growing relationship.

What is bitter medicine but something that is tough to swallow? In much the same way, this is how I felt about the book.

I was expecting a contempory fantasy and looked forward to the conflict that would arise with Luc's next job being apprehending Elle's brother. Unfortunately, the quick resolution did not equate to the build up it received, and I was left disappointed.

Contributing to my disappointment was that the writing lacked a sense of place. I could not fully immerse myself in the world because I was unsure of what I was supposed to “see.”

Although there were none of the sweeping descriptions I usually enjoy, the overall story (once I could get past my disappointment) and the world were both compelling. The gods and myths of different cultures coexisted within the same world. I thought this was particularly cleverand what I liked best about the novel.

There are nuances to the dialogue that Tsai explains in her Afterword that made me appreciate the writing more. The thoughtfulness about code switching and having it be reflected was one I appreciated.

Despite being disappointed, this is a book I liked enough that I will likely give it another reading. With a different set of expectations--concentrating more on Luc and Elle's relationship and loyalties rather than what I hoped would be the major plotline--I am hopeful that I will discover different things I missed, things that might make me appreciate the book more. I certainly think about it enough to at least give it a second chance. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai is a swoony debut with something for every type of fantasy romance reader. Noble elves, mysterious agencies, a slow-burn romance with plenty of mutual pining, and whimsical details that balance nicely with the action.

Elle stays under the radar, working on commissions for a secret agency. Her powerful glyphs (writing-based magic system, my beloved!) hint at murky personal history, but she's determined to grit her teeth and keep her head down. She has a family to protect and people to hide from. She should avoid Luc, the handsome colleague, who finds any excuse to stop by her work. But family loyalty can only go so far when Elle's work catches up with her, putting her in Luc's crosshairs.

Readers will immediately fall in love with Elle and how she has the personality of an ancient grandma in the body of a twenty-something-year-old. Her whole family dynamic is fascinating, almost begging for a short story prequel about her and her brothers. Tsai's strength is also in building her secondary characters like Tony and the Wrecking Clue, who provided plenty of comic relief when the narrative made darker twists and turns. In the end, this is a debut that will appeal to fans of romantic contemporary fantasy and xianxia.

With a debut this fun, I wonder what magic Tsai will create next.

Thanks, Netgalley and Tachyon Publications, for the ARC.

I really enjoyed Bitter Medicine. The only thing that let the book down are the sex scenes. I’m not a prude but I felt these distracted from the storyline which I enjoyed a lot more. I found myself scrolling past the sex scenes to get to the next scene. I loved the blend of fantasy and the real world. I thought the world-building was excellent. I think Elle is a great character. I felt connected to her. Luc is a great character as well. The book gets unexpectedly dark at times which I loved. I had a great time reading this.

Tsai has created an incredibly detailed world within these pages. It did take some time for me to figure out what was going on - there’s an assumption at the beginning that you know Elle and her back story (so much so that I went back to confirm this wasn’t part of a series) - but, eventually, everything comes together and starts to make sense. I do think we’re lacking information at times which can leave the characters or their situations feeling a little underdeveloped. For the most part, though, I enjoyed this story and these characters.

The fast pace draws you into the narrative but makes the beginning a little choppy and disorganised. It feels like Tsai eventually gets into her groove, and things move more fluidly, but similar to the lack of information, it does take some time.

I appreciated Tsai's decision not to translate certain pieces of dialogue, especially after reading the afterword. It adds more realism and depth to a fantastical narrative. There’s not only a wide range of creatures but a wide range of cultures represented within these pages.

With a few hitches, it can be difficult to become absorbed in Bitter Medicine, but I found it incredibly worth it. I wish it were part of a series, and we were getting more stories from this world, but I enjoyed this read.

In this debut novel, Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai, I found the story beautiful with a lovely and complex romance. Part of the reasons lie in how well the characters are written. Neither Luc or Elle or without flaws and both have duties that preclude relationships. Yet, the romance is there, the characters are written with intricate layers and the love story is the most logical and compelling romance I’ve yet seen. 

The magic is written astonishingly well, with nuances and unexpected methods. Nothing is neat or tidy but it is compelling how well it is thought out. And the choices that the characters make with their magic is part of what makes the story so intriguing. The ending is how I would have figured out the solution to the problem the pair have but that does not make it stale but rather the perfect resolution for the story, one full of love and joy despite all the sacrifices both characters make in order to have happy lives. 

