This standalone is perfect for everyone who needs a quick read for in between that doesn't take away too much of your attention or time!

In April, @_ckarys and I picked up Sweet & Bitter Magic for our monthly #BookTalkWithWifey readalong because of three reasons: witches, sapphic romance, hate-to-love.

This story is set in a world where the "Within" - the Witchlands - is seperated from the mortal realms; however, the witches are known and live among the mortals if they choose so. But Tamsin didn't. She was banished from the Within after committing a crime, and cursed to never feel love again. From the very beginning, we meet Tamsin and get to know to what extent this curse follows her. It's not just that she can't fall in love, but love is being viewed in a bigger context here. Tamsin can't really enjoy colors, the sunset, the taste of food, or the warmth of the fireplace. Her only way to get some of it back is by stealing it from others. Love is her payment, and she steals it portions of it. The husband's love for his wife, the mother's love for her child. But no matter how much she steals, it's never enough - and never lasts for long. In the same village, there is one girl whose whole life is being dedicated to the love she has for her father - Wren. As the only caretaker and family of her father, Wren has been guarding her secret her whole life. She is a source. She is made of magic that she can't use herself. However, sources are required to join the coven in the Witchlands to train alongside of witches. Witches that can use the source's powers by touching them. When a plague ravages through the land as a consequence of dark magic, Wren is determined to save her father's life, and give up the one thing she has plenty of: the love for her father. To Tamsin, who might be the only one powerful enough to stop the magic. Together, they go off to find the cause behind all of it. Oh, and don't we love bargains like these?

I must say, the way the characters are incorporated into the worldbuilding and represent the magic system is what I enjoyed the most, right after the characters themselves. The magic system of witches and sources is something I haven't encountered elsewhere, and I really enjoyed the concept of it. Especially since we all know - magic demands a price. Not, however, when you have source nearby that can give you some of theirs. Tamsin and Wren were polar opposites in terms of personality. While Tamsin is cold due to her inability to love, logical, but also followed by grief, Wren is full of love and dreams, determined to see the good in people, and hopeful in any way possible. Very often, I find it hard to see opposites like these interact, but I didn't mind with these two. Something about their banter, their journey felt just right, and I really enjoyed them seperately as well as together.

Tamsin and Wren were the strongest aspect of this story. Their personal development and journey was the main theme, and while the plague was an important motivator, it didn't interest me as much as to see where these two were going. However, there are two reasons why I couldn't enjoy the book as much as I did during the first part of it: the middle and the end. As much as I enjoyed the introduction of the characters and the plot, I found myself quickly inattentive during the middle. Most of this story - just as many others - takes place on the road, which often felt very slow paced, and didn't give me enough content to keep me interested. This changed quickly when we hit the climax of the story, and I found myself again eager to turn the pages - only to be met with an ending that felt more of a very, very long epilogue. The middle part and the ending in combination is what did bother me a lot. It's not that I didn't like ending or middle. I'm more bothered with the placing of certain elemens. Without spoiling much of the story, there were just a few elements from the end that could have been focused on during the middle as nothing spectacular was happening in that time anyways. Instead those felt like an afterthought squeezed in in the ending. This way, the middle might have not felt as bland, and the ending could have been shorter.

This doesn't mean though that it made the book not enjoyable. I think my main problem was that I was reading it in two sittings to prepare for the #BookTalkWithWifey live chat. As we were discussing the book later on, I definitely realized that the issues I had I only noticed because I was binging it, while others who read the book over the span of ten days weren't as bothered by those aspects. So this is very much an opinion based on the circumstances in which I was reading the book.

Nevertheless, the book is a quick and enjoyable read with two strong characters that nicely carry the magic system and the plot on their backs. If you're into witches, sapphic romances, and hate to love, I can recommend you to pick up Sweet & Bitter Magic. However, don't binge it.