If you like stories with a happy ending, with love stories and romance, this novel is for you. It is a fascinating story with an intriguing magical system. The story has a lovely and complex romance with characters I frankly like a lot. If they were real people, I’d want to be friends with them. And I adore the ending.

(ARC from NetGalley) OOH a contemporary fantasy without info-dumping? Sign me up. I'm unfamiliar with Chinese mythology, but loved learning bits about it through this. Only thing that was missing for me was that yearning and tension from Luc and Elle.

If you loved Modern Divination or Legends and Lattes, I think you should pick this up!

Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai follows Ella and Luc where Ella is a descendant of the Chinese God of medicine, an ignored middle child. Luc is half-elf and works for an agency named Roland & Riddle. You can think about the above-mentioned agency, as equivalent to a private organization that works on a contract basis in the real world. This was enough to get me excited about this.

Bitter medicine didn’t disappoint at least not in the first half. I was hooked. The world-building was amazing. The plot build-up was so good. Luc’s current mission was to arrest Elle’s rogue brother and the more time they spent together not knowing how close they were tied up.

With so much happening in the first half, I was expecting some good moments in the second half. However, this book falls a little flat in the second half for the reasons stated below:
 The epic chase around which the plot is supposedly built felt a little rushed up and ends very abruptly.
 Elle and Luc’s past/backstory, I don’t need a lot of background while reading a romance novel, however, I feel fantastic, especially where the characters have lived for centuries and need strong background stories as their past usually shapes their present behaviors. The lack of that was a big drawback for me.
 I loved seeing Luc in action i.e. on the field during missions, sadly we just get one scene. I would have loved more of that part of his life that would have given us a better picture of why he felt the way he did.
 There is also a mention of an ex-boyfriend of Luc’s in the end. His name comes up a few times throughout the story, however, I failed to understand who he was until the end and I would have liked a little more information about Luc's past relationship.
 Luc's sole mission for taking a break from work is to find a cure for the curse fallen on the two children and that sort of fades away in the background in the second half.

Mia Tsai focuses majorly on romance and that at times hinders the characters' personal growth. in the second half, we also get a glimpse of what their domestic life would be and it is adorable. However, with the amazing world-building and a debut work with some amazing characters, I feel like it’s worth giving a shot.

Bitter Medicine is a fantasy romance novel set in modern day. Elle, a powerful descendant of a Chinese god of medicine, is stuck working a job that she’s overqualified for. Luc, a high-level agent at a magical corporation, frequents Elle’s calligraphy shop for his work. Both of them harbor a lot of secrets that really affect their relationship.

The romance could be a considered a friends to lovers, mutual pining situation. There are a couple of explicit steamy scenes.

I loved this book. I love that the fantasy world uses mythology from different cultures, and that the company that the characters worked for was international, so the reader can see many of those elements. The romance was really sweet and the characters could really be themselves around each other. I really loved the sibling dynamic between Elle and her brother. They argued and annoyed each other a lot, but it was out of love.

Bitter Medicine wasn’t a fast-paced action-packed story. However, it had moments of action and moments of coziness that balanced each other out. The romance and non-romance aspects of the story all intrigued me. I would recommend this to both romance readers and fantasy readers alike. I had a great time reading it.

4.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Tachyon for providing the arc

A romance steeped in complex characters and a contemporary fantasy world that also somewhat lives outside of time, featuring a descendant of a Chinese god of medicine giving up her life to protect her brother, and a French half-elf. BITTER MEDICINE is not the kind of book that I regularly pick up, but I overall enjoyed it nonetheless. It felt unique, and like Tsai had crafted a different world just in this one book, even if there are elements pulled from dozens of fantastical, historical, and mythological sources. For me, it felt heavier on the romance or contemporary characters aspect than it did on the fantasy at most points, although that element is at least somewhat always present. Overall, if you’re a romantic fantasy fan, I’d definitely recommend this.

BITTER MEDICINE is, at its heart, also a rich weaving of both cultural and identity within a paranormal fantasy, striking that balance between something that can feel contemporarily relatable and also relatively timeless.

In the vein of this being heavier on the romance than the fantasy, there were some moments where the pacing felt a little bit weird, or the character development didn’t feel chronologically consistent. The book immediately opens in a way that grabbed me, but some parts of the middle made this book feel longer than it actually was. The overarching plot is about Elle and Luc, and thus the fantasy plotlines become a bit more secondary and thus complete their arc before the story is actually over. But, like I mentioned, if you’re there for the romance, this could definitely be a bonus.

I’m generally a big fan of characters, and this book has several to fall for, although I’ve got to say that Tony (and his instagay thirst traps) is a personal favourite. Elle’s friends, and the Wrecking Crew, were definitively positive additions to the story, and helping expand it when it began to feel too singularly focused. I wish that some characters or antagonists like Elle’s younger brother were established with more depth, but I think the story can still stand for itself without it.

As a debut fantasy, I think that this is well worth the read, even if there are things that I would love to see Tsai develop in her future books!

Elle Jiang is hiding in plain sight, pretending she’s a low-level magical calligrapher, pretending that her older brother is dead and taking the blame for the younger brother who killed him. Her elaborate pretense unravels when she falls for the ‘Fixer’ who is supposed to bring what’s left of her family to justice. Luc’s boss expects him to sacrifice Elle for duty - as he has sacrificed everything else. But Elle has shown him there’s another way - if he’s just willing to give up everything he is for a future they might not live to see.

VERDICT: A half-fae mobster falls for the many greats-granddaughter of the god of medicine in this lushly romantic urban fantasy that mixes ancient Celtic heroes with svartalfar of Norse folklore and wuxia-inspired fox spirits in epic flying battles. Urban fantasy readers will appreciate the well-crafted, diversely populated hidden world, while lovers of ‘bad boy’ or ‘Mafia’ romances will see Luc as just their darkly delicious type while Elle’s long sacrifice will break readers’ hearts. Fans of Sarah J. Maas’ epic, paranormal fantasies will also find much to savor in Bitter Medicine

ENGLISH
Thanks to Netgalley and Tachyon Publications for sending the digital ARC copy.

There is a lot to say about this book because I was expecting something else, but I still liked it more than I thought I would. I'll keep it short though, because here we work without spoilers.

The world and the magic system is one of the best i've read in urban fantasy books. We have an eclectic mix of mythological beings but from myths and folklore from all over the world. It's something original and refreshing to see how a goblin interacts with a sphinx or even a griffin or whatever you can think of because there really is a bit of everything. That's something that I loved: the diversity.

So basically we have like a sort of secret agency of mythological beings that are in charge of preventing humans from being aware of their existence, which I've always thought was a wonderful concept. That said, there are like different levels of security and powers, it's too complex for me to explain it here (read the book, it's really cool.) But like, READ IT (*uses that thingy from Men In Black and leaves*)

After this context, the characters and diversity. The main character has depth because she is much more powerful than she pretends to be (I won't say why hehe), but I think that's a bit like many women: that we have more strength than we show for our own protection. It's something I thought about when I finished it, something like Buffy's final message, isn't it? You know how much we adore that show, although this is different, you know?

About diversity, we have characters whose gender doesn't fit into the binary norm and, attention: INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE!!! I love seeing that being treated in a normal way, although there is a certain character who I hope bad things happen to him because ugh (men and their audacity). And we have a lot of representation: Asian, African, gay, bisexual, non-binary... 20/10

Now, the structure and development didn't convince me, I think the resolution of the problems could have been joined in a common climax. Something like an apotheosic ending. But I understand that we also want each protagonist to have their own focus. I just wish the ending has went like BUM.

Oh and don't forget, although it has a somewhat YA tone in several parts... IT IS NOT YA. There are +18 scenes (some of the best I've read, honestly) CONSENT KIND AND QUEEN. Love it. Give me more and thank you.

So, you know, the book comes out on the 14th of this month (March 2023). I encourage you to read it if only for the world and the social system that has been set up, but especially for the diversity, which we need more.


SPANISH
Muchas gracias a Netgalley y a Tachyon Publications por el envío del ejemplar en digital

Hay mucho que decir de este libro porque tengo que decir que me esperaba otra cosa, pero que aun así me ha gustado más de lo que pensaba. Aunque haré una reseña breve porque aquí sin spoilers.

El mundo y el sistema de magia de lo mejorcito en cuanto a libros de fantasía urbana se refiere. Tenemos una mezcla ecléctica de seres mitológicos pero de mitologías y folclore de todo el mundo (especialmente Asia, teniendo en cuenta a la protagonista de la que ya hablaremos). Es algo original y refrescante ver cómo un duende interacciona con una esfinge o incluso con un grifo o lo que se os ocurra porque de verdad que hay de todo. Eso es algo que me ha encantado: la diversidad.

Pues básicamente tenemos como una especie de agencia secreta de seres mitológicos que se encarga de evitar que los humanos seamos conscientes de su existencia, lo cual siempre me ha parecido un concepto maravilloso. Dicho esto, hay como distintos niveles de seguridad y poderes, es muy complejo como para ponerme a explicarlo aquí (leed el libro que mola mucho). Pero LEEDLO (*utiliza esa cosa de Hombres de Negro y se pira*)

Después de este contexto, los personajes y la diversidad. La protagonista tiene profundidad porque es mucho más poderosa de lo que pretende ser (no diré el motivo jeje), pero creo que eso es un poco como muchas mujeres: que tenemos más fuerza de la que mostramos por pura protección. Es algo que pensé cuando lo terminé, algo así como el mensaje final de Buffy, ¿no? Ya sabéis lo mucho que adoramos esa serie, aunque esto es distinto eh

Sobre la diversidad, tenemos personajes cuyo género no entra en la norma del binario y, atención: LENGUAJE INCLUSIVO!! Adoro ver eso en los libros tratado de una forma normal, aunque hay cierto personaje que ojala le pasen cosas malas porque ugh (the audacity). Y es que tenemos mucha representación: Asia, África, gays, bisexual, no binarie... Un 20/10

Ahora, la estructura y el desarrollo no ha terminado de convencerme, creo que la resolución de los problema podría haber estado unida en un clímax común. Algo así como un final apoteósico. Pero entiendo que también quiere darle protagonismo a les protagonistas por separado, pero ojala ese final ahí BUM.

Ah y que no se me olvide, aunque tiene un tono algo juvenil en varios puntos... NO ES JUVENIL. Hay escenas +18 (de las mejores que he leído, sinceramente) CONSENT KIND AND QUEEN. Me encanta.

Así que, ya sabéis, el libro sale el 14 de este mes (marzo de 2023). Os animo a leerlo aunque sea solo por el mundo y el sistema social que se ha montado, pero especialmente por la diversidad que la necesitamos.

Reviews Posted: March 9, 2023
Goodreads
Storygraph

I don’t quite know how I feel about this book, but as of right now, I feel that it was just fine. There were parts of it that I absolutely loved and other parts that fell short.

I loved the magic system and the world-building in this book. I thought it was done very well and I enjoyed finding out new things as the book went on. The author did a great job of showing the world instead of just info dumping. On top of that, I found the world interesting and it is not something I have seen a lot of and definitely not done in the way the author did it.

I also felt that the plot was interesting and it was the main thing that ket me turning the page. The author did an amazing job of intertwining different storylines together. I had a lot of fun trying to figure out how everything was connected.

Now the thing that made it really hard for me to fully get invested in this book was the two main characters. I just did not care for either of them and I found myself putting the book down despite my interest in other parts of the book. I also felt no chemistry between them so that defiantly did not help.

Bitter Medicine follows Elle, ignored middle child of a Chinese god of medicine destined to be a doctor, but after her younger brother attempts to kill their older one - she fakes his death and takes him into hiding where they live under assuming lives where she squanders her skills as a magical calligrapher. Years go by and Elle refuses to let anything risk their safety until a slow burn friendship with one of her clients Luc grows under her skin to something more.

But Luc has his own secrets - he's the top fixer for the magical world and his next job is bringing in Elle's younger brothers for murder charges. He's got a tyrannical boss that won't let him quit and no life outside of work - until he finds something more with Elle. But with their paths converging on her family - there's little that can stop them from a collision path to uncovering each other's secrets.

This book drops us in the middle of a world already built, with the big fight already in the past - the MC is already on the run, hidden away from the truth. We see the beginning of the story only from flashbacks which made the reveal so much more worth it. So much magic, lore and species exist in the world hidden away from the mundane. Luc is half elf and we see how his burden as a "halfling" hasn't changed over the years - the abuse he faces from work is something he quietly accepts until he finds someone that cares for him. It was incredible to see him find a cause that made him pursue his own happiness.

The culture clash is REAL - but asian family expectations will exist in any universe and Elle is burdened by them. Loving both her brothers and unable to let them destroy each other - her only response is to run and hide them away. Get ready to have your heart strings pulled.

While I loved a LOT of things about this book it also has my LEAST favorite trope - the MC sacrifices all her magic for the sake of a man. Romantic or not, I hate this trope so much and it nearly made me quit reading it. I was hopeful that she would somehow get her powers BACK! but alas no, the rest of the story is just her learning to live as a normal human.

As long as that trope doesn't bother you, I highly recommend this book for the adult cozy fantasy vibes with a blending of cultures, magic, HEA and the idea that family does not matter over all.

rep// Chinese MC

cw// dark magic, violence, life-threatening injuries, abusive families, mind compulsion

Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